Rockstar turns Nintendo's "Wiimote" into "Table Tennis" paddle

Rockstar Games, the premium content development division of game publisher Take Two Interactive Software, Inc., announced Wednesday that it is loading Nintendo’s Wii gaming console with a new gaming title, named “Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis”.

Developed by Rockstar Leeds along with the expertise of Rockstar San Diego, the “Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis” game made its debut on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

Originally appearing on the Xbox 360 in May 2006, the game was met with huge critical acclaim, winning Gamespot's “Best Sports Title” at last year’s E3 show, the world's largest video gaming expo.

The game will use the Wii remote like a table tennis racket, allowing gamers to feel the intensity of the real-life sport found in international competition.

"Ever since we released Table Tennis, fans have been asking us to create a Wii version," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "By bringing Table Tennis to the Wii and utilizing the motion-sensitive Wii Remote, a new audience can now experience a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down."

Table Tennis for Nintendo Wii is slated to hit the markets in September this year. The ratings and pricing details are not yet released. But, it is expected the title would not face the same ratings controversy as Manhunt 2.

Late last month, the game publisher Take Two decided to temporarily suspend the release of the violent video game Manhunt 2, a sequel to its 2003 title Manhunt, after the title faced a ratings controversy in the United States and a ban in Britain and Ireland.

Manhunt 2, the sequel to one of their darkest games, Manhunt, was originally due for a July 10 release in the United States on both Nintendo's Wii and the PlayStation 2 (PS2) by Sony Corp.

In the United States, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the video game industry's self-regulated ratings board, gave a preliminary version of "Manhunt 2" an "adults only" rating, the most stringent rating that would likely ruin its sales in the country.

Early last month, Britain banned the game because of the violent content and soon after Ireland decided to ban the same.