Top Spin 2

[marcus]

Does anyone know how to do the shots that the comp pulls out all the time where the ball swerves about or floats gently through the air? The other one is the sliced drop-shot which is useful at the net - are these all advanced-shots (R1+)? On that, my character doesnt have the icons ABXY which the comp has, is this something thats learnt as you progress like risk shots?

Just lost to Henman, he was rock, Im finding the usual method of cutting the ball right to the corner and then back to the opposite corner which worked most of the time is beginning to fail now as Ive got into the top 20 ranking. I think the difference is the above shots, would be nice to master them.

[Sane]

Yeah, those are the advanced shots, they're done with LT+ a face button. You do indeed learn them like the risk shots, but you should've had some by now really. Anyway, to get a feel for them you could play with some of the exhibition characters.

[marcus]

I checked on the FAQ, he says he didnt get his till the third season. Ive not been skipping anything this time but havent seen them, and to be honest its these I think I need in order to beat the best players. Lost to Henman, and gave up trying against Federer in the end.

[Sane]

Well you don't absolutely need them, depending on how much stars you put in focus you can't use them much anyway. Using them comsumes focus, for my character with no stars in focus this means that by playing well as the focus bar fills up first LT+X becomes available, then LT+A, then LT+B and finally LT+Y. If I use LT+Y it will drain the entire bar, meaning that I can only do that shot once a game at most, and only if I'm playing well enough to fill the bar.

That said, if you have more stars the bar will up quicker, I've met people only who actually pumped up their focus so they could throw out advanced shots all the time.

[marcus]

I find that Ive reached a point where my strategy to win points is the same each time, its not been a problem and has served me well up to now, but against players who position themselves better (federer, henman) its not working. Generally, I aim to corner them, them slice it back with top-spin to the far opposite corner, Ive not identified that many other ways of winning points really so was hoping the advanced shots would give me more options.

[Sane]

I could have have a long monologue about this, but you should get online and play human opponents, I find that's the best way to learn different strategies. Add me as a friend and let's play a few rounds.

[marcus]

Reached world number 1 today, just at the end of the 3rd season.

Also, FINALLY Ive gotten to the stage of earning the advanced shots, for anyone interested and wondering like me when the hell you get to learn them in career, they appeared for me after I got to #1 so presumeably its however long that takes you.

[marcus]

Is it me, or is the 4th season much harder than any of the others?

[Dirty Sanchez]

The advanced shots are offered when you are 'fully trained' which means all 60 stars are allocated. When this happens you can't do any more training but will be offered the advanced shots instead.

[marcus]

OIC, thanks. Im trying to 'unlearn' my play method since getting the advanced shots, before I always naturally pressed the left shoulder button when trying to cut the finest angles, I dont know why but I just did. In some ways I think I was better off without the advanced shots because of that :-)

[marcus]

Finally finished my career tonight (properly this time), ended up with 1073 career points, so thankfully got the big GP bonus also. I won 28 out of 34 entered competitions, but there wasnt ever as hard a game as the one I had against Federer in the final of Wimbledon in the 5th season, I lost 3-2 in sets in the end including two tie-breakers, and its the only time the CPU ever took me to 5 sets and by the end of that I was exhausted (and very annoyed.!).

I think Ive OD'd on TS2 and dont plan on coming back to it anytime soon, I dont recall a game that ever made me swear as much as this one did. Thats a sign of how compulsive it can be, you really do get wrapped up in it at times and the line between frustraton and relief is so fine.

Apart from winning one ranked match, Im pretty much done with this now, nice game that consumed way too many of my hours than I would of liked.

[Mapster]

I gave up on the single player, it got stupidly tough. I still adore the Live side though and am always trying to get my friends to get a copy so I can play them!

[Jebus]

I've re-purchased this after playing the new demo. Turns out I can get into it, but I couldn't control it properly first time. Having played Table Tennis now, which has a very similar method has got me back into it.

Enjoying the game rather a bit but finding the online mode very frustrating.

YET AGAIN I cannot find anyone who is matched in the same skill as me, losing 2-0 (sets) I checked the guys gamertag to find he had 800 of the achievements, and therefore had played this game a ****-of-a-lot more than me.

It seems that almost every game I play you can only win if you have played the game to death, which isn't supposed to happen, MS kept telling us that the "true skill" thing worked, it doesn't = it's bollocks.

I'm perhaps not as good at games as I used to be but I'm not *that* bad.

[Sane]

I was quite good at this when I first got it, but ironically playing Table Tennis since it came out has completely washed away any skill I had at Top Spin. Tried it the other day, the CPU on normal wiped the floor with me .

[ExtremePabs]

this is really hard!! online its just impossible to win.