Ahh, tennis. I can't stand to really watch that much of it in real life, unless we're talking a women's match where the likes of Anna Kournikova or Maria Sharapova are involved. But it is a sport of complexity and grandeur, and it's always seemed to capture some kind of curiosity in the video game world. Until recently, Virtua Tennis was king of the courts, a creation from Sega and Hitmaker that absolutely, positively nailed the nature of the sport into an arcade formula, either on the Dreamcast or in the arcade. But then Microsoft introduced Top Spin, a game that featured a bit more technicality to a tennis game than we're used to, but still managed to work thanks to pristine gameplay, Xbox Live features, and a sharp presentation. As for the PS2 port of the game that arrived last year...ehh, not so much. It seemed way rushed, even with additional features, and it left me to question what kind of quality we would be treated to with Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360.

The first thing you'll notice about the sequel right off the bat is its budget price. Instead of stacking up to the $60 range like a large variety of the software, the game is instead available at $40, a good $20 off. This definitely works in its favor, allowing gamers to check out a taste of next-gen goodness without having to fork over all of their hard-earned dollars and forcing them to down Mac and Cheese while they play the game on their HDTV. But there's more to it than that.

Like the first game, you've got a wide selection of players, both male and female, from the pro circuits. I have my personal favorites, such as Federer and Sharapova (of course!), but you'll have your chance to choose yours as well. If that's not your speed, however, and you really want to image yourself on a tennis court, the game does feature a comprehensive create-a-player mode that lets you tweak a number of options trying to create your ideal tennis pro...or maybe some kind of freak of nature better suited as a villain for Superman. Whatever. This mode is jam-packed with features that let you create a calvacade of stars, and they look almost real, aside from some skin tone touches that look artificial, like something out of House of Wax.

Once you get your player created, you can hop right in to a series of matches, either online, arcade, or career. Career is the best way to go, as you start to learn the nature of the sport itself and get a hang of the game's exquisite control mechanisms. You've got a variety of shots at your disposal, ranging from lobs to smashes, and each successive shot gives you a slight build on a momentum meter. Build up enough momentum and soon you've got access to risk shots. These risk shots give you the uppet hand at smashing a ball at high speed past an opponent, but requires a bit of timing. Screw up a risk shot and you've got a meeting with the net. Fortunately, the game has a number of training scenarios and mini-games that allow you to get a better grasp of the gameplay.

Career is also comprehensive in its balancing. Training sessions cost serious cash, and you also want access to new equipment and other items, so you'll have to participate in a number of tournaments. These tournaments can fortunately be skipped to the crucial final sections, if you choose, so you can move right along. But I prefer to play through the whole thing. It sort of adds a bit of dominance to the game and makes you feel that much more like a pro. There's also some mini-games that are almost Virtua Tennis-ish, complete with such devices as dominoes and walls with translucent bricks. On top of this, you also gain sponsorships and create the tennis pro of your dreams...or nightmares, depending again on the effect of your Create-A-Player. Rounding this out is a great AI system, where they'll act aggressively but won't pound you into the ground, depending on your difficulty setting.

The online play, supported via Xbox Live, runs pretty smoothly, and even gives you the option to set up customized tournaments for your friends, so you can engage in matches strictly with them, or roam around and see who you can punk out on the tennis court (or get punked out by, I should say). There's also some party games to choose from, which can get pretty wild, to say the least. I think more depth would've been likable here, but I'm certainly not disappointed with what's offered.

The only real flaws I found here were in the presentation, and even they aren't all that bad. The graphics don't quite give the finest effort to look completely next-gen, but they are solid, complete with player animation that's very, very fluid and some fine details on each of the courts. Still, you can't help that the skin tones could've been retouched, and some more detail could've been poured in to give you the notion that you feel like you're in control of a tennis telecast, you know? Also, the camera angles are a bit odd this time around. You have your full view of the court, like the first game, but then you have a closer view that kind of sits near the front row of the stands, instead of right there on the line to check your player's position. It just takes a little bit of getting used to.

As for sound, the sound effects are right on, complete with ball bounces off of particular courts and crowd applause, but the music is downright generic. Worse yet, you hear the same three tunes over and over and over again during the menus, with no change. Really, this is a good time to kick on your customized soundtrack and wail away at the ball.

So, aside from some things that irked me about the presentation that stopped this from being the next-gen equivalent of Virtua Tennis, Top Spin 2 is still a great sports game for your 360 library. Its Career Mode is staggering in things to do and will keep you busy for weeks; its online modes are diverse and satisfying; and its gameplay and challenge level are as ridiculously enjoyable as a John McEnroe temper tantrum...or even more than that. For $40, you should definitely give it a swing, and I know many Sharapova fans will have no problem adding it to their dedicated shrines. Not that I have a Sharapova shrine, mind you...well, OK, not much of one. It barely takes any room in the corner.