7 more days till i trade this game for smash court tennis 3

[scandgolden2417]

Since they arent going to have anything on DLC.
And they dont have the new number one player in the world in, i'll be trading this game in for smash court tennis 3.

[kcxiv]

gratz to you.

[grimmbomb]

Do you know if smash court will have DLC?

I'll be picking this up as well, since I like it when developers make the pros' strokes accurate. ;)

[scandgolden2417]

gratz to you.
you're welcome.

[scandgolden2417]

im not sure if it will have dlc, but i know nadal will be in the game.

[TK-47]

im just gonna return the game get my money back instead of grandslam they have "easy & hard" what the use that money and get fifa 09.

[OnPoint17]

As much as I hate to say this, it looks like I'm gonna be trading in the game myself. First off I want to give props to 2K and PAM for creating a visually stunning game with incredible game play mechanics. But beyond that, I was very disappointed with the game in terms of replay value. I finished off career mode with my first created player expecting something great to happen at end after beating all 8 legends. But instead my player becomes "RETIRED". What a a disappointment that I can't use this same player to go through year after year of career mode and continue to earn money and points. I was at least expecting the player to become "UNLOCKED" after I finished the career mode so that he would become a CPU controlled player that I could play against in exhibition mode or have him show up in the career mode of another created player. But basically this character is finished. He can only be used online or in exhibition.

So I'm having to start over with a new character which is not that bad because I get to play on some of the courts I passed over during the first career I played. But once I'm done the with the 2nd character's career mode, the game is over for me. There is no incentive to continue to play. The game gets traded in.

Suggestions for Top Spin 4. Think more about the replay value of the game. You've got the graphics and the gameplay but this should be a game that can be enjoyed and replayed for years not 1 month. Have DLC available shortly after the game is released.
Open up the career mode so it can be played for years at time. Allow your players to be continuously customized over the years beyond just changing the hair or getting a shave. The create-a-player tool is so deep but you only get to use it sparingly as you create 1 to 4 characters. It would be nice to go back in have full access to the create-a-player tool and change the complexion, the weight and build, etc. of the characters as they age over the years.

Allow us to create-CPU opponents in the game and distribute experience points freely for them. We could create our greatest arch-rivals or push-overs that we can dominate. These players should show up during career mode to challenge us or entered into tournaments.

That's my 2 cents. If none of these concerns are addressed this will be my last Top Spin game purchased.

[Powerade]

I traded this game in 2 weeks ago. Everything feels lacking. It feels like this would be a good game if it was making it's next gen debut, but this is the 2nd Top Spin on the 360 and aside from the graphics and controls, it's not as good as TS2. It feels VERY boring after a while and I'm a huge Tennis fan. This game has absolutely no atmosphere at all. The crowd is lifeless and online is dead. No DLC still after almost 2 months. Not even any damn news. The roster is weak. This whole game is weak and it got old very fast.

[G-Man]

As much as I hate to say this, it looks like I'm gonna be trading in the game myself. First off I want to give props to 2K and PAM for creating a visually stunning game with incredible game play mechanics. But beyond that, I was very disappointed with the game in terms of replay value. I finished off career mode with my first created player expecting something great to happen at end after beating all 8 legends. But instead my player becomes "RETIRED". What a a disappointment that I can't use this same player to go through year after year of career mode and continue to earn money and points.

I'd like to be able to continue with the career mode too, but to me, there'd be no real point in doing so. I just think it would get old by the time you finish your millionth season as #1 in the world, y'know? The money is essentially pointless since you can't do anything with it, and after you get to an overall level of 70, you stop earning XP anyway. (You can keep getting more unlock points by doing exhibition matches and stuff, but by the time you finish a career, you'll already have a ton of points.) That's one thing that I would change if I could - allow us to be able to reach a higher level with our players so we can be as good as the pros. I understand that doing so would only magnify the online cheesers problem, but there will always be cheesers online no matter what.

Allow us to create-CPU opponents in the game and distribute experience points freely for them. We could create our greatest arch-rivals or push-overs that we can dominate. These players should show up during career mode to challenge us or entered into tournaments.

I actually agree with this part somewhat. It would have been cool to be able to create someone who isn't in the game, like Nadal, and then play against them as if they were a regular character.

In the end, everybody's entitled to their own opinion, and here's mine: this is my first Top Spin game, and I absolutely love it. It's seen the most action out of all my 360 titles, by far, and playing it has actually made me even more interested in real tennis than I already was. To me, the game has a ton of replay value, because its basic mechanics just make it so much fun. I have just as much fun playing exhibition matches and online matches as I do playing career mode matches. I like playing dress-up with my created characters and playing with the stats to see how well different builds will perform. I'm sure I'll give this Smash Court Tennis 3 a try, but I don't see myself ever trading Top Spin 3 in - at least, not until the next Top Spin comes out. :)

[candy2500]

Do you know if smash court will have DLC?

