Sports Champions 2 Review

It has been a while since I pulled a muscle during a video game and enjoyed doing so, but alas today it happened in Sony’s take on the motion control party fun in Sports Champions 2. I was one of the original adopters of the Move controller and once again I don’t regret it. The question is does Sports Champiosn 2 bring Sony’s sports series forward into 2012?

Sports Champions 2 is the second entry into the motion controller focused “exercise” genre of athletic based mini game packages. Just like its older brother before it, Sports Champions 2 consists of a selection of popular sports inspired games that lone players or even parties of friends and family can take part in. Within the solid collection of games you will have your chance to play Tennis, Bowling, Golf, Boxing, Skiing and Archery. As you may notice the games this time are a based on a lot more stereotypical sports games that have been featured in other competing console motion games.

The great thing though is that while the original Sports Champions felt like a tech demo held back by the limitations of its developer’s understanding of the Move, SC2 is an incredibly fun revamp in what was still good about the original.

After playing through countless matches with friends and the AI opposition, I can safely tell you that your time and money will not be wasted when playing Sports Champion 2. All the different game types feel great to play and best of all they all feel like you are actually taking part in that particular sport. This is especially evident in the game’s very addictive take on bringing living room boxing to life.

While previous attempts to make motion peripheral fighting games work in the living have tried and failed. Sports Champion 2 does everything perfectly accurate in its accuracy, speed and power of your punches.  The fight mechanics like the health and stamina system may have been borrowed by previous entries in the boxing genre but that doesn’t stop it from being the first motion controller fighter to feel like every punch you place on your foe counts.

Everything from blocking, countering, to placing that finishing uppercut feels just right here and by the end of it you will feel so good from playing your first few matches that taunting your AI opponent is a sure given. Heck a few times I even made Bruce Lee noises because I was so immersed.

Another mode that a lot of people will quickly want to dig in to is obviously the tennis variant of the six modes. Again the Move controller and its ability to make your serves, swings and slices feel near perfect that at times mean you will be screaming like a Williams’ sister as you whack that ball across the court with sheer power and fury. The control scheme also comes with a mixture of pretty in-depth moves thanks to the ability to completely control the racket and how it moves in a 1:1 way.

Skiing, which I tried out first is also a pretty fun take on the snowbound sport in real life. If you have ever played any kind of arcade version of skiing at your game arcade then you will kind of know what to expect here. The thing that makes this mode so great though is how it wants you to play it as if you are actually racing down a slope against three other people. This is all done by speeding up by rowing yourself forward like you would in real skiing and then crouching yourself down like going to the bathroom to lower wind resistance. After a few games you will have completely mastered this way of playing and you shouldn’t be surprised to see your neighbours looking through your window wondering what the heck you are doing.

All the modes feel like a lot of love were put into them and after playing the many varieties of party sports games from competing consoles, I can safely say that Zindagi Games have hit the nail on the head when it comes to accurately portraying the way that motion gaming is meant to be played. This is because you won’t be wafting your arms around like an idiot, or jumping up and down like you are at a rave which involves just you. As I mentioned every movement you do counts and you will feel it happen in the game as if in real life.

There is no technical trickery here to make you feel like you are some kind of pro at the sport. If you hit that serve slow and weak then you won’t be getting far into this game. Sports Champions 2 wants you to put the effort in to having a good time, and by doing so it will reward you with not only been able to  feel truly immersed in what you choose to play but will also allow friends and family to compete in such a way that feels accessible to everyone.

Events aren’t the only thing that Sports Champions 2 has revised this time around. While the first game gave you a selection of premade douche characters to play as, SC2 now gives players the ability to create and customize their own sports champion persona. Not only is this a nice welcoming feature to the series but it is also a productive way in helping you progress through each of the event’s different tournaments and milestones. Now when you complete a number of campaign-like matches you will be able to unlock more clothing and equipment for your characters. I am the type of gamer that loves to customize their own character in feeling relatable to me and now I can while also striving to unlock that new hat or mohawk through the modes.

That isn’t to say that everything is perfect though. While the new modes all feel great, it is a shame that in receiving new experiences, we have lost some along the way. Sadly none of the original events from the first game apart from archery are available in this entry. This means no feeling like a badass in Gladiator Arena, or the rush of playing competitive Table Tennis can be had unless popping in the first game. In a way this can be forgiven though because of the new events that can now be played but it is still sad that these original events couldn’t be further improved and brought into the sequel too.

Another problem thing that is sorely missing from Sports Champions 2 is an online competitive mode for those looking for even more challenge to their Move gaming. The ability to put my tennis skills to the test against my chums in America, or having a relaxing game of golf against my granddad who lives in the countryside is something I would have happily have paid extra for. I guess this is a game I will just have to save for the yearly Christmas parties we have.

Sports Champions 2 is available for Playstation 3 on October 30th 2012.