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Rockstar's Family-Friendly Shocker

Posted by Zonk on Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:44 AM
from the someone-finally-thought-of-the-children dept.
XBox (Games)
kleptonin writes "IGN is running an article about a new game being developed by Rockstar San Diego. Unlike their previous releases, the game will feature no guns, no violence, and no swearing. The game, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, will be exclusive to the Xbox 360, and will cost $39.99." Chris Morris, over at the CNN Game Over column, has some commentary on Grand Theft Ping Pong.
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[+] Bully Gets In Trouble With School 290 comments
The Miami Dade school district is moving to pressure Rockstar games over its upcoming game Bully. From the Next Generation article: "Last Thursday, a board committee unanimously approved the resolution. A full board vote is expected this Wednesday. Rockstar issued a written statement to the Herald, which said, 'We all have different opinions about art and entertainment, but everyone agrees that real-life school violence is a serious issue which lacks easy answers.'"
[+] Under the Table of Rockstar's Table Tennis 37 comments
Joystiq has a post up taking a look at the extremely out-of-character title coming up from Rockstar. For better or worse, Rockstar's Table Tennis is the real deal. From the article: "If you're a ping pong addict, this is another opportunity for you to deepen your involvement with a hobby you already love. This game will satisfy you because -- at least to this ping pong amateur and the two legit ping pong players I brought along with me -- it feels authentic. That authenticity comes from Rockstar choice to embrace realism rather than a stylized or simplified arcade style. The company calling Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis the "first true sports simulation title" that they've ever done. "
[+] Rockstar Plays it Safe 49 comments
Chris Morris at CNN's Game Over column has news of the cancellation of 'Snow', a planned title which would have placed the player in the role of a drug kingpin. From the article: "The reason is anybody's guess. 2K Games, the Take Two division that was publishing 'Snow,' confirmed the cancellation, but declined to give any sort of reason. It might have been because of the controversy the game was bound to kick up. It might have been because the game's developer, FrogCity Software (along with fellow studio PopTop Software) was recently folded into Firaxis, a Take Two-owned development studio run by industry legend Sid Meier. It may have simply been that the game wasn't turning out to be any fun."
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  • Too bad they couldn't release it on XBLA. I am a BIG fan of the arcade games on there. I dont think it would meet the size requirements, and I find it unlikely that too many people will buy this, aside from it being "from rockstar! OMG!"

    • Re:An interesting Idea (Score:5, Funny)

      by bigman2003 (671309) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @01:48PM (#14868459) Homepage
      When I heard about this, I thought, "Wow, THIS sounds like an awesome game."

      Really- I'm damn excited about this.

      I *loved* Top Spin on the Xbox. Tennis makes a pretty decent video game. But Ping Pong is FAST. It's like tennis, but with much quicker response times.

      And the fact that Rockstar is making the game, tells me that it should have *some* decent level of quality.

      Yes, I was excited when I heard about it. And I'm even happier now, knowing that there is a real street date already identified.

        • Yeah...it sucks. Because Ping Pong is OBVIOUSLY a stupid game.

          You know what else sounds stupid? Rolling a ball of crap around, and other things stick to it. The ball gets bigger and bigger, and more crap sticks to it.

          THAT would never be a good game...because all of us dumbasses on Slashdot just *KNOW* about this stuff.

    • Re:An interesting Idea (Score:5, Funny)

      by uncoveror (570620) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @03:36PM (#14869477) Homepage
      It seems family friendly until you use the mod code to unlock the part with king kong playing ping pong with his ding dong.

  • Image Enhancement (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cheezus_es_lard (557559) <cheez17@@@gmail...com> on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:48AM (#14867099) Homepage
    What's a little money on a ping-pong game if it gives you the ability to say "My company doesn't make SOLELY violent games, Senator..."

    • Re:Image Enhancement (Score:5, Insightful)

      by SomeoneGotMyNick (200685) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:50AM (#14867122) Homepage Journal
      No, it'll help them "prove" that family friendly games don't sell well. Especially for $40.

