And its only natural that this tennis fever has moved on over to video games with gamers wondering why theres no Top Spin 5 and whether theres any good tennis games on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Despite faring slightly better than Tennis World Tour on Metacritic, the user and critic review scores are again mostly average to negative with the experience said to be another false dawn for those waiting for the arrival of Top Spin 4 s equal.

Plus, there was EAs Grand Slam Tennis; an underappreciated but still excellent simulation with incredible visuals.

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Search Top Spin 3 Top Spin 3 Review The best pure tennis game but it still needs some time on the practice court.

By Nate Ahearn Updated: 13 May 2012 2:13 am Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:12 pm Its nighttime in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Its early-September and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are making their way into Arthur Ashe Stadium to do battle at the US Open.

Over 22,000 fans pile in to be part of one of the greatest rivalries in sports.

Tennis fans and non-tennis fans alike hold their breath during every stroke as the two giants battle it out.

Flags are waving, bodies are painted and shouts of jubilation and frustration emanate off the court behind fist pumps and racket tosses as two of the most acclaimed athletes on the planet wage war.

This is what the very best tennis can bring to the table and its the one thing constantly missing from virtual iterations of the sport.

I watch the athletes that I try and emulate every chance I get, and if I had the option to play against Roger Federer or never have to work another day in my life, I would have to ponder the situation before arriving at a decision.

Now that youve been warned about my love for the sport, lets move on to my review of Top Spin 3.

First things first, TS3 is one of the most inaccessible sports game Ive come across.

K Sports, moving in the opposite direction as EA Sports and its everyone should be able to play all of our games motto, has switched the control mechanics from the first two games to bring the virtual incarnation of tennis closer to the genuine article.

Instead of running up to a shot with the proper face button held and watching the stroke animation carry out as you would in the past, Top Spin 3 forces a more realistic approach.

Now youll not only have to worry about getting your athlete, who now moves with increased inertia, to the ball but youll also need to time the release of the shot button with the swing.

The game lets you know when youve completed a solid hit with a small vibration, and while it may sound simple enough, the many Top Spin veterans who have stepped up to the plate to try the new mechanic have had serious growing pains.

But theres more to striking the furry greenish-yellow ball than simply timing the release of a button.

Risk shots are once again back, but they take a more realistic approach.

Rather than having to time the release of a button with an on-screen meter, successfully completing a risk shot is now about the difficulty of the incoming ball.

Meaning, if youre streaking across the baseline for a cross-court backhand that your opponent hit, the chances of you successfully blasting a backhand of your own down the line are slim.

However, if you get a floater on your service line, just begging to be stuffed up the line for an aggressive approach shot, then youll likely have more success.

Nastysweat. The one thing Id add to the power risk shot mechanic is the ability to hit a few fluke shots.

These guys are world-class professionals who can take a 140 mph serve and slap it back for an awe-inspiring winner every once in awhile.

In This Article Top Spin 3 Summary: In Top Spin 3, players compete online and offline to rise in the ranks against current top ranked professional players.

Top Spin Game