Xbox 360 Pong - Know Your Roots, People!
By bohus
Videogame consoles push more polygons, warp more textures,
and bounce more virtual bosoms than ever before. Astonishing vistas and lifelike realism will continue to be important as long as console manufacturers keep insisting that
hardware specs are what make great games. It should come as no surprise that there's a bit of a backlash on the horizon.
Many of my ardent X-box friends are unimpressed at the extra
oomph offered by the new X-box 360, remarking that the games are largely the
same – only prettier. If the 360 is to
survive, it needs something drastically new. So whom do we turn to for an innovative new game? The
same guys who put beating up a virtual crack whore into the history books. And
what is this innovation? Pong. Okay, they call it "Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis" (yeesh!), but
it's Pong. PONG!
Before anyone heard of a “game engine” or a “dual shock”,
there was Pong – the first videogame ever for lots of us. Though the graphics of Pong may seem a bit
of a punchline today, playing a couple rounds against your friends can still be a good time. Seriously.
I’m not actually ripping on the 360’s Table Tennis game – I’m sure that it’s going to be a lot of fun to play. I just find it amazing that the much vaunted power of Microsoft’s behemoth is going to be used to close the circle started thirty years ago. It’s also really weird that the video game press hasn’t jumped on this. No matter how you dress it up, it’s really very funny to be playing what is essentially a supercharged version of good ol' Pong after all these years.
