E3: Top Spin 3 announced

By Robert Purchese Published 12 July, 2007

Customisable tennis.

Top Spin 3 is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 in Spring 2008, 2K Sports has revealed.

The follow-up to the 2006 Xbox 360 title once again builds on the successful Tennis series, with the usual expansive offline career mode and online play.

New to this version will be dynamic weather changes - useful if you want to postpone play all day due to rain and get Cliff Richard singing in the stands - and a host of customisation options so you can sculpt the image of your player. There's a free form body slider to adjust your shape, and you can even plaster yourself in tattoos and make-up.

"This game transcends the boundaries of what has previously been achieved in the acclaimed Top Spin franchise by ensuring every detail is accurate, from the cloud cover to lighting, from sweat to dirt on clothing, to every drop shot, slice, lob and backhand," said Christoph Hartmann, big chief at 2K.

2K Sports' Paris studio PAM Development is making it, and you can see how it's shaping up in our Top Spin 3 gallery.

Alternatively pop over to our Top Spin 2 Xbox 360 review to see what could be brushed-up on this time around. Can it top VT3?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (13) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ostrasized #1 5 years ago

    Lol. As if anyone wants to play tennis with their thumbs nowadays!

  • joeking #2 5 years ago

    Eh, a lot of people do actually, including me.

    Anyway, I though Top Spin 2 was better than Virtua Tennis 3. It was more realistic, more tactical, and just a better all round simulation, to VT's arcadey sensibilities. It was flawed though (TS) and it's about time they took out those gimmicky EA-style 'risk shots'. Other than that, looking forward to this. COME ON TIM! :D

  • JayeM #3 5 years ago

    I loved the first Top Spin but skipped the second, I can't wait for this.

  • Steroyd #4 5 years ago

    Top Spin was s***e on the PS2 you could tell it was a crappy Xbox port.

    The gameplay is frustrating to didn't help in conjunction with the poor technicality of the PS2 version I was mourning for VT.

    So I'll wipe the slate clean.

  • konniehuqfan #5 5 years ago

    i'll buy whichever tennis game features ana ivanovic

  • TONYgr #6 5 years ago

    top spin 1 rocks to this day!top spin 2 sucks!lets wait and see the third one!

  • Peew971 #7 5 years ago

    Both TS2 and VT3 are crap compared to the original Top Spin on Xbox.

  • spongebob #8 5 years ago

    Take it from a guy who has played some tennis in the real life and watches some tennis on the telly, Top Spin has always been better gameplay wise. Virtua Tennis 3 is about as close to real tennis as Mario Tennis. There's not any of the subtleties that the real game has.

    Those Top Spin 3 screenshots look proper. I am waiting for this one.

  • DanC89 #9 5 years ago

    Online on the PS3 too? :p

  • oceanmotion #10 5 years ago

    Didn't think you could play tennis on glass.

  • Zomoniac #11 5 years ago

    VT3 has all the subtleties. Learning them is part of the art.

  • spongebob #12 5 years ago

    VT3 is an arcade tennis game. Sorry.

  • CyberDevilDog #13 5 years ago

    Looking forward to this game.

    Regarding the current games, I have played quite a bit of TopSpin1, TopSpin2 and Virtua Tennis 3 and all three have their flaws.

    I guess if I had to pick it would have to be VT3 (despite the diving), if only because the other two completey degraded online into RiskShot hacking. Offline I believe TopSpin1 was the best, although TopSpin2 did add some nice new features.

    Would love to see TopSpin3 take the best of all three and add new features.

    /First post ever to Eurogamer.