CNN on Grand Theft Ping Pong

[Evil Avatar]

As the numbness from last Friday's announcement by Rockstar that it was working on a ping pong game begins to fade, CNN's Game Over column (http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/06/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/) looks at what the announcement might mean for the company. On the one hand, it's an interesting stab at the casual gamer, but on the other, do any casual gamers *own* an Xbox 360 right now?

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/tt_box_001.jpg

[Harlan Hoyt]

Meanwhile, all I can think is, "I bet a ping pong game on Revolution would be fun."

[jeffool]

Hah, me too Harlan. Me too.
/edit: Though, the game will likely look amazing given the small gaming world. The question is, who cares? (And also, are they serious? Just pingpong?)

[Klade]

so what do you think a AAA dev studio's dev time on a ping pong game should be? 1 or 2 years? ;-).

[mkelehan]

I really don't know why everyone's so surprised that this game is happening.

[bapenguin]

I'm going to say something, and I don't want to sound racist or nationalistic or anything. But is Ping Pong big in Japan? I know the Japanese traditionally do well at the Olympics in it and such, but is it big? Could this be MS's Killer App in Japan? Like...the new Madden for Japanese gamers?

[pheriannath]

pretty sure you're thinking of china, bap.

[RMan]

Like...the new Madden for Japanese gamers?
It's an interesting question, but I'd bet if it was really that big then EA (or somebody) would already have a top selling PS2 franchise taking advantage of it.

[Demo_Boy]

This is complete bs. rockstar is not doing a ping pong game. its some press grab shtick

[Dirty Harry]

Ping Pong Ftw

[Evil Avatar]

This is complete bs. rockstar is not doing a ping pong game. its some press grab shtick

Really?

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/table_tennis_001.jpg

[Evil Avatar]

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/table_tennis_002.jpg

Table Tennis Screenshot #002

[Evil Avatar]

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/table_tennis_003.jpg
Table Tennis Screenshot #003

[Klade]

Thats the most furious ping pong action I've ever seen!!!!!

...... So this is there game they can point to and say to the media. "see we don't train a new generation of psycho's so stop your blabbering."

[phantomhitman]

Holy shit, i want to play ping pong now. This would be a great time waster to play with friends. I could imagine a lobby where you could watch the other 2 people play while waiting to play the next game. Or you could have like 2-3 matches going on at once in the same room.

[F3nyx]

Holy shit, i want to play ping pong now. This would be a great time waster to play with friends. I could imagine a lobby where you could watch the other 2 people play while waiting to play the next game. Or you could have like 2-3 matches going on at once in the same room.Yeah, it's lots of fun!

... wait, were you talking about a video game?

[bapenguin]

pretty sure you're thinking of china, bap.

Maybe. I know here we have a woman from Japan that is an amazing Ping-Pong player.

[Zurik]

I bet this would almost be as exciting as ping-pong in real life!

[Phhhh]

so what do you think a AAA dev studio's dev time on a ping pong game should be? 1 or 2 years? ;-).
Someone actually considers Rockstar a AAA dev studio?

BAHAHAHAHA

[RMan]

I'm still not paying $40 unless I can hit the ball hard enough to lodge it in the head of a hooker.

[agentgray]

Did you see the release date for this?

April 1?

I'm kidding. Looks cool.

[GunnyMo]

This is complete bs. rockstar is not doing a ping pong game. its some press grab shtick

I think he hit the nail on the head. It's probably some new street euphemism for beating hookers with dildos in their new GTA game. Or it's a new polygamist S&M game based in Salt Lake City.

Ping Pong would sell roughly seven copies in the US. :p

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

The Ping Pong Club[show], watch it.

[ezra]

Someone actually considers Rockstar a AAA dev studio?

BAHAHAHAHA


Exactly what would you call a AAA dev studio if not Rockstar? I'm sure bashing them makes you feel hip and edgy, but they did after all made one of the top selling games of the decade.

