 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Top Spin Tennis 4
- Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
- Price: $59.99
- Genre: Sports
Common Sense Media says
Beautiful tennis sim is both accessible and challenging.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Top Spin 4 is a tennis simulation game that stars dozens of real tennis pros and features many known sports brands. Its virtual athletes emote realistically as they make and miss shots, but they're never mean-spirited, and they always shake hands after each match. Note that this game supports open online communication, a feature that Common Sense Media does not recommend for pre-teens.
What's it about?
2K’s top-selling tennis franchise returns in TOP SPIN 4, a highly realistic simulation of the sport. More than two dozen authentic tennis stars, both male and female, play on recreations of some of the world's best known courts. Players can engage in quick exhibition matches, head online to play with others, or create their own avatar and embark on a lengthy career that involves building up skills, hiring coaches, and working their way up world rankings. The Wii and PlayStation 3 editions offer support for motion-based controls, allowing players to get up off the couch and become active, while the Xbox 360 version employs a traditional controller interface.
Is it any good?
The best tennis series around only gets better in this latest iteration, which offers stunningly lifelike character models, fluid animations, and photo-realistic venues. With multiple sportscast-style viewing angles and dynamic replays, it may take casual viewers a moment to realize that they're watching a video game as opposed to a televised event.
And the good goes beyond just visual presentation. The deep and satisfying career mode offers both realistic tournaments and special events that result in tangible rewards that augment your tennis star's skills and appearance. It will keep fanatics coming back for weeks or months. Franchise rookies, meanwhile, should be able to get a handle on things pretty quickly thanks to intuitive controls and optional onscreen cues that provide feedback on shot timing and first bounce locations. If there's a better tennis game around, we haven't seen it.
Online interaction: This game supports online play with open voice communication, which means players could be subjected to foul language and inappropriate topics of conversation and could share personal information with others.
What families can talk about
Families can discuss the game’s depiction of male and female athletes competing together on the same court. Is it realistic? Do you think games like this help promote sexual equality in the world of sports?
The Wii and PlayStation 3 editions offer support for motion-based
controls, allowing players to get up off the couch and become active,
while the Xbox 360 version employs a traditional controller interface; which version do you prefer to play?
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Sports |
| Developer: | 2K Sports |
| Release date: | March 15, 2011 |
| Price: | $59.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E for (No descriptors) |
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