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Tennis is a lucky sport. While football, basketball and even golf are forced to shoehorn yearly releases tennis games take their time out the door. Rather than rely solely on roster updates developers often take their time to reinvent the wheel and truly improve on previous attempts at recreating the sport. 2K and PAM Development have taken their first shot at bringing the Top Spin experience to the Wii, and the results are rather mixed.

Top Spin 3, while sharing the same name as its Xbox 360 and PS3 counterparts, shares no similarities with its brethren when it comes down to controls and features. Instead of timed button presses Wii owners will be timing their backhand swings to win sets. Also exclusive to the Wii version are the party games, encouraging players to complete specific goals such as correctly timing swings, scoring from the net or just winning a match.

When players boot up Top Spin 3 they are offered four game modes. Exhibition is your standard quick play option for up to four players. Road to Glory is the main single player option, with numerous events to play through playing as any of the 17 available pro athletes. Also available are the detailed Tutorial and Party games modes. Top Spin's feature list comes up weak with a notable lack of a character creator option and online multiplayer, and if you don’t have friends to join in some local multiplayer fun the game does come up extremely short.

Thankfully the controls, the most important part of Top Spin, are functional for the most part. Much like the tennis featured in Wii Sports, players swing the Wii remote as if it were a tennis racket. That's where the similarities end and Top Spin delves into deeper territory however. Players are given full control over the movement of their players using the nunchuck plus the ability to direct their shots and whether they use lob shots, volleys or top spins. Due to the 'unique' style of gripping the Wii remote (on its side), Top Spin 3 is a very hard game to approach. Those who take the time to overcome the frustration will find an enjoyable, if somewhat awkward experience.

There are several obstacles to overcome when getting accustomed to Top Spin's control setup. The biggest problem would be the lack of a left handed control scheme. The only set up available forces players to hold the Wii remote in their right hand with the nunchuck in the left. While its not a game breaker for lefties, it is a big overlook on PAM Development's part. Players should also really consider purchasing a wireless nunchuck accessory for Top Spin 3. While the cord is long enough to not interfere with your swing, it is more than likely to flip up into your face once you start getting into the game. In short, if you are right handed and have already purchased a wireless nunchuck you should have no problems with the controls.

Wii owners are typically used to low quality visuals when dealing with multiplatform games, but Top Spin 3 is almost insulting in the presentation department. Character models are recognizable when compared to their real life counterparts yet everything else is below par, almost comparable to the first Top Spin game for the original Xbox. Expected grunts and announcer sounds are nothing to complain about, but lack of any real variety hurts the soundtrack.

There isn't a lot to do in Top Spin 3 by yourself. The Road to Glory mode is a poor substitute for a fully fleshed out career mode, and the lack of any character creation options and other standard features in this modern sports game is inexcusable when comparing it to others in the genre. The game's solid local gameplay shines when played with friends, so long as there is room for everyone to swing their arms and avoid collisions.

Fans of the series may want to stick with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions for the larger amount of available content and improved visuals. The Wii version is best summed up as a 'rush job' with numerous concessions made to get it out the door along with its next generation buddies. Still, Wii owners should at least consider checking out Top Spin 3 since it can be fun with friends and provides a good alternative to Wii Sports Tennis. For a licensed tennis experience on the Wii, you can't do worse than Top Spin 3.

Platform reviewed: Wii

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