TopSpin 2K25 analysis: The king of rackets returns

since then it has rained a lot Top Spin 4, 13 years old now. Since then, many have missed out on one of the tennis kings of the Xbox 360 generation, and the game was not backwards compatible with the Xbox One or Series. Hangar 13 takes on one of the most beloved sagas in sports. TopSpin2K25 It arrives with a lot of anticipation among fans who have been asking for a new opus for years. Will he be up to the task? Stay and read our analysis to find out our answer to this question.

Tennis: low representation for two generations

Tennis is linked to the very origin of video games, let us recall the mythical Pong. This is why, over many generations, games have always evolved from the original racket sport. The Xbox 360 had two real monsters in the history of the genre: Top rotation Yes Virtua Tennis. Up to 3 installments of each of these long-running sagas have arrived at our beloved 360 with over 20 years under his belt. Each representing the two aspects of tennis in the video game: Top rotation simulation and Virtua Tennis the purest arcade.

Unfortunately, the transition to the Xbox One generation only brought substitutes for these.. Among those that deserve to be highlighted are AO Tennis 2 for its gameplay, very similar to Top Spin, and his extraordinary choice of academy. With it, players created their tennis players and these could be downloaded for free by the entire community. Therefore, we could see current players like Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, Medvedev or Sinner to others of classic nature like Connors, Edberg, Muster, Becker, Chang…. tennis players from all eras who have delighted fans of this sport.

In the absence of these two titans of the genre, many have prayed for the return of one of the sagas. Virtua Tennis It seemed difficult to return, for a SEGA more focused on RPGs and licensing than working on its own classic licenses. Top rotation, born for the original Xbox, seemed the most likely. But news of a new opus had been emerging for years without bearing fruit until the surprising announcement just a few months ago.

TopSpin 2K25 Graphics

Although it is true that The game reaches 4K resolution and maintains a completely stable 60fps, we can’t say that he shines in this section. The licensed tracks and events are of a very high standard with scenarios similar to those seen on television and with truly remarkable lighting effects.

On the contrary, The character models are really poor. If there are some who are good, like Serena Williams or Matteo Berrettini, there are others who are truly atrocious. Alcaraz or Murray, for example, hardly resemble the real ones. Concerning classics like Sampras or Agassi, we cannot say that things are improving. Even if Agassi or Graff are acceptable, “Pistol” Pete Sampras is truly unrecognizable with a physical complexion totally different from the real one. McEnroe also has a face that bears little resemblance to the real model. It’s true that Hangar 13 is not a particularly large studio. But being under the aegis of 2K games and your franchise NBA 2Kwith incredible modeling, we find something particularly striking. This issue may be due to the limitations of the Havok graphics engine and perhaps they should consider switching to another engine in the next episode.

Player movements in different types of shots closely resemble the real thing. and they are represented very faithfully. Actually, Clay court matches are nothing like Top Spin, the sliding and stretching of players on this surface has never been better represented.. Even Roger Federer himself lent his captured moves. The negative side is that after so many years we have seen recycled animations from Top Spin 4which, although they still look extremely good, changes and improvements could have been made.

Dolby Atmos, the sound surprise

The sound section of TopSpin2K25 It has Dolby Atmos. If we have quality headphones or audio equipment and we have the Dolby license (which we recommend), we will enjoy absolutely brutal sound. The sound of the ball, the screams of the audience, the sound of the planes flying by… are totally astonishing and will leave you speechless thinking that this is happening in your own home. In the background among the MYCAREER menus we will listen to a tennis podcast talking about our player, and it is worth noting that these voices are dubbed into Spanish, which is always appreciated.

The music manages to well define the menu part of the game with songs – some – known, but covered in electronic form. Among the cast of creators are such well-known artists as Cosmic Gate and Armin van Buuren.. For all this, the sound part shines with its own light.

Iconic gameplay

All of you who have played the saga in a previous episode will have no problem adapting to the TopSpin2K25. Although the shot quality meter changes slightly, after a few minutes we will be completely adapted to it. Note, for those entering the saga for the first time, that it is not particularly easy to play, at least at first. The concept of the game is simulation, as we mentioned in the introduction, and is completely different from arcade games like Virtua Tennis

To get into the controls and gameplay, whether you’re new to the franchise or not, there’s nothing better than learning everything from a great: John McEnroe. Through its different and instructive lessons we will learn to master the gameplay. It’s still as fun as in other games, with a bar that forces us to hit at the precise moment if we want the shot to be perfect and to hold the fire button longer to hit harder. Yes, remember properly manage player fatigue, as this will significantly reduce the ability to reach balls, hit hard and be accurate. Therefore, failure becomes easier and easier as we lose our resistance.

We are missing some type of improvement or evolution in this section, and it is true that what is good is not always good to touch. But after so many years, perhaps we could expect something new in this regard.

Game modes, the big evolution of TopSpin 2K25

We have a wide variety of game modes. We’ve already dedicated a whole article to you to describe the game modes in detail, so we won’t go into detail in this section except to review some things.

MyCAREER section is where we develop our own player’s professional career. This is fully configurable with dozens of design options. Additionally, we have ATP 500 licenses that make the game more real. We will also have real unlicensed tournament venues. In this section, management shines with its own light. Each month we can participate in practices, special events or play in a tournament. This, yes, We have to manage what we play and where we play it, it is not the same for our player to travel from Rome to Amsterdam as from Japan to Europe, our player will feel tired from the journey and will have less resistance and, therefore, will be more prone to getting injured

The online section is one of the game’s great strengths. In 2K Tour we can select one of the licensed athletes and challenge another player and his selected professional but the best comes along the way World Tour, which is like MY CAREER, with our created player and in which we will fight online with all players to compete in tournaments and progress in the world rankings. True luxury fashion that every fan has always dreamed of.

The different editions

TopSpin2K25 with two editions outside of Cross-Gen (with the One and Series versions). The Deluxe and the Grand Slam have 3 day early access which we can enjoy from today, April 23.

The Deluxe Includes cosmetics and alternate costumes. It also comes with a 10-level improvement in MYCAREER that will help us start our careers faster. On another side, the Grand Slam It is the most complete and in addition to eight additional cosmetic products and the improvement of 10 levels in MYCAREER, it includes the all-access pass to the Center Court for 6 seasons. This is a season pass with cosmetics, reception stations, service stations…etc.

Conclusions TopSpin 2K25

TopSpin2K25 arrives and climbs onto the highest podium in tennis on Xbox Series X|S. It is true that there are currently practically no competitors of the current generation, but that does not mean that its merits should be downplayed. A large number of game modes, very complete online play and the usual gameplay are its great pillars. Additionally, Hangar 13 has promised to integrate new features and improvements, one of the first will be able to play doubles online, which is not possible today. We can also expect more classic players, who in other installments have doubled the current number.

However, We can’t ignore the fact that 13 years and two generations have passed since the last installment and the graphical improvement is very slight compared to what it should have been. There are recycled animations from the last game and the design of public and player faces can be greatly improved. In general, we are missing some innovation in the game.

Despite everything, we are faced with the best tennis game in years and the return of a never forgotten king. From Xbox Area we cannot help but recommend that you acquire it if you are a tennis fan, as it will give you many hours of fun. Between offline and online modes, one can play for months.