TableTennis3D by Xavier Martin, Price: $10
Reviewed October, 2003 by Eric Falk

TableTennis3D is an amazing table tennis sim game that allows you to compete against the computer or another player via infrared or Bluetooth. Developed by Xavier Martin, TableTennis3D has a virtual 3D Ping Pong table where you control a paddle on one side of the table while your opponent controls another paddle on the other side. The object of the game is to beat your opponent by certain number of points. You can also download custom players such as famous TV personalities, rock-stars, and even cartoon characters. Or if you wish you can create and upload your own custom player with its unique set of strengths for others to compete against.

Your game begins at a title screen where you can choose between a “2-player”, “exhibition”, or “championship” game. If you’re playing against the computer your first game will be against a very challenging opponent. It didn’t take long to learn the controls of TableTennis3D; however beating the computer took a little patience and practice. After you beat an opponent you can then go on and challenge the next player who will have his or her own unique skill set. You are given many options in this game including how many points you want to play, whether you want to play against another player via infrared or Bluetooth, or try your luck against the computer. One of the things that makes this game so unique and exciting is that you can download more characters to play against or make your own characters and upload them to the developer’s site so others can try their skills against your created players. There are numerous players with their own unique sounds to download and compete against.

Like traditional pong the object is quite simple, get the ball past your opponent while still keeping it within the boundary lines on their side of the table. This isn’t an easy task, but fortunately the paddle is very easy to control and the movement is extremely fluid. The developer truly did a wonderful job on the ball and paddle movement of this game. This can be a fast paced and extremely challenging game depending on the strength of your opponent. There is no difficulty option in TableTennis3D and I found the first opponent you play against to be extremely challenging. Patience, experience, and a little skill with your paddle will get you past each player, which can be quite rewarding.

Xavier Martin has truly made table tennis into a challenging and fun 3D Palm game. I found the graphics to work very well, and especially love the ability to upload your own characters or download characters to compete against. The online community that has grown around 3D Table Tennis has made this a unique and fun game. You are also able to upload or download sounds to accompany each character. You can even create a character that has your own photo and voice that others can play against!

The game supports devices with Palm OS 3.5 and higher including OS 5 devices such as Tungsten T3 and Treo 600.

Playing Hint and Tips

The only obstacle I found in this game was the paddle control. It is very accurate and responsive but can be a bit tricky when you are first learning the game. I recommend keeping your stylus down on the screen rather than picking your stylus up between volleys. This will help you keep your paddle aimed more accurately and thus let fewer balls get by you.