After a 13-year hiatus, Top Spin 2K25 enters the court triumphantly. Tennis fans can rest easy knowing that Top Spin 2K25 is a fantastic entry in the storied franchise, but a gaggle of small issues keeps it from achieving Master status.
Top Spin 2K25 Is Poetry in Motion
Tennis has always been one of my favorite sports — a skillful dance between two opponents as they demand control of the court. Many sports titles lose that feeling in their transfer from the real world to the digital world of video games, but Top Spin 2K25 takes home the win here. The on-court animations are extremely lifelike, thanks to a masterful blending of animations to keep things from looking stilted or janky — it’s easily one of the smoothest-looking sports titles available to date.
Watching each player on the court is like magic, especially when playing with higher-skilled Professionals. Each hit feels satisfying, with a pleasing thunk of the racket to accentuate the power behind each hit, no matter the type of court you are playing on. There is a small issue, however — dated visuals keep Top Spin 2K25 from reaching its full potential on this end.
From a distance, such as on the court, Top Spin 2K25 looks rather nice. Great lighting and accurate court details make each match feel alive. Paired with the top-shelf animations, it looks fantastic to watch. That is until the game decides to zoom in after a point has been scored. Dated character models that look like early-generation Xbox One or PlayStation 4 models can quickly jar you out of the experience.
Top Spin has always been a series that melds fantastic graphical prowess with a stellar set of animations. So it was slightly jarring to see the game look as dated as it does. To be fair, most players are going to skip through the after-point celebrations to get back to what is important — the detailed and fantastic gameplay.
Graphics Don’t Demean the Gameplay
It’s hard not to address the elephant in the room. Top Spin 2K25 is a very visually inconsistent game. As mentioned above, it looks fantastic in motion. But, when the action comes to a halt, the seams begin to show. While the bodies of each character look fantastic, it’s hard to ignore the faces. They’re not up to par when it comes to the rest of the game, which does feature fantastic lighting and a great framerate.
It can be a little distracting, even seeing the extra detail put into the Pro models. It seems that Top Spin 2K25 may not have the budget of some of the other games in 2K’s library, but I can only hope the next entry prioritizes extra detail. There is also a small amount of ghosting, with trails following character models. You may have never noticed it if I didn’t point it out, and I’m sorry for doing so.
Beyond that, however, the game does look quite nice. Physics, for the most part, are fantastic and true to life, with hair and bandanas flapping in the wind as they could be expected to do. The way characters will slide across clay courts and grassy layouts is also incredibly satisfying.
But, once again, gameplay over graphics is my mantra. Top Spin 2K25 delivers strongly on that front, with some of the best sports gameplay I’ve ever experienced. For that reason, I can forgive the graphical inconsistencies that I experienced because I just can’t put the game down no matter how hard I try. Plus, it’s not like the game is hideous by any means — it’s just not as polished as some other 2K games in this department.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
It’s been a while since a sports game has hooked me quite like Top Spin 2K25 has. When I’m playing Top Spin, I’m having the time of my life. When I’m not playing Top Spin 2K25, I’m thinking about playing Top Spin 2K25. Even as I’m writing this review, I’m taking small breaks to push through a quick match. This simulator has its hooks in me, and that’s partially thanks to how good it feels to play.
I’m willing to personally look past the dated graphical presentation and the rather boring general presentation, thanks to the fantastic game feel that has been brought to center stage. While it’s been quite some time since I last played a tennis title such as this, I was immediately caught up in the more realistic gameplay. Sure, an arcade-style Tennis game is fun, but sometimes you need it to feel like the real deal.
Utilizing nearly the same Timing System from Top Spin 4, this is going to be an easy pick-up and play for veterans. For those just tuning into the Top Spin franchise for the first time — buckle up. I strongly recommend going through the tutorial, even if it’s just a refresher. It took me a while to re-learn what I needed to, but since then I’ve been smashing through opponents like it’s going out of style.
Finding the game too easy? Crank up the difficulty and get humbled like I absolutely didn’t do. Top Spin 2K25 isn’t afraid to make you feel like a chump — and I appreciate everything about that. From my humble beginnings in MyCareer to intense match-ups between Professional players, there’s something here for everyone.
MyCareer Is the Standout in Top Spin 2K25
With a variety of different single and multiplayer modes, my favorite has to be the MyCareer option. Ever since I was younger, playing Mario Tennis on my Gameboy Color, the idea of taking a no-name rookie to the top of the Tennis world is still as appealing today as it was back then. And MyCareer mode delivers on that promise, with plenty of detail to make it more than it appears.
Not only do I need to improve my skills by winning and losing games, but also by partaking in different training and special events. I could challenge players for their homes, to save energy between matches. I smashed through countless tournaments and became the best that I could be while defending my global ranking. I’ve already sunk hours upon hours into the MyCareer mode, and I won’t stop until my character is better than Federer.
As I continued to progress through the MyCareer mode, dumping Attribute Points into my character, I slowly began to make my rise through the ranks. To be upfront and honest — I got my butt kicked a lot through the early stages. I started out with 30 points in each of the eight categories available to upgrade and had to put in the work and effort before I could finally start to excel. And excel, I did.
While MyCareer is little more than navigating between menus in between matches, a majority of my time spent with Top Spin 2K25 was in this mode. Between perfecting my character and taking home victories, I could hardly stop until I reached the top and became a Superstar.
While I would love to see this expanded in future entries, I know that I’ll be spending the upcoming months perfecting my created character. It’s my goal to make him just as recognizable as any Pro when facing off against other players online. We’ll see what we need to do to get to that point, however.
Gameplay for Days
Beyond the MyCareer offerings, there are a variety of local and online options for players. Top Sin Academy can help players learn the ropes and tighten up their skills. Local Exhibition allowed me to play Local Multiplayer or Single Player modes against AI opponents. Online Multiplayer was smooth as silk and offered a great experience. The ability to take my MyPlayer against other players, or jump into the shoes of a Pro to challenge other players felt fantastic.
Training modes also offer quite a bit of excitement. You never realize how much you’ve improved until you try some of the more challenging training options available in MyCareer. I remember struggling with Bronze, and now I’m excelling in Platinum. It’s a game that helps you feel rewarded for your improvements and helps you achieve your desired results.
No matter, Top Spin 2K25 is a terrific return to form, and I’m beyond ecstatic to see a proper Tennis game available once more. The gameplay on offer is some of the smoothest I’ve ever experienced, sports game or not, and it’s a strong contender for sports game of the year.
Top Spin 2K25 is a well-rounded package that offers something for everyone. I’d love to see further improvements made to the overall presentation and graphical fidelity of the series in the future, but as it stands, it’s easily one of my favorite sports games of all time.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to catch a flight to Wimbledon.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
Top Spin 2K25 launches on April 26, 2024, on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S. Reviewed on Xbox Series X. A code was provided by the publisher for review.
Published: Apr 22, 2024 08:00 am