Tennis games have been around for forever. Atari’s table tennis game Pong, for example, dates back all the way to the first video games of all time in the 70s. But we’ve come a long way since then. In fact, we’ve come a long way with the TopSpin franchise, too. Twenty years later, the title (which started out on the first Xbox consoles) is back on the next-gen consoles. And, oh boy, it’s a huge, positive leap forward. Tennis simulation has never felt so real as it does with Hangar 13’s TopSpin 2k25.
2024 has been a good year for tennis fans thus far. Not only did John McEnroe’s popular 80s tennis sneaker make a huge comeback (thanks to Travis Scott), but we’ve also gotten a tennis film with Zendaya (called Challengers) and a good TV series with Fifteen-Love. That makes it perfect timing for 2k to dig up the ever-popular TopSpin franchise after its 13-year hiatus. Two months before Wimbledon, too!
Of course, those who are familiar with the franchise know that this isn’t like Mario Tennis or any of the other arcade-style games. TopSpin has a long history of creating realistic tennis games that try to capture the magic of being on the court battling against the world’s best. It’s done this by combining great visuals, sound effects, and some of the most life-like animations of popular tennis champs and matching them to punish gameplay that requires perfect timing and skill. Basically, it’s the FIFA of the tennis gaming world.
The good news is that TopSpin 2k25 continues to capture the sport perfectly by replicating its pacing, tension and atmosphere.
If you’re new to tennis, tennis games or the TopSpin franchise, then a comprehensive tutorial presented by John McEnroe has you covered. Don’t worry. He isn’t his usual ill-tempered self. He is patient while you’ll learn the ins and outs of what it means to become a champ. Lobs, serves, volleys, strokes, drop shots, slices, spins and smashes, you know.
All of this makes the game pretty easy to pick up and play—well, sort of.
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