Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis

If you thought this game would suck than you are sadly mistaken.

Okay, raise your hand if the first time you heard that Rockstar was going to do a ping-pong game for a next-generation console you thought it was some kind of joke or publicity stunt. Good. Now, how many of you, after you realized Rockstar was for real on the game, thought that the game would suck? Well if you did you are dead wrong. The company that seems to almost delight in making things hot for the video game industry with its ultra-mature Grand Theft Auto series has released what is the closest thing to a must-have "E" rated game for the Xbox 360 in Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis.

Ping pong (a.k.a. table tennis) goes back to the very roots of video gaming. Ralph Baer’s original “Brown Box” played a version of it way back in 1966. When Nolan Bushnell looked around for the first game that the fledgling Atari would produce in 1972, ping pong became simply Pong. Since then the game has been the basis of many video games. If you have not tried the 1994 WindJammers by Neo Geo either in an arcade or on console, I highly recommend it as one of the ultimate expressions of the ping pong inspiration.

Following in the tradition of the ball and paddle games before it, RGP Table Tennis is a simple game. There is no back story where your collection of pimped-out paddles was stolen by some rival ping-pong thug and now you have to play all his henchmen to get them back. It is simply a game where you play table tennis. And unlike the original Pong, there is actually a way to play with only one player.

Among its single-player modes, RGP Table Tennis offers a very thorough tutorial on how to hit the shots that will make you a real contender. Unlike Pong’s simple instructions of, “Avoid Missing Ball for High Score.”, RGP Table Tennis requires a little more from its players for success. The tutorial will teach you how to direct your shots to different parts of the table, put spin and counterspin on the ball, do soft and smash shots, and how to use Focus to make the big shots. Focus is gained by charging shots before actually hitting them and then the stored focus can be strategically used to make the point-winning shot.

Exhibition play is what you might call a “quick-match” mode. Here is a good place to practice what you learned in the tutorial against an AI-controlled opponent. You choose a character and match site and either choose an opponent or let the computer pick one at random. Then it is off to the match to get some actual game practice in unranked play.

The closest thing to a real single-player mode with saved progress is the Tournament mode. In Tournament you’ll play in ranked matches against computer-assigned and controlled opponents. There are three levels of tournament play. It is by playing through the Tournament mode that you’ll get to unlock more than the initial four players the game begins with. You’ll also unlock different items for your players to wear. Unfortunately the unlockables are pretty boring and there are only seven additional players to unlock.

The multiplayer mode is where the fun kicks in. Humans make mistakes, but they are also dynamically-changing challengers, so it is much more interesting. For a quick one-on-one game the Exhibition mode allows two people to have a match on one TV. If you want more multiplayer match options, it is off to Xbox Live land and the ability to play in both ranked and unranked matches with players from far away.

Graphically the game is very nice. The character models are well executed, as are the arenas you’ll play in. The detail is quite good and the action may be viewed either from a player-selectable close angle or wider angle from behind the player. In two-player mode the view is from behind the player serving.

Sound is more than serviceable. The distinctive sound of a ping pong ball being hit and the squeak of tennis shoes on a polished floor are the predominant effects.

Control is where the game really shines. The left thumb stick moves your player around the table and directs your shots during a swing. The four face buttons used individually or in combination impart spin for a shot. If you so desire (though I found it less than comfortable), you can use the right thumb stick as the control to impart spin. The bumper buttons initiate Focus shots. While the theory of how to use the controls can be picked up in five minutes, the good players will be those that really practice to squeeze all the nuances from them. The really nice thing is how the game’s visual cues let you know how your opponent has played the shot and thus gives you the opportunity to return it in an appropriate way.

If there are flaws with the game, they are few. The biggest one in my opinion is the lack of any way to create your own character. The 11 available are okay, but they are pretty stereotypical of the counties they represent. The ability to create your own personal avatar to represent you out on Xbox Live would have been a great addition. And like an old Intellivision sports game, to get the true fun out of RGP Table Tennis you have to have a second player.

What Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis ends up being is a really fun game of table tennis for two people. The fast and frenetic gameplay is a moment to pick up and many hours to master. Those with no gaming buds or a Live account are going to be disappointed, but just about everyone else is going to have a good time. The quick matches make this a natural for a fast party game that is easy to pick up and enjoy … even if you lose your first few games. Not quite perfection, but it earns a solid "A-" score.

Review by Will 'Jayson' Hill - courtesy of Gameshark.com