[if76]

I dont' see the point of doing a ping pong game for a system with two analog joysticks and a display with no depth perception.

[Dafizman]

When I want to beat a hooker to death, sell drugs to the population from an icecream truck, or sniper bystanders until the military gets called in, I'll go to rockstar. When I want to play ping pong, I'll go into the basement. There is not really an overlap there.

[jeffool]

ezra, it's important to note that 'this' Rockstar is Rockstar San Diego. They did Midnight Club Dub Edition and then Red Dead Revolver. (For the record, I loved RDR.) But I'd put them a solid AA.

Also for the record, fuck whoever thought of giving developers the same name. How many "EA"s and "Rockstar"s are there now?

[ezra]

Ah, true Jeffool. Which Rockstar was it that did GTA then? I thought Rockstar only had one big dev house.

[thecrazyd]

It would be awesome if they made it like this (http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/pingpong.php).

[jeffool]

Ah, true Jeffool. Which Rockstar was it that did GTA then? I thought Rockstar only had one big dev house.S'okay. Hence my damning of people who think games should be associated with publishers instead of developers.

But the developers of every GTA game have been Rockstar North (http://www.mobygames.com/company/rockstar-north-ltd), out of Edinburgh Scotland. (When they were known as DMA Design they made Lemmings! Though that particular lead designer's gone now I believe.)

[Achilles]

This… ping pong game, is easily one of the best looking upcoming games. Problem is that it’s a ping pong game, so I have no idea how well it’ll sell. I’m not particularly interested in ping pong myself.

As to why a ping pong game: Rockstar gave an interview with IGN that explained that basically they play ping-pong all the time (and working for a game company, this isn’t at all unusual.), so they wanted to make a game about the game that they played all the time. It’s not more complicated than that apparently, no marketing research, no attempt to penetrate Japan, it’s just the game they wanted to make.

[Cyotik]

Right... I'm sure it'll be flying off the shelves like hot cakes on the Rockstar name alone. Please world, prove me wrong, re-ignite my faith in humanity!

[Karmakaze]

If this was a $10 (or even $20) XBLA game I'd be way more interested..

[see colon]

Ping Pong would sell roughly seven copies in the US. :p
according to some people here it'll be closer to 13.1 million (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/001738.html) :P
i'd actualy buy a ping pong game if it was fun (and i think this will be). virtua tenis is one of my all-time favorite games, and if this game is at all similar, it'll be a blast to play.

If this was a $10 (or even $20) XBLA game I'd be way more interested..
i believe the MSRP is under $40US, wich would make it the first budget priced xbox 360 game.

[Returner]

I can't wait till this game comes out I love ping pong.

[RMan]

...it’s just the game they wanted to make.
Ahh, refreshing to know that still happens. I'm actually mildly interested in the game, but I think a $40 price is just crazy. This is a perfect game for an "impulse" buy and should be priced that way, at $40 it's hard to imagine it'll sell well enough to make it into the platinum hits lineup, but then again Rockstar is big.

[Evil Avatar]

To be honest, I actually do think that this might be some kind of a joke.

[Achilles]

To be honest, I actually do think that this might be some kind of a joke.If it's a joke than it's one that's going to end up playable and in stores. :p

[IagoTheHunted]

ezra, it's important to note that 'this' Rockstar is Rockstar San Diego. They did Midnight Club Dub Edition and then Red Dead Revolver. (For the record, I loved RDR.) But I'd put them a solid AA.

Also for the record, fuck whoever thought of giving developers the same name. How many "EA"s and "Rockstar"s are there now?

THANK YOU jeffool I was going to press that point too. It's frustrating that they can slap "Rockstar" in these headlines and everyone assumes it's the GTA team. Development teams need more recognition than they're getting right now... it's not just some corporate branding, people need to know WHOS actually making the freakin' GAME. Some teams are better than others. duh. and the team that made rockstar a famous name has nothing to do with this game.

