Sports Champions is a "MUST HAVE" title if you are considering the Move.
It was not until August that I started looking at the Move with a little more interest as some of the upcoming games looked like they could be really good, so when the Move hit store shelves, I thought what the Heck – I might as well give it a try. I bought the Sports Champions Bundle, along with an extra controller, and I have to say it was well worth it. Although I will not be buying any of the other Move Launch titles (none interest me). Sports Champions is enough to keep me entertained for quite a while.
Sports Champions features 6 different sporting events, and each of them offer bronze, silver, and gold cups for the single player – which you will want to do just so you can get all the goodies, and unlockables. The events include Frisbee Golf, Archery, Boccee, Beach Volleyball, Ping Pong, and Gladiator Duel. They all offer lots of variety including different environments, or different twists on how to play the game, and every event is enjoyable and very responsive with the motion controllers. For example, Frisbee Golf allows you to angle the disk, throw backhand, over the head, or in whatever way you like. It also understands how hard you threw the disk, so the experience is as close to real as you can get (keep in mind you will still play better on the Move than in real life – at least that has been my experience so far). In ping pong, I almost felt like I was actually playing in real life (since I have played ping pong quite a bit), I knew what angle to hold the paddle at, and how to swing at the ball in order to get it to do what I wanted it to (such as hit the corner of the table, or create a backspin and it was lots of fun – though there were times I returned the ball when I know I would not have been able to in real life, so once again, you will find that you do much better at this game than if you were playing the real thing). With all that said, the sporting competitions in this game feel much more realistic than anything you will play on the wii, and are therefore a more immersive gaming experience.
A couple of the events also allow you to use a single controller, or two controllers – Namely Archery, Beach Volleyball, and Gladiator Duel, and I recommend trying both. With the single controller these events are fun, and probably the best way to play with a friend since there is not as much of a learning curve. If you are by yourself, two controllers change the feel of these events entirely thus making them feel fresh and new.
The only drawback to this game is that it only has six events, and although each event offers a lot of variety, the game does not feel entirely complete. It definitely showcases what the move is capable of (which I hope to see more of in the future), but I would have liked a few more events (maybe future DLC). The characters are also very cliché of sporting games, and mumble, grown, and cheer a lot – and this may annoy a lot of gamers. It has not been such a big issue for me, but it is why I am giving this game an 8.5 instead of a 10.
In short, this game is well worth looking at. If you are considering the Playstation Move Sports Champions is a must, and if you are like me, the only move title you will have in your library until better games are released.