Conclusion, final thoughts and awards
So let’s sum up all that is Table Tennis on the Wii.Starting with the most obvious difference between the Wii and Xbox 360 versions, the Wii obviously suffers from a lack of graphics processing power and that shows here. Held up side by side, the Xbox 360 version of Table Tennis is far prettier. That said, viewed on its own, the Wii version more than does the job. Yes, there’s less ‘flow’ in the characters and less detail in the game as a whole, but it doesn’t particularly detract from the game over all. In fact, from what we’ve seen previously on the Wii for fast moving, detailed worlds, Rockstar have done a great job with the looks of Table Tennis.
And now we come to the controls which take a bit of getting used to. The biggest problem is coordinating your swing to what’s going on in the game. Anyone who’s played real life table tennis or tennis will find themselves swinging too late in Table Tennis until they re-train themselves to swing that little bit earlier… Until you get the hang of that, Wii Table Tennis can be a frustrating experience. However, it will suddenly ‘click’ and once it does you’re in a world of fun.
The single player mode is probably the biggest disappointment of all for Wii Table Tennis. Sure, you can unlock new characters and extras but the 3 tournaments and exhibition matches just aren’t really enough to keep you playing for any great deal of time. It would’ve been nice to have had some form of career mode, perhaps even having a basic, no skill character to build up, very much like the Topspin series… Winning a match against a technically superior opponent, while challenging even on the easy setting, would have been far more satisfying if you were playing with a definite underdog… maybe next time, eh? That said, the challenge from the AI is a respectable one. They’re not superhuman so you won’t see them making a killer pass on an out of reach shot. They make mistakes, miss shots and even miss absolute dead cert rally winners at times… we can be such a relief.
But where the Wii version of Table Tennis truly shines is with the multiplayer. Ok, so there’s no online play but then, how many Wii games have an online mode anyway? But the head to head two player is, quite possibly, some of the most amazing, intense Wii action you’ll see short of a game of strip Baseball with a randy Kiera Knightley. It’s hard to describe just how amazing a two player rally is when you’re both in the focus mode… the action is instantly taken up a notch, as is the tension as you both slam the ball back and forth. Spins and timing can make or break the rally and quite simply, it’s bloody brilliant.
Wii Table Tennis is one of those games that you really should own, even if you find single player a bit of a drag, you have to try out the two player action to really see Table Tennis at its best. But spending time with the single player is worth it as there’s depth here that’s not immediately apparent. For example, how you spin the ball has an effect on your opponent’s return shot and can even muck up his shot altogether if you’re crafty, but I’ll leave you to figure out the rest for yourselves.
Pros
Easy to learn, hard to master
Control sets cater for every ability
Two player head to head is awesome
Deeper than it appears on the surface
Looks pretty good for a Wii game
Cons
Single player modes limited
Swing timing can be a pain to get right
Table Tennis on the Wii: possibly more fun than the real thing.
HEXUS Awards
Table Tennis - Wii
