Taking a break from high-profile action games, Joel Szerlip chats up with Indie Built's Thorsten Moeckel on the enhancements in Top Spin for the PS2.

Hi and thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us about Top Spin for the PS2. Can we start by asking your name and your role in the game's development?

My name is Thorsten Moeckel and I am the producer of Top Spin for the PS2 at Indie Built, Inc.

What pro tennis players can we expect to see in this version of Top Spin?

We're really excited to bring all of the big-name pros to Top Spin, like Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, and Martina Hingis, and have added 2004 Australian, US Open, and Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer, 2004 Wimbledon Champion Maria Sharapova, Carlos Moya and Venus Williams to the lineup.

Has any of the gameplay mechanics of the Xbox version been altered in the PS2 version?

We wanted Top Spin to be easy for anyone to pick up and play, so we really didn't alter any of the gameplay mechanics. We definitely made sure that all the great gameplay from the original Top Spin will be found in the PS2 version.

Are there any new features involved in the game that weren't in the Xbox version?

We really took advantage of the PS2's capabilities; this will definitely be the finest tennis game anyone will see on the PS2. We've also added some cool new functionality through the Eye Toy and, of course, online play for the PS2.

The Xbox Live support was great for Top Spin, what can we expect to see from the online play on the PS2?

We will have great, deep online support on Top Spin (PS2), allowing gamers from around the world to challenge each other. Exhibition matches, official matches and player rankings will all be available for online play, as well as Eye Toy capability, which lets players incorporate their likenesses online!

You also mentioned the Eye Toy support in the game. How this has been implemented in Top Spin?

The Eye Toy is such a cool tool that we wanted to implement it into Top Spin (PS2) somehow. Players can now get themselves into the game with Eye Toy by scanning themselves and developing a customizable character to play against the pros. It creates a really fun way for people to become part of the game.

Sounds great. Has the game also been upgraded visually, to make it at least on par with the Xbox version?

Graphically, Top Spin (PS2) looks amazing-the best a tennis game has looked on the PS2. It was a challenge to make Top Spin on PS2 look as great as it did on Xbox, and through a lot of work, we've met the challenge.

What has been your favorite part of working on the game?

Working with a very talented group of devoted game developers in bringing the most well-rounded, feature-rich game of tennis to the PS2 has been very rewarding.

Just out of curiosity, who is your favorite tennis player of all time?

Bjorn Borg - Ice cool and deadly on the court, Borg took tennis to another level. It's a shame he retired so early.

And finally when can we expect to see Top Spin for the PS2 hit store shelves?

Top Spin (PS2) will be available late summer 2005.

Click for more info on Top Spin.