Posted in: 2K Games, Games, Video Games | Tagged: tennis, TopSpin 2K25

McEnroe Schooled Us: We Got To Preview TopSpin 2K25

We got a chance to try out an early build of TopSpin 2K25, as we learned the hard way how the game is making a comeback this year.

Earlier this month, we had an awesome opportunity to go check out a special preview of TopSpin 2K25, in which we got to play an early build of the game and see what it was like. Ahead of this event, I found a friend who actually had a copy of Top Spin 4 for the Nintendo Wii, so I took the chance to play a little bit of it before heading out to try the new hotness. The game in itself, while it may be an entire relaunch, serves as a sequel to the franchise before they stopped producing them over a decade ago. So when it comes to the future, how well does it connect to the past, and what have they learned in that time to move forward? Here's what we learned from our limited preview.

First off, we were highly encouraged to learn the basics and more from the training session, because, and this was emphasized to us, there is a learning curve. If you want to just jump in and take it on, you're free to do so. But we took their advice and headed to the training courts. There, we were met with several tutorials from seven-time Grand Slam champion and one of the greatest tennis players of all time, John McEnroe. Well, to be clear, the voice of John McEnroe. This program has him coaching you through every move you will need to make. How to set up a serve, how to move around, how to stay out of No Man's Land, how to execute the best returns, what to look for and how to avoid getting trapped. It was probably one of the most intense training sessions I've ever had in a sports game because this isn't the average sports game.

This is a topic I want to both praise and give some criticism to, because it doesn't play like other 2K Games titles. When you pick up NBA 2K or WWE 2K, a lot of what you need to do is either inherent or can be explained pretty easily when training. TopSpin 2K25 has its own system that takes time to learn. You're not going to master it right away, but when you do figure it out, you'll become a better pro than you think you are in a hurry. There are a lot of nuances to the way you carry yourself as a player and how you respond to the CPU. Even the easiest settings for these characters present a challenge, as they will catch you slacking and punish you for not being on your game.

We only had access to about a dozen players in the demo, a mix of pros from the present like Serena Williams and Roger Federer, to champions of the past, such as Andre Agassi. We played a few rounds in both singles and doubles and let me tell you, this is both fun and painstakingly punishing. When you're on a roll and racking up points, it is an amazing time. Especially when you finally get to the end of six and know you just conquered a round. But it can be brutal when the CPU is on a roll, and there's nothing you can do about it. You'll find yourself questioning whether or not you even learned anything from McEnroe and need to go back to practice.

Doubles was a little more fun, though admittedly, it was because my partner was doing most of the work. It's kinda hard top lose when they're up in the front countering almost everything. We didn't get a chance to play with character customization, but we did get to tour a few different arenas, and they all feel like the real deal. Whether it was battling on the green of Wimbleton or battling on the blue at Melbourne Park. They have done everything to make sure the courts look and feel like the real deal, even getting the sunlight patterns down based on where you are and the time of day.

I had a lot of fun playing the TopSpin 2K25 demo. Even though it was a bit punishing. There's clearly growth here from the previous set of games, and that's not just because we're in a new era of graphics and consoles. The team has clearly taken all of the lessons they learned in the past and applied them to this relaunch. I look forward to seeing what else they have in store when we get the full version of the game on April 26, 2024.

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