___________ _________ .__ \__ ___/___ ______ / _____/_____ |__| ____ | | / _ \\____ \ \_____ \\____ \| |/ \ | |( <_> ) |_> > / \ |_> > | | \ |____| \____/| __/ /_______ / __/|__|___| / |__| \/|__| \/ ----------------------------------- FAQ info ----------------------------------- Top Spin Walkthrough Version 1.0 FAQ for GAMEFAQS.com, Neoseeker.com, CheatCC.com Copyright 2004 Chris Fuqua Contact: jackafool@gmail.com ----------------------------------- Intro ----------------------------------- Top spin is simply the most amazing tennis game ever made. Virtua tennis was standard for all tennis games, that is until Top Spin came out. Top spin is simply a great game, and whether or not you like tennis, if you own an XBox, you MUST buy this game. At the time of this writing it is currently retailing for $29.99 and is one of the biggest bargains you will find. I personally hate tennis, never watch it, and despise most people who play it. I have made fun of the kids who play on the tennis team at my high school, and called them snobs. Yet this game is simply addictive. If you have the money I suggest you run outside and hitch a ride to wal-mart, or wherever you buy your games, and get a copy of this. Just kidding, but in all reality, if you own an xbox you need this game! Now that we have that out of the way, Top Spin is a tennis game made by XSN Sports, which is owned by Microsoft. You create a player, and live his career. The Create-a-Player is easily the deepest I've seen except for Tiger Woods. You could easily make a character who looks just like you, if you sat down and worked on it. This game sets a new standard for all tennis games. I can't wait for news on Top Spin 2. For now there is nothing. I've scoured all the reputable game sites, and found absolutely nothing. They can't just let a franchise like this die. This is one of the reasons that xbox is so amazing. They better have a top spin 2. ----------------------------------- Updates ----------------------------------- June 20, 2004 FAQ is in first complete version. Same Day Turned down by GameFAQs again, even though this guide is almost 15 KB. I'm not sure why, but I'm going to keep working on it. UPDATE: We've been accepted after I basically begged. We're in though. June 16, 2004 Added A and B in Career. Finished all of the stars and skills advice. I was already in bed, but couldn't sleep so I updated this. Its past midnight. June 15, 2004 Added section II today, all the players and their stats. Taking forever because I have to keep turning my Xbox on and off, because I can't read my own handwriting. Rejected again today, for the same reason. Man Gamefaqs is proving to be a tough nut to crack. Later on June 14,2004 This FAQ was rejected for lack of content. Oh, well just have to work twice as hard. June 14, 2004 Just starting today. Finished the intro, and going to do controls today. My first FAQ was accepted into GameFAQs today, so I'm partying. This FAQ probably won't take long to write either, because its summertime and I have a lot of free time on my hands. ----------------------------------- Table of Contents ----------------------------------- I.Controls A.Basics B.Risk Shots C.Drop Shots D.Aiming E.Choices II.Players A.Mens B.Womens III.Practice A.Learning the game B.Baselining C.The use of Lobs D.Serving E.Returning Serves F.Volleys IV.Career A.Starting out B.Training 1.Career Stars 2.Skills C.Minor Pros D.Major Pros E.Grand Slams F.Being #1 G.Sponsors V.Outro ----------------------------------- I.Controls ----------------------------------- A.Basics A: Flat/Safe Shot or Serve (just a normal shot) B: Topspin Shot or Serve (bounces high and goes by fast) X: Slice Shot or Serve (stays very low to the ground) Y: Lob shot (flies high in the air, useful when you need time to adjust) Black: Show excitement after point White: show frustration after point L: Drop shot/serve (little drop shot that just falls over the net) R: Risk Shot/serve (a powerful smash that can rattle players) B.Risk shots Risk shots are a important part of the game. You press and hold R and let go when the meter is in the middle of the bar. This makes the shot go very fast, and it is very hard to return. It will take some getting used to, but when you master it, it can be your biggest weapon. If you are having trouble with it all I can tell you is keep trying. You'll get it eventually. I serve like this all the time, and get a normal shot like this once in a while. C.Drop shots Drop shots are the exact opposite of the risk shot. The drop shot barely goes over the net, and then drops. Its very useful when someone is playing back away from the net. Be careful though because if they manage to get to it your in some serious trouble. I personally never use the drop shot, as I don't need it. I have just never made it a part of my game. I'm more of a power kind of guy. D.Aiming Aiming depends on a few things. How