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So, where’s the senseless killing? It goes without saying that Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis is an extremely unlikely addition to Rockstar Games lineup. When Table Tennis was announced, many wondered if it was an early April fool’s joke from the lovely folks at Rockstar Games. Conceived as an answer to politicians after the developers wondered what kind of game they were allowed to make, Table Tennis manages to make the sport interesting even to those who wouldn’t pick up a paddle themselves.
Rockstar’s Table Tennis includes four tournaments. As you move from tournament to tournament, the AI becomes gradually more challenging. Playing through these tournaments will unlock additional arenas, characters and costumes. Aside from these tournaments, the game includes an exhibition mode that can be players against the AI or another player. The game includes Xbox Live support. You can arrange eight-player tournaments, participate in ranked matches, and switch up the rules.
Table Tennis is most easily described as a really quick, high-speed version of Virtua Tennis. The gameplay proves to be easy to pick up but more challenging to master, much like the most successful tennis titles. All four face buttons on the controller are used to dish out the four available shots: topspin, backspin, left spin and right spin. The game also allows you to use the right analog stick for the shots, though that does more harm than it helps. You apply more power to the shots by holding the buttons down longer, and can also influence the shots with the left analog stick. After a few games, you’ll be quite good at getting the ball exactly where you want to go. The AI players manage to play well and there seem to be some AI personalities as not all players have the same strength and weakness. It’s in your best interest to find out what these are for your opponent and use it to your best advantage.
Table Tennis just isn’t a tennis game on speed though. The game applies a halo around the ball that lets you know what type of spin is being used via color codes. It also includes a serve meter which is actually a combination of power and spin meters. You can go all out and try to overpower your opponent, go low on spin and try to make the ball too fast to hit, and so forth. The game also switches things up by allowing you to hold down multiple shots to create a hybrid of sorts. The intricacies of table tennis definitely come through here as you can see players continue playing after the ball bounces off their body. The game makes good use of the rumbling of the Xbox 360 controller to give you feedback on the shots.
The game’s visuals are a mixed bag. On one hand, the character models are incredible. They are very detailed with cloth moving around realistically, sweat forming convincingly, and are able to seem alive. They are complimented well by stunning animations. All of the quick and fast-paced moves are pulled off with grace. There are even subtle things like players holding the paddles different. On the other hand, the arenas don’t have the same pizzazz. You’ll play in a number of locations including a basic recreation center to a national level arena, but for the most part, the game is focused on the players, the ball and the table. Thankfully, that looks good.
The audio is good, too. The sound effects are crisp, letting you know just how it sounds to hit those balls as fast as you do in the game. They are enhanced by great crowd sounds. You’ll hear the crowd encourage you, stump their feet, and root on their favorite nation. The background music is largely comprised of techno tunes that don’t fit in perfectly with the game’s tone.
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis shows that there is room for focused, small games that do one thing very well. The game is very exciting and will soon have you at the edge of your chair. The game is definitely recommended even if you only have a small interest in it. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Jun 21, 2006
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