I'll be picking this up as well, since I like it when developers make the pros' strokes accurate. ;)

grimmbomb, will you PM me and let me know how smash court is, thanks...

now back to TS3 after the honeymoon was over (which for me wasn't long) you could tell yeah the visuals was spot on but the game as a hole just never came together very well. with the total lack of any atmosphere in the game at all, how the schedule was put together was not very good at all and not realistic to the sport of tennis. and after a while the game becomes quite frankly dry and boring and no fun at all...

they do have a fundamental good game foundation to work with if they decide to make a TS4. they just need to use it. the NFL schedule works for Madden, the NBA schedule works for NBA games, NHL work for NHL games. and the pro Tennis schedule will work for Top Spin, they just need to implement it in stead of trying to reinvent it..

buy your sound department tickets to a few matches and listen and learn.

yes, balls do hit lines, they also hit the net cords on serves.

you can go on and on but we buy games to have fun and after you get by the visuals top spin 3 just wasn't fun... oh by the way. i didn't work this hard to get to #1 only to find myself going on a Zelda Legend quest i wanted to defend it, stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just make one..

[grimmbomb]

grimmbomb, will you PM me and let me know how smash court is, thanks...



No prob.:)

[OnPoint17]

they do have a fundamental good game foundation to work with if they decide to make a TS4. they just need to use it. the NFL schedule works for Madden, the NBA schedule works for NBA games, NHL work for NHL games. and the pro Tennis schedule will work for Top Spin, they just need to implement it in stead of trying to reinvent it..

buy your sound department tickets to a few matches and listen and learn.

yes, balls do hit lines, they also hit the net cords on serves.

you can go on and on but we buy games to have fun and after you get by the visuals top spin 3 just wasn't fun... oh by the way. i didn't work this hard to get to #1 only to find myself going on a Zelda Legend quest i wanted to defend it, stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just make one..

I wanted to expand on a couple points here in an effort the make this game better and more enjoyable. I totally agree with following the pro tennis schedule in the game and having the tour last for years. When you become a "Pro" in this game it even mentions that your opponents have been doing the tennis tour for "years". Yet as a created player you can only be a pro for 1 year! Give us multiple years for our professional career. I'd would have really enjoyed using my same character year after year through the pro circuit, adjusting the difficulty of the game as I went along. What I don't want is having to start over again and again with a new character each year.

And yes, the game certainly switched gears after the pro career was over (Zelda Legend quest). The grand slam and battling the 8 legends should have been a separate mode (mini-game) that had nothing to do with your career. After we finished the first year of our professional career we should get prompted to continue to year 2 and so on after each pro tour. It would also be nice if the skills of the CPU players were dynamically updated over the years and new players entering the pro circuit as time goes on. Make the game fun to spend time creating a player and following them through a real tennis career, not just 1 year!

[candy2500]

No prob.:)

thank you ;)

[TK-47]

face it great graphics,short career and tough for casual players.

[G-Man]

Wow...I must the only person in the free world who still likes this game.

[grimmbomb]

Wow...I must the only person in the free world who still likes this game.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still go back and play it, but the more time you have with a game, the more apparent the flaws become.

It also looks like we aren't getting any pros via DLC. Ronnie has disappeared from the forum, and the mods obviously have no answers. Which probably means the answer is-nadda.

[candy2500]

Wow...I must the only person in the free world who still likes this game.

oh i like the game and i like the new control system.. played 4 games yesterday and two of them was very good games, the game play needed more fine tuning especially with the serving and line play..

my problem with it is it has two things i can't stand in sports games I've touched on earlier in posts even before it came out

1. on court atmosphere is non existent and totally take away from the on court visuals, when the game is on the line or I'm stuck in a deuce i want to hear it and feel it.

2.the hole game is centered around you, take for instance hoops 2K8, they managed to give the player the feeling that your team was just one very small link in a much bigger chain, your just one small team in a conference of other conferences of many teams all after the same thing. so the game totally sucked you right in to the hoops 2k8 world

Top Spin 3 is put your disk in, load up you man, play rinse and repeat and with the way the schedule was and with no coach and fan mail, no sponsors, beautiful courts with no game atmosphere with the feeling your the total chain that makes the game happen the game just doesn't come together as a hole very well.

i still think they have a good foundation for the next one though.

[Croman513]

whats gonna be so good about smash court,

I havent found much info on it and I'm always leary of games making their "nex gen" debut

[randy45acp]

i dont like the reviews top spin 3 is getting im getting smash court its coming out in few hours from now

[hoodtalkwestend]

why not just get both games and play both of them, i know i will, from the first day i picked up TS3 i loved it, i have a whole bunch of great players ive created, thanks to my memory card, im gonna for sure get SC3, ive seen the videos on youtube, the game play is waaay faster kinda like VT3 but the people dont look as real as they do on TS3, they do have the challenge system in it tho.....but like TS3 im pretty sure there will be some flaws in this game as well, i dont think ive ever played a game that was 100% perfect , i say just enjoy both games. TS3is the best tennis game ive played since TS1, i have all of them and still enjoy and play all of them

[Neanderpaul]

i dont like the reviews top spin 3 is getting im getting smash court its coming out in few hours from now
You don't like the reviews TS3 is getting????
IGN gave Smash Court a 4.9 - and that's out of 10, not 5. :eek:

[ripper9100]

Don't know if trading it for Smash court tennis 3 would be your best option. Here's the ign review (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/900/900303p2.html) and it got the score which I was expecting from playing the game on the psp and seeing the videos for the Xbox 360 version. I knew the game was going to have a very good career mode but I was hoping the graphics, animations and overall sluggishness of the psp version would get a facelift for the Xbox 360 version but looks like that's not the case.