long you hold the shot button, and how long you push the d stick in the direction. If you want to send a shot to the left, you hold a point the stick left and let go of A. The longer you hold it the more to that direction it will be. Aiming is probably the most important part of the game. If you learn this skill you can easily beat the career mode in a week. E.Choices Shot choice is almost as important as aiming. If you want to keep the ball normal you use A. If you want to keep it low use slice. If you want to make it go by faster use B. If you want to make a person back up from the net you use Y. Choosing the right shot in the right situation is what decides if you are a winner or a loser. ----------------------------------- II.Players ----------------------------------- A.Men's Name: P.Sampras Serve: **** Forehand: **** Backhand: *** Volley: **** Name: L.Hewitt Serve: *** Forehand: **** Backhand: ***** Volley: ** Name: J.M.Gambill Serve: **** Forehand: **** Backhand: *** Volley: ** Name: S.Grosjean Serve: *** Forehand: **** Backhand: **** Volley: *** Name: G.Kuerten Serve: *** Forehand: ***** Backhand: **** Volley: ** Name: M.Chang Serve: ** Forehand: ***** Backhand: **** Volley: * Name: J.Blake Serve: **** Forehand: **** Backhand: **** Volley: ** Name: T.Robredo Serve: ** Forehand: ***** Backhand: ***** Volley: ** Name: T.Tukur Serve: ***** Forehand: ** Backhand: ** Volley: **** Name: P.Houston Serve: ** Forehand: ***** Backhand: ***** Volley: * Name: W.Wang Serve: *** Forehand: * Backhand: **** Volley: *** Name: F.Koenig Serve: **** Forehand: ***** Backhand: ** Volley: * Name: G.Gide Serve: *** Forehand: *** Backhand: **** Volley: *** Name: S.Rios Serve: **** Forehand: ** Backhand: * Volley: **** Name: J.Emory Serve: **** Forehand: ***** Backhand: * Volley: ** Name: K.Nash Serve: *** Forehand: *** Backhand: *** Volley: * B.Women's Name: M.Hingis Serve: **** Forehand: **** Backhand: **** Volley: *** Name: A.Kournikova Serve: *** Forehand: **** Backhand: ** Volley: ** Name: B.Schett Serve: *** Forehand: **** Backhand: **** Volley: ** Name: D.Hantuchova Serve: ** Forehand: ***** Backhand: **** Volley: *** Name: E.Dementieva Serve: *** Forehand: **** Backhand: ***** Volley: ** Name: A.Coetzer Serve: ** Forehand: ***** Backhand: **** Volley: * Name: A.Harkleroad Serve: *** Forehand: **** Backhand: *** Volley: ** Name: M.Shaughnessy Serve: ** Forehand: *** Backhand: *** Volley: *** Name: K.Yamani Serve: *** Forehand: *** Backhand: ** Volley: * Name: P.De Mattos Serve: ** Forehand: *** Backhand: **** Volley: *** Name: S.Tellawi Serve: **** Forehand: **** Backhand: ** Volley: ** Name: K.Abercrombie Serve: *** Forehand: *** Backhand: ** Volley: *** Name: M-y.Auyeung Serve: **** Forehand: ***** Backhand: ** Volley: * Name: M.Hammond Serve: **** Forehand: ** Backhand: * Volley: **** Name: K.Sergeyevna Serve: **** Forehand: ***** Backhand: * Volley: ** Name: A.Hill Serve: ***** Forehand: ** Backhand: ** Volley: **** ----------------------------------- III.Practice ----------------------------------- A.Learning the game I suggest that before you ever start a career, you play 20 or 30 practice games. This will teach you to recognize all of the different shots, and by trial and error you should learn how to react. I probably played almost 100 games before I ever started my career. B.Baselining I consider myself a baseline master. Baselining is where you learn to aim your shots so they hit the baseline and your opponent has to run for it. Then you can smash it on the other side of the court. This one isn't something you can teach. You will become better at aiming as you play more and it is a skill you will just pick up as you go along. C.The use of lobs Lobs can be useful to you, or they can hurt you. The difference lies in WHEN to do it. The only time you should use them is if you have to dive for a ball, and it will give you more time to recover. Other than that, when your opponent starts playing to close to the net. You can lob it and send them flying back toward the back of the court, which gives you time to get in position to smash it. D.Serving Serving is the most important part of the game. If you use A,B,X, or Y to serve all you have to do is press them, then press it again when the bar is full at the top. Risk and lobs are done just like they are done when you hit a normal shot. Risk serves are very hard to return, and to be a good player you will need to master them. E.Returning Serves Returning serves is almost as important as serving itself. This is another thing you can't really teach. You will learn how in time. Just keep your eye on the ball, is all I can really tell you. F.Volleys A volley is where you and your opponent are at the net and you hit it back and forth without letting it hit the ground. It doesn't happen very often because the computer is scared to move up to the net. When it does though you have to control the