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Under the Table of Rockstar's Table Tennis

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the plink-whack-plink-whack-plick-whack dept.

Joystiq has a post up taking a look at the extremely out-of-character title coming up from Rockstar. For better or worse, Rockstar's Table Tennis is the real deal. From the article: "If you're a ping pong addict, this is another opportunity for you to deepen your involvement with a hobby you already love. This game will satisfy you because -- at least to this ping pong amateur and the two legit ping pong players I brought along with me -- it feels authentic. That authenticity comes from Rockstar choice to embrace realism rather than a stylized or simplified arcade style. The company calling Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis the "first true sports simulation title" that they've ever done. "

37 comments

  1. Huh, no violence involved? by Fizzl · · Score: 2, Funny

    There has to be atleast some? Stab the opponent with a racket after losing? No?

    --
    Bot Assisted Blogging
    1. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by Hektor_Troy · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, none at all. Just some smack talk.

      How do you like that, mon petite bitch?

      --
      We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
    2. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by ThePlague · · Score: 0

      I wonder how long before the "Cold Beer" mod is released, where the paddles are used in some BDSM action.

    3. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by Tallon29 · · Score: 1

      No violence involved, but you should see what some of the females can do with the ping-pong balls!

    4. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by Olix · · Score: 1

      Hmmm. In GTA, the girls would invite you inside for "Hot Coffee". The hot coffee mod was so named because it unlocked some shoddy sex scenes with said women. Now, I am sure you already know this. I was just establishing a bit of background info to say:

      I don't think a woman would invite you into her house for a cold beer.

      Yeah, it would surely be a man inviting your guy inside for a cold beer, and I don't want to see that...

    5. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Geez, Wynonna Ryder does it ONCE and everyone else has to jump on the bandwagon!

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    6. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by Half+a+dent · · Score: 1

      Violence? What else do you call it when the whole objective of the game is to hit someone's balls with a bat as hard as you can!

    7. Re:Huh, no violence involved? by 2old2rockNroll · · Score: 1

      There has to be atleast some? Stab the opponent with a racket after losing? No?

      Well, it may not be violence, but if you're using a racket, you're already cheating. :)

  2. Please port this to the Revolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I played some ping pong in college and while I was never a master, I did have a lot of fun. One of the greatest things about it is that you can really control the spins: the ball can have a wicked curve on a serve or return, it can stop suddenly after crossing the net and hitting the table, etc.

    Current consoles try to emulate this with button combinations (A for lob, B for slice, up for topspin, etc, in tennis games). However, the Revolution controller would be ideal for this game. Imagine using the remote to slice the ball while you control the position of the player with the joystick dongle. I'd buy it, as it takes up a lot less space than a traditional ping pong table yet gives you almost the same experience.

    1. Re:Please port this to the Revolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine this and imagine that. God, I'm tired of this Revolution hype. Bleh. Wait until the Revolution is launched and see if they can deliver.

    2. Re:Please port this to the Revolution by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      Or the revolution could just use how you move to do the same thing, or add something like a belt which you could move around in so it knows.

      --
      I like muppets.
    3. Re:Please port this to the Revolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would you need to control the position of the player? So long as you get the paddle modeled accurately in terms of position, angle, and speed, the location of the body holding the paddle can be approximated.

      The only major problem is that would pose huge IK and animation issues, but a far more responsive character is better than a better animated one.

    4. Re:Please port this to the Revolution by Cheapy · · Score: 1

      Why not...get your own table?

      --
      Would you kindly mod me +1 insightful?
    5. Re:Please port this to the Revolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You probably haven't played table tennis much. Players don't stand in one place. They can step a few feet away from the table, lean over it, and even end up on the side of the table in certain situations.

      For example, if you want the ball to have speed, you need to hit it hard. If you do that while standing at the edge of the table, it will overshoot the opposite side and you'll lose a point. You also can't stand away too far, because if the ball stops dead right after the net you need to lean over the table to reach it. Fun stuff!

  3. revolution by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I hope they release a version of this for the Revolution.

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:revolution by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that's one. And two) hope Revolution pans out like you want it to. ;)

      I'm not trolling. Who here has tried the Revo's controllers? It may be suited for this kind of game, but then again, it might not.

    2. Re:revolution by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

      True true. However, since I have a decent Gamecube library that I still like to play, I'll be buying a Revolution anyways. It certainly isn't gonna hurt to buy a handful of games that try to use the controller in interesting ways. We'll see how it all pans out eventually, though.

