This new next-gen ping pong game releases for xbox360 tomorrow. I'm very excited about it. Previews say it is very deep and fun (like original pong) and features online play.
Doug's Take For what it is, and make no doubt about it, Table Tennis is a simple one-on-one ping-pong game, Rockstar's title is intense, fast, and engaging. But it's not like Doom or Unreal or Halo. Obviously. It doesn't instantly suck you in with blazing guns and sci-fi themes. Instead, you pick up and play, and a few minutes later you're familiar with the controls and the experimentation begins. Then, something interesting happens. The more you play, the deeper and deeper you'll dive into it. I went through a phase, in just one night, where I was slamming it with just the hard button over and over again. Later on, I switched players and found the spin game to be totally enthralling. Table Tennis is a little like Virtua Tennis in its intensity and easy-to-handle controls, but it's also a precision game that's compressed into a faster, more rhythmic pace. Jon Miller and I got into several serious rallies that lasted what seemed like minutes, and each one required our full attention and concentration. I know, I know, it's still table tennis, but Rockstar has made this work. In its own way, it's just as immediate as any fast-paced first-person shooter.
There's a kind of Geometry Wars learning curve at work where you get better and better and the game gets more addicting and more addicting. No, it's not going to ever replace real ping pong, but the game does replicate that same intense feeling of a long intense rally, and that's really all Rockstar was trying to do. Take this as you will, but the preview build of Table Tennis came closer to replicating the feel of the real-life sport than maybe any sports game in history. Granted, Madden may be one of the most fun games out there, but you're not going to experience anything close to the feeling of catching a real football or decleating a wide receiver. Table Tennis, on the other hand, feels almost as if you have a paddle in your hand. You have to turn your brain off and work off pure reflex. In the end, it's just ping pong.
This is an actual screen shot.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean to say that this game is 'deep'?
ReplyDeleteDoug's Take
ReplyDeleteFor what it is, and make no doubt about it, Table Tennis is a simple one-on-one ping-pong game, Rockstar's title is intense, fast, and engaging. But it's not like Doom or Unreal or Halo. Obviously. It doesn't instantly suck you in with blazing guns and sci-fi themes. Instead, you pick up and play, and a few minutes later you're familiar with the controls and the experimentation begins. Then, something interesting happens. The more you play, the deeper and deeper you'll dive into it. I went through a phase, in just one night, where I was slamming it with just the hard button over and over again. Later on, I switched players and found the spin game to be totally enthralling. Table Tennis is a little like Virtua Tennis in its intensity and easy-to-handle controls, but it's also a precision game that's compressed into a faster, more rhythmic pace. Jon Miller and I got into several serious rallies that lasted what seemed like minutes, and each one required our full attention and concentration. I know, I know, it's still table tennis, but Rockstar has made this work. In its own way, it's just as immediate as any fast-paced first-person shooter.
There's a kind of Geometry Wars learning curve at work where you get better and better and the game gets more addicting and more addicting. No, it's not going to ever replace real ping pong, but the game does replicate that same intense feeling of a long intense rally, and that's really all Rockstar was trying to do. Take this as you will, but the preview build of Table Tennis came closer to replicating the feel of the real-life sport than maybe any sports game in history. Granted, Madden may be one of the most fun games out there, but you're not going to experience anything close to the feeling of catching a real football or decleating a wide receiver. Table Tennis, on the other hand, feels almost as if you have a paddle in your hand. You have to turn your brain off and work off pure reflex. In the end, it's just ping pong.
Picked up the Ping Pong game today at lunch. Very fun! I only got to play for a few minutes but I'm starting to get the hang of it.
ReplyDelete