[Sl1pstream]

Even the boxart looks cheap :/
It reminds me of the Club Football games.

[Bubby]

Hell, I wasted some time on a forum where the Virtual Pool devs hung out trying to talk them into making a xbox360 version. I still play Virtual Pool 3 alot as a timewaster. Some people kill time with solitaire, with me its billiards and golf.

[Demo_Boy]

Evil, screen mockups don't make it real, otherwise we'd be seeing a lot more of Killzone 2.

[KamaItachi]

I'm going to say something, and I don't want to sound racist or nationalistic or anything. But is Ping Pong big in Japan? I know the Japanese traditionally do well at the Olympics in it and such, but is it big? Could this be MS's Killer App in Japan? Like...the new Madden for Japanese gamers?

It is quite popular, but much more of a school/club sport way that the really big ones like baseball or football. It got pretty big the last few years when Japan was placing all their Olympic hopes on Ai Fukuhara, an insect looking girl who had spent most of her life training in China.

She stands like a preying mantis and screams like she's just had a cornetto shoved up her subway of love everytime she gets near the ball.

I hate her so much.


Even the boxart looks cheap :/
It reminds me of the Club Football games.

It reminds me of the old Atari 2600 box art. I mean, the name of the game is just "Table Tennis".

[GunnyMo]

You know you want it. (http://www.gamekult.com/tout/jeux/fiches/J000069069.html)

I could only find non-English sites that had the game.

[EGO]

I dunno, maybe I not a jaded know-it-all, but it looks good!

I don't know if I'm all that interested in Ping-Pong (of which I don't get the difference between Ping-Pong and Tennis, they're both boring to me), but this looks HOT! Like Fight Night 3, hot!

If it's got the close-up rippling face when you smack a ball in someone's face, I'll buy it!

[Cyrano]

I love table tennis, and I hate the Grand Theft Hooker Killer games (not because of the hookers, which I like, but because I don't have the patience to drive back to restart the mission every time i die, which is all the time), so this game must be aimed at me and the other 6 people like me. I can't believe it'll sell too many copies, but I'll buy it right away (if the reviews are OK).

[Dirty Harry]

S'okay. Hence my damning of people who think games should be associated with publishers instead of developers.

But the developers of every GTA game have been Rockstar North (http://www.mobygames.com/company/rockstar-north-ltd), out of Edinburgh Scotland. (When they were known as DMA Design they made Lemmings! Though that particular lead designer's gone now I believe.)
DMA is one of my all time favorite dev houses.

[Achilles]

I dunno, maybe I not a jaded know-it-all, but it looks good!

I don't know if I'm all that interested in Ping-Pong (of which I don't get the difference between Ping-Pong and Tennis, they're both boring to me), but this looks HOT! Like Fight Night 3, hot!

If it's got the close-up rippling face when you smack a ball in someone's face, I'll buy it!Here's the difference between Ping-Pong and Tennis: Ping-Pong is actually a very technically complex sport that deals greatly with what kind of spin you put on the ball. How this game deals with using spin (if it deals with it), and how they convey that to the player will be what makes-or-breaks the game. If they don't have this aspect it'll just be short-range tennis or Pong.

[Phhhh]

Exactly what would you call a AAA dev studio if not Rockstar? I'm sure bashing them makes you feel hip and edgy, but they did after all made one of the top selling games of the decade.

I don't do it b/c it's hip or edgy, I do it b/c it's true. Sales != quality.

Rockstar has great ideas but completely fails at execution. They create games for the sake of contraversy with the only exception being this game. I REALLY wish they would actually hire a camera/controls programmer worth their salt as it's almost unbearable to navigate the player after playing gmaes with solid controls.

They create games like Manhunt not to create a great game, but to make the most contraversal piece they can to make money. I know it's a business, heck I'm a part of this industry... but Rockstar sickens me.