      --
      This guy's the limit!
    3. Re:revolution by Tallon29 · · Score: 1

      On the other hand, this might be the ONLY kind of game it is suited for :/ Time will tell.

    4. Re:revolution by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1

      Sure, I hope it's going to good too. I've got an Xbox360 connected to a projector (got Oblivion in the mail today, so I know what I'll be playing for the next few weeks...), but I still got my Gamecube hooked up to my TV. I'm currently playing Wind Waker on it (the kids are playing super monkey ball and Donkey Konga with the bongos), and I think it's a really nice experience. I'm not down on Nintendo at all, just a bit cautious on expecting too much from the Revolution. Personally, I'd like a full body set controller with force feedback, but I guess that's not going to happen any time soon. :)

    5. Re:revolution by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Depends on how well that Revolution controller actually works, and if it lives up to the advertising. I am, frankly, more than a little skeptical. But, if it does, it would certainly seem perfect for a game like this.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    6. Re:revolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how will you load the mini-disks into the slotloading dvd drive on the revolution?

  4. Interesting by cosmotron · · Score: 1

    This game might actually get me to consider purcashing a 360...

    --
    Ryan - http://www.thecosmotron.com/
    1. Re:Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, that was a dumb comment...

      So a fucking cheap looking ping pong game is really going to make someone go out and waste 400+ dollars on piece of shit system like the 360???

      Right...

  5. Re:Ouch! Rockstar Puts Microsoft In Their Place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eh. 2001 called, they want their crazy assertments back.

  6. seriously by rabbot · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Can you stop sucking Rockstar off now? It's a table tennis game. Big deal. Is there going to be an article every time a sports game is made by a developer who doesn't normally make sports games.?

    1. Re:seriously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would you prefer an article every time a sports game is made by a developer that normally makes sports games?

    2. Re:seriously by Eightyford · · Score: 1

      Can you stop sucking Rockstar off now? It's a table tennis game. Big deal. Is there going to be an article every time a sports game is made by a developer who doesn't normally make sports games.?

      You must work for EA. I feel sorry for you.

      --
      Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
    3. Re:seriously by rabbot · · Score: 1

      No, actually I despise EA. You must be a Rockstar "fanboy". I feel sorry for YOU.

    4. Re:seriously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can you stop sucking Rockstar off now?

      I'd like to play that game.

  7. Looking forward to it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I remember when Archer McLean's Snooker appeared on the Amiga - at the time it was the first 3D snooker game and it simply blew me away. I'd never had any interest in snooker - to me it was something that filled up TV on a wet Sunday afternoon.
     
    Now I play at least once a week and enjoy it thoroughly.
     
    So I welcome a table tennis game - I've always played it and love the game to bits. If a game like this can bring the fun of it to a console, then that's great and while it's not the reaal thing, hopefully it'll get more people playing...
     
    And as other people have said, I hope they do a Revolution version - the market needs new games, new audiences and a bit of a shake up!

  8. Longer impressions, more comments @ EuroGamer by in5ane · · Score: 2, Interesting

    http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63 701

  9. I still can't believe this isn't a joke by johnny0neal · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't this have been posted two days ago? Because then my brain would be able to process it. As it is, I really can't imagine that it's not a tremendous hoax.

    Isn't it a lot more believable that ping pong is an unlockable minigame in the 360 version of Bully? And this is their way of building buzz?

    Maybe that was the original idea, and somewhere along the way Rockstar realized they'd get an even bigger laugh out of making the joke a reality.

    1. Re:I still can't believe this isn't a joke by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't be the first time Joystiq has been duped. They rip their content off from other sites anyway. Not an original thought between any of the writers.

  10. Under the Table!? by neuro.slug · · Score: 1

    Under the table...

    You found the secret game?!

    -- n

  11. Why XBox 360? by Spy+Hunter · · Score: 0, Redundant

    If there's a game out there more suited to being played with the Revolution controller, I'm not aware of it.

    --
    main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
  12. Executive Meeting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "So, what are we going to do if Congress actually passes a law limitting the content of videogames?"

    "Well, we could always do a sports game. The kids seem to like those quite a bit."

    "Ok, sports games, I like that idea. Now, what kind of game to we want to do?"

    "Football?" "Nope, EA's got it"

    "Baseball" "EA & ESPN" have that covered"

    "Crap, pretty much everything's been done to death already"

    "Wait, I know.... PING PONG!!! Dude, we can save Rockstar with a Ping Pong game"

    Brillant?