Whack On: Game Pro Strategy Guide for Table Tennis

Table Tennis is proving to be a seriously addictive Xbox 360 title with easy to play yet difficult to master gameplay. With a pretty sizeable faction of the GamePro staff calling each other out for versus matches, we thought it would be cool to give you guys a taste of each of our elite ping pong styles.

Mr. Marbles
Power is better than spin. You can rely on power shots alone to win any match, and after you have enough confidence in power play, then integrate side- and back-spin to your repertoire. And, an often neglected maneuver is the "drop shot." This can quickly shift the pace of a fast rally to your advantage.

Vicious Sid
It's crucial to use Jesper. Even fancy spin techniques and speed won't beat Jesper's brute power, which can smash the ball past even the best defense. To maximize Jesper's ox-like strength, the secret lies in charging up his swings. To do that, simply hold [A], [B], [X] or [Y] a second or two before the ball arrives in front of him.

Another key Jesper tip is to take a step or two back from the table. Not only will this boost his power swings, it'll give him another split-second to respond. Finally, you need to practice aiming the ball to hit the very outer lip of the table -- that's the secret the pros use in real life table tennis. You can aim the ball while you charge up your swing, but if you feel the controller vibrate sharply, pull back in the opposite direction!

Octagon
Use power shots and little movement to charge up your blinking power state. It's extremely powerful with people like Jan who have lots of spin and just need to power to be very dangerous. If your opponent has the blinking power state. Make soft back spin serves that barely make it over the net to slow them down a bit.

With people like Jan with high spin stats, perfect the backspin-sidespin combo together with the soft shot it can be very nasty vs. a power hitter like Jesper. If you name is Smak or BeefCake don't play people named Octagon, it's hopeless.

Johnny K
Don't believe the hype -- Jesper is most definitely beatable. The key to taking out the burly Swede is finesse and a mixed array of different shots. For your first short, always send to him is a short shot. He'll have to reach to send it back, putting him out of position and timing for a good return and giving you ample time to set up a killer shot.

Jesper is also prone to get out of position during long rallies, especially those take paint the corners of the table. Keep pounding a single side of the table with riskier and riskier shots. When Jesper starts to creep towards the side of the table, slap a shot to the opposite side. Or better yet, send him a short soft shot to the opposite corner. Chances are, if he's looking for a hard shot, he'll overcompensate on the recovery and either set himself up for an opposite corner return by your, or simple shuffle past the ball.

While power is a key to winning in Table Tennis, don't let the detractors tell you that spin is worthless. In the right hands, spin can be a deadly weapon. Utilize side spin to catch corners and keep your opponent moving, but also get used to identifying key moments when to use spin shots. Pepper an opponent with regular corner shots, and when they're out of position, starting sending them opposite corner shots with spin in that direction. They'll spend all their time simply trying to get the ball back over the table, giving you plenty of time to set up a kill shot.

Neo Geo
For power hitters, like Jesper, throw in some unpredictability with occasional top spins. One-on-one with heavy hitters will require some finesse to out pong your opponent so use a pattern to your advantage. Swing left, swing right, keep your opponent honest and make them go where you want them to go. When the moment is right, juke and throw some consecutive lefts or rights, you may catch them leaning.

Don't get too greedy. When you get the chance to do a power slam on your opponent, hold on to the left or right for a perfect shot off the edge. Beware; holding too much in one direction will cause your slam to go off the table. Your controller will warn you with a panic rumble, indicating your shot will be a miss. This ability requires your player's accuracy. The higher the accuracy, the easier it is to pull off the perfect slam off the edge. Just ask RiceBurner, he seems to hit the "un-returnable edge" of the table each time.

Smak
Don't try to match power hitters like Jesper with the top spin. You'll never win. Mix in soft shots and soft spins to keep power hitters like Jesper off balance, which will force them into hitting mistakes off the table or hitting non-powered returns.

Never hit to the back part of the table because Jesper will be able to return the shots back to you faster. Use your focus as much as possible against Jesper to step up your shots because you'll never get to build up a full bar against him. If you're not going to win the point with a cross table shot to Jesper's fore hand, then don't do it! Jesper is for noobs, never use him if you want to be good at table tennis! Jesper does not sleep, he only waits.

Rice Burner
It's good to play against as many various people as possible. The key to this game is to develop your reflexes, Table Tennis intuition, and hone your abilities with your specific character. I find that gamers tend to get better the more often they play. It's important to be able to adapt to the way the matches play out. If you're on the defensive (reactive), you need to be able to find a way to turn the tide and get your offense going. The same principle goes for being an offensive player. You need to be able to get things done otherwise your opponent will turn the tide on you.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment