PALGN writes: "Last year's Top Spin 2 DS received mostly negative criticism. The game's framerate was simply too low, which made it almost unplayable. Top Spin 3 is a major improvement, players move around smoothly and the action often gets very frantic. That said, there are a few things that will deter newcomers to the series.
Top Spin 3 is essentially a buffed-up version of its predecessor. Aside from an improved frame rate, there's a stronger Career mode, a wider selection of mini-games, and the usual quick play options. On court the controls feel tight and responsive, with each action and shoulder button representing a different type of shot. At any time during a match players can also tap the touch screen to perform a boost manoeuvre, which makes their character's running speed increase. Unfortunately, the mechanic feels out of place for a realistic tennis game, and the only practical way to utilise it is to press the touch screen with your greasy thumb, not appealing for those of us that suffer OCD.
Career mode acts as the main meat of the game, and has players try to improve their rank amongst the world's top tennis stars. You'll begin by creating a character with a few standard customisation options including serve styles, skin tones, and outfit and racket designs. From here, you have to improve your skill levels by completing mini-games. These vary from Serve Sniper which requires players to hit coloured-markers on the court, to Robot Trap where you have to run over switches and trap robots. Each mini-game also has three difficulty levels, but a majority will need to be unlocked by improving your rank, preventing you from maximising your skills prematurely."
