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Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis Review for the Nintendo Wii

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis Review for the Nintendo Wii

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Table tennis has long been a popular pastime enjoyed by many people. Even in the early days of video games, there was a desire to play this sport virtually. Now that the industry has come a long way since the days of Pong, it is definitely a good time for an updated attempt to recapture the fun of this great sport. Although this game has already been released on the Xbox 360, the Wii version endeavors to make the experience seem even more realistic.

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis screenshot

Since the Wii is graphically inferior to the Xbox 360, the Wii version of this game takes a noticeable downgrade in this department. That isn’t to say that this game doesn’t look good though, especially for a Wii game. The backgrounds in Table Tennis look great but are almost completely void of life. There are usually a few fans in the stands that you can’t really see and absolutely nothing in the background moves. This isn’t really a huge problem, but the static backgrounds do somewhat detract from the overall experience.

The characters look exceptional, but you can definitely tell that they had to make some compromises for this port. Each character has only a few expressions that get reused far too often, even in a relatively short period of time. All of the characters’ clothes and hair, instead of moving around realistically, seem plastered onto the models and do not move. With these gripes aside though, Table Tennis has perhaps the best looking characters yet seen in a Wii title.

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis screenshot

The animation in this game is also incredibly beautiful. No matter what kind of heated exchange you are involved in, your character moves fluidly from one shot to the next. These nearly seamless transitions in stance and swing are impressive to see and make this game feel incredibly authentic. Most of the game’s characters also react differently, utilizing a wide variety of unique animations depending on their style of play. The smooth feel of the characters’ animations, and even that of the ball, is certainly the highlight of this title.

Although this version of the game does an admirable job in the graphics department, the Wii controls are supposed to be what pulls gamers into this experience. Rockstar has taken a “Goldilocks and The Three Bears” approach to the controls in Table Tennis. Unfortunately, even though you are given three distinct control options to choose from, none of them are just right. You can play with just the Wii-mote using the standard control option, leaving the Wii to move your character around for you. To place shots appropriately, you will need to swing the Wii-mote diagonally in the direction that you would like to have the ball bounce. Aiming with this style of control is an interesting idea but the execution leaves much to be desired. Most of the time it seems like the ball ignores your instructions and just goes wherever it wants. This control method is too imprecise.

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis screenshot

The second and third methods of control that are offered require the use of the Nunchuk attachment. Sharp shooter transfers the ball aiming from motion controlled to the analog stick instead. You will need to push the analog stick in the direction you would like the ball placed. If you push too hard, the controller vibrates to let you know you are in danger of aiming off of the table. While this does seem to work better than the motion aiming, it is still far too difficult to place shots on the edges of the table accurately. Sometimes, when the controller rumbles, your shot will hit the table perfectly and other times it will completely miss. Perhaps if there had been some way to discern, even roughly, where you were aiming with this method, it could have been a viable control scheme. This control method is too ambiguous.

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis screenshot

Control freak is the last, and definitely the worst, control option left to the player. The aiming works exactly the same way it did in the standard option, but you will now be able to control your characters’ movements with the analog stick. This just adds a layer of confusion onto an already imprecise control option. Now, instead of just worrying about trying to get the right spin on the ball and swinging in the correct direction, you will also need to make sure that your character is actually there to make the shot. With the speed at which the action takes place in this title, it is often extremely difficult to balance both your characters’ movements and their shot attempt. Most of the time, this just results in missing many shots that would otherwise have been easily made. This control method is too imprecise, busy, and frustrating.

Even though none of these control options work perfectly, the game is still a blast to play. Unfortunately though, Table Tennis is fairly light on gameplay options, leaving this mostly enjoyable experience feeling way too short. You can attack any of the game’s four tournaments to unlock more venues, characters, and outfits for your characters. These tournaments, however, don’t take that long to play through, and the unlockable content does little to add to this game’s longevity. I personally would have liked to have seen an online multiplayer option present in this title, but since the Wii’s online strategy is still somewhat of a mystery, I can see why it wasn’t included. Still, it would have been nice to be able to spike the ball at opponents worldwide instead of being limited to only offline multiplayer.

Fans of the sport will definitely find this title enjoyable but it could have been so much better. If the controls had worked slightly better and there had been some more play modes, especially online multiplayer, this could have been an exceptional title. As it stands now, it feels incredibly short and somewhat unfinished. Still, Table Tennis is a mostly enjoyable step in the right direction that should appease many gamers, if only for a couple of hours.

Features:

  • Intense gameplay: Table Tennis has the same intensity of a fighting game with fluid, realistic physics.
  • Speed and control: Combine the intensity with incredible speed and control and Table Tennis is certain to give you a visceral competitive experience not found in other sports titles.
  • Ultimate sport simulation: Experience the tension of professional table tennis across 19 environments.
  • Stunning next-gen realism: Thrill to the lifelike character models and animation, advanced lighting, and hyper-realistic physics.

    RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.1 Graphics
    While not as pretty as its Xbox 360 counterpart, it is a beautiful Wii game. 2.3 Control
    The idea behind the controls are solid but the execution just isn’t there. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    The music is mostly a mix of derivative sounding techno music but the occasional outbursts from the crowd are always amusing. 2.6

    Play Value
    While it is fun to play, having only four tournaments and no online play makes this a very short experience.

    3.3 Overall Rating – Fair
    Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

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