I'm a British lad studying Software Engineer at Southampton University. I'm interested in technology...
I'm a British lad studying Software Engineer at Southampton University. I'm interested in technology, the guitar and computer games.
Member since:16.06.2009
Reviews:4
Rockstar Table Tennis is an example of a game done to near perfection. I bought this game as a newcomer to sporting games and immediately got hooked.
Gameplay: OK, it's table tennis so you kind of know what to expect, but that doesn't mean there's not a lot to do. First of all I'd like to say that this game plays extremely fast and there really is never a dull moment. A lot of sporting games tend to put in plenty of animations and mini film clips but you have the capability to skip these and get right back to the action. You can play in tournaments, quick matches or against friends or random people of a similar skill on xbox live. The majority of gameplay involves trying to counter shots from your opponent as best you can, whereby redirecting spin on the ball to put them in an awkward position wins the points. There is also an incorporated 'focus' bar, which builds up as you daringly put excessive amounts of spin on the ball which could potentially cause you to miss the table. The xbox controller
vibrates when your next shot is headed towards missing the table and rapidly when it will do so that you get a split second to correct yourself. This feature feels like it should belong in a table tennis game and feels very natural after a while. It generally takes a while to master and a lot of judgement but when you have done you'll find the game very satisfying and interesting to play. The focus bar can be used to essentially slow down the game periodically which increases your chances of getting to a shot or adding just that little bit extra spin to it. It can lead to some tactical play online. When it is maxed out you gain a kind of speed boost, which drains it gradually and the game goes into a very cool mode whereby your reactions are heightened and everything speeds up but you gain a similar level of control over the ball. I especially love it when this happens as the background fades and some music fades in leading to some entertaining table tennis.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are fantastic. Considering there's not as much to focus on in a table tennis game compared to a fps game for example, Rockstar have really done an excellent job and put a lot of detail into it. There are a lot of unique characters to choose from and many that are unlocked along the way. These all have different personalities you will get to know and love. The ball itself is quite easy to see and the type of spin placed on the ball by the previous shot is shown by a coloured trail corresponding to the xbox controller buttons. Motion looks very fluid and when you slow things down for focus shots, things look very cool. You also have the opportunity to watch replays which are in a kind of cinematic style similar to that shown on television.
Sound: Generally there is not a lot of music throughout the game. There is some on the menu screens, but during a game you are left with nothing but the sound of the shots. Presumably this is to improve your concentration which seems fair enough considering the speed at which the game plays. Occasionally when your focus bar fills some music fades in which is quite empowering and makes you feel fantastic the longer you can go on. This is a welcoming touch to the game and it keeps it interesting.
Multiplayer: I find multiplayer tends to be about forcing your opponent to make a mistake or waiting for them to. I haven't experimented too much with it, but it seems to be well made and the matchmaking is great. There are also a few rewards for doing well online, such as winning consecutive matches or reaching a certain trueskill ranking. I found that on my home internet the gameplay did suffer from lag slightly but this could have been because I'm in a rural location and don't have the best Internet. Generally, it was playable but on occasion the lag became an annoyance.
Longevity: If you're into sporting games then you will certainly love this game. The graphics keep your eyes pleased with it and the pure speed of the game is always interesting and entertaining. If you're a competitive person then the online could appeal to you. There are various players and outfits that you can unlock and some of them are challenging and require a lot of patience to achieve.
Value For Money: I bought this game for £4 and having known how much I would like it I would have paid up to three times that.
Overall: If you see this in the shops, buy it. It'll probably cost you a fiver and considering the quality of the gameplay and the hours of fun it can provide it's definitely worth it. It does wonders for your reaction times too and I'm sure if you're into very fast moving racing or fps games, playing something like this on the side would help considerably. It's also a very sociable game and is the kind of game to play on those rainy days with nothing else to do.
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Jun 17th, 2009
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