Review| Rockstar Presents Table Tennis

From the company that brought curb stomps and hot coffee into your living room, it's… Table Tennis? Are you finished scratching your head? It’s true. The latest title from the publishers of the insanely popular and successful Grand Theft Auto series has released a game that is entirely devoid of guns, hookers and carjacking. And it’s really quite good.

Finally, a Rockstar Game with balls.
Rockstar Presents: Table Tennis serves up a very focused simulation of the immensely popular sport of ping-pong. At first glance, it’s the graphics that take center stage. The player models and arenas are intricately detailed, but it’s all designed to bring your focus to the table. Table tennis is a fast paced, reflex-intensive affair that’s all about setting up your opponent for the winning shot. Rockstar has succeeded in providing gamers with top-notch controls that are immediately accessible to the casual player but are at the same time so deep that mastery only comes with lots (and lots) of practice. Yes, grasshopper, it will take patience to master Table Tennis.

Table Tennis offers players a choice of control mechanics: you may use the four X,Y,A,B buttons to determine what type of spin to place on the ball (top, back, right or leftspins) or more adventurous players can flick the right analog stick in the appropriate direction to apply the desired spin. When not preparing to hit the ball, the left analog stick moves the player around his side of the table; however, once you set your feet to hit the ball, the left stick allows you to aim the shot at a specific area of the table. A rumble indicator warns you that you are in danger of hitting the ball off the table.

Once the ball is in play, the gameplay could be described as some sort of chess strategy meets street fighter hybrid. The action is fast paced and accentuated by a “focus mode.” A focus meter fills up with successful returns. This meter can be used for individual enhanced shots or an extended “focus” period. The overall effect is that each point becomes a battle between the two players; each trying to counter the other and gain the slightest advantage to create an opening for the winning shot.


It’s got bells and whistles.
Behind the superb controls and gameplay mechanics are some of the prettiest available on the 360. All 11 playable characters (each with his or her own strengths and weaknesses) look surprisingly realistic without having the signature “next-gen” layer of shiny. Animations are silky smooth as characters set up their shots and react to the outcomes. It’s not just the graphics that make the characters look and feel so real, but their design as well. In a very refreshing design choice, there are no super-sexy characters in this game. The characters all look like real people. They’re believable, and it really adds to the credibility of the game as a table tennis simulation. Arenas are well made, but don’t necessarily offer a lot of eye candy. This seems more like a conscious decision by the design team to focus your eye on the table, and really, that’s where it belongs.

Graphics whores aren’t the only ones who will be pleased with Rockstar’s extra-special attention to detail. Audiophiles will be able to show off their surround sound system without annoying the neighbors. Every hit by the paddle or on the table will delight. Noises from the crowd, from a solitary shout of support to full on chanting, come through sounding like you really are in a crowded arena. The in-game soundtrack, while limited, is done with enough care that it won’t ever be obtrusive to the game. In fact, you probably won’t find it necessary to substitute your own tracks while playing Table Tennis.

More than a quickie?
The one major shortcoming in Table Tennis is its shallow single player mode. You’ll find no cool minigames a la Virtua Tennis, no stores to purchase superfluous gear for your character. But is it really that big of a deal? The game’s meager single player offerings of exhibition and tournament mode will definitely keep you busy unlocking new outfits, arenas, and playable characters (of course there’s always achievement points to be had), but Table Tennis is built for multiplayer and Xbox Live play. Online play is extremely satisfying with solid netcode that is playable even with the dreaded “red bar” connection. Still, it’s “just” table tennis, so don’t expect a multitude of game modes to choose from.

Rockstar nailed nearly every category; deep gameplay, tight controls, next-gen graphics, crisp audio and a great Xbox Live experience. The single player modes can’t match similar games like Virtua Tennis or Topspin, but when it gets down to it, the expanded single player modes aren’t really much more than a bullet point on the back of the box. When you consider that Table Tennis is budget priced at $39.99, it really isn’t too much of a stretch to say that this game should be a smash.

Pros: Easy to pick up, hard to master controls. Some of the highest production values out there.

Cons: Very limited single player mode. The core gameplay is so good that you may ask yourself why the game wasn’t stripped down a bit and offered on Xbox Live Arcade.

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Value: 7

Review courtesy of Gamehelper.com.