[anESPNfan]

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/411980.html

[Croman513]

buffalo news though...


good article though


I have a good feeling TS3 is going to be waaay better

If you release anything as DLC, release a crowd noise .wav file


thats the FIRST thing I noticed when watching a smashcourt gameplay video was hmmmm I can hear people


TS3 gets very boring with no noise

[grimmbomb]

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/411980.html

Wow. 40 pros, huh?:rolleyes:

[Powerade]

40 pros LMAO. And what was the point of posting that? To show just how good TS3 is? It is good, but it gets old QUICK. Games are lifeless. Anyone remember watching Hewitt/Baghdatis match from the Australian Open earlier this year? Compare that to Top Spin 3...

Yeah.

[Croman513]

Yea, I posted a month or so back about the crowd noise

and people said that its not that big of a deal, and tennis matches never really get loud


Yea its not a loud sport like basketball and football or even soccer ( as far as crowds go)


but come on...


three sets is TORTURE with the game so quiet

[G-Man]

LOL...it's still not that big of a deal to me. I just refuse to argue about it, that's all. Most of my viewpoints tend to go against the grain on this board anyway, so don't mind me. :)

And I gotta say, that is one low number for Smash Court Tennis 3...4.9? I'll still give the demo a try, though, if there is one - I refuse to buy or pass up a game simply because someone else gave it a good or bad review.

[Croman513]

LOL, its all good man

But yea, if there is a demo I'll try it out

All I know if the ambiance of the matches were a little louder and livlier, I'd be in love with this game

[candy2500]

LOL, its all good man

But yea, if there is a demo I'll try it out

All I know if the ambiance of the matches were a little louder and livlier, I'd be in love with this game

agree with the on court ambiance and they need a better schedule also, i would have like to have seen them spread them out to every other week and implement a system where if you play 3 or 4 matches in a row you begin to get tired and loose points off your skills and have to rest to regain them, which would make you pick your tournaments carefully, especially before slams.

other than that, fine tune the serving and you need the ball hitting lines and very close to hitting them fairly regular..

that's why i said before the foundation is there for a special sports game, the graphics are there, the new controls system was good IMO, in a year with a little fine tuning, work on the sound and make a good schedule and i think you would have a very good sports title...

[Powerade]

Got SCT3. Here's what I said at another board...

I've only just started playing but let me say, this game actually feels ALIVE. Crowd noise, police sirens (XD), crowd actually screaming the name of the players (COME ON, ANA!), and some more stuff that I probably haven't even encountered yet. Totally different feel than TS3. Much more alive. So far so good. Also let me say that I love the challenge system. You can only challenge close calls but it's pretty sweet. I got a call right and wrong and Sharapova got one right as well. Balls hit lines, just miss, all that. I won my first match (played on easy though) and had a blast. The game is very fast paced so whoever says it's slow is a damn liar. Also, on match point the crowd comes alive sometimes and the CPU plays a lot safer. Nice to see that. This game rocks.

[jumpman11]

I also got the game, and agree that it feels so much more alive. The only thing that bugs me though about the challenge system is that sometimes it annoys me that I hit the ball inside the line that is called out, but the cpu barely gets to it and lobs up a smash point; although i challenge and win, we have to replay the point. I mean if the ball is barely on the line its a different story, but if the ball is inside the line/ square on the line and is called against me, its just annoying. But anyways everything about the game is pretty good except loading takes a long time.

Also can anyone explain to me how to get the arcade achievements b/c i beat the challenger mode but didnt get the achievement.

[grimmbomb]

I didn't realize until I played this game how important sound in a tennis game could be. I think it totally makes up for the lack of polish in the graphics department. Whether you win a big point or a match, the crowd makes you feel like your player accomplished something. Very cool.

Plus your shots sometimes hit the let tape and dribble over for a winner. And you can hit the lines. Challenge system and player emotions is good too. And, it looks like it is possible to get Sharapova's shriek right. ;)

[grimmbomb]

btw- Smash Court Tennis 3 DOES HAVE NADAL!! Everyone who said he would be removed was incorrect.:nono:

[adal12]

How many courts are there?
No licensed ones, right?

[Powerade]

No, there aren't any licensed major courts but the clones look all right. There are 3 courts I really like though. Deep Woods Court in Canada that has you playing in the middle of the woods, Venezia Traditional Academy Court in Venice that has you playing on a court that's on water, and SKY COURT DUBAI! The most bad *** court ever. Google it if you've never heard of it.

Altogether there's 15 courts.

[adal12]

Sounds good.
Shame there're only 15 courts, but okay =)
Thanks for answering.

[leonidas1982]

grimmbomb, will you PM me and let me know how smash court is, thanks...

now back to TS3 after the honeymoon was over (which for me wasn't long) you could tell yeah the visuals was spot on but the game as a hole just never came together very well. with the total lack of any atmosphere in the game at all, how the schedule was put together was not very good at all and not realistic to the sport of tennis. and after a while the game becomes quite frankly dry and boring and no fun at all...

they do have a fundamental good game foundation to work with if they decide to make a TS4. they just need to use it. the NFL schedule works for Madden, the NBA schedule works for NBA games, NHL work for NHL games. and the pro Tennis schedule will work for Top Spin, they just need to implement it in stead of trying to reinvent it..

buy your sound department tickets to a few matches and listen and learn.

yes, balls do hit lines, they also hit the net cords on serves.

you can go on and on but we buy games to have fun and after you get by the visuals top spin 3 just wasn't fun... oh by the way. i didn't work this hard to get to #1 only to find myself going on a Zelda Legend quest i wanted to defend it, stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just make one..

well said.

