Rockstar Games is a corporation best
known for titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and the controversial
gore-fest Manhunt. As evident with their previous track-record, they’re a
developer who enjoys pushing the envelope. When Rockstar Games Presents Table
Tennis was announced, some wondered how a team who usually works on innovative
ways to virtually murder people would deliver a light-hearted ping-pong game. I
was one of those people.
Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
strictly follows alongside its real-life counterpart. Table tennis is a game of
precision, skill, and focus. All of these elements shine through in this Xbox
360 interpretation. The key facet here is how you can seamlessly put spin on
your shots via either the face buttons or the right analog stick. Perhaps what’s
even more substantial is how great placing spin onto a shot can sway a rally.
Firstly we will take a look at implementing spin through the face buttons. The A
button will enable a topspin dish, which is arguably the most reliable shot.
Backspin is done by pressing Y. This is a shot that you’ll want to execute if
you want to slow the pace of the game down. If you combine a backspin hit with
the left bumper, which is used for a soft shot, the entire rhythm of the game
can be skewed. Left and right spin shots are done with X and Y respectively.
Next we have the analog method. The shots here are self-explanatory, with an up
flick enabling topspin, and a back flick for backspin and so forth. Which route
will give you more control? Personally, I use the face buttons. I tend to hit
more shots out when using the analog stick, which in the long haul results in
losing matches. On the other hand, if you’re familiar with the Fight Night-esque
setup, use the analog scheme by all means.
Serving is carried out by way of two
meters, one for power and one for spin. Combining a balanced mixture of both
power and spin is your ticket to a well-done serve. One of my complaints though
is how hard it is to obtain an ace. In the sport of table tennis, aces aren’t
hard to come by, especially if you’re a talented player. Another problem I
encountered was this game’s whacky physics engine. In example, let’s assume
you’re running to the left side of the table and out of the blue your opponent
places a subtle shot in the right area of the playing surface. This will cause
you to change directions, but due to the physics, you most likely won’t be able
to get back in apt time to make the play. This isn’t tennis. We’re talking about
a ping-pong table that’s a mere few feet in width; going from one end to another
shouldn’t be this hard.
As you probably already know, there
is no create-a-player option. Not only is this a letdown, it’s a real shame as
the characters available are your stereotypical, little to no emotion
individuals with no depth. In addition, not only can you not create your own
player, you can’t improve your character’s attributes in single-player. This is
mainly due to there being no career mode, rather mere tournament play with no
sense of accomplishment. Sure, you can unlock new outfits and characters, but
unless you’re competing to develop yourself in various aspects of your game, the
realism factor immensely decreases. I guess what Rockstar wants here is for
you to get better, as opposed to relying on your character’s jaw-dropping
stats that you built up by playing tons of hours. Very well, but if that’s the
case, just make it so you can’t take your created monster online. Offline
attribute-whoring should, after all, stay offline where it belongs.
All this aside, partaking in
tournaments is actually very enjoyable. There are three different circuits:
amateur, rookie, and pro, or in layman’s terms, easy, medium, and hard. The
reason to play through the different difficulties is simple – to unlock more
selectable characters to use online. On average, a tournament will take around
40 minutes to complete, give or take depending on the circuit. Something I
admired about this mode was its atmosphere. Even though it’s single-player, you
can still feel the excitement of the crowd on a close match or a clutch point.
For example, if it’s match point, and say you’re using a player of Swedish
descent, the audience will start to chant ‘’Sweden, Sweden, Sweden…’’ This is a
nice touch, no question.
The only other offline facet here,
apart from exhibition mode, is training. Unlike in most titles, you’re actually
going to learn a great deal. Training mode will more than anything educate you
on the numerous control mechanics, and how to utilize them to your advantage.
You’ll also obtain an Xbox Live Achievement by completing all of the exercises
with a perfect rating, as if you needed supplementary incentive to try this
ravishing mode.
At last we have reached the real
motive to purchase Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, and that motive is no
doubt its near-flawless online play. It’s not exactly bountiful in content, but
I’ll be the first to say, it excels in its raw simplicity. You have ranked and
unranked matches, alongside a spectator mode, titled Table Tennis Network. As
with tennis, or any sport for that matter, precision is absolutely vital. Ergo,
lag would totally break a game such as this. I’m happy to report that I have
experienced little to no lag during my time with Rockstar Games Presents Table
Tennis. In short, the online competition is fierce, the servers are fluent, and
by George, it’s darned fun.
Presentation-wise, I think you’ll
find a good amount to like here. The sound effects are spot-on, including the
way the ball-to-paddle tone will vastly diverge for dramatic effect during a
high-count rally. The visuals are a tad on the shiny and plastic look, but
nevertheless they’re very well done, with superb lighting, texturing, and
animations. Not much to complain about here.
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Gameplay: 8.5
Despite its blatant lack of content (namely a player creation facet), off
the wall physics, and generally tiring gameplay, Rockstar Games Presents Table
Tennis actually interprets the sport of table tennis quite well. It gets the job
done with a first-class online portion, lots of control choices, and overall
sense of realism.
Graphics: 8.3
Too glossy and the hair on the players could use a few more polygons, but
other than those two minor complaints, the visuals are exceedingly solid.
Sound: 7.9
The audio here doesn’t astound by any means, albeit atmospheric elements
such as crowd emotion and ball-to-paddle effects are done remarkably well.
Difficulty: Medium
The pro circuit is a hearty challenge, and online rivalry will leave you
running home to mommy. There’s always the amateur path for the feeble, though.
Concept: 8.3
This is the first table tennis video game I’ve played. You?
Multiplayer: 8.7
If this game were food, multiplayer would be its main course. Delicious on
all fronts.
Overall: 8.4
On the whole, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is a very well-rounded
package. Its online play is superb, its controls are open-ended, and it’s all
presented with slick visuals and rock solid sound. For a budget price, you’re
looking at one of the few must-have games for your Xbox 360.