      • Re:Image Enhancement (Score:5, Insightful)

        by VJ42 (860241) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:04PM (#14867271)
        I don't know about that, there's nothng wrong with family friendly games per se: look at Nintendo; games like Mariocart, Super Monkey Ball and Nintendogs havn't done too badly.

        • No, but (Score:5, Funny)

          by thepotoo (829391) <thepotoospamNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:16PM (#14867412)
          But they haven't done all that great, either.
          I mean, you can run into the middle of the road stark naked and scream "GRAND THEFT AUTO!" at the top of your lungs and people will just look at you and say, "It's another one of those video game freaks".

          Try the same thing but scream "NINTENDOGS!" and people will call the cops.

          Try it sometime, you'll see what I mean.

          • Re:No, but (Score:5, Funny)

            by KDR_11k (778916) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:46PM (#14867744)
            I thought you were supposed to scream "MORTAL KOMBAT!"?

          • Re:No, but (Score:5, Funny)

            by soft_guy (534437) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @01:10PM (#14868011)
            I just tried and I got arrested both times. Thanks, thepotoo... for NOTHING!

            • Funny (Score:3, Informative)

              by LWATCDR (28044)
              That isn't what this bbc story says. Okay maybe not the nudity but the violence seems to be an issue that is up for debate in the UK.
              http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4118270.stm [bbc.co.uk]

              • Re:Funny (Score:4, Interesting)

                by VJ42 (860241) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @01:47PM (#14868447)
                You're right, many more people complain about violence than sex or nudity (though oddly GTA is still only recognised by non-gamers because of it's huge sales figures more than it's content); I think that's a big difference between the UK and the US, you seem to worry more about nudity and less about violence, where as we could hardly care less about nudity, but are appalled gratious violence. This latter point is not so much about games, but more about the entertainment industry as a whole; particularly TV and Film (Hollywood in particular; indie films are usually allowed to get away with anything as it's considered art)
        • games like Mariocart, Super Monkey Ball and Nintendogs

          I'll give you the last two, but what is it about mario kart's guided missiles, fireballs, running over and crushing your shrunken enemies, and generally dealing death and destruction to those all around you that somehow makes it not the same as quake?

          Is it just the lack of gibs?

    • Re:Image Enhancement (Score:5, Funny)

      by Rude Turnip (49495) <valuationNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:58AM (#14867207)
      Apparently no one here is aware of the sex, drugs and violence that underlies the international ping pong circuit. Anyone who buys this as a "family friendly" game will be in for a *BIG* surprise.

    • Re:Image Enhancement (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      This is from Rockstar San Diego, not Rockstar North. It is a totally different studio that just happens to be owned by the same corporate entity.

      Rockstar North were originally called DMA Design. They are based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and made Lemmings before going on to make the GTA games. Rockstar San Diego were originally called Angel Studios, and made Midnight Club and Midtown Madness, as well as Red Dead Revolver.
    • Clever tactic: create a product for the sole purpose of showing that not everything you do/produce is antisocial (or construed as such). Wal-Mart does the same thing with its charities - "sure we pay minimum wage and no benefits, but we gave a couple of high school kids $500 scholarships too!" Is there an English word for such a product? Cause there should be.
  • ....the game will feature no guns, no violence, and no swearing...
    ...So it's NUDY tennis! Those crazy Rockstar developers!
    It's defnately Love-Love, in my book.

    __
    Bow chicka wow wow.
    • ...So it's NUDY tennis!

      Only after you apply the patch.

    • Re:hmm.... (Score:4, Funny)

      by Pharmboy (216950) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:55AM (#14867173) Journal
      So it's NUDY tennis!

      As soon as I saw that, I was thinking Leisure Suit Larry Table Tennis. Still no guns, violence or swearing, just jiggly girls playing table tennis. As you get better and move up the ranks, you get to play against girls that are dressed even skimpier. Of course, it would have side games and adventures, too, but the main goal is to make it to "The World's Table Tennis Championship" where everyone plays nude.