[candy2500]

I didn't realize until I played this game how important sound in a tennis game could be. I think it totally makes up for the lack of polish in the graphics department. Whether you win a big point or a match, the crowd makes you feel like your player accomplished something. Very cool.

Plus your shots sometimes hit the let tape and dribble over for a winner. And you can hit the lines. Challenge system and player emotions is good too. And, it looks like it is possible to get Sharapova's shriek right. ;)

ok so now you all have my attention, any info you can give on the single player career mode would help i don't play on line much. how is the schedule??

Plus your shots sometimes hit the let tape and dribble over for a winner... (sounds good)

And you can hit the lines...(sounds even better now)

Challenge system and player emotions is good too... (extra content never hurt a game)

And, it looks like it is possible to get Sharapova's shriek right... ( well no games perfect) lol

but seriously, sounds kind of fun. i take it this game is a good buy for a Tennis fan..

[Powerade]

ok so now you all have my attention, any info you can give on the single player career mode would help i don't play on line much. how is the schedule??

Plus your shots sometimes hit the let tape and dribble over for a winner... (sounds good)

And you can hit the lines...(sounds even better now)

Challenge system and player emotions is good too... (extra content never hurt a game)

And, it looks like it is possible to get Sharapova's shriek right... ( well no games perfect) lol

but seriously, sounds kind of fun. i take it this game is a good buy for a Tennis fan..
I haven't played much of it but what I have played is great. (Talking about career mode/Pro Tour as they call it in the game)

- You can choose how long EVERY match is. Before every one you can change it with the click of the right trigger.

- Players are shown hoisting their prize after winning a tournament.

- You start off as number 250 and have to work your way to the top.

- When you start you get to pick a rival of the same gender.

- When you level up, you set skill points to 7 different parameters. When you have enough parameters, you can get skills. There's a ton of skills available right from the start though so you don't have to worry too much. Buying skills takes skill points though so it's wise to balance them out after a while. It's kind of hard to explain.

- Fan mail.

- You receive invitations. Training matches with your rival, wildcards, compete in tournies, and charity events.

- Davis/Fed cup are in.

- You can have 2 sponsors. To get a sponsor you have to beat some little mini-games. When you get sponsors you can access new clothes and equipment.

- You can do 6 different things every week.

Tournament (Usually 3 or more choice)

Training (There are 9 options here. I think 8 of them are mini-games and the last one let's you practice. Practice is just getting 5 points off your opponent before they get 5 points off you.)

Charity events (Don't know what to do in here, haven't gotten invited yet.)

Sponsors (The mini-games. I've only tried one so I don't know how many there are.)

Doubles partner (Pick/switch double partner. To do this you must score 5 points on them before they do. Same as practicing but you have to win here.)

Mixed doubles partner (Same as doubles partner.)

That's all I really know about it so far. I haven't messed around with it enough yet. Sorry XD.

[leonidas1982]

Hopefully they release for hte PS3.

[candy2500]

I haven't played much of it but what I have played is great. (Talking about career mode/Pro Tour as they call it in the game)

- You can choose how long EVERY match is. Before every one you can change it with the click of the right trigger.

- Players are shown hoisting their prize after winning a tournament.

- You start off as number 250 and have to work your way to the top.

- When you start you get to pick a rival of the same gender.

- When you level up, you set skill points to 7 different parameters. When you have enough parameters, you can get skills. There's a ton of skills available right from the start though so you don't have to worry too much. Buying skills takes skill points though so it's wise to balance them out after a while. It's kind of hard to explain.

- Fan mail.

- You receive invitations. Training matches with your rival, wildcards, compete in tournies, and charity events.

- Davis/Fed cup are in.

- You can have 2 sponsors. To get a sponsor you have to beat some little mini-games. When you get sponsors you can access new clothes and equipment.

- You can do 6 different things every week.

Tournament (Usually 3 or more choice)

Training (There are 9 options here. I think 8 of them are mini-games and the last one let's you practice. Practice is just getting 5 points off your opponent before they get 5 points off you.)

Charity events (Don't know what to do in here, haven't gotten invited yet.)

Sponsors (The mini-games. I've only tried one so I don't know how many there are.)

Doubles partner (Pick/switch double partner. To do this you must score 5 points on them before they do. Same as practicing but you have to win here.)

Mixed doubles partner (Same as doubles partner.)

That's all I really know about it so far. I haven't messed around with it enough yet. Sorry XD.

thanks for the info, ill look into this one..

is the on court play arcade like or simulation or somewhere in between??

[G-Man]

Yeah, some of these extra features sound cool and all, but the on-court play is the most important aspect of the game for me.

I'm not sold on this one just yet. I'm still waiting for some kind of demo so I can see how it is for myself.

