Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
"It's all in the wrists" my PE teacher used to say.
A featured review by Matt Kelly (Robtot)
You have to wonder if this is a bit of a statement or not on the part of Rockstar. While they have bought us controversial action games in the past, Rockstar draws our attention now to the sport of professional Table Tennis, showing they're still able produce a game of class and excitement without having to get into the mayhem of some of their previous games.
Statement or not, 'Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis' is a bit of a triumph. Running on the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (R.A.G.E.), the very same technology that is powering the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV, Table Tennis is probably one of the more realistic, fine tuned, best looking professional sport games out with great motion controls to boot.
In a game that's all about control, Table Tennis does very well. If you were ever a big player of Wii Sports Tennis, you'd know that it was basically impossible to pull of any serious trick shots or fancy moves. If that frustrated you as much as me, you're going to love Table Tennis.
The default control of the game is purely done through the Wii remote, between a combination of swinging with the remote and a bit of simple button pressing. In terms of motion controls, you're basically looking at a set of roughly accurate gestures to get the ball where you want it to go. Getting the ball 'down town' (am I mixing my sport metaphors there?) on the left for example, will find you swinging upwards and to the left. Want to get it closer to the net? Swing down. You're basically looking at 8 gestures in all for ball control (left high/low, middle high/low and right high/low).
For the motion controls it ends there. You won't find yourself twisting the remote to put spins on the ball, which while may be aggravating for those who want a perfect simulation, it does allow the rest of us who don't play a perfect real life game to do very well with the motion controls. Instead, you'll be using the D-Pad on your remote for spins, through which you can combine spins as well. To pull an offensive left spin, push up and left. Timing your shots is very important here, as the longer you hold the direction down, the more 'charge' your spin will have.
The game also features an anticipation mechanism, where by swinging early will allow your players to position themselves, ready to take the shot when the ball arrives. While this may seem a bit odd, with the high pace of Table Tennis you would very quickly find yourself unable to fend off high powered balls. But thankfully you still have to play well for your victory.
All in all while it's not a completely accurate control method in terms being a virtual player but it's as close as you're going to get without losing the titles appealing 'pick up and play' style. Combine that with highly addictive gameplay, and you've got a real winner on your hands. So far I've put a few people in front of the game with very little instruction and in 5 minutes they're able to volley back and forth like there's no tomorrow.
There are also a couple of additional control methods using the nunchuck attachment, one being based around using the stick to position where you land your shots, and the other using the stick to position your player. Both of these functions are achievable using just the Wii remote to a degree but the 'control freaks' (as one of the control schemes is named) among you may prefer having these separated into different hands.
Beyond the actual game play, Table Tennis features two main modes of competition, Tournament and Exhibition.
Tournament is basically a knock out match between several players until one emerges victorious, where as Exhibition is a quick play option where you select you and your opponent. Multiplayer is available in both Tournament and Exhibition mode, but when in multiplayer they both play as a single match, with no on going Tournament system.
Multiplayer is unfortunately one of the downsides of Table Tennis, with the exclusion of online play. The original Xbox360 version of the game featured competitive online play which tied back to unlockables on your console, to the extent where some unlockables were only obtainable by only the highest ranking players in the world. In the Wii version, online is cut.
Outside of the core game play, unlockables is also a feature of the game, ranging from clothes, to players and to arenas, all unlocked through various combinations of players and game modes. If you're a fan of in game collecting you'll have plenty to come back for. Or if you just like to dress your best for your adoring table tennis fans, this will allow you a bit of customization of your players.
Speaking of your adoring fans, the atmosphere in Table Tennis is something that will keep you charged up for hours. Starting with graphics, Table Tennis is one of the best looking games on Wii to date. While games are coming out later this year that look to raise that bar, it certainly is holding the place of top contender at the moment. From characters and environments, to the individual characteristics of each players motion captured animation, it is stunning. Admittedly when all you're really dealing with is a room, a couple of people and a ball, you can afford to spend a bit more of your graphics budget on detail.
Sound is probably one of things that could have easily had little attention paid to it, and arguably may have even 'broken' the game. Thankfully Rockstars sound guys have really performed here. Crowds will cheer for you, they will boo at you, and will scream out your name with such enthusiasm that you'll want to impress them. The music is fantastic, only coming on when the game really gets going and treating you to a pumping electronic soundtrack. This all adds to the heat of the moment.
Summary:
While the game modes are pretty limited, the game play mechanics are spot on. You'll feel the pace, getting into intense volleys against your opponent and jumping around your living room like that might actually help.
The lack of online play seems a bit slack given the Xbox 360 version featured it a year ago, as this would have made a great game for it. That being said, the AI is great, and when you win, you'll feel like you've seriously screwed them over and not, like so many other games, that they've decided to let you win. If they were asking $100 for this game I would say no, but at $70, with it's addictive style of simple play, you'll suddenly find three hours gone out of your day when you were meant to be doing something productive (like this review for instance).