The Wii has a lot of its success to the fact that it has attracted to it
a whole population of casual gamers. Other manufacturers have taken the
seed and longer hesitate to make eyes at this very special audience.
With this in mind, Sony offers a new accessory strangely like a Wiimote:
Its Playstation Move. Sports Champions is one of the first titles to
use this famous joystick to motion recognition.
By trying to conquer new markets with its Move, Sony could not help but
offer an alternative to the indefatigable competitor Nintendo Wii
Sports. A duty which the other giant Nippon has obviously not missed.
Today, Sports Champions offers to become the new essential for your
evenings with friends.
Not worthy of a great connoisseur of the video game industry to realize
that the Playstation Move has an air of kinship with the Wiimote. The
output of the new PS3 accessory should thus be accompanied by a more or
less similar to Wii Sports. Simply put, it was of course a sports game
compiling several small activities that can exploit the system of
movement recognition Playstation Move. Look no further, Champions Sports
plays this role perfectly. The title compiles into effect six tests
that allow you to try your hand with the PS Move. It is simply the
disc-golf, gladiator duel, the archery, beach volleyball, boccia and
table tennis.
Take the tests in the order in which they proposed to us starting with a
look at disc golf. For those who do not know, it is simply a sport that
takes the basics of golf with the difference that the ball is replaced
by a Frisbee. The goal is to send it in a basket in a minimum of
strokes. This first test, we noted the sensitivity of the Playstation
Move. The angle, direction and strength that you print the handle are
indeed faithfully reproduced in the game can be seen also in passing
that the model sets is particularly neat. Do not bother to go around the
bush: it is simply more beautiful and more maneuverable than the Wii in
the same category.
It fairly quickly became disillusioned, however, discovering the second
test: the duel between gladiators. This time they enter an arena and
play as a warrior with a shield and a blunt weapon or a sword. Note in
passing that you can, if you like, use two PS Move to simultaneously
guide both accessories independently. But the number of controllers will
do nothing; the handling will still be disastrous. Not only the
character animation is grotesque, but their movements are slow,
imprecise. A few special moves are planned, including the ability to
jump on his opponent when he is down, but they are not enough to spice
up the fighting quickly become tiresome.
Go Sports:
The least we can say is that if the quantity is not necessarily there,
Zindagi has made efforts to provide us with different tests.
Disc Golf: the discipline most
demanding of Wii Sports Resort is making a comeback on the Move.
Rangelands rise quickly in trouble and it takes hours of practice to
master them well. The Move provides control his album with great
precision and to apply effects while playing with the wind. As Jika say,
very nice.
Duel of
gladiators had seen it as a technical demo at E3 2009,
gladiator duel is also back. A Move to wield his sword, one for the
shield, if you’re rich, level controls, the test is in simplicity. The
result is a fluid management and natural movements. Unfortunately, the
mini-game pays its lack of ambition. A special move identical for all
the characters and travel far too limited. So, we made rather quickly
round duel skinny. Disappointing.
Archery: In our proposing to play the archers,
Sony again recycles an old demo, but with more success. Catching an
arrow, his bow and shoot aiming yellow, everything is there. Until the
management of the ballistic and the ability to shoot the hip rather than
the shoulder. The objectives are varied (fixed target, moving target
launched,…) and as always, the precision optical sensor works wonders.
Note the possibility of playing two simultaneously, far more
entertaining than the turn-Nintendo.
Beach Volleyball: offering us the Beach
Volleyball, Zindagi finally stands a little Wii Sports Resort. As
expected, here we must throw the ball, passing and dunking of trying to
bite the dust at the opposing team. And if you feel a bit silly to jump
in front of his television alone, two or more, this mini-game reveals
its full potential. With Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball event is surely
the most fun of Sports Champions.