[Powerade]

I think it's a solid sim. I don't know if the controls are supposed to be like TS3 (This came out before anyway) but if you play it like it's TS3, you'll have a lot of success. Releasing at the right time gives the ball more zip. There isn't diving (I played a 5 set match as Blake and dove once. That was the only dive I've ever seen), balls will hit lines and just miss hitting lines. When the difficulty is on easy, normal, or hard, aces are actually pretty common. But on Very Hard it's tricky because the CPU can pretty much read where you're aiming. Kind of cheap but if you know what to do, it's all right. One thing that is weird is running from side to side. If you're running to your left and ball is coming to your right and you turn, your player will do a quick turn without any kind of stop. TS3 at least had an animation for that. It's not a big deal though since it's still pretty hard to catch up to balls sometimes. The game on easy-hard isn't all that challenging but on very hard it gives you problems. Even if you think you're dominating, the CPU will come back when you lose stamina. You HAVE to play every point right or else you will get dominated with low stamina. I was up 5-0 on Nadal as Blake and lost the set 5-7 because I had wore myself out. Against crappy players I guess it won't be a huge deal, but against someone like Nadal or Federer, you really have to use your head. And even when you're both at full stamina it's pretty tough. The CPU comes into the net a lot and it's pretty hard to do anything against them when they do. Not frustrating, but difficult.

I'm in the process of editing a vid of some gameplay I recorded and will probably upload it soon for anyone who wants to see it BTW.

[adal12]

Thanks for the report.
Can't wait for the video.

[Powerade]

Ok, here's 20 clips I put together. I just put them all right after each other.

NOTE: Any little jumps/quick freezes is because of my capture device. It's pretty cheap and sucks. Also, the sound may have a little delay. Again, this is my devices fault. THE ACTUAL GAME RUNS SMOOTH AND IS IN SYNC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bELoCwsenCo&fmt=18

[adal12]

Thanks a lot for the video.
What difficulty was it?

[Powerade]

Very hard.

[adal12]

So you already beat Very hard?
That's a bit disappointing :(

[Powerade]

I won that set, but like I said, it gets a lot tougher as you go on because the CPU knows how to conserve stamina. I didn't play the rest of that match so I can't say I beat it. If you play a 5 set match it takes A LOT to actually beat someone because when your player is tired, they play really sloppy like I said earlier.

[OnPoint17]

Wow. This sounds like the game that TS3 should have been. The only thing I don't like about the footage from SCT3 is how the tennis ball darts around the like a missile with that trail always following behind it. I guess it makes it easier to track and hit the ball but it really adds to an arcade feeling with the trail appearing all the time.

[candy2500]

Wow. This sounds like the game that TS3 should have been. The only thing I don't like about the footage from SCT3 is how the tennis ball darts around the like a missile with that trail always following behind it. I guess it makes it easier to track and hit the ball but it really adds to an arcade feeling with the trail appearing all the time.

agree on the missile trail but its probably bearable, ill pick this one up as soon as i leave work, what ever day that is :(

[zimrahil]

agree on the missile trail but its probably bearable, ill pick this one up as soon as i leave work, what ever day that is :(

You don't know what day you will be leaving work?? :eek: :p

Career mode seems so much better than in TS3 - will look forward to your review of this game Candy as I know you play for real and seem to look for in a tennis game what I do

[OnPoint17]

I have a couple more questions about SCT3 for those of you who have switched over. Does the game's score keep track of the number of deuces? Deuce 3, Deuce 4 etc. I was watching the US Open last nite (Blake vs. Young) and it was nice know at a glance how many times the score went back to deuce. Definitely something that a Top Spin 4 should contain.

How many create-a-players can you make in SCT3 and can you play against any of them as CPU controlled characters?

[Powerade]

Yes, it keeps track of deuces. Don't know why TS3 didn't.

I think you can make 20 chars. Maybe more. One guy on another board said 20. And yes, you can play against created chars. I don't know why you couldn't do that in TS3 either.

Another thing that's cool is that you can edit your player's stats without enter career mode. So he can be a great player right from the start. But if you do that, you can't enter career mode. But it's useful if you just want to make some actual tennis players and use them right away.

[OnPoint17]

Yes, it keeps track of deuces. Don't know why TS3 didn't.

I think you can make 20 chars. Maybe more. One guy on another board said 20. And yes, you can play against created chars. I don't know why you couldn't do that in TS3 either.

Another thing that's cool is that you can edit your player's stats without enter career mode. So he can be a great player right from the start. But if you do that, you can't enter career mode. But it's useful if you just want to make some actual tennis players and use them right away.

Hey thanks for the response. You just converted me over. I'm gonna go out and get Smash Court Tennis 3. This game sounds like it has all the things that Top Spin left out.

[candy2500]

I have a couple more questions about SCT3 for those of you who have switched over. Does the game's score keep track of the number of deuces? Deuce 3, Deuce 4 etc. I was watching the US Open last nite (Blake vs. Young) and it was nice know at a glance how many times the score went back to deuce. Definitely something that a Top Spin 4 should contain.

How many create-a-players can you make in SCT3 and can you play against any of them as CPU controlled characters?

that Blake, young match was very good last night shows you don't have to watch #1 VS #2 to have a classic match on your hands..

OnPoint17 if you get it post some impressions... thanks.

[candy2500]

You don't know what day you will be leaving work?? :eek: :p

Career mode seems so much better than in TS3 - will look forward to your review of this game Candy as I know you play for real and seem to look for in a tennis game what I do

ill get it as soon as i can, I've been working a lot last couple of days and looks like a long week for me. i might just order it on-line. then i want have to go any farther then the door to get it.. :)

i still hope everyone that has it is enjoying it. sometimes after a few day opinions change so more game impressions would be welcome..

