I must admit that when the PlayStation Move peripheral was released, I was instantly excited by the possibilities and tech demos. Years later, I think I can count the number of times I’ve played it on two hands. There haven’t been many decent games based solely on the Move.
| Release Date | October 30, 2012 |
| Genre | Sports |
| Platforms | PS3 |
| Developer | Zindagi Games |
| Price | $39.99 US |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone 10+ |
| Players | 1-2 Players |
Zindagi Games, along with San Diego Studio, was responsible for this one. You might remember Zindagi from their other Move title, Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest, and the first Sports Champions. Zindagi has been the one developer who seems to get the very best out of the Move controller,r and that continues with Sports Champions 2.
Archery
This is carried over from Sports Champions, and Archery is just as good as before. To me, this is the most authentic-to-life sport on the disc. There’s nothing like taking the arrow out of your satchel with one fluid motion and lining up your shot accurately. Zindagi has perfected this; this is the third game they’ve made featuring archery.
Bowling
Bowling is a very casual experience and doesn’t require much thought process. The sport plays much the same as its real-life counterpart and is equally as satisfying when you make a nice curve shot for a strike. It’s simplistic, but playing with a couple of friends is nice if you have the extra Move controllers.
Golf
Golf was a decent attempt at recreating the sport. However, it had one shortcoming: the power. No matter how I swing, I use too much power, which is quite a big deal when you consider how precise golf is. Regardless of that problem, the controller is relatively adequate, and the power issue could have just been a mishap on my part. However, judging from what others have said, it seems to be a widespread problem.
Boxing
Boxing was instantly very similar to Wii Sports, in my opinion, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about that. I’m a gamer who likes realism more than fantasy, and this felt more arcade-like than I would have liked. That being said, there’s a lot of depth there in Sports Champions 2. There are different blocks you can do and many different punches you can land. There are even super attacks to take down your opponent quickly. The strategy behind this is undermined promptly by flailing the Move controller like a maniac to secure a cheap victory. The one problem with Boxing is that you need a second Move controller to get the whole experience. If you don’t have the second Move controller, you have to use the face buttons to punch, which doesn’t translate well and isn’t something I recommend trying.
Tennis
Tennis could have been a great addition to Sports Champions 2. Still, it was a frustrating experience because the Eye kept losing the Move controller whenever I tried for a more aggressive approach. This is one of the Move’s real shortcomings; the realism is lost as soon as the Eye loses sight of the Move controller, making some games (like tennis) a real chore. Skiing was also a major disappointment, and it felt out of place among the other sports. With two motion controllers, it is slightly better, but, like Boxing, one limits the experience.
Cup Mode
If you’re playing this as a single player, you’ll spend the bulk of your time in Cup Mode playing against CPU players who are progressively more difficult. Cups are divided into three categories: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, and players must collect stars, which serve as a score that brings them closer to the desired cup. Obtaining these stars is challenging and adds replay value to Sports Champions 2.
Free Play/Party Play Mode
Free Play Mode and the new Party Play Mode offer great options for playing with friends. The problem with those options is that you need a separate Move controller for each friend (up to 4) you want to play with. This is a substantial investment for a game that costs $39.99, unless your friends already own one. There’s also some character customization, although it’s not the deepest I’ve ever seen, and the lack of online play is downright puzzling.
Final Thoughts
For my money, I honestly can’t recommend Sports Champions 2. Zindagi Games did an okay job on some games and a less-than-stellar job on others. The fact that you need a second Move controller to play many games to their full potential is a big problem.
