Top Spin 2K25 – Test and News

It's been ages since the TopSpin franchise was shelved by publisher 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two. Between two games in the Mafia franchise, it was the Hangar13 studio which was responsible for unearthing the beast, long requested by fans. In the meantime, several other publishers have tried to launch into the tennis game niche, but without ever succeeding in really transcribing the sensations of this sport capable of offering intense moments of satisfaction and disappointment. A perfect opportunity for the TopSpin franchise to come out of retirement, to prove to us that he is still able to achieve GOAT status, even if he tends to pull the string too much.

Let's not beat around the bush, but the first contact with TopSpin 2K25 is quite frustrating. For players who are not fond of recent sports productions from 2K Games, the title requires the creation of a 2K account from the outset, without which you cannot use the product. A surprising introduction which then requires you to communicate a whole bunch of personal information to access the content of the game. If we understand that this is necessary on a title playable only online like an MMORPG (and again), it is otherwise more problematic here. Because this also implies that you must be connected to the internet, even if you only want to enjoy single-player game modes.

After this first step, TopSpin 2K25 gives way to a simple menu divided into three tabs. On one side the game modes highlighted by 2K, including the store and access to the season pass, while the other two tabs separate solo and multi modes. This is where we find the option to create our own player, before imagining it climb the ranks of the ATP (men's circuit) or WTA (women's circuit) rankings. But here again, disappointment quickly sets in, with a particularly limited number of customization options. Beyond not being able to create a character that looks like us, we can't reproduce the facial features of our favorite player either.

A small annoyance that will not prevent you from launching Career mode. The player starts at 80th place in the rankings (ATP or WTA once again), a position which gives access to a limited choice of tournaments, with the obligation to start with 250, before being able to move up the ranks and compete on 500, Masters 1000, Grand Slams, and finally finishing with the Masters Finals. On this side, TopSpin 2K25 has chosen to deviate from what is done in reality by removing the qualifying phases to focus solely on the final table. It is therefore impossible to do Roland Garros in the first year of competition, and despite a ranking which should have allowed entry, just as it is impossible to do the Rome and Madrid tournaments in the same year, the two tournaments being played on the same month. This will probably not bother casual players who will see it a classic progression curvewhile regulars of the discipline would undoubtedly have preferred to have a more realistic system, which would also have allowed novices to understand how the circuit really works in reality, even if it meant losing out against much better ranked players.

Instead, the program for this Career mode is content to be very “video game”, with monthly periods divided into three stages. Firstly it is possible to carry out training, classified according to their difficulty (bronze, silver, gold) and capable to bring back some experience in order to improve our personalized player. Then, you can participate in additional activities, which take the form of small matches where you are asked to complete very specific objectives, or to play with specific rules. Last stage, the official tournament, and the possibility of gaining a few places in the ranking depending on the result obtained. Everything is optional, and it is even advisable to skip certain steps so as not to affect the player's physical condition too much and thus avoid the risk of injury which would result in a prolonged absence on the circuit. Failing to be realistic, this unfolding allows you to vary the activities and not have to chain matches to the point of nausea.

Likewise, there is no question here of offering extended matches since depending on the stakes, TopSpin 2K25 offers duels ranging from a simple tie-break to a match in two winning sets with the first to three games, including the super tie-break (in ten points). Each season therefore passes relatively quickly, and allows us to see a notable evolution of our player thanks to the experience gleaned. By gaining levels, the player can in fact assign six skill points in various areas such as forehand, backhand, power, speed, serve or reflexes. From a heavy player, unresponsive and imprecise at the start, we progress slowly towards a complete athlete, or specialized in a particular area. It's well thought out, but terribly frustrating when it comes to aligning your player in the Online Season mode. You can in fact meet anyone there, including those who have taken the trouble to quickly increase all their statistics by reaching level 30, the maximum level, sometimes by taking advantage of paid improvement content. Suffice it to say that it is impossible to compete when there are 15 or 20 levels of difference, which happens very regularly.

A mode to put aside therefore, to better concentrate on the Online Exhibition mode, or the confrontation between real players, with more balanced statistics even if each player obviously has their own characteristics. With 25 official players present at the game's release (11 men and 14 women), we deplore a list that is too short, especially since there are eight “legends” (to which we can add the pre-retirees Andy Murray and Caroline Wozniacki) and ten Americans. A real imbalance therefore, for a roster which should however expand over time. Several players have their signature gestures and are thus recognizable from the first strokes of the racket, while the faces are very uneven with big failures like Pete Sampras, Paula Badosa or Madison Keys who are absolutely unrecognizable. Note that it is possible to play doubles in Exhibition mode, to accommodate up to four players locally, and the possibility of joining with a friend to challenge other duos online.

But if there is indeed one point where TopSpin 2K25 is unanimous is in terms of its gameplay. While the competition has tried several different systems, without ever managing to find the right formula, the title of Hangar13 succeeds in capturing the basic precepts of the discipline. As in real life, the title requires you to follow a series of essential steps to succeed. Logically, you have to position yourself close to the ball to consider sending it to the other side of the net, while you can already hold a button (direct hit, slice, lift, lob or drop shot) to prepare his shot and put power into the ball. During this time, you have to manage a timing bar which indicates the best time to strike and thus demonstrate precision, or not. A shot too early or too late, poor preparation and poor positioning increase the chances of sending the ball into the net or off the court. This gives very dynamic and unstereotypical exchangeswhile the typing sensation validates the good general sensations offered by these mechanics. The TopSpin academy is responsible for providing the basics with a minimum of teaching.

Even if the number of official tournaments is, like the roster, far from exhaustive, the developers of Hangar13 have chosen to take us on a journey by offering fictitious tournaments full of clichés. The prize goes to the Japanese tournament, whose court is located in the middle of a traditional temple, under the cherry blossoms. Furthermore, the studio was content of the three most common surfaces, namely hard, clay and grass. The speed of hard court, the slowness of grass and the slides of clay have been well integrated into the game, which allows for some variations and for the player to have their preferences. Concerning the sound part, we appreciate the playlist chosen for the game menus, while the lines of dialogue in Career Mode and the introduction to certain tournaments are unnatural and seem to have been produced by an AI. Without being exceptional, the technique is generally correct, particularly in terms of the animations, which are very qualitative. To immerse ourselves a little more in the atmosphere, we would have liked to see the automatic calling system (and therefore the elimination of line referees), and the presence of the hawk eye, even in an advisory capacity.