      I am serious about this. Look at how many LSL games have already sold for PC.

  • overkill? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:50AM (#14867114)
    Three processors, monster graphics chip, millions in research and development...

    For 3D pong?

    • That's true for the 360, but the game itself probably took Rockstar very little to develop, compared to their other games. Not that many models, textures, or levels, and not very much AI type code, compared to a GTA game.

      It's even possible they built a rough version of it, in-house, just to learn the Xbox 360 development environment, and someone said "hey why don't we polish this and release it?"

      Plus, they love controversy... and what better way for a "bad boy" company to get it than releasing a family game
    • I think it's hilarious that the first game I played on the Xbox 360 was Joust. JOUST! Damnit! The same game I played over 20 years ago on my fake wood veneer'ed Atari 2600. And it's still fun!
  • That is Grand Theft Ping Pong...

  • Could it be a hit? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by babbling (952366) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:52AM (#14867139)
    This game sounds a little silly, but I think it could be a hit.

    Here's why:
    - It's the first ping-pong game to have come out in years.
    - It's probably also the first ping-pong game to have decent graphics.
    - Whilst ping-pong isn't going to attract many gamers into GTA, it could be a hit amongst asian gamers. Ping-pong is fairly popular in Asia. (at least more so than typical western sports)
    - It's different. No competition. (maybe tennis games, but that's a bit of a stretch)
    • All I have to say about the issue is that Virtua Tennis on the DC was an amazingly fun single player, 2 player, and 4 player game. If they could tap into something similar to that style of gameplay, I think it could be fun.

  • Brilliant (Score:5, Funny)

    by Golias (176380) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:52AM (#14867143)
    At last! All the fun, drama, and thrills of table tennis without having to go outside to your local ping-pong court. For the first time ever, you can play it from the comfort of your family rec room!!!

    Hey, wait...

  • Two words: Beer Pong (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Amazing Proton Boy (2005) * on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:56AM (#14867179) Homepage
    This game is all about virtual beer pong. What is the most popular non-video game on campus? Beer pong. I bet there will be game modes that easily simulate beer pong. Maybe a secret hidden game as well.

  • An oxymoron if I ever heard one. (Score:5, Funny)

    by pjp6259 (142654) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:59AM (#14867215) Homepage
    I'm sorry, but "Family Friendly" and "Shocker [urbandictionary.com]" just do not belong in the same sentence together.

  • Not Rockstar North (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 07 2006, @11:59AM (#14867219)
    This is not Rockstar North of GTA and Manhunter fame, this is Rockstar San Diego, who made Midtown Madness and Red Dead Revolver. The two are totally different studios that just happen to both be under the "Rockstar" umbrella.
      • They're not quite that seperate.

        A friend of my wife's worked at Rockstar North on GTA, and has now moved back to Vancouver and is working at Rockstar Vancouver. Not sure if he's working on Bully though.

  • My god the CNN article sucks (Score:5, Insightful)

    by SmallFurryCreature (593017) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:00PM (#14867230) Journal
    While other sports simulation video games - like football, baseball and auto racing - let you live vicarious dreams of doing things you likely can't do in real life, it's not real hard to find a Ping Pong table.

    Ehm, baseballs and footballs are hard to find? If football is indeed the american soccer I am willing to bet a shit load of cash that more families own a football then a ping pong table. You need a bit more equipment for baseball but still. I wasn't exactly aware that amateurs playing baseball was rare.

    It is, in fact, one of the very few "indoor" sports that has a video game patterned after it. (Poker's about the only other one that springs to mind.)

    Well, if you consider poker a sport then how about the video game versions of the following. Chess, EVERY bloody card game every invented, checkers, darts, bowling, snooker, etc etc etc.

    In fact isn't basketball often played indoors by pros AND done to dead as a videogame?

    The only unusual thing here is that a 'big' name company did a weird sports title. Weird sports titles on the other hand are nothing new.

    I just hate journalists who think ignorance is a good thing.

    • If football is indeed the american soccer

      No, no, no. Soccer is european football, not the other way around.

