What is the first thing you do when you release a motion peripheral? Well you release a sports mini-game collection, of course! Sports Champions pits you against the computer or a friend in a game of Disc Golf, Gladiator Duel, Archery, Volleyball, Bocce, or Table Tennis. When I purchased the game, I felt that only Gladiator, Archery, and Table Tennis would see any real playing time, but I was quite mistaken in my preconception. It turns out I've had quite a bit of fun with all the events, and there really isn't one in the bunch that I can say is no fun to play. So let's get to it, shall we?
Minimal Entry Fee
The first thing you need to know about Sports Champions is that you only need one Move controller, and no Navigation controller is required to be able to play all events. That said, I highly recommend having two if you want to get the most out of the game. I've played the game extensively both ways, and for the events that support two controllers, you'll want both. It adds way more to the experience the developers wanted to create, but it's also great they recognized that not everyone had $150 to drop at launch and created every event so that it could use just one controller.
The Nuts and Bolts
Each event is divided into three modes to play. The main mode is Champions Cup, pitting you against each of the ten computer opponents where the game conditions are automatically set. In addition, you'll take part in a skills challenge midway through. The Champions Cup is also divided into three progressively more difficult cups: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Depending on certain conditions met while playing, you'll receive points for your efforts. Those points then earn a rating of one to three stars. If you earn the three star rating, this unlocks various things, such as outfits or new game equipment. The second mode is the Free Play mode. This is what you'll be firing up if you want to play with friends, or if you want to play against the computer as well as set the conditions of the game. Last is the Challenge Mode, where you can play the challenges faced in the middle of each Champions Cup.
So how well do the Move controls work?
The answer to the million dollar question is "very well". This game is what Wii Sports wishes it was from a control standpoint. There are a couple of mechanics, aiming high in archery and setting in volleyball, that don't work perfectly. However, I suspect this has more to do with the fact that I stand 6'4" tall rather than an actual game problem. Apart from that, I'm VERY impressed with the ability of the Move platform to recognize the motion made by the player. Everything is captured down to even the smallest of motions, which is what makes this experience a great one. The only drawback is in multiplayer, as you can only have two simultaneous players at any time, and those players are confined to a small space that you calibrate before each event. In addition, if you wish to continue the same event and have somebody else step in to play, you'll need to run the calibration again.
The events! Tell us about the events!
For disclosure's sake, I'm currently in the middle of the silver cup in all of the events.
Disc golf, if you've never played it, is a game whose object is to land a flying disc in a basket at the end of a course set with various hazards. While real disc golf can get as complex as standard golf with all manner of available discs, this interpretation affords you a "driver", "iron", and "putter" discs. The event contains a full 18 hole course, though in the vast majority of the Champions Cup matches, you'll only play a fraction of these. Just like with a real flying disc, the manner in which you throw it will determine if you manage a straight shot. Tilt your wrist a bit, and your shot will curve. You can even throw the disc using a sidearm motion instead of the "classic" technique. The "holes" you play vary greatly in scenery from a forest on a fall day to what amounts to a snow covered glacier. All holes provide a great challenge, but none so great as to be frustrating. Once you have the hang of the throwing mechanic, finishing under par for a round will be no problem.
Gladiator duel is one of the jewels of this title. It gives everyone what most have wanted out of motion gaming from the beginning: A sword fighting game with true one-to-one motion. This event is the only one of the bunch that I would say two controllers really should be a requirement, but it is playable with only one. The catch to this is that you must hold the trigger in order to move your shield. Not the most desirable of control schemes, but again, including those of us short on coin wins points. The premise is simple. You against your opponent in a ring. Drain the opponent's energy with attacks or knock them out of the ring to earn the victory. This game is pretty much all about defense. Since blocking with the shield or even parrying an attack with your weapon temporarily stuns the attacker, you can't just flail away wildly and expect to succeed. In addition, each successful block charges a "Super Strike" meter. When it fills, pressing X makes your weapon glow for a limited time. Landing a blow during this time produces an unblockable quicktime event. Both single and two player are a blast to play, and this ties for the best game in the collection in my book.
Archery is just that, but there are several variations to the standard "shoot the bullseye" formula. There's the shooting gallery, where you'll skewer everything from apples to bags of money, Tic-Tac-Toe, where you try to shoot faster than your opponent to win multiple games of Tic-Tac-Toe, a speed event, where a single target appears, and the first to shoot it gets the points, the "Push" event, where there are three targets that you and your opponent try to push to each other's side, and even the challenge mode where you're shooting zombies! As noted earlier, I seem to have difficulty aiming upward in this event, but I believe this is due to my height more than anything. One other annoying thing about the controls in this event is that it seems to keep the controller used to aim in the way of what I'm trying to see, which makes things a bit more difficult. I've actually found this event to be easier with only a single controller, though far less realistic.
Next is probably the weakest of the collection, and that's volleyball. Now that being said, I've still had a lot of fun with it, but it's essentially a series of mini-games. You're unable to move your own character, the computer does that for you. What you do is either serve, bump, set, spike, dive or block depending on what the situation calls for. There's very little depth to the gameplay here, and I just can't help but think that this event should have been left out or fleshed out better. I get the feeling that this would be more fun in multiplayer than it is in single player, because at least you could talk some trash to your opponent then. You're either a little insane or need some more friends if you're talking trash to the computer...
Bocce is the event that surprised me the most with its depth. When I think bocce, I think mostly of either stuffy rich people on highly manicured lawns, or our family days where balls are very likely to be thrown overhand in some instances at a target that is on the side of a hill or obstructed in some other way that would make the aforementioned rich people lose their lunch. Thankfully, this event caters more to the latter than the former. The first few matches in Champions Cup will be played on the standard style Bocce setup, but then you move to other locations that make things much more challenging, and a lot of fun. From locales such as a park, a dock, or simply different Bocce courses shaped in unconventional ways, the variety is plentiful.
Lastly is Table Tennis, tying for what I believe is the game's best event. The precision the Move controller affords and the intelligence of the software provides an experience that is rivalled only by real table tennis. The upside to this version is the lack of a need for space for a table! You want to hit a shot with topspin? Go for it. You want to hit a dropshot? Go for it. You want to use any of the various "non-standard" racket grip styles you see in the Olympics? Go for it. On top of this, this is not simply a "swing the racket/hit the ball" proposition either. On the contrary, you really do need to be at the right spot in 3D space to hit the ball. You also must pay attention to the angle at which you're hitting the ball, as that is what provides the spin on the ball. I've spent hours playing just against the computer and have not yet tired of the game.
The Verdict
Sports Champions is a worthy sports game collection that has few faults. Calibration is slightly annoying, but nothing that can't be overlooked. The Move implementation is fantastic, and only in Volleyball do I feel that it was a less than optimal implementation. Kudos to the team at Zindagi Games for making a great game to show off the Move hardware.
Pros:
- All games are worthy of your time
- Move controller response is impeccable
- Navigation controller and second Move controller not required
- Calibration slightly annoying
- Limited to two player simultaneous multiplayer
Score: 4 out of 5 stars - Worth Owning
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