Sports Champions 2
One of the hallmarks of this console generation is the ushering in of motion controls -- for better or worse. But for all the criticism motion gaming has garnered, it can enhance the immersive experience when done well. Sports Champions 2, one of the latest releases for the PlayStation Move, is a title that straddles the line between fun and flawed.
Sports Champions 2, the follow-up to the 2010 original title, is a collection of six sports -- skiing, boxing, tennis, golf, bowling and archery. Each sport has three difficulty levels to advance through (bronze, silver and gold) as you face increasingly difficult challenges and foes. Sports Champions 2 does a solid job getting your feet wet with motion controls, giving you mini-tutorials for each sport before upping the intensity. It's a pace that should appeal to the amateur and advanced alike.
The star of the six sports is archery, the only sports that survived the cut from the original title. Using the Move controller to mimic the motion of pulling your arrow from a pouch on your back, you then aim the controller toward the targets and release the trigger to fire the arrow. It's these types of motions that really show what motion controls can add to gaming when implemented correctly. The developers also did an excellent job in the variety of competitions, with some being shooting static targets while others have you shooting moving targets while sprinkling in boosters and penalties to keep you on your toes. It's a creative and challenging take on a sport that might seem mundane to the average person.
Bowling is another standout. This sport is a great example of the Move controller's pinpoint accuracy. As you pull your arm back and prepare to release the ball, you can put spin on the attempt by rotating your wrist clockwise or counterclockwise. The amount of rotation you create and the speed with which you move your arm dictates how much spin and speed will be put on the ball. It really makes you focus on each shot, adding a level of realism that other motion-based sports titles have failed to achieve.
Tennis also does a stellar job conveying subtle movements. You can pull off drop shots, slices, lobs and a wide array of other shots depending on your motion. The timing of shots is difficult at first but the visual cues and the slight rumble from the controller help to decrease the learning curve.
Golf is solid but not special. You can control the distance of shots by the force of your swing, but I didn't feel the same level of command over the type of spin I could put on the ball. Any golf fan would tell you that the level of spin on the ball is just as important and power off the tee. Golf just lacks the depth of the other three sports, maybe because translating the intricacies of golf is not as easy using motion controls.
Skiing was an odd addition. You can dictate your skier's stance (crouching or straight) by holding the controller toward your waist or closer to your shoulders. You also have control over what kind of push you get out of the starting gate, replicating the motion to increase the initial burst. Moving from side to side is handled by slightly tilting the controller one way or the other. If there were some sort of board or pad to stand on to control subtle weight shifts, I think this sport would have been one of the best of the collection. But merely tilting the controller doesn't provide the same level of immersion the other sports showcased.
The poorest showing was boxing. The punching felt very unresponsive, and the blocking also seemed to occur haphazardly. There was a level of frustration in the ring that I did not encounter during the other five sports. It didn't feel like I had control over the power of my punches like I had control over the power in the other sports.
Sports Champions 2 has its highs and lows. Archery is one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had with a motion-based game. It provides a level of enjoyment and challenge that few games have achieved using a motion controller. Bowling and tennis are also stellar because of the same reasons. If you own a PlayStation Move, you owe it to yourself to give Sports Champions 2 a try. Sports Champions 2 is available now for the PlayStation 3.