      Most families probably have both footballs and soccer balls, or for you european types, footballs and footballs: round edition.

      • Re:My god the CNN article sucks (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Haeleth (414428) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:28PM (#14867537) Journal
        Soccer is european football, not the other way around. Most families probably have both footballs and soccer balls, or for you european types, footballs and footballs: round edition.

        No, in Europe we have footballs and rugby balls.

        Note for Americans: Rugby football is the European equivalent of American football. The main differences:
        • Rugby players don't wear body armour, helmets, or silly breeches.
        • People don't watch major rugby matches for the advertising.
        • International rugby involves more than one country.

  • It's not as wholesome as it sounds. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Thrakkerzog (7580) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:01PM (#14867236)
    You don't want to know where the female players keep their ping pong balls. Or how they serve, for that matter.

  • wow, that's wholesome (Score:4, Funny)

    by hamburger lady (218108) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:02PM (#14867250)
    what's the secret patch gonna be called, Hot Cocoa?
  • So they are going to release a graphicly overpowered ping pong game exclusively for the Xbox 360? Can anyone tell my why Rockstar hasn't lost it's mind for making this a 360 exclusive instead of at the very least porting it to the Nintendo Revolution? The system that it would probably fit this game like a glove?

  • hidden goodies (Score:4, Funny)

    by gEvil (beta) (945888) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:13PM (#14867385)
    Can't wait to see what sort of hidden games and goodies they stick in there... : p
  • Reminds me of the Futurama episode where they're in an arcade and one person is playing Skee-Ball, beside them is someone playing Virtual Skee-Ball, and beside them is someone sitting down playing Virtual Virtual Skee-Ball...

    That said, I think the potential for internet beer pong could make this worthwhile... :)

  • You guys crack me up... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Retroneous (879615) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:42PM (#14867701) Homepage
    Not only is this "news" a week or more behind everyone else (you're getting faster, Zonk) - but the comments here are really ridiculously closed-minded.

    "How can it be fun?" "I don't see this being fun!" etc. etc.

    WHAT? You haven't played it, seen it moving, or done anything other than go "Hmm, ping pong...crap"

    I didn't see how Virtua Tennis could be fun, but its easily one of the greatest multiplayer games of all time, and does a stand-up job of providing a solid single player experience, too.

    Open your minds and close your damn mouths.

  • So awesome (Score:3, Funny)

    by Mr_Blank (172031) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @12:49PM (#14867791) Journal
    The interview was less than inspired.
        The answers were PR fluff and tired.

        http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/01/20 [penny-arcade.com]

  • And the next day.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Ancient_Hacker (751168) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @01:04PM (#14867951)
    "The game, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, will be exclusive to the Xbox 360, and will cost $39.99."

    .... And within a week will be the featured item in the Wal-Mart $1 game bin

  • You're Missing the Game Story (Score:3, Funny)

    by canfirman (697952) <pdavi25.yahoo@ca> on Tuesday March 07 2006, @01:07PM (#14867973)
    You've forgotten the back-story and the movie clips in the middle:

    So one day, you (as the hero) are walking through the 'hood, waving to the hos, and looking for your next fix. Suddenly, a van screaches up beside you and a couple of bad-asses jump out and start dissing you. It's time to defend your terretory from these a-holes! You challenge them to meet on your turf, and they agree to ... Gangsta Ping Pong!

    Don't forget the "hot coffee" mod for when you win the tournament...

    (Yeah, I know...it's lame...)

  • What will the Hot Coffee Style Mod be? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ledbetter (179623) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @01:18PM (#14868099) Homepage
    I'm hoping the Hot Coffee style mod will let you play a fun spanking game with the ping pong paddles and the girls ;)

  • As a serious table tennis player... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by 5pp000 (873881) on Tuesday March 07 2006, @05:00PM (#14870125)
    ... I'm impressed that they've simulated the game in such detail (down to the dust that accumulates in the center of the racket!!)... but I'd much rather play the real game and get some exercise.

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