Like nearly everyone else, my first reaction to Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis was, “This has to be a joke, right?” Considering the studio’s portfolio, a Ping-Pong game is the LAST thing anyone would expect – which is probably the whole reason for the game coming out in the first place. What’s even more surprising is that the game is a blast to play.

Table Tennis takes a very basic approach to everything. There aren’t that many play modes, the soundtrack isn’t all that flashy, and there aren’t that many characters. Gameplay is very easy to pick up and while it is tempting to call the game “Pong: The Next Generation”, that description couldn’t be any further from the truth. Under the seemingly simple premise lies a game teeming with complex strategies and depth.

Table Tennis could easily be likened to Fight Night as far as visual presentation is concerned. Characters are realistically modeled and show off all kinds of little details. Fabric moves and sways as players dash around their side of the table and, as the match progresses, beads of sweat will begin to collect on their skin and shirts. Character also showcase fluid and surprisingly varied animations. Each has their own unique play styles and bounce to their step. Where one might bounce all around one side of the table, another might remind firmly planted in an area.

Sound is limited mostly to the grunts and cheers of players and the distinctive “pings” and “pongs” of the ball and paddles. When the action begins to pick up, a techno beat begins to kick in to push the intensity a little further. Depending on the arena you’re competing in, you’ll also hear different bits of crowd noise, ranging from nation-specific chants to encouragement from fans.

Once again, it is tempting to call Table Tennis a next-gen version of Pong. All of the basics point to it being a simple game of knocking a ball between two paddles. In fact, the game plays more like a smaller-scale version of Virtua Tennis or even Top Spin. The basic and addictive pick-up and play nature is there, though there is a hidden depth that will reach out and hit you when you least expect it.

Table Tennis is a no-frills game when it comes to gameplay options. The focus here is more on getting the gameplay to work perfectly rather than worrying about other things. Both offline and online gameplay variations are available and don’t go much further than one-on-one games. Offline modes consist of a quick-play Exhibition mode and a longer Tournament mode. Tournament mode is made up of four different tournaments, each consisting of a best of three match. As you move through the bracket, you’ll unlock new outfits for your player as well as new players once you defeat them in tournaments. Each game gets a little tougher as you move up the ranks. The first tournament is relatively easy once you get the basics down, but later matches require you to figure out the A.I.’s strengths and weakness and use that knowledge to your advantage.

Online games include ranked and non-ranked matches as well as an eight-player tournament and a Spectator mode which offers some much-needed film time when you’re first learning the subtle mechanics of the game.

The big downside to Table Tennis is the lack of play modes beyond the game itself. There’s no career mode, nor are there any mini-games. Instead, Rockstar seems to have embraced the 360’s Achievements system to give you new goals. There’s a nice spread of Achievements to unlock that will keep motivated players (or Achievement whores) coming back to unlock new challenges.

It is the false sense of simplicity that makes Table Tennis such a challenge. This isn’t a game where you can just jump in and start haplessly massing buttons and score a series of wins. Instead, it takes time to learn all of the little intricacies. A helpful tutorial is available to help you learn the basics and a few tricks, but the real learning comes from playing tournaments and watching how the A.I. handles things. Yeah, no one likes to lose, but at times it is the only way to eventually win.

As with just about everything else in the game, control is both easy to understand and still manages to pack in a whole lot of subtle complexities. Each face button is tied to a different type of spin. Pressing A or Y adds topspin or backspin, while X and B add left or right spin. The setup is easy enough that you can probably just hit those buttons and be fine, though you’ll miss out on 90% of what the game has to offer and likely get thrashed once you start coming up against tougher opponents (and believe me, they come up really quick).

To really get into Table Tennis and actually go anywhere in a tournament, you have to learn to react quickly. The left analog stick allows you to move around your side of the table to get a better angle on the ball. The goal is to knock the ball back to your opponent using the same type of spin (indicated by a faint, colored halo around the ball), while at the same time adding something to it to get them to miss. You can try to smash the ball towards them by holding one of the face buttons and getting in front of the ball, or pull the left trigger and give the ball a light tap – hopefully causing the ball to bounce and mess up your opponent’s swing. You can also try to angle your shots using the right analog stick, though this can get dangerous if you’re not careful since it is possible to aim the ball out of play, awarding your opponent with a quick, easy point.

With the push towards making games “bigger”, Table Tennis takes a step back and goes for more a more compact design. The focus here is making a game that is built more on its core gameplay elements than anything else. So is it worth a purchase? Yes and no. The single-player side of things is sparse and, unless you’re addicted to unlocking Achievements, characters and outfits, you’ll likely get bored quickly. On the other hand, if you’re a more social gamer, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of Table Tennis.