Rockstar presents Grand Theft... Ping Pong?

by Christopher Grant { Mar 3rd 2006 at 3:15PM }

It's been revealed unto us: the "unexpected" new 360 game that IGN promised to unveil is none other than... Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis! Yup. The bad boys behind Grand Theft Auto are intent on delivering a game experience that puts you inside the seedy, gritty world of underground table tennis... actually, it's not like that at all. Rockstar's Sam Houser says:

"We wanted to create a sports game with the intensity of a fighting game and the sense of speed and control that would make playing it a more intense and more visceral experience than has previously been possible with sports games. It's not just about looking better, feeling better or animating better but about using the power of the hardware to make a game that engages with you on a different physical and emotional level."

We knew they were working on a new franchise for the Xbox 360, but this isn't quite what we expected from them. Wait--franchise? There're going to be more than one. I can see it now: Table Tennis 2K7. The first version of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is due in May for a refreshing $39.99.

[Thanks, Matt]

Tags: ping pong, PingPong, Rockstar, Table tennis, TableTennis

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Eric B. @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:24PM

So the guy who sarcastically said Pong 360 to the previous post about this was right! Way to go. :)

amart007 @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:26PM

I may have missed this but where does the article read " available in May " ?

Andrew @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:28PM

Like ... WTF mate?

Me @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:28PM

You guys are only like 30 min late with the news, yeah I was going to say the people that prowled on pong got it right. All the other guesses were mostly hilarious. I didn't get RE and Final Fantasy since both of these genres will be heading to the 360.

Big Ice D @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:38PM

I wonder if this will be tied into the 360 camera? I can see it now. Waiving your wireless controller in front of the camera so it gets tracked. The buttons on the controller could affect spin/speed/arch. Now that would be cool. Too bad it's just gonna be like topspin;)

Joost Schuur @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:53PM

This sounds like the least offensive game aver announced by Rockstar. I wonder what JT will say.

Big Ice D @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:10PM

2 words HOT COFFEE.

With this hot coffe mod the paddle can be used in a S&M mini game where the goal is to get the other player to say the code word:BANANA

Abadbizzle @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:21PM

hey guys, be easy on Rockstar. yeah it is a bit, or should i say, extremely unusual for them to come out with a ping pong game.. but there are some fans of table tennis (including myself) so this could be fun. hopefully they can provide a demo thru xbox live marketplace to test this bad boy out before it releases. this is interesting, unusual, but interesting..

PJ @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:24PM

Wow, what a girly move by rockstar trying to give there company a positve spin, with ping pong. The real question is how will they make ping pong Rockstar. Im sorry who wants to pony up 40 to play ping pong???

Phooy @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:40PM

There's got to be a catch. Maybe you get to beat up your opponent if oyu lose (or win). Or, maybe Rockstar is sticking it to those neo-conservatives who are blaming the industry for everything thats wrong with America.

brett @ Mar 3rd 2006 5:12PM

Rockstar, I hate you. Did you get your months mixed up? April Fools' Day is a month away. Today it's March Fools day - and you're the fools. Wasting the talent that produced GTA on a PING PONG game? MORONS. MORONS. And a big f-you to IGN for hyping this like it was something anyone wanted to see.

Captain Obvious @ Mar 3rd 2006 5:22PM

Phooy, why do they just want to stick it "neo-conservatives"? Wouldn't it be better to stick it too all conservatives? What exactly is a "neo"-conservative and how does a person become one?

And PJ, lots of people want to pony up a lot more than $40 to play ping pong. A paddle alone is more than $40. A table can easily be $100, $200 or more. So, if this game turns out to be a good simulator, and I can play ping pong without having to put on pants, then I definitely will.

Adam @ Mar 3rd 2006 5:23PM

I have disliked all of the GTA games thus far, but this looks like it could have some promise. I appreciate the partially-budget price as well.

-liam- @ Mar 3rd 2006 5:50PM

Hmm, if I'm correct the guys behind this are Rockstar San Diego - not Rockstar North or Leeds who worked on previous Grand Theft Auto titles. If you look at their previous games (http://www.rockstarsandiego.com/games.html) then you'll find they're actually all driving games (except for Red Dead Revolver, they probably felt like a change) - though they do have that illegal edge of course.

Just because Rockstar produces Grand Theft Auto, it doesn't mean every one of their offices partakes in its development - that's not how it works. So everyone saying "Oh how could they go from GTA to PING-PONG!!11!" you are just being naive.

This game should be good, it's hyped up so I'm expecting there to be some genious gameplay to this.. or something out of the ordinary, at least.

Joost Schuur @ Mar 3rd 2006 6:34PM

Maybe there'll be some kind of hidden Hot Spanking mode, where the winner gets to paddle the loser?

Steinmania @ Mar 3rd 2006 6:39PM

Heck yea! I've always wanted a table tennis game for the 360! I actually woke up this morning thinking... I wonder what a table tennis game would look like... hahahahahahaha I'm gonna go put $5 down to reserve it

lee @ Mar 3rd 2006 7:22PM

stupid ign i hate them now i will never go their stupid site again they did all this just to get more hits for there site well all they have done is get alot of people disappointed and pissed

C. Grant @ Mar 3rd 2006 7:41PM

Thanks for the comment -liam-, I'm familiar with the topology of Rockstar, and who made what. Rockstar is a company, they make GTA. EA is a company, they make Madden. This doesn't infer that one individual team made every game by EA or Rockstar, but thinking that corporate doesn't consider all their properties when making another is, well, naive.

I also don't know if I agree that the title is "hyped up." We've seen a couple screenshots, and it's been public for about 6 hours now.

pennywise969 @ Mar 3rd 2006 7:52PM

I love how everyone on the net always bashes on sequels and roster update 2006, ect, but the moment anyone has an idea that breaks away from the norm, almost everyone attacks it and says its stupid. Im not saying this is a completely original idea, but it definatly breaks away from the norm and for that I applaud Rockstar.