volley. Don't let the computer control the match. ----------------------------------- IV.Career ----------------------------------- A.Starting Out When you first start out, you create your character. This is where you make the first two big decisions of your career. You choose to make a male or female character. The female league is probably only half as hard as the male league. I'm not saying that the men are better than the women in real life, but in Top Spin they made it a male dominated game. Don't blame me thats just the way it is. Next is the player type. Technician gives you better control, power gives you better power, and defense gives you better defense. After you make that decision its time to start training. B.Training Training is the most important aspect of the game. I suggest you finish your training before you ever even compete in a major pro level tournament. It makes everything alot easier. Training comes in four segments. Serve, forehand, backhand, and volley. You have fourteen career stars to spread between the four different skills. Choosing can be one of the toughest parts for some people. I thought it was really easy, as I went with a simple 2-4-4-4 set. Most people however go for the 3-4-4-3 set. This is really popular online. B1.Career stars The career stars work like this. Every time you complete a training you get a star in the stat that the training was for. You can have a maximum of five stars in anyone one category. You only have a total of 14 stars though so you should think about what you are doing with them. You should complete all of your training before you go to a competetion. I made the mistake of not training first, and paid for it later. B2.Skills At certain points in the game, you will be given the option of picking up skills. These increase your players competence in a certain area. You can use them to really max out your strengths, or to cover up your weaknesses. I recommend the latter, because no matter how good your serve is, if you have a weak back hand you will lose in the end. Below is a list of the skills you choose in each situation. Skill offering #1 Curve Serve: Adds a curve to all of your serves. Makes returning them harder. If you're a technician choose this one. Precision: Allows you to baseline easier. Gives you better control. This is the most popular skill in this offering. Unless your a technician, pick this one. Return Risk Shots: Just like the name says. I wouldn't pick this one, because in time you will learn to return them and this skill will become completely useless. Don't pick this one. Return Serve: See Above ^. Skill offering #2 Volley: I wouldn't pick this one. It increases your volley which is rarely used. Speed: Pick this one if your a power player. You will need it later. Angle: If your a defensive style player take this one. It will help you counter shots better. Power: If your a technician this is the skill for you. You will need it to get those tough smashes past your opponent. Skill offering #3 Risk Shot: Don't pick this one. You will learn risk shots in time. This will only mess with your rhythm. Passing Shot: "A passing shot is a shot when your opponent is at the net and instead of lobing it you just blow it right by them. Passing shot skill makes that shot faster and makes it go down the line better or angle it better when your opponent is at the net." -RandomHeroSk8er7@aol.com Ace: This is the one I took. I win a lot of games simply because my serves are so good, and this really enhances it. Good choice. Drop Shot: Again, you will learn drop shots in time. Don't take this one. Skill offering #4 Top Spin: Great to finish rallies. I chose this one, because it worked into my style of baselining. Slice: Use this one if you always find you need more time to get in position. This keeps the ball crazily low. Its almost scary. Agressive Lob: "It is just a lower lob than the normal ones that most players do" -Apaine29@cs.com Smash: Not very popular because most players can smash pretty well. You don't get very many lobs simply because the computer doesn't play that way. Don't take this one. C.Minor Pros The Minor pro tournaments are small scale tournaments meant for beginners. You should have no problem beating these. I personally never lost a game winning all my matches 3-0 3-0. If you win this tournament, which you should since they are ridiculously easy, you will get 15000 coin. At this point, if you've followed my guide, you should finish all your training before you move on to the next level. You should use these tournaments to get coin to work on your training. There are plenty of different tournaments at the Minor Pro level, so just play them, as they should give you no trouble. You need to win one of these to move up to the next status level, Young Gun. After you master these, I suggest winning them all, but it's up to you, you can move on to Major Pros. You