iPhone Games Review : World Cup Ping Pong

iPhone Games Review : World Cup Ping Pong
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World Cup Ping Pong Game Play (3 out of 5)

What can we say? This is your typical Ping Pong game with some nice features that will give you fun and enjoyable playing time. World Cup Ping Pong has three game modes - Tournament, Arcade and Head-to-Head.

Tournament pits you against eight countries on a ladder tournament type of game. In this game mode, you must win in the elimination, semi-finals and finals rounds. But, be mindful though, getting into the finals round is not an easy task and will pit you against tough AI opponents.

Arcade Mode is a little bit different. You’re up against the opponent’s side of the table which is propped up and displays circles in various locations in varying sizes. The objective is to hit the circles with the ping pong ball. It’s a good way to practice the game’s controls before you try your luck beating your opponents in the Tournament mode.

Head-to-Head is a two player game that you can play with your friends. It’s similar to the Arcade mode but in a top-down view.

The game also features a Leaderboard that lets you submit your best scores although this feature doesn’t really pit you against other players online.

World Cup Ping Pong Game Control, Sound and Graphics (3 out of 5)

While the game may lack some depth and length, it tried to make up for this in the graphics department. We’re not saying that it’s the best looking iPhone game ever, certainly not. In fact, it features a 2D game environment instead of 3D renderings. But it’s not really a letdown but instead a positive note. Besides, I couldn’t imagine how a 3D Ping Pong game will be played anyway. Putting the game in a 2D environment is just about enough to make it enjoyable and exciting.

In terms of control, the game fully utilizes the iPhone’s touchscreen features. While this works wonderfully, some problems might occur when trying to hit the ping pong ball or moving your ping pong paddle towards the direction where your opponent hit the ball to. I personally suffered a beating in some games due to my inability to move my paddle towards the ping pong balls quick as possible. But, if your reflexes are faster than me, I’m pretty sure you won’t find this aspect of the game a problem at all.

In the sound department, the game tops when it comes to the almost realistic sound effects. From the sound of the ping pong ball when hit by the rubberized paddle, to the sound it makes when touching the ping pong table. The game really succeeds in bringing the exact sound that you’d hear when playing a real-life ping pong game.

Our Verdict (3 out of 5)

World Cup Ping Pong may not be the best ping pong game for the iPhone, but with the lack of worthy competitors, it may very well serve your hunger for such a game on your iPhone. It’s currently on sale at the Apps Store so if you’re a fan of Ping Pong, I don’t really see any reason why you wouldn’t install it on your iPhone. But, if you’re not really into Ping Pong, I suggest you find other games to purchase.

Image credit:

Screenshot of World Cup Ping Pong by Skyworks.