Post: From Manhunt to Pingpong:
Take Two Turning a Corner?
From Manhunt to Pingpong:
Take Two Turning a Corner?
Video game maker Take Two Interactive has made quite a name for itself, hasn't it?
It's hard to be inconspicuous when your biggest titles involve gruesome snuff films and gang warfare. And then there was the infamous "Hot Coffee" incident from Grand Theft Auto:San Andreas (which Take Two just settled with the FCC today.)
With this history, you might expect for Take Two's next major offering to involve kicking puppies.
Well, think again. At least for now.
This week, Take Two released "Table Tennis" (a video game where you...play table tennis), which is rated "E" for everyone, and announced that it had shelved "Snow", a video game about drug dealing that had been in the development phase.
Take Two chose pingpong over lawless mayhem? Huh? The irony here was not lost on San Francisco Chronicle video game critic Peter Hartlaub, who gave "Table Tennis" high marks:
"Rockstar making family entertainment seems as unlikely as World Wrestling Entertainment stars winning a Tony Award, and yet here we are. Look for Triple-H and The Undertaker to star in the next revival of 'Little Women.'"
Check out his review here.
Of course, when you consider the cost of an XBox 360 and the price of a copy of "Table Tennis", it might be cheaper to actually buy a pingpong table...
There are 9 replies to this post
Date: June 8, 2006
Wait...what "hot coffee" incident? Is this a seinfeld reference?
Date: June 8, 2006
It makes me sad that kids will pick up a pingpong vid game instead of actually going outside and playing real tennis or even pingpong indoors -at least they'd be exercising more than their fingers...
Date: June 8, 2006
lighten up. Have you *ever* played a video game before?
Date: June 8, 2006
We haven't come that far from Pong after all...
Date: June 8, 2006
Well, better late than never. I was worried that Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis was so shocking to you guys that you'd just sweep it under the rug because it was deemed impossible that Rockstar would make a family-friendly game. Maybe you guys should just find someone else to pick on in the next CSM Awards, and maybe Rockstar should get a special achievement award for Table Tennis.
(Oh, and I'm confident that an Xbox 360 and a copy of Table Tennis are cheaper than a real ping pong table. An X360 core unit is $300, the premium unit is $400, and a new copy of Table Tennis is $40. And it wasn't released this week: it was released on May 22nd. Just pointing that out.)
As for this game... Oh. My. Gawd. Words can't describe how great Table Tennis is. You guys may me laughing, but getting into a 60-shot rally where the ball bounces off the top of the net several times, smash shots are exchanged, the game goes into focus mode (it needs to be seen to be believed), and ends with a shot that bounces off the edge and results in a whiff... this is what I play video games for. I can't recommend this game enough.
(Oh, and did you guys apologize for your "all female video game characters are prostitutes" generalization? And I also provided the latest outrageous comment from Jack Thompson: if it doesn't result in you guys censuring him, I don't know what will...)
Link: http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/299125.ht
Date: June 9, 2006
"Oh, and I'm confident that an Xbox 360 and a copy of Table Tennis are cheaper than a real ping pong table."
Sigh. This link's for you, Ferrariman.
Link: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/family/inde
Date: June 9, 2006
Ferrariman:
Everytime I see your comments on this blog your are harping on Common Sense to "censure Jack Thompson". Please explain why they should...they don't have anything to do with him (at least not that I have seen). He doesn't deserve the attention of a "censure".
Date: June 11, 2006
Look up "Jack Thompson" on Wikipedia, or talk to some of the posters at GamePolitics.com. They will happily fill you in on the many, many reasons why I keep saying that. I'd list them here, but there are way too many of them to list here.
Date: August 11, 2006
Hot Coffee was a graphic sex mini-game that was embedded in GTA's San Andreas' game code. As for Jack Thomspson, he's basically anti-games, even for something as innocent as Table Tennis (which is really fun, especially on Xbox Live). Oh, and SallyPA, if you actually play Table Tennis, you will see we have come a VERY long way since Pong.