PS3 Review – Sports Champions
Sports Champions is launching alongside the PlayStation Move controller, available by itself or as part of the PlayStation Move starter bundle. Sony hopes that Sports Champions will do for the PlayStation Move what Wii Sports did for the Nintendo Wii. And that is to provide an easily accessible, intuitive experience that shows off just what the hardware is capable of, while appealing to casual consumers. The question is, is the game the champion Sony is hoping for, or is it better off sitting by the sidelines?
Sports Champions is a collection of mini-games based on some fairly uncommon sports. You won’t find America’s favorite pastime here. Instead, the sports offered within the game are meant to show off just how different the PlayStation Move is from the Nintendo Wii’s motion controller. The games available are: Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball, Disc Golf, Bocce, Archery, and Gladiator Duel. These games demand much more movement than the gesture based stuff found on Wii Sports. Each sport does a great job at demonstrating how precise the new PS3 motion controller really is.
The game itself isn’t a deep game. In fact, each sport plays like their real-life counterpart, and doesn’t deviate much from the formula in any way. With Table Tennis, it’s exactly what you’d expect. The value is actually in how the game utilizes the controller. Simple twists of the wrist, the velocity and speed of your swing, will all affect the ball once making impact. To serve, hold the T trigger, make a tossing motion and release. From there, swing as you would in real life, and rally it back and forth between you and the opponent until one of you wins a point. Definitely straight forward stuff. What makes it interesting is just how well your motions translate to your on-screen character.
The characters themselves are quite dull. Despite each of them being well designed and having interesting names like Boomer and Dallas, there isn’t any personality traits, or specific attributes. They don’t talk or show emotion and play absolutely no role in the game other than letting you know that the next opponent is different from the last.
Characters aren’t the only thing on the dull side. The sound in the game is virtually non-existent, aside from the subtle grunts, and the noise of a bouncing ball or a bow and arrow being snapped back, the game is mostly silent. Sure there are sounds of nature, but there isn’t any music that helps set the tone for the action. I guess in this case, you are supposed to be creating the action. That being said, the game is indeed packed with action. All of the sports – sans one or two – provide a decent workout, some, will even have you breaking a sweat.
Gladiator Duel outfits your avatar with a sword and a shield. At first glance, the combat seems empty. As you proceed and new skills are learned as the competition gets more stiff, things get much more interesting. Even more so if you’ve got more than one PlayStation Move controller. With two controllers, one acts as the sword for swinging and attacking, the other takes the role of the shield, letting you block and push your opponent, opening up their defenses. Overall the gameplay in Gladiator Duel is fun, but you won’t find yourself going back for more, unless you’re planning on showing it off to a friend.
Disc Golf, is frisbee tossing to the rules of golf. How far back you reach, how fast you throw, how your wrist is turned, and where along the arc of your throw all will affect your toss, how it spins and where it lands. Since this is frisbee, there aren’t any holes. Chain-link baskets are set up in the course, and it’s up to you to get it in the basket in as few plays as possible.
Bocce Ball, which I actually had never heard of before trying the game for the first time is a fun game. It reminds me of horseshoes; you have to toss out a smaller ball, only to try and land larger balls as close as possible to the small ball. It’s actually more difficult than it sounds. The problem is with Bocce Ball and many of the other games, is that there isn’t any variation. Every game you play of Bocce Ball is essentially the same and the repetitive nature of everything gets extremely old fast.
The best out of the bunch, is Archery, hands down. Especially if you’ve got more than one PlayStation Move controller. With two controllers, you’ll reach up and backward to pull an arrow out of your quiver using the T trigger, put it toward the other controller, pull back as far as you can for maximum power, then release trigger to let it fly. This makes for one of the most immersive experiences I’ve found in a sports game on any game console, period. If that wasn’t enough, Archery is the one sport that features a good deal of variety in the challenges. Aside from shooting stationary and moving targets, you’ll also play mini-games like tic-tac-toe, where your goal is to hit three targets in a row (duh!), before your opponent can. Another challenge has you shooting cardboard skeletons as they slowly approach you. Even though that doesn’t sound like that much variety, it’s more than welcome after the repetitive nature of the other sports.
On the flip side, Volleyball is the most disappointing out of everything. You can’t actually control your characters movements, so don’t expect to make your own set-ups. The game controls where your character goes, and all you can do is bump the ball or spike it.
