iPingPong 3D
Author: iPhone Reviews // Category:iTunes Link
iPingPong 3D is a Table Tennis game by Chillingo Ltd. $0.99
iPingPong is the only Table Tennis game I have played on the iDevice, and by looking at the pictures on Table Tennis Star and Zen Table Tennis is the best in the way of camera angle for gameplay. For a start it is the only one that lets you play friends over a local WiFi, which I haven't had the chance to do. There are also many different game modes to play with such as Practice, Quick Match, Tournament and Multiplayer. There are 5 difficulty levels to play against in the Quick Match and these levels are used in the tournament mode. This game is a heap of fun and really surprised me how much I would play the game, as it is very challenging for all skill levels.
The graphics are fairly basic but there isn't much needed for a Table Tennis game. Don't be deceived by the first image on the iTunes page as that is not what the game looks like. If it did I believe it would be a lot better but instead picture five shows the actual game. It's not as good with the images not being as smooth as they could be, but the camera angle is actually alot better. The frame rate is very high and the game always runs smoothly. The controls are just like Table Tennis games on the computer, with your finger being a substitute to the mouse. You must drag you finger around the screen and that controls where the paddle moves to. Hitting the ball in different ways will put effects on it like a smash or a cut.
The game itself has no music in it but there is a soundtrack on the menu. It is actually quite enjoyable to listen to and is some of the more modern music I have heard in a game, meaning it has the punk rock sound to it. In the game there are sound effects for when you hit the ball. A few people cheer when you win a point, boo when you lose a point and a crowd cheers when the win a set or the match. For those who don't like the sound you can turn it off and use the music on your iDevice.
The game is very fun to play around with. Practice mode involves no scoring and just perfecting your skills before actually playing a friend or the computer. Quick match gives you a lot of options to suit how you want to play. The difficulty level of your opponent can be chosen as well as the length of the match, either 1, 3 or 5 sets. This mode is for those who want to get practice before playing their next opponent in the Tournament. Tournament mode involves you climbing the charts against 15 other oddly named players. As you increase your rank so does the difficulty of your opponents. The tournament can be stopped at anytime and you keep your rank, and losing the match doesn't make you lose your ranking. I generally only play the Tournament mode, and am currently trying to beat the #5. Finally multiplayer mode lets you play a one on one match against someone who is on the same local wifi as you. I would like to see a step up from this with matches over the internet, so globally.
This game is very fun with its slick gameplay and many modes. iPingPong challenges the most skilled players and has many hours of fun packed inside the cheap price of $0.99. I would like to see the option to have more arenas or places that you can have the match set, but for now it is good. iPingPong is a great sport game for every type of gamer, as I have had no past experience with Table Tennis in real life and thoroughly enjoyed playing it. This is the cheapest game of its type on the App Store, and by looking at the other two it is quite easily the best. I suggest playing this in short bursts as a pick up and play game as it can get a bit repetitive, but that is your choice. All round a good game.
Gameplay- 9/10
Graphics- 7.5/10
Sound- 8/10
Overall- 8/10
I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Table Tennis Star
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Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Sway
cult fests in 2011