Table Tennis Wii Hands-On

By Tristan Clark

I like table tennis. My family would always have a table set up in our garage, and some intense rivalries between parents and siblings evolved over the years. Of course, just because I like table tennis doesn’t mean I’m very good at it – which is why I was interested in checking out Rockstar’s Table Tennis game on the Xbox 360 when it came out last year. It turned out to be pretty fun, not to mention surprisingly deep – but after playing tennis in Wii Sports, it became clear that Nintendo’s little white console would (in theory anyway) be a much better platform for Rockstar’s little game. So naturally I was there with bells on when offered the chance to fly to Sydney and try out the Wii version of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis.

One of the major things I wanted to find out was whether the gameplay was deeper than Wii Tennis. Thankfully, the game is as deep and nuanced as its 360 older brother, leaving Wii Tennis in the dust. There are three control schemes to choose from, each of which are different enough to appeal to a wide range of people.

The most basic of these only uses the Wii remote. Your character will automatically move around, leaving you free to swing the controller in the direction you want the ball to go, while also using the d-pad to put spin on it. This mode was really easy to pick up and get the hang of – it was certainly a lot more immediately intuitive than the 360 version, and should be popular with casual gamers. If you want to get more complex, the second control scheme adds the nunchuck, and allows you to use the analog stick to control the movement of your character. Finally, the third control scheme removes the manual character movement again, and shifts the motion-based ball control to the analog stick.

I got to try out a fair amount of each control scheme, but kept coming back to the second mode – it gave me the most control over my character, while still letting me wave the remote in the direction I wanted the ball to go. But regardless of how you play the game, the gameplay is pleasantly solid and responsive, which was a relief after experiencing too many Wii titles with sloppy controls. One of the best things about motion control is its greater level of immersion, and that was very much the case here, especially when compared to the 360 version.

Beyond the controls, what you’ll be buying is a relatively simple game that really needs to be played with a friend to be appreciated. Matches can get pretty intense, with rallies stretching out longer and longer, and the swearing getting more and more pronounced as your amazing shot somehow gets returned by the other player. It’s not overly complicated, and it doesn’t need to be – it’s simply a good game for building up friendly rivalries. Just don’t blame me when you’re suddenly not on speaking terms with your best friend.

Everything else about this version of Table Tennis is identical to its 360 predecessor. The content is the same, and the graphics – while obviously not as smooth or pretty – are stylistically similar. I’ve heard a few comments about the graphics in this game, and they always perplex me – I stopped noticing them the second I started playing.

All in all, Table Tennis for the Wii is shaping up to be a solid title with well-implemented motion controls. The one remaining question is the price – if it’s sufficiently inexpensive, I don’t see any reason why Wii owners with friends nearby shouldn’t pick up a copy. Look for more information on this, as well as a full review, closer to the game’s release!

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