[leonidas1982]

i feel left out. namco left out its play station fanbase. I understand though, the ps3 was not ready by release. the thing about the smash court series is that it is fun to play.

[leonidas1982]

and now this thread has been moved.

[grimmbomb]

and now this thread has been moved.

That is my bad. I called them out for moving my EA tennis thread over here and leaving the SCT3 thread.:o

[candy2500]

That is my bad. I called them out for moving my EA tennis thread over here and leaving the SCT3 thread.:o

we forgive you grimmbomb :)

[zimrahil]

ill get it as soon as i can, I've been working a lot last couple of days and looks like a long week for me. i might just order it on-line. then i want have to go any farther then the door to get it.. :)

i still hope everyone that has it is enjoying it. sometimes after a few day opinions change so more game impressions would be welcome..

Candy makes a good point here. I remember when I first got TS 3 I was like, wow this games rocks. Fast forward a month and I don't play the game, period. Career mode is too shallow for me, and being taken off the tour when you reach #1 seed is baffling. I see though that Ron has said a patch is in the works :confused: Interesting to see if any gameplay elements gets fixed.

Initial impressions sound pretty encouraging for SCT3, even if the professional reviews are quite varied. Some of the gameplay videos on youtube seem good to me. A lot of people are saying the pace is slow, but the videos I have seen, the pace seems fairly quick? Yes the ball trail is arcadey, but if the gameplay holds up, I could live with it.

I also encourage anybody who has the game to keep posting impressions, for better or worse. In particular I am reading that serve and volley is king in this game, either for you or the AI. Is this true etc?

[xKrNMBoYx]

i was going to buy this cause it had amazing graphics..but i guess i shouldnt

[grimmbomb]

Ok, SCT3 is getting on my nerves. I think the ball placement is a joke. I can get to ball after ball early, release at the right time, but sometimes my shot will land by the line, sometimes near the center of the court. :thumbsdow

Any help from people who play?

[leonidas1982]

^^^ I had the problem in SCT2, but I realized it was fingers that were the problem. You can try using the direction pad rather than analog stick and see what happens.

[OnPoint17]

SCT3 initial impressions. I traded in Top Spin 3 yesterday and probably have spent about 4-5 hours with SCT3. First off, I must admit that the graphics look a lot better than what I was expecting. The players aren't on par with TS3, but they're close. The courts look nice, and the atmosphere is exciting. The crowd actually chants and claps at match point.

For a game heralded as a cross between a sim and arcade, I'm actually finding this game a lot harder to play than TS3. With my created player, its hard to control the placement of the ball. In Top Spin I had mastered ball placement with forehand and back hand and could run my opponent from one side of the court to the other. In this game its very difficult. I've had rallies with the CPU that lasted 88 strokes. The CPU seems to almost anticipate where you're going to hit the ball. It's hard to trip it up and run your opponent from one side of the court to the other.

I played an exhibition game with an established pro and found that controlling the ball was so much easier. So I guess its all a matter of building up my skills and increasing my forehand and backhand to get those shots just where I want them. (Although that is going to be hard to do since I keep loosing my matches and not accumulating experience points). I also haven't found the difficulty settings for career mode. I would certainly want to put this game on easy as I learned to play.

Create-a-player is flexible and you can come up with some interesting characters, however, this game doesn't seem to realize that African-Americans play tennis as the skin tone will go to a certain level of brown (I can't create a player as dark as the one I had in Top Spin) and there are no hair styles for black males. I had to settle for shaved heads as fades, dreadlocks and close cut afros are not an option. Even the beards and moustaches are designed for caucasion and latin males. And although you can tweak the facial features to give your player a slightly broad nose or thick lips, the face still looks caucasion. I don't know if additional hair styles are unlockable as you play the game, but initially African-Americans get the short end of the stick.

The one thing the game does that I really applaud is that it let me play a created player against a created player!

The other thing I love is the "challenge call" option if you think a ball called in is actually out. And I hate it when the CPU calls a challenge and gets it right! But you have to be lighting fast to call a challenge. If you don't press Y within seconds the challenge will not be recognized. I've missed several challenge opportunities. (The screen flashes up as quickly as those tips that Top Spin 3 offered which you never had enough time to read). The same is also true of the reactions after a point, Mad, Happy, Sad, etc. You only have seconds to choose a reaction and more often than not I miss out on them. I suppose when I get used to this game I'll be able to hit the buttons on time.

The tutorial mode was very helpful and I was actually able to complete all the lessons and unlock the achievement points. (Unlike Top Spin where some of those lessons I was never able to master and I got so bored with it that I didn't even try to finish it).

Also, I had asked earlier in another post if SCT3 kept track of "deuces" in the score. Unfortunately my experience has been that it does not. You only get "deuce" everytime you go back to deuce just like TS3. You can't tell how many times the score has gone to deuce.

The player movement is pretty zippy running across court. They don't stumble around like in TS3, which can be a bad thing because I've found it very hard to trip up the CPU. One thing you have to watch out for is your timing of the button for the swing. Sometimes, you're pressing the button and your player doesn't respond (this could be a glitch) and gets hit by the ball. This happens way too often. Make sure you have the power meter turned on. Its off by default when you get the game. This icon will save you a lot of headaches. If you don't see it, then your player is not gonna swing. This game is more forgiving and gives you another opportunity to press a face button and swing at the last minute.

