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Even though the new Playstