Top Spin 2 from 2K Sports was released two years ago to a mediocre reception but this time around, the company is looking to learn from its mistakes with the upcoming release of Top Spin 3 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS.

The development team has totally redesigned the control schematics, giving players more control of their serves and swings while also introducing some top tennis legends into the game. In a recent conference call with producer Anthony DeLuca, we got the dirt on the upcoming 3rd edition which is set to be released on June 23rd.

Players will now be able to use the right analog stick to serve the ball by timing their actions. By pulling back and then forward, it will determine how the ball is served and will greatly depend on your timing. The face buttons act as different types of swings, giving players an even greater sense of control for various situations. For the Nintendo Wii version, it’s all about the Wii-mote and players will use it to swing to hit the ball, much like Wii-Tennis, although more depth, such as needing to keep the Wii-mote turned to the side much like a real racket. The DS version will take full advantage of the stylus and touch screen for your controls and your motions.

One of the greatest draws for Top Spin this time around is the inclusion of tennis legends such as Maria Sharapova, Boris Becker and Monica Seles. The tennis legends range from past and present icons and have all been captured true to their real life counter parts. The animations for each reflect their mannerisms on the court and many of the included players were even brought in studio to have rigorous play testing and feedback of what they thought of themselves as well as their opponents. Anthony expressed his delight in the fact that all of the players that were brought in to be part of Top Spin 3 were absolutely delighted by the experience and were excited to be a part of the game.

The weather now also plays a part: black and stormy skies reduce visibility on the court, while a hot, sunny day will cause the player to slow down due to the heat and humidity. Different courts will also affect gameplay, making the ball react differently on different surfaces, such as clay and grass and players will need to overcome and adapt to these variations to be successful in their matches.

The game will allow players to create their customized avatars with a full character creation system. Players will be able to create their in-game counterparts any way they like, with options to change just about anything on their character. You can add tattoos to liven up their appearance and even make-up for the female players – or men…if that’s how you roll. 2K stated that the company had toyed with the option of using the Vision Camera for the Xbox 360 version so gamers could add their own mug to their characters, but ultimately decided against it since the character creation system was robust enough to allow players to make their characters look however they wanted.

In addition to the physical appearance of your character, players will also be able to choose clothing, shoes, rackets and the like to make their characters that much more unique to them. There will be unlockables that allow players more items to use as well as planned future downloadable content that will give players even more options when it comes to their appearance as well as even more legend players.