Each of these individual sports can be played as single player in cups (bronze, silver and gold), where you’ll go through a list of increasingly difficult opponents. There’s also a challenge mode for each, which will give you a specific task to perform and really just serves as a way to break up the monotony. As you progress through the game, you’ll be in for one hell of a challenge as it actually gets rather difficult. Multiplayer is where it’s at. Since the characters and environments are so dull, and many of the sports so repetitive that you’ll need the friendly trash talking that goes on between real-life competition.
Despite the complaints, the game shines thanks to how well it tracks the PlayStation Move controller and translates it into on-screen actions. Even the most subtle of movements register perfectly in the game, providing a great challenge a decent workout, and a good deal of fun.
Sports Champions is to the PlayStation Move what Wii Sports is to the Nintendo Wii. It serves as an easily accessible, enjoyable way to show off the motion tech, while offering up some competition using sports that most people will be familiar with. If you’re going to get one game with the PlayStation Move, Sports Champions will be a winner.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
Each sports requires real skill and accuracy For the best experience, get two PlayStation Move controllers |  |
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12 Responses to “PS3 Review – Sports Champions”
I have a question; in Volleyball does it track your controllers like the other games, or is it gesture based? So for example if you’re playing it with two controllers could you wave your hands/arms about, and see it on the screen?
I’ve heard it’s gesture based.
I also take PSLS reviews seriously, we shall see how the game is when I pick it up tonight or tomorrow.
That’s a shame, it mine as well be a wiiM+ game then (just volleyball)
I’ll buy every game that has 1:1. And if it’s not EXACTLY 1:1 I still might buy. I don’t want gesture based.
I don’t think it’s strictly gesture based like Wii games though…obviously it can’t be truly 1:1 for volleyball because you would be running around like crazy and diving in your living room…From the videos I’ve seen it still has everything to do with how you turn your wrists when bumping or how you swing when spiking.
8?
As a guardian of 5 kids, Sports Champion is a fresh of breath air in our living room.
Do not underestimate the power of young gamers that is what made the Wii & DS a top seller.
I play shooters & violent games as a mature gamer but now we as guardians have more choice on the PS3 against a slew of violent games in appropriate to young gamers.
Reviewers should be more objective & responsible for their reviews and not generalize games.
specially now that games are becoming more specialized and target a specific group of gamers not the general public.
a final score just don’t cut it anymore.
reviewers must consider the needs of parents too not just the typical gamer. and must put every kind of consumer needs in serious consideration. this is what the Move is trying to address that untapped demographic that made the Wii a phenomenon that had reviewers scratch their heads.
Parents are the ones who made the Wii a success and they will do the same for the Move.
game reviews must change now as the industry goes to changes too.
It has 1:1! I played it at a local store and man I was impressed! o.o
I had a Wii (sold it because it became my most expensive dust collector -.-) and I tell you THIS IS NOT A WII SPORTS! this is THE sports Champion! I played Table tennis until the people at the store kicked me out! XD
It looks a little barebones but im pretty sure Sony will upgrade it via FW upgrades.
IMO they should let players play their own music like Hustle Kings and High Velocity Bowling does! man I love that feature!
This is a pass for me really – I might end up with it by accident because of the bundle though this christmas. If these sports mini games had got me fired up about motion gaming in the first place, I would have bought a Wii.
@Axl Rose – hell yea for gods sake let me play my own music. I’ve got 10 gigs of it on there and the only game I know of that lets me play my own (that I own) is WipEout HD. WTF mate?
@Anthony – never heard of Bocce ball?? Mah Gawd! Its an Italian game, we play a tournament of it every year at my family reunion. I used to play it at college too when we got drunk, except then it was All Terrain Bocce (ATB), we didn’t draw a course out and you just had to deal with whatever hills or obstacles got in the way. … good times… ahhh
@Axl and BigWoop, this game has custom soundtracks
Just have to go to the settings menu to use it.
This game really caters to a lot of tastes. Anthony’s fav game is Archery, mine is definitely table tennis. It’s a lot of fun with a surprising amount of skill needed to play it well.
Also, volleyball is kind of a mix. It tracks your arms 1 to 1, but the hits are exaggerated. Not a fan of volleyball tbh.
@Adam Gainford
NO WAY MAN!!!! SERIOUSLY?!!! IT DOES HAVE CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS???!!!!! DUDE!!!
So you bought it then?! Hows Gladiator Duel man?!
This is not included in the Australian Move bundle. I’m not impressed.
@Axl, It’s a little awkward to use with just one Move but I’m sure it’ll be a lot more fun with two controller.s