ping pong table: Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis

by RockStar Games

Reviewer: Gabe Boker
Review Date: 06/12/2006


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.

Review Scoring Details for Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis


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.