The career mode seems like its going to be very deep and rich. And as I was hoping for in TS3 (which was sadly omitted) when your created player completes his/her career they become "unlocked" to be a potential rival for your next created player. All-in-all I'm glad I did the trade in. TS3 was far too limited in its career mode.

Anyone with specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.

[Powerade]

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

And it DOES keep track of deuces. It'll first flash and say "Deuce" then if you look where the score is, it'll say "Deuce 6" or whatever. I know this. Also, my player has never, ever been hit by a ball so you must be doing something wrong, no offense. Could be your controller or something.

Look in the upper left corner: http://img293.imageshack.us/my.php?image=08281922200yn7.jpg

[OnPoint17]

Thanks for posting that image. I never thought to look at the score to see the number of deuces. I was expecting when it flashed "deuce" on the screen that it would follow with the number.

And I don't know if its my controller or me causing my player not to swing and get hit with the ball, but a number of reviews have pointed out this issue and cited the inconsistent controls...so I don't think its just me. But you must be very fortunate not to have been frustrated at your player not swinging at the ball.

[Powerade]

There have been times when I run to the ball and aim the other direction and my player won't even swing but the ball has never hit me. That's all I'm saying. And when that does happen to me, it's entirely my fault because I'm aiming to soon.

[OnPoint17]

I still don't have the timing down quite right, so maybe that's what it is...aiming too soon.

[leonidas1982]

SCT3 initial impressions.
I also haven't found the difficulty settings for career mode. I would certainly want to put this game on easy as I learned to play.

In Sct2, there wasn't any difficulty setting for career mode. The difficulty level depends on the tournament you are in (easier on minor than on grandslams) and the opponents (pros vs qualies). But as you improve your player, rounds become easier for the most part. Finals in grandslams are similar to the hardest level in exhibitions.

[2k9Bulls]

As much as I hate to say this, it looks like I'm gonna be trading in the game myself. First off I want to give props to 2K and PAM for creating a visually stunning game with incredible game play mechanics. But beyond that, I was very disappointed with the game in terms of replay value. I finished off career mode with my first created player expecting something great to happen at end after beating all 8 legends. But instead my player becomes "RETIRED". What a a disappointment that I can't use this same player to go through year after year of career mode and continue to earn money and points. I was at least expecting the player to become "UNLOCKED" after I finished the career mode so that he would become a CPU controlled player that I could play against in exhibition mode or have him show up in the career mode of another created player. But basically this character is finished. He can only be used online or in exhibition.

So I'm having to start over with a new character which is not that bad because I get to play on some of the courts I passed over during the first career I played. But once I'm done the with the 2nd character's career mode, the game is over for me. There is no incentive to continue to play. The game gets traded in.

Suggestions for Top Spin 4. Think more about the replay value of the game. You've got the graphics and the gameplay but this should be a game that can be enjoyed and replayed for years not 1 month. Have DLC available shortly after the game is released.
Open up the career mode so it can be played for years at time. Allow your players to be continuously customized over the years beyond just changing the hair or getting a shave. The create-a-player tool is so deep but you only get to use it sparingly as you create 1 to 4 characters. It would be nice to go back in have full access to the create-a-player tool and change the complexion, the weight and build, etc. of the characters as they age over the years.

Allow us to create-CPU opponents in the game and distribute experience points freely for them. We could create our greatest arch-rivals or push-overs that we can dominate. These players should show up during career mode to challenge us or entered into tournaments.

That's my 2 cents. If none of these concerns are addressed this will be my last Top Spin game purchased.


Wow! You just summed up everything I wanted to say. Perfectly.

I really hope the developers listen to this feedback because I think it is the critical/logical next step for this series.

[candy2500]

SCT3 initial impressions. I traded in Top Spin 3 yesterday and probably have spent about 4-5 hours with SCT3. First off, I must admit that the graphics look a lot better than what I was expecting. The players aren't on par with TS3, but they're close. The courts look nice, and the atmosphere is exciting. The crowd actually chants and claps at match point.

For a game heralded as a cross between a sim and arcade, I'm actually finding this game a lot harder to play than TS3. With my created player, its hard to control the placement of the ball. In Top Spin I had mastered ball placement with forehand and back hand and could run my opponent from one side of the court to the other. In this game its very difficult. I've had rallies with the CPU that lasted 88 strokes. The CPU seems to almost anticipate where you're going to hit the ball. It's hard to trip it up and run your opponent from one side of the court to the other.

I played an exhibition game with an established pro and found that controlling the ball was so much easier. So I guess its all a matter of building up my skills and increasing my forehand and backhand to get those shots just where I want them. (Although that is going to be hard to do since I keep loosing my matches and not accumulating experience points). I also haven't found the difficulty settings for career mode. I would certainly want to put this game on easy as I learned to play.

Create-a-player is flexible and you can come up with some interesting characters, however, this game doesn't seem to realize that African-Americans play tennis as the skin tone will go to a certain level of brown (I can't create a player as dark as the one I had in Top Spin) and there are no hair styles for black males. I had to settle for shaved heads as fades, dreadlocks and close cut afros are not an option. Even the beards and moustaches are designed for caucasion and latin males. And although you can tweak the facial features to give your player a slightly broad nose or thick lips, the face still looks caucasion. I don't know if additional hair styles are unlockable as you play the game, but initially African-Americans get the short end of the stick.

