King Pong

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
Rockstar Games, Xbox 360


In a move that may be designed to get the Morality Police off their backs, Rockstar Games, the carjacking-happy visionaries behind the ultraviolent Grand Theft Auto series, have holstered their bad-boy image long enough to create a game the whole family can play: virtual ping-pong. No, seriously.

Forget Mom and Dad’s basement — this is fast-paced action on the Xbox 360 that’s easy to pick up and play but difficult to master. The game’s beauty lies in its simplicity. Entire games can be played by simply pressing the “A” button to swing the paddle and the right analog stick to place the shot in the sweet spot. More-adventurous players can add a little spin on the ball — the key is timing. Play in exhibition and championship modes or move the game online to test your paddling skills against other aspiring Forrest Gumps.

Though this may not sound far removed from O.G. video game Pong, there’s more than dots and dashes to keep the eye engaged. The in-game characters appear lifelike as their quick reflexes keep the ball moving at an appropriately frenetic pace, while the most culturally diverse player roster in videogame history — like soccer, table tennis is big overseas but scoffed at in the U.S. — makes this a unique, if limited, experience. It’s easy to pick up without having to read a phonebook-sized manual, and non-threatening enough to avoid investigation by a Congressional subcommittee.