Table Tennis: Champions with Sports, the Rockstar
Table Tennis has found his master. Single or double, the ping pong
table made in MOVE shows no superiority complex. Management of physics
is bluffing, you can cut and lifter galore and you sometimes have to
travel, really, to save a ball viciously. In a small room, you will soon
feel close to but apart from that, what up! Without doubt the best
surprise of the game
Petanque:
End the visit by a national monument, of course I want
to talk about bowls. Unfortunately, those who hoped to regain the thrill
of bowling will be for their expenses. After level 1, land tend to
anything so great that one wonders if the bowls did not replace a last
minute mini-golf event canceled. Worse, the Move does not "feel" the
ball and shots are rarely accurate. Without hesitation, THE
disappointment of the games more, no pastaga provided on arrival, even
in the Collector’s Edition.
Surprising as it may sound, the bowling is one of the most successful
tests of Sports Champions, obviously at ease on the throwing events, and
more generally on the dosage strength. Well, no need to recall the
rules, all those who have spent a weekend with their uncles / cousins /
grandparents know them. What changes here is the terrain, which can be
completely fanciful, with tires and all, to disrupt shots. Fortunately,
flat land is available for lovers of La Marseillaise. As with the
discus, he appreciates being able to zap the throws of the opponent to
go straight to the point.
Each sport is divided into three game modes: Champions Cup, Challenge
Mode and multiplayer mode. If the latter does not need details, the
first two deserve some attention here. The challenge mode offers to
realize nothing less than the highest score in a particular sport. In
archery, just shoot zombies wooden advancing towards us whiles the
gladiators; it is a training dummy that faces us. The method we propose
Champions Cup to participate in three "championships" (Bronze, Silver
and Gold) of ten games each. He suggested before the first duels,
tutorials, illustration supported clear on what to do. If the first
levels are linked with some difficulty, things really get tough when the
silver level. And that’s where Sony shows it plays in a different
category from Nintendo. Instead of putting a simpleton IA, Sony released
a statement of arduous but exciting challenge. One begins to start a
fight or a game of table tennis to find fault with our opponent.
Especially with the PS Move, you’re the center of these amazing battles.
Fortunately, things improve with the shooting event at the bow that is
not only easy to handle, but also quite diverse. In fact, you do not
have to settle for traditional targets well behaved, you can also rub
out a range of moving targets ranging from zombies to cardboard bags of
coins. Some mini-games rather originals will also ask you to push your
opponent a target to achieve before him or lines on a grid of TicTacToe.
The assumption is again a real treat and simply mimic the movement
consists in picking up the arrows in his quiver adds a significant dose
of realism. Beach volleyball is also quite well done even if we admit
that its handling is a bit more complex than other tests. Indeed,
between the headlines, dunking, cons, loons, services or written off,
you need to master a wide range of techniques to crush your opponents.
Do not be surprised if you do not always understand what you do in the
first part …
We continue our discovery of Sports Champions with probably the most
unexpected event of the game of petanque. It is not sport the most
dynamic of this compilation, but he will certainly find its fans.
Indeed, it has the advantage, as the test of disc golf for that matter,
to allow four people to play alternately with one Playstation Move. The
other major advantage lies in the rugged terrain aspect: your games of
bowls look like mini golf more often and you will rack your brains to
avoid obstacles or to play with uneven. The last section, table tennis,
fully closes this compilation. Indeed, once again, the PS Move is up to
its claims and allows us to have a white-glove handling incredibly
precise and responsive. You can send your ball really where you want to
pay you the luxury to make some effects. In the end, you will therefore
understand that Sports Champions is probably not the game of the century
but it is still a well done overall title that allows you to
familiarize with the smooth Playstation Move.
Conclusion:
Without claiming to revolutionize the genre, Sports Champions offers a
rather good illustration of the possibilities PlayStation Move. With a
precision appreciable toss games, player movement loyal to whatever the
test, the device provides pleasant sensations on the vast majority of
games in the program. The only real black spot, a number of events too
small (six), especially when all are not blameless, like ping-pong. This
may be the prerogative of a launch title, but it has the right to be
demanding, especially with some sports as atypical. The atmosphere is
too smooth and the solo sometimes daunting challenge of a reserve game
in addition to the parties in multiplayer, when visiting friends will
take care to ensure the atmosphere. The only regret for the duel between
gladiators is clearly lower than in other activities.