The one thing the game does that I really applaud is that it let me play a created player against a created player!

The other thing I love is the "challenge call" option if you think a ball called in is actually out. And I hate it when the CPU calls a challenge and gets it right! But you have to be lighting fast to call a challenge. If you don't press Y within seconds the challenge will not be recognized. I've missed several challenge opportunities. (The screen flashes up as quickly as those tips that Top Spin 3 offered which you never had enough time to read). The same is also true of the reactions after a point, Mad, Happy, Sad, etc. You only have seconds to choose a reaction and more often than not I miss out on them. I suppose when I get used to this game I'll be able to hit the buttons on time.

The tutorial mode was very helpful and I was actually able to complete all the lessons and unlock the achievement points. (Unlike Top Spin where some of those lessons I was never able to master and I got so bored with it that I didn't even try to finish it).

Also, I had asked earlier in another post if SCT3 kept track of "deuces" in the score. Unfortunately my experience has been that it does not. You only get "deuce" everytime you go back to deuce just like TS3. You can't tell how many times the score has gone to deuce.

The player movement is pretty zippy running across court. They don't stumble around like in TS3, which can be a bad thing because I've found it very hard to trip up the CPU. One thing you have to watch out for is your timing of the button for the swing. Sometimes, you're pressing the button and your player doesn't respond (this could be a glitch) and gets hit by the ball. This happens way too often. Make sure you have the power meter turned on. Its off by default when you get the game. This icon will save you a lot of headaches. If you don't see it, then your player is not gonna swing. This game is more forgiving and gives you another opportunity to press a face button and swing at the last minute.

The career mode seems like its going to be very deep and rich. And as I was hoping for in TS3 (which was sadly omitted) when your created player completes his/her career they become "unlocked" to be a potential rival for your next created player. All-in-all I'm glad I did the trade in. TS3 was far too limited in its career mode.

Anyone with specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.

thanks OnPoint17 for the review.. i need to get this game sounds like fun and a deep career mode is what I'm looking for

[leonidas1982]

Namco, please release this for PS3 -- remember your supporters.

[OnPoint17]

thanks OnPoint17 for the review.. i need to get this game sounds like fun and a deep career mode is what I'm looking for
The career mode is 4 yrs in SCT3 and its a mix of training exercises, celebrity matches (to boost popularity), regular tournament matches and sponsor challenges (to be able to wear brand name clothes, Fila, RBK, Lotto, Adidas etc...no Nike though :( ). This will keep me busy for a while. :)

[grimmbomb]

After playing SCT2 last night, I realized not one of these "next gen" games even comes close to being half as good. The gameplay is perfect. The career is great. And the roster is of decent size and is absolutely stacked for the year it was released. That will probably be the best roster ever for a tennis game.

[Powerade]

You say that as if SCT3 is garbage.

[grimmbomb]

You say that as if SCT3 is garbage.

Not at all. It's a very solid tennis game. SCT3 and TS3 both have some very good qualities. But they also have a lot of room for improvement.

SCT2? Update graphics. Update roster(a little). Publish. Everyone wins.

[leonidas1982]

Not at all. It's a very solid tennis game. SCT3 and TS3 both have some very good qualities. But they also have a lot of room for improvement.

SCT2? Update graphics. Update roster(a little). Publish. Everyone wins.

and add online capability and a better player creator -- perfect.

[grimmbomb]

and add online capability and a better player creator -- perfect.

Ah yes. Very true. I forgot to mention that. As for game play though, you can't make it any better.

[Powerade]

There is one thing about SCT3 that really irritates me though. It is impossible to create a player with blonde hair. Anytime you choose "blonde", the hair color is GRAY. It's so annoying and makes no sense. This is the one thing about this game that really bugs me.

[grimmbomb]

There is one thing about SCT3 that really irritates me though. It is impossible to create a player with blonde hair. Anytime you choose "blonde", the hair color is GRAY. It's so annoying and makes no sense. This is the one thing about this game that really bugs me.

Are you sure it's not your tv? It looks just fine to me.

[Powerade]

I'm talking about SCT3. Blonde is not blonde. Haven't tried it on a male, but on females, it's freaking gray. There is no way that color is blonde. Maria Sharavpova's hair is blonde, the blonde that you can put on a created female = NOT blonde.

[grimmbomb]

I'm talking about SCT3. Blonde is not blonde. Haven't tried it on a male, but on females, it's freaking gray. There is no way that color is blonde. Maria Sharavpova's hair is blonde, the blonde that you can put on a created female = NOT blonde.

I know what game you mean. It looks right to me though.

[Powerade]

You have to be kidding me. Blonde looks nothing like blonde.

[grimmbomb]

Hey. On the SCT3 website, when you click on downloads, it says "coming soon". Does that mean downloads for the game or to your computer, like wallpaper or something.

[OnPoint17]

Anybody know of any good message boards that talk about SCT3? I haven't found many posts out there. The most used forum seems to be on Gamespot.

[leonidas1982]

Unlike TS3 players, SCt3 players are busy playing their game. Here, we've either sold it or use it as a beer coaster.

[OnPoint17]

Unlike TS3 players, SCt3 players are busy playing their game. Here, we've either sold it or use it as a beer coaster.

LOL....good point. :)