Top Spin 4

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Ah, I started a new career. I preferred super tie-break rules for the minor tournaments, but not having 'real tennis' rules for anything above the most basic tournaments was going to bug me. Plus, my new guys looks 100x better.

Though my first match took about as long as a tournament used to >_>

[Baddar]

I won the tournament in Vienna, and now face some bloke (only lvl 5) in the final in New Delhi, this after destroying Larsen 6-0, 6-0 and the Swedish net player 6-1, 6-1 - I haven't lost my serve in a while, either, which helps. I should move up to the next player level (new talent) if I win the final, as I'm sure winning 3 minor tournaments is the last of my objectives. Oh, and I unlocked the trophies for winning so many games to love, plus for scoring winners with the inside-out swing.

[Baddar]

I just played my first few games online. Two things surprised me;

1. How smooth it was. No lag at all. It was just like playing offline.

2. I wasn't smashed off the court.

I played a 'Direct match' first, which is where you practice against other created players and build your guy up. I won that 3-0, so got the trophy. The bloke I played was 3 levels higher (17) than me.

Then I started a tournament, for the ''Win your first Tournament match'' trophy, and that was a lot closer. Managed to break him at 2-2 in the first and held to win 4-2, then broke him in the 2nd game of the second set to win 3-0. I feel quite confident on my serve, as I'm finding aces easier to do now. He was only level 7 though, and with the amount of close rallies we had on his serve, I think he probably would've beaten me comfortably if his player was any better.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Any tips for getting aces, beyond using the right stick and getting the timing spot on?

I've been starting the advance serve and then choosing a direction with the L-Stick at the same moment I flick the R-Stick to choose the type of serve - should I be doing the direction sooner?

Anyway, I finally got around to finishing the Hong Kong tournament in my restarted career; and won beating some Austrian serve-volley player 6-0, 6-2 in the final.

[Baddar]

All I do is press down on the R stick to start the advanced serve, and all the way up until the ball is on its way to the high point, I hold the left stick in the direction I want the serve to go, then let go just before hitting the R stick up. It takes a bit of trial and error, but you'll find the lines more with practice.

I lost an online game 4-3, 4-3 last night (both tie-breaks) against a lvl 20 guy with a serve Andy Roddick would be proud of. In the first set, he must've served up about 10 aces altogether, as the stat was high 80's and he managed to reach over 200km/h every time. In the 2nd set I started to read his serve better and return it more, but because I couldn't do enough to break, he was always likely to nick the breaker.

The idea against amazing serving is to move your player side to side, or fully commit to a side then hit a shot button as soon as he hits it. If you stand still like I was doing at the start, and do for anyone elses serve, you'll never reach it and get aced most times.

[DavidMarrio]

Got this game yesterday after having Top Spin 3 (Traded both Dragonages in) and i've gotta say its much improved over the 1st one

Started a career mode and i've got me 1st coach some random New Zealand guy and just entering the Hong Kong open. Won the 1st round 6-0 6-0 and won the semi final match 6-0 6-0.

Just in the final about to play Peter MAN!!!!!!!

[Baddar]

Well, my guy is lvl 17 now, so I moved up to very hard just before reaching Young Gun status...

I'm in the Rome masters, and beat Zoran Ilic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 to set up a game with Federer in the quarters, the first time I've faced a real player with my created guy.

I took the first set 6-4, breaking him twice in the set (he broke me once) but then he slaughtered me in the second, taking it 6-0. In the decider, I was 5-4 and 40/0 up, serving with 3 match points, but he pulled it all the way back, and it ended up going to a tie-break, which I edged 7-4, on my 5th match point. Great stuff.

Now for Djokovic in the semi's, and no doubt Nadal in the final if I make it.

[Baddar]

Yeah, so Murray just beat me 6-0, 6-0 in the Miami Masters event. I won 3pts in total.

...no danger of me becoming GB number 1 just yet, then.

[EddieG]

Just win a grand slam, you know Murray never will.

[Baddar]

Now in the Quarter's at the Madrid Masters - and a rematch with Djokovic. He beat me 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in our only other match. I feel quite confident going into it, because there was a lot of long, close rallies in the first, and I led 5-4 with a set point in the opening set, so here's hoping I can set up a semi-final with (more than likely) Wawrinka.

[Baddar]

I won the US Open in the online World Tour mode last night.

*fist pump*

Now to try and stay in the season top 100 until Sunday to clear up the other ridiculously hard online trophy.

[DavidMarrio]

Nice congrats man

I've only had the one match online and I lost because my guy at the time wasn't good enough:(

Changed difficulty to hard on my career mode and It took a while but I have gotten used to it now, I had a 57 minute match the other day haha was a true test of patience for me

[Baddar]

Well, now that I've got the 2k points in any mode trophy, when I go back to playing career, I might shorten the matches or change to the tie-break format to clear up the other trophies. The platinum for this is possible.

...unlike the Snooker game which should be delivered to me tomorrow - 'win 50 games online' - yeah, go blow me.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

You can't change the length of career mode matches sadly, it's why I re-started my career. Not had chance to play it for a day or two, so I'm only in June year one. Normal is getting too easy now, especially in the minor tournaments, so I think I'll have a go on Hard and see how much I get creamed...

Thanks for the serving tips too. My serving is more erratic now, but I've actually got some aces and have won a few cheap points with the CPU only being able to hit weak returns; so overall - win.

[Mongrel]

Wasn't sold on this game until I had a mate over today and played the fuck out of it. So much better than TS3 which was borderline unplayable.

Started with a match at the US Open between Rafter and Chang. I took a tight 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 victory in our first meeting after saving two set points in the first set. Then we played at that silly Dubai place where, with Nadal, I beat Roddick 6-3, 4-6, [10-6].

Finished off the day with a French Open "final" between Wozniacki and Ivanovic. Heaps of championship points saved, but ultimately I escaped 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. I'm the tiebreak king, though it is a shame the first to two ahead rule doesn't apply in exhos on Slam courts.

Only real downpoint is the lack of players to choose between (or ability to create the other ones). It's ridiculous, really.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

You can create players. Nothing to stop you creating a player and designing it around a real life player - unless it won't let you take a 'real' player name online? Not sure how or why they'd implement that though.

Also, the lack of players doesn't bother me. It has Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Roddick.... so basically the top current male players you'd ever want to use. Players like Monfils, Gonzalez, Hewitt and a couple more would be nice sure, but with those five and the other 5 pros on the game it's got everything I could reasonably expect in terms of a male roster; and the legends list is superb. I'm also enjoying the fuck out of playing as my created guy.

Okay, the female roster is crap, but I don't care.

Anyway, aside from that; glad you've gotten into it. It's a wonderful sports game.

[Mongrel]

Don't you only get four created player slots?

Eh, it's like getting a wrestling game with just Cena, Orton, Triple H and The Undertaker (and a few others). Fine for the casual gamer, but I have heaps of other favourites that it's disappointing they aren't in.

[Baddar]

I've seen an F. Verdasco online, but also players that just have ***** ****** for their name, so whether there's swearing in it, I don't know.

[Clawson]

I bought this today. A lot of fun but my timing is worse than those who invade Russia right before winter.

[Clawson]

How in the blue hell do you get an ace? I've hit tons of perfect balls but nothing ever gets past the CPU.