Serving Up An Ace
It’s incredible to think that the last entry in the TopSpin franchise was all the way back in 2011. However, after thirteen years, we have a brand new installment tearing up the courts on the latest hardware. This time around, Hanger 13 has been given developmental duties after the previous developer, 2K Czech, merged with them back in 2017. The question is after all this time, with a new studio, can TopSpin 2K25 live up to the legacy of the great games that have come before it?
Well, for those of you who remember 2011’s TopSpin 4, the good news is you’ll be right at home in 2K25. The gameplay feels built from exactly the same framework, with several different types of shots; flat, slice, topspin, and chip, mapped to the face buttons. You also have a drop shot on the right trigger, but pulling that off requires almost perfect timing. Mastering this timing is the key to success in TopSpin 2K25, but a lot of different factors impact timing. Each time a shot is incoming you will see the timing meter appear above your player’s head, the goal is to stop the meter in the green area; this allows that moment of perfect timing to return the best version of the shot you are trying to play.
However, getting it close will still result in good timing which in most cases is fine but too soon or too late, and your shot won’t be as accurate or have as much power. Just keep in mind that shot type and your distance from the net have a big impact on the timing required. For example, holding any shot input will charge up a power shot but these need more time to pull off and therefore are best used when you are positioned behind the baseline. Power shots also use more rally stamina which is indicated by the green bar underneath your player, as this stamina depletes it will make timing more difficult and shots less accurate. You can also use control shots which are where you tap a shot input instead of holding and releasing; these shots have less power but are more accurate and they also use less stamina.
While that might sound like a lot don’t worry! There is a very in-depth tutorial where tennis legend John McEnroe talks you through each of the game’s mechanics and when best to use them. These are demonstrated by an in-game video package. After each explanation and video, you will undertake a small training activity to practice what you’ve been told. Even for me, as someone who has played wheelchair tennis, I found these tutorials useful not just on a gameplay level but in understanding tennis itself. So, if you are less familiar with the sport or just want to improve your skills; I’d highly recommend checking out these tutorials as they are among the best I’ve ever seen.
Once you master the gameplay, you might decide to create your player and then take them through the robust career mode. You have a fairly good creation suite here with lots of options from hairstyles to clothes and even artificial limbs if you’d like, which was great to see; more representation in games is never a bad thing. Speaking of customization, as you play the game you have the option to level up a season pass which will give you more cosmetic items; however, this does cost additional money although I wasn’t able to see how much as I got the season pass as part of the edition I was provided for review. The good news is there are many cosmetics you can earn by simply playing the career mode. Leading up to this review, just a day before the embargo, I only recently got access to the online store. This contains virtual currency, which can be earned in the game as well, that allows you to purchase additional cosmetics, but also XP boosts to help you level up your tennis pro far quicker. While these systems are not new to gaming, it is another 2K game that has continued to show the publisher’s desire for in-game purchases.
Just like the gameplay, MyCareer seems to be built on exactly the same DNA as TopSpin 4 and that’s a great thing. You start off as a rookie and have to level up by training, winning matches, and completing special events to earn XP and improve your rankings. The amount of XP you earn from matches and tournaments changes based on the difficulty and match settings you choose at the start of your career. It seems as though you can’t change these after you begin though, so choose wisely. As you level up you’ll gain ability points which you can use to improve your stats. Eventually, you get access to coaches and they can give you stat buffs or special passive skills. Each coach has a series of gameplay-based challenges for you to complete during matches. These can range from ten perfect timed serves to winning a certain number of matches. As you continue to level up and complete these coach challenges, the coach you’ve hired will also level up providing you better buffs as a result. Keep in mind that you can only have one coach hired at a time.
One new aspect of the career mode is fatigue, each month as you travel and compete in tournaments it uses energy. If you enter a tournament when too fatigued you risk injury and that can make you miss months of your career therefore missing out on potential progress. So, sometimes you might choose to rest for the month instead but remember that once you rest it skips the whole month which is why I’d always recommend doing training before resting as this doesn’t use any additional energy, only traveling and matches do that.
After a while, once you feel leveled up enough you might decide to take your player into the online World Tour mode which sees you compete against other players in different tournaments. Due to the limited amount of players during the review period, I was unable to successfully matchmake in this particular mode. I did however manage to try out the online 2K Tour mode which is essentially ranked players with any of the game’s twenty-five official pros. From Naomi Osaka or the legendary Serena Williams to Roger Federer or Andy Murray, you have a good number of options here although some notable names miss out like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, which is likely because of licensing agreements. Once you’ve chosen your pro, get ready to do battle with other players around the world, earning points for wins and losses, or even completing daily challenges. I can see this mode being lots of fun for those who truly want to test their skills.
Going back to the pro players for a minute, I can’t talk about this game without mentioning the fantastic presentation. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are real standouts, but all the models look superb, well, except maybe one Andy Murray for some reason his face looks more like a cartoony representation of him. I don’t know if they didn’t have time to scan his face or something but it was only his model that stood out as not up to the level of nearly every other model in the game. Of course, the crowd is also much less detailed but you don’t see them anywhere near as often up close.
The audio throughout the game is also great with the connection between racket and ball sounding as you’d expect, or the squeaking of shoes on a hardcourt surface, everything sounds authentic which you want from a sports title. The official soundtrack is pretty good as well, I’ve never felt the need to skip a song so far. Alongside the fantastic presentation, the performance on Xbox Series X also has been rock solid, with no frame drops or bugs in sight.
Despite the lengthy absence from the previous entry and a largely different developer at the reins, TopSpin 2K25 once again delivers that near-perfect gameplay we all remember with top-class modern presentation. Hanger 13 has truly served up an ace with TopSpin 2K25, and I can’t wait to take it to the courts and power-shot my way to victory in the months to come.
Developer - Hanger 13
Publisher - 2K Games
Released - April 23rd, 2024.
Available On - Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
Rated - (E) - Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X.
Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
I’m Jordan I have a background in game design and am deeply passionate about accessibility in gaming. My favourite games/franchises include Shenmue, Red Dead Redemption 2, Plague Tale: Requiem, Metal Gear Solid 3, Yakuza, Splinter Cell, and Assassin’s Creed.