should be a young gun by now, otherwise you can't compete in the Major pro tournaments. D.Major Pros Major pros are where it starts to get serious. If you followed my advice, you will have all your stars, so this level shouldn't be too much trouble. Once again if you are good, you should be able to finish these tournaments without losing a game. I know I did, even without all of my training done. This is where you start making the big money. Each tournament gives you a 100000 coin payoff. If you are having trouble with these, go do practice matches with the level on medium. All you really need to do is make the other person run back and forth. Then when they have to dive for one, just smash it to the other side of the court. It shouldn't take you long to breeze through a tournament. I finish these in 15-20 minutes. Now that you are moving towards the big tournaments, The Grand Slams, you will need to decide what kind of player you are, and work on your game. If you can't win these tournaments with ease, your going to get flattened in the grand slams. So practice, practice, practice. E.Grand Slams This is where the real skill comes in. This is where you play people like Sampras and Hewitt. If you've done everything I told you to do up to this point then you shouldn't have too many problems with the grand slams. I know that I lost a few games, but never lost a match, or a tourney. This should be where you are at the top of your game. I'm not going to give much stategy, because if you've made it this far then you obviously know what your doing. Each tourney gives you a million coin, which seems like a lot but really isn't, since you don't really need any more coin at this point. F.Being #1 Congratulations! You've made it to #1. Imagine, your the best tennis player in the world. Well, not really, but its still a great feeling. This is where you make your decision whether or not to take your player online. If you can win grand slams without any trouble you may want to consider going online with your creation. You must realize though that the competition online is going to be like none you've ever seen. You may want to go back and do it all over again, making new decisions, its up to you. Most importantly, Have Fun!!!!!! G.Sponsors Sponsors are companys that give you free clothes. They also give you coin, after you finish their challenges. I only used them to get coins for the training sessions, because I'm not the kind of person who likes to spend time dressing up their players. Its up to you. ----------------------------------- V.Outro ----------------------------------- This is the second FAQ that I've written, and I'm happy with the number of responses I'm getting, and the support in Emails. Keep em coming! A.Contact info I may be contacted at jackafool@gmail.com . Please do not add me to your msn list, as I do not accept messages from people I do not know. If you choose to email me, please put the name of the game in the email topic. If you ask me a question that is already answered in this guide, I will just refer you to the section where it is. I cannot help you with technical problems with your game. I'm sorry but I just can't. Please give me 7 days to reply to your email, before you send it again. If I made a mistake in this guide, email me about it, and if I find the mistake, I will add your name to the special thanks portion. B.Special Thanks I would like to thank GameFAQs for hosting this guide, the people on the Gamefaqs message boards for supporting me. I would like to thank XSN Sports for creating Top Spin, the greatest tennis game of all time. I would like to thank Dr.Pepper, for providing me with the caffeine to stay up late into the night working on this FAQ. I would like to thank all the FAQ writers that I have read, for inspiring me to write FAQs. I would like to thank the board of education, for making a summer vacation, because without them, this guide wouldn't be finished yet. I would like to thank the Detroit Pistons, for beating the hated Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. I would like to thank my mother, for teaching me to type, because if she hadn't taught me I would still be typing the table of contents. Contribution Thanks: RandomHeroSk8er7@aol.com for the definition of a passing shot. Apaine29@cs.com for the definition of an Aggressive lob. C.Posting this FAQ This FAQ right now, is only to be posted on GameFAQs, and Neoseeker. Please do not email me asking to post this on your website. Unless you have your own domain do not ask to post this. If you see this guide on website where it shouldn't be, please email me, and I will handle it in time. Top Spin is Copyright XSN Sports 2003. This guide is in no way affiliated with XSN sports. This guide Copyright 2004 Chris Fuqua. Please do not reproduce this guide without my consent. I spent my time writing this, and the least you could do is ask.