Although I love Table Tennis... so I'm looking forward to this game. ^____________^

I don't know if there are any AAA developers left these days...

[Harlan Hoyt]

She stands like a preying mantis and screams like she's just had a cornetto shoved up her subway of love everytime she gets near the ball.

I hate her so much.
I had a girlfriend like that. But then she moved to San Francisco and never spoke to me again. Now, I cry myself to sleep everynight and shove a cornetto up my ass. It's a funny old world, huh?

[SMES]

Here's the difference between Ping-Pong and Tennis: Ping-Pong is actually a very technically complex sport that deals greatly with what kind of spin you put on the ball. How this game deals with using spin (if it deals with it), and how they convey that to the player will be what makes-or-breaks the game. If they don't have this aspect it'll just be short-range tennis or Pong.

I'm not exactly an expert on Tennis, but I was under the impression that spin and angles and all that were a part of Tennis as well.

[bboy]

How in the heck is Ping Pong going to work effectively on the XB360 with it's current input device? I could see this being a hit on the 'Revolution' with it's ground breaking controller but on a standard gamepad?

/meh

[Rirath]

Not that I give the slightest care what Rockstar does, but this has got to be either fake, or a joke. They probably spent all of an afternoon cooking up these shots, and considering the publicity they're getting, money well spent. If it's not a joke, well, that rather just shows the state of things.

[phantomhitman]

Yeah, it's lots of fun!

... wait, were you talking about a video game?

Hell yes, you are on an internet forum about video games so you already have no friends. You might as well join me in a game of ping pong. I also have to note that chapel hill sucks balls (are you a college student, high schoolifetime member of chapel hill).

[Achilles]

I'm not exactly an expert on Tennis, but I was under the impression that spin and angles and all that were a part of Tennis as well.They are, but not in the same way. Since the ball is so light, and the paddle is actually a bit sticky in ping-pong, you can really curve it. Tennis is different, spin's not as useful, and there's a lot of other stuff that's more important because the court's so big.How in the heck is Ping Pong going to work effectively on the XB360 with it's current input device? I could see this being a hit on the 'Revolution' with it's ground breaking controller but on a standard gamepad?

/mehI just thought this quote was funny. There was one like it earlier in the thread as well. Tennis, basketball, even golf has been done great on a standard controller, so far we have no examples of any kind of how those games would play on the Revolution's controller.

[RMan]

There was one like it earlier in the thread as well. Tennis, basketball, even golf has been done great on a standard controller, so far we have no examples of any kind of how those games would play on the Revolution's controller.
Wow, Achilles, you are really working hard to hate these days, aren't you? How will the game play on the Revolution? Umm, you swing the thing, and hit the ball. Try to imagine ping-pong, but with a Revolution controller for a paddle. I swear, if virtua cop was coming out for the 360 you would argue that it'd be better played with the 360 controller than a light gun, wouldn't you? Tell you what, from now on imagine the Revolution is being released by Microsoft, that is the only way you will ever see it's potential (and I'm sure at that point it'll be stellar). Seriously, it’s ping-pong, I’m not sure it even takes an imagination to understand how it’d work, it’s easily one of the most obviously translatable games that’s been thought of for the controller. You have entered into the world of irrational hater, turn back before it’s too late.

[Achilles]

Wow, Achilles, you are really working hard to hate these days, aren't you? How will the game play on the Revolution? Umm, you swing the thing, and hit the ball. Try to imagine ping-pong, but with a Revolution controller for a paddle. I swear, if virtua cop was coming out for the 360 you would argue that it'd be better played with the 360 controller than a light gun, wouldn't you? Tell you what, from now on imagine the Revolution is being released by Microsoft, that is the only way you will ever see it's potential (and I'm sure at that point it'll be stellar). Seriously, it’s ping-pong, I’m not sure it even takes an imagination to understand how it’d work, it’s easily one of the most obviously translatable games that’s been thought of for the controller. You have entered into the world of irrational hater, turn back before it’s too late.You're accusing me of hating but look at the post I quoted. All I was saying is that we have no examples of it. So you're saying that the revolution controller is so effective at doing games like this that the other controller is an unthinkable input device because it's so ineffective at doing them? Because that's what the guy I quoted is saying. If there's hate in this thread than that's it, against standard controllers (how can you possibly make a game with one?).

I love how defending a standard controller is considered hating on the revolution. It's very similar to the other thread where defending the other consoles is hating on the revolution.

To be more accurate, if I was to assume that the revolution controller would work the best possible way I can imagine it working, than yeah, it would make for a great ping-pong game. But I don’t know how it works. I don’t know what its response time is, if it wasn’t fast enough it would be worse at doing a ping-pong game than a standard controller. If it needed the IR facing forward, it would also make it also very hard to do ping-pong with.

You’re assuming it works flawlessly and I’m not. That’s why I’m not excited about it. If I use it at E3, really test it out and find that it’s everything you think it is, than I’ll get excited about it. But so far they’ve shown no games, no functionality, and I haven’t been able to use one. I’m not going to throw out the standard controller, even for certain types of games, over a fantasy of what the Revo’s controller can do.

For the lightgun accusation, Lightgun games are better with lightguns, which you can’t use on an HD screen, I know this because I’ve been using lightguns since duckhunt.

[RMan]

You're accusing me of hating but look at the post I quoted. All I was saying is that we have no examples of it.
Do you mean demos, because nothing new has demos (pretty much the nature of new things, hopefully this needs no further explanation). As far as examples of how it’d work, you swing the controller (again, pretty obvious to me, and seemingly many of the people here).
So you're saying that the revolution controller is so effective at doing games like this that the other controller is an unthinkable input device because it's so ineffective at doing them?
Where did I say it was unthinkable? Where did I even suggest it would be bad with a standard controller?
Because that's what the guy I quoted is saying.
Actually, he just stated he didn’t see how it would work effectively, which is a far cry from him saying it was unthinkable. The way the input would work is simply not as obvious as it would be with the Revolution controller, and his comments reflect this.
I love how defending a standard controller is considered hating on the revolution.
Hey, do that without bringing up the Revolution controller and it won’t be perceived that way. I’m not sure what you said would even been described as a defense for the controller, since you didn’t describe how the controller would work with this game, but rather described how the Revolution controller has not been used with other games.
To be more accurate, if I was to assume that the revolution controller would work the best possible way I can imagine it working, than yeah, it would make for a great ping-pong game.
Actually, all you have to do is assume that they’re not lying about it, which you seem to have no problem with when it’s related to MS products. All you have to do is believe the specs, and the first hand accounts, you seemingly have little problem imagining the wonderful things the 360’s increased power will bring to the table (although not specific examples, just there will be cool stuff) but this clearly perfect fit makes you skeptical?
I’m not going to throw out the standard controller, even for certain types of games, over a fantasy of what the Revo’s controller can do.
And nobody’s assuming you would, nor would I, but an obvious fit is an obvious fit, and it takes FAR from a flawless implantation of the controller to make ping pong work (it’d have little issue with occlusion, if that was an issue, and it’s a bunch of fluid, sweeping motions, so even accuracy isn’t a big deal). The only way it really wouldn’t is if you assume that it will not work remotely as advertised, basically if you think it’s a scam, and regardless, you’re main complaint was that you’ve seen no examples of how it’d work, which is wildly obvious.
For the lightgun accusation, Lightgun games are better with lightguns, which you can’t use on an HD screen, I know this because I’ve been using lightguns since duckhunt.
Geesh, the point wasn’t about possible technical limitations of a lightgun, but the fact that it’s pointing at the screen, which makes games based on pointing at the screen more intuitive and better. The same is true here, unless you assume Nintendo is completely lying about the controller’s capabilities, and so are the other first hand accounts, then it’s painfully obvious how it’d play.

[Achilles]

Do you mean demos, because nothing new has demos...More because I've never seen it demonstrated in a real game environment. It could be demonstrated by Nintendo on a stage somewhere, I don't care. It's never as easy as just swinging the controller.Where did I say it was unthinkable? Where did I even suggest it would be bad with a standard controller?Where did I ever say that you said that? You left out the sentence which makes the sentence you quoted make sense. "Because that's what the guy I quoted is saying." If you're going to pull sentences out of context and argue as if I'm putting words in your mouth than any point I try to make will be lost anyway.Actually, he just stated he didn’t see how it would work effectively, which is a far cry from him saying it was unthinkable.No it's really not. What if I said "I don't see how an FPS game could be done effectively on the Revolution's controller." You'd be all over me trying to explain how it could be done, even though you have no games to point to. I pointed to other sports games as examples of how a standard controller could be used to do things like swing, etc.Hey, do that without bringing up the Revolution controller and it won’t be perceived that way.Who brought up the Revolution's controller? Was it me or the guy I was responding to? "I could see this being a hit on the 'Revolution' with it's ground breaking controller but on a standard gamepad?" It's groundbreaking you see. But you'll ignore the whole point of my post to label me a hater.

[EGO]

Okay ladies, you have officially killed the thread. :D

[RMan]

Where did I ever say that you said that?
You are correct; I misread your post, my apologies.
No it's really not.
FYI, most people would consider someone expressing that he doesn’t understand how something would work effectively is not as strong as saying it’s unthinkable that it can work (I imagine you also know this or you wouldn’t have changed his wording).
What if I said "I don't see how an FPS game could be done effectively on the Revolution's controller." You'd be all over me trying to explain how it could be done, even though you have no games to point to.
Certainly, but I wouldn’t be “all over you”, since the FPS controls are somewhat complicated and not obvious at a glance. I can understand a certain amount of confusion, even skepticism as to how they’d map to the controller. I know there were several threads where this was explained, and I didn’t jump on anyone that was trying to understand how it’d works (if I did, I’d gladly apologize for it). Again, we can’t play games that haven’t been released yet, but to help you out with an example of how it’d play, take a remote, try to imagine it’s a ping pong paddle, and there you go. Most people have no problem imagining that, but do have a problem imagining how a standard controller will manage the same experience, hopefully that will help you understand the other guy’s perception of the controllers abilities regarding this game.
I pointed to other sports games as examples of how a standard controller could be used to do things like swing, etc.
I haven’t played many recent sports titles, but the ones I have played never really handle things like that. They handle the passing and team mechanics of the game well (since the standard controller is very speedy for direction changes and thus passing mechanics) but the intricate nature of the “shot” is never really represented. So, for tennis movement and timing is handled well, but not swinging. Since ping-pong is all about swinging mechanics, perhaps you can point out this game that demonstrates how it’d come close to what the Revolution controller clearly could (again, we’re assuming they’re not lying), because I haven’t played it.
Who brought up the Revolution's controller? Was it me or the guy I was responding to?
Clearly, the other guy, but that’s not the point. What I was saying is that you can’t call your statement purely a defense of a standard controller when half of it was how the Revolution controller has not been proven for this game type, and the “defense” just listed other sports titles that don’t, as far as I’ve seen, display game mechanics applicable to this game type. We all know that the traditional controller has been used for many games, that’s what makes it traditional, but how does that relate to this game mechanic (again, I’d love to know of games that do this type of thing, I certainly could have missed something cool that’s been done with the standard controller lately).

[mister_slim]

More because I've never seen it demonstrated in a real game environment. It could be demonstrated by Nintendo on a stage somewhere, I don't care. It's never as easy as just swinging the controller.
You know the promo video Nintendo released? Seems like that would give you a pretty good idea of the types of input the controller can record.