I ordered table tennis for the Wii and it came in yesterday. I played through the training and then played through the first tournament circuit on easy and thought I would post my initial impressions.
There are three different control schemes to choose from, each offering more depth than the previous. I played using the simplest control scheme, using just the Wii remote. It's not like Wii Sports tennis either. You can choose the spin you want and swing the remote before the ball is anywhere near you and your player will hit the ball at the appropriate time for you. There is some incentive to wait to swing though in that you can charge the spin so that it has a greater effect. It's not real time swinging, but more like programming the shot. I didn't think I liked it at first, but during long volleys the ball can be moving fast enough that you might as well be swinging in real time anyway. It takes about 5 minutes to get used to, but it turns out to be a blast. I still want to try the other two control schemes that make use of the nunchuck, but the Wii remote only option means that anyone can walk up and in a few minutes be able to play 20 or 30 hit volleys which makes it great for the casual scene.
The graphics aren't any where near those of the 360 version, but they're not offensive either. It runs very smoothly with no framerate drops during either the actual gameplay or the replays of the last volley.
The sound is nice. The remote emits swishes on swings and makes a few other sounds. The music is the same as the 360 version.
Overall it's a fun game and I'm happy I bought it. It's accessible enough for casual players to come up to it and be able to have a good time and it also has enough depth that a serious player can spend a good bit of time with it and come away satisfied. Plus it's only $40, so you can't argue with the discount price compared to the usual $50 asking price for new Wii games.
There are three different control schemes to choose from, each offering more depth than the previous. I played using the simplest control scheme, using just the Wii remote. It's not like Wii Sports tennis either. You can choose the spin you want and swing the remote before the ball is anywhere near you and your player will hit the ball at the appropriate time for you. There is some incentive to wait to swing though in that you can charge the spin so that it has a greater effect. It's not real time swinging, but more like programming the shot. I didn't think I liked it at first, but during long volleys the ball can be moving fast enough that you might as well be swinging in real time anyway. It takes about 5 minutes to get used to, but it turns out to be a blast. I still want to try the other two control schemes that make use of the nunchuck, but the Wii remote only option means that anyone can walk up and in a few minutes be able to play 20 or 30 hit volleys which makes it great for the casual scene.
The graphics aren't any where near those of the 360 version, but they're not offensive either. It runs very smoothly with no framerate drops during either the actual gameplay or the replays of the last volley.
The sound is nice. The remote emits swishes on swings and makes a few other sounds. The music is the same as the 360 version.
Overall it's a fun game and I'm happy I bought it. It's accessible enough for casual players to come up to it and be able to have a good time and it also has enough depth that a serious player can spend a good bit of time with it and come away satisfied. Plus it's only $40, so you can't argue with the discount price compared to the usual $50 asking price for new Wii games.
