Rockstar Games Table Tennis review (Wii)

If there was ever a game suited to being adapted for the Wii, table tennis is it. It makes perfect sense doesn’t it? After Wii Sports showed that tennis on the console could be made into a simple, yet enjoyable and easy to grasp activity, it was only a matter of time before table tennis made an appearance. And who better to offer this first serving of ping-pong on the Wii than Rockstar, creator of Table Tennis on the 360? With great physics and addictive gameplay, the 360 version was one of the best examples of a sport being reproduced in videogame form. However, the game’s conversion to the Wii isn’t quite as good as it could, and probably should have been.

Ultimate control?

This is primarily because of the control schemes offered. Somewhat bizarrely, swings of the Wii remote don’t act as real-time triggers for what happens on-screen, and so the surely-inevitable control style of Wii Sport’s tennis fails to materialise. Instead, at any time after the opposition player has struck the ball you can swing the remote and, regardless of the timing of your swing, make the shot. Consequently this reduces the difficulty of the game quite considerably and means at the most basic level that you only have to concentrate on which direction to hit the ball in, rather than ensuring you swing at the right moment too.

The first control method, simply called Standard, uses only the Wii remote. The d-pad dictates the spin put on the ball, and swinging either to the left, right, or any other number of combinations of up, down, forward, back, left and right determines the direction of the ball. Player movement is controlled by the CPU and so this allows you to focus purely on where the ball’s going and what type of spin to use. Even on the harder difficulty this method makes the game fairly easy, yet it’s probably the most enjoyable mode at the same time.

Control Freak, the game’s second control option, sees the nunchuk’s analogue stick being used to control player movement, with the remote having the same functions as in standard mode. This is a good way of ramping up the game’s difficulty, as it adds a whole other level of challenge in making sure your placement is right when making shots.

The game’s final control method is called Sharp Shooter, and this again sees player movement being handled by the CPU. However, aiming of your shots is more precise thanks to the control being switched to the analogue stick. This enables you to be more accurate in terms of where you’re hitting the ball, yet it becomes a lot easier to hit the ball off the table and miss shots.

All of the control methods have their pros and cons and work well, and you’re sure to find one that you prefer using. However, it’s still baffling that the Wii remote wasn’t used to greater effect and allowed to account for the type of spin used, shot direction, and real-time swing detection.

Spot the difference

Visually the game is lacking when compared to the 360 version and seems sluggish in comparison, although the lack of graphical polish is to be expected with the port from a powerhouse like the 360 to the Wii. Control method and aesthetics aside though, Table Tennis on the Wii is identical to the 360 version, with all of the same modes and features being present and correct, and no new additions whatsoever. Online play is missing, which is another detrimental knock against the Wii version, and with the single player game being not much of a challenge, the lack of real opposition becomes more apparent the more you play. Increasing the difficulty of the AI opponents does make them better at returning shots and they get a bit more vicious when hitting the ball, but it never becomes too much of a challenge. It’s worth bearing in mind that those looking for an extra challenge would be advised to use the control freak option, as this really does affect how often you make shots and ultimately how tough each match is.

With little change between the Wii version and its 360 sibling, aside from a couple of reductions in the looks and online department, it’s hard to recommend this to owners of the 360 game. Wii owners interested in the game would be advised to rent first and see if it offers the level of depth they might be looking for, and those simply in search of an enjoyable game could do a lot worse. It’s a fun game and the new ways to control the game are nice, but Table Tennis on the Wii has an air of missed opportunity about it, and the game fails to set itself apart or improve on the 360 version.