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Rockstar presents: Table Tennis screens
Well, these screens certainly pick us up, considering we were downright appalled at the first footage of the game. Now, these screens, well they tell a very different story. From a graphical standpoint, we are very much digging what we see, but with a game like this, until we can get it into our hands and give it a good play, we won't know either way. Still, we're excited again!See also: Table Tennis motion sensing explained
Table Tennis motion sensing explained
When I played Rockstar's Table Tennis at PAX, I had a really difficult time seeing the relation between my actions and what was happening on the screen. Sure, if I moved the Wiimote, the paddle would move (most of the time), but the direction or speed of swinging didn't seem to matter as much as the d-pad-based spin controls (which mattered in that they made the ball a different color). I kind of assumed that the game really didn't take the specifics of my motions in account, rather using the swing as a trigger for a canned "swing" action.Apparently, that's not true. Rockstar sent Wired's Chris Kohler details about the control schemes, and apparently your Wiimote movements do affect your shots like you would expect; as in, you can actually aim your swing and position the ball. This is true even in the mode in which ball placement is mapped to the joystick. In fact, the Wiimote controls are the same in all three control schemes, meaning that it would be fairly easy to try the others once you've gotten used to one. I like that; it adds a little bit of choice and replayability to the game.At this point, I feel like my problems with the controls may be partially due to their newness and to the venue in which I was introduced to them. I'm not entirely convinced that they aren't just nuts, but I'm at least interested in giving the game another chance in a location that isn't full of the din of hundreds of World of Warcraft CCG games and virtuoso Rock Band performances.
Wii Warm Up: Table Tennis falls flat
There were some mixed opinions on the look of the port of Rockstar's Table Tennis for the Wii, but it's likely we all hoped for a good game, regardless of looks. Unfortunately, from our own JC Fletcher's impressions at PAX, it looks like we're not even getting that. Instead of something that builds on the smooth controls of a game like Wii Sports, Table Tennis sounds like a nightmare. Like us, were you hoping for something better, or were you expecting a less-than-optimal port experience? Or, just to make sure all bases are covered -- does the complicated control scheme actually seem appealing to you? After all, different gamers prefer different things.
PAX 07 hands-on: Wii Table Tennis controls are insane
The first thing I ran into today in the PAX exhibition hall was Rockstar's just-revealed Table Tennis port for the Wii. The graphics, while obviously better than a photo taken of a TV screen would portray, are high-end PS2. That's a pretty familiar statement for a Wii game.Here's something that's a little uncommon for a Wii game: the controls are way too complicated. There are three different control schemes (full control scheme explanations straight from the game after the break), and they varied in complexity, from Wii Sports-esque to dubbayou-tee-eff. At no point during my short time with the game did I ever feel like I had control over my character. The standard control scheme requires players to hit A and then motion to serve, with subsequent swings done via familiar Wiimote motions. Spin, indicated by ball color, is done by holding a direction on the D-pad. The complexity comes from what felt like a significant lag between input and action. That's fine for NES Castlevania, but not for something that feigns 1-to-1 motion.The other two control schemes assign either player movement or ball positioning to the Nunchuk's joystick, and to make a long story short, I didn't know what was going on, and the game made no indication that it knew what I was doing. Maybe with time, I could pick up the nuanced controls, but at this point I can't tell if they're nuanced or nonresponsive.
Top Spin and Table Tennis on Wii
Now if Take-Two would just come out with a badminton sim they'd have a Wii racket trifecta. Today 2K announced famous tennis game Top Spin would be making its way to the Wii in spring of '08; this follows the recent announcement that Rockstar's Table Tennis would also make its way to the console. Above you can see the video for Table Tennis on the Wii, which premiered at the Leipzig Games Conference.A tennis game on the Wii is about as natural as peanut butter and jelly. We've been clamoring for a solid tennis experience since Wii Sports served up its first tennis ball. Of course, to compensate for the graphical downgrade that'd inevitable with the Wii, the games will have to make up for it in the ol' controls department. Top Spin says that it will use both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk; the Nunchuk controls the player and aiming, while the Wiimote will control force and style. Both games sound like they're perfectly suited for the Wii but, like all things with the console, the controls make or break the game.
First Table Tennis vid
The first gameplay trailer for Table Tennis on the Wii has made its way out of Leipzig and boy does it look ... well, it looks bad. Seriously, the difference in graphics between the Xbox 360 and the Wii versions are huge. That's not to say the game doesn't look like a fun time to us. It's the opposite, actually, as we know in our heart of hearts that the game will be all kinds of fun, but come on. We know the Wii can push better graphics than this.Judge for yourself by checking out the trailer past the post break.
Rockstar to rock Table Tennis at Leipzig
It's been little under a month since the official announcement that Rockstar would be bringing its budget Xbox 360 title Table Tennis to the Wii. That, of course, has made us very sad bloggers, as if there is any game deserving a port to the Wii, it's this one. Seriously, we can't wait to ping pong it up (if only we had confirmation of Wi-Fi compatibility).Now, word comes that Rockstar will be at the Leipzig Games Convention to unveil the next installment in their Midnight Club franchise and, more importantly, show off the Wii version of Table Tennis. Until then, we'll just have to wait it out until some video manages to find its way onto the net or Rockstar dishes out a press release confirming the inclusion of Wi-Fi.
Today's movie tie-in video: Balls of Fury
Rockstar must be hoping more than ever that the Wii version of Table Tennis is a hit, but movie tie-in, Balls of Fury, bounces in as another ping-pong option. Do we have high hopes for a movie property? (Especially this movie?) No.But the game trailer is entertaining, especially if you haven't heard of the movie, as we hadn't. Here's hoping that Christopher Walken is a playable character. He's our weapon of choice.See the trailer for this Fall, 2007 DS and Wii game after the break.
Rockstar's Table Tennis heads our way
In a move that just makes good sense, Take-Two announced that the (previously) Xbox 360 exclusive title, Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis, is heading to the Wii at last. It was rumored that the game may be making its way to Nintendo's latest, but now that we have confirmation, it's time to get out the paddles and start working on that signature smash. If you played the original, then you know as well as we do that this was a pretty slick game on the 360. We can only hope that Rockstar is going to be among the first of the third parties to get in there and show everyone just what the Wii can do, graphics-wise. Someone needs to, because with the exception of the upcoming Big Three from Nintendo, most third-party titles tend to be hovering around GameCube level, and we know the Wii can do more than that. No real details are yet available on the game -- not even so much as a screenshot -- but Take-Two promises we'll be getting our table tennis on this fall, and the game will utilize motion controls. [Via Joystiq; also, thanks, Brian!]
Rockstar Table Tennis backhands over to Wii
The nightmare of living in a Wii Play world of ping pong is almost to an end as Rockstar has announced that their Xbox 360 darling, Table Tennis, will be making its way over to Nintendo's world of waggle. As light on information as it gets, Rockstar's release is but a simple announcement and assurance that this will take -- say it along with us now -- full advantage of the Wii remote and its unique features. Okay, Rockstar founder Sam Houser really said, "a new audience can now experience a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down," but we know what he meant. With a release planned for this Fall, we can only hope that we have enough time to make our way over to Japan and learn those secret paddle positions we've heard so much about.
Rumor: Rockstar bringing Table Tennis to the Wii?
The rumor mill is at it again, churning out log after log of potentially possible prospects in the gaming world. The latest of which is the rumor that Rockstar is planning on bringing its Table Tennis game to the Wii. While we'd agree that the gameplay of said title would suit the console's control scheme perfectly, along with Rockstar's recent support of Nintendo by bringing Manhunt 2 over to the Wii (lending a bit of credibility to the rumor), we believe a couple of things will ultimately get in the way of this happening. But that's not to say we don't want it to happen, we just don't think it will. First of all, the game runs on the RAGE engine (which also powers the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV), allowing for some spiffy high-res graphics. Toning them down would turn this already beautiful game into something a lot less appealing to the eye. Of course, that isn't the end of the world, but asking consumers to pay near the same price for it on the Wii with sub-par graphics and new controls might be a problem.We do think the controls would be superior on the Wii, however. They could map the face buttons of the 360 controller onto the d-pad of the Wiimote and use the B trigger to control your Focus shots, which would feel smooth and natural. But, in changing the control scheme to such a set-up, we have a feeling we'd get pretty tired playing a match on the Wii (and the nunchuk cord could possible get in the way). Regularly, points can get up to 70-80 volleys between opponents before they are rewarded.And what about that nunchuk? You need it, otherwise Rockstar would be turning Table Tennis into a slicker-looking Wii Sports: Tennis as the game would control the movements of your character, increasing the potential for even higher volleys per point. How do you guys feel about the possibility of this game coming to the Wii?[Via Go Nintendo]
Wii Warm Up: Take-Two's Nintendo priority
Take-Two Interactive has been in the news a lot lately. We've seen everything from trailers for GTA IV and the company's very public floundering, but it's the latest that's of particular note to Nintendo fans: Take-Two has stated, quite firmly, that they are committed to producing games for Nintendo.Great! Welcome aboard the good ship Nintendo, where we welcome third party developers. But what will you bring us? Chairman Strauss Zelnick keeps stressing Grand Theft Auto -- even to calling it the company's "James Bond," but will we see a GTA on the Wii? We want specifics! Manhunt 2 isn't enough. If we can't get an original new gen game of our own, what about a port of Rockstar's Table Tennis? That's one port we might not complain about. Anything else you'd like to see Take-Two turn out?
New Platinum Hits games coming in March
The Gamerscore Blog guys are confirming a few games that will be headed to the Xbox 360 Platinum Hits lineup on March 16th in North America. If you didn't know, the Platinum Hits program is a list of games that have been singled out to retail for $29.99, because they "supposedly" achieved greatness during their lifetime. We may not always agree with certain games that come to the Platinum Hits, but nobody can disagree with the cheaper pricetag. Below is a list of games that will become Platinum Hits in North America. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Burnout Revenge Call of Duty 2 Dead or Alive 4 Fight Night Round 3 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Top Spin 2 Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
Wii Play videos
It must be video day around here. This time, it's snippets from Wii Play, courtesy of IGN, where they have a load of new movies from the successor to Wii Sports. We've included two after the jump -- the crazy cow racing and a somewhat lackuster round of table tennis. We're really dying to see a good long volley, but it looks like we may have to wait until Wii Play is nestled in our own Wii. Oh well! Until then ... videos! Check 'em out after the jump.
Best of the rest: Ross' picks
Lumines Live! (XBLA) On a big screen with surround sound, Q Entertainment's Lumines Live was easily the most-played game in my library (if you stretch the definition of library to digitally distributed titles). Although I railed against how microtransactions were implemented in this title and still think the extent to which they disclosed the dearth of features was misleading, both the Basic and Advanced Pack got more than enough play time, as did the multiplayer. It is the best Xbox Live Arcade title since Geometry Wars.
Black Friday deals on 360 games
It's that time of the year when consumers wait outside stores for hours on end to get the best holiday deals. Black Friday is the unofficial start of the holiday season, presents are purchased, kids begin to beg Santa for gifts, and a huge amount of money is spent. And what would Black Friday be without leaked ad scans weeks in advance? Word on the street is that Best Buy will be having a sweet $18.99 sale on a few Xbox 360 games including R* Games Presents: Table Tennis, Condemned, Amped 3, and NBA Live 06. So, if you feel like participating in the Black Friday ritual, make the holy trek to Best Buy and pick up a few games ... just be sure to bring a roll of Tums, because we all know the day after Thanksgiving wreaks havoc on the belly.
TGS: Today's Marketplace content, 9/21 [update 1]
Another day, another batch of content. TGS rolls on, and Microsoft gives us more to drool over. Now, without further ado, today's content:Vista Game MontageFusion Frenzy 2 trailer (Weren't we just talking about this?)Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom trailerTeam Fortress 2 trailerTable Tennis trailer (Japan only)TGS ThemeWe haven't had a chance to watch any of these, but we'll give you the skinny once we do. If anybody spots one of these trailers floating around the interweb, send us a tip and we'll post it.360 at the Tokyo Game Show:DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty BellSee Blue Dragon gameplay (finally)And the mystery XBLA game is ...Update: We've realized there will be a lot of content in the next few weeks. Changed headline to reflect the date that the content went up.
Custom Rockstar Table Tennis 360
Give Llamma.com credit for coming up with a Rockstar-commissioned Table Tennis case mod that goes beyond the usual paint job and faceplate. One of these babies is destined for a future give-away, but if you have the time and desire to build your own ping pong prize, they provide a list of supplies and directions.[Thanks AoE]
Rockstar's Soft Serve tour in Philly tonight [update 1]
Rockstar's "art, music, video & clothing installation" is going down in the City of Brotherly Love today at Jinxed Clothing, on 4th St. just south of South St. Not sure what to expect? Check out pictures from the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa stops. Not helping? Check out the featured artists who'll be, uh, arting at the event. Still not sure? There's going to be Table Tennis tournaments. Yup, the show isn't just about the uber-hip art world, but it's also about the uber-nerdy video game world and, try as Rockstar may to meld the two, we're like oil and vinegar, baby! We'll come together for little events like this, then be on our separate ways, back to our artist's communes/parent's basements respectively. As soon as I can figure out what time things are supposed to go down, I'll update the post and let y'all know. Philly Weekly has a writeup of the event listing 7pm as the start time and $0 as the cost. Anyone planning on attending? Want to meet there and beat my ass at Table Tennis? [Update: added event details.]
Rockstar presents "an art, music, video & clothing installation"
The bad boys at Rockstar sent word of their latest and greatest: "a traveling group art show that features all sides of the art world, including but not limited to: painting, music, video, screen printing, drawing, wheat pasting, clothing, photography & more." So, just art and fashion and music, brought to you courtesy of Rockstar Games? Of course that's not it, there's also going to be "a fast-paced and action packed tournament courtesy of Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis." The "installation" winds its way across the country, hitting hot spots like Columbus and Louisville, ultimately ending in The Town That Loved E3, Los Angeles. A notable omission: hipster-haven and Rockstar's 'hood, New York City. No bother here, I'll hit up the Philly show and embarrass the Joystiq name with my sorry Table Tennis skills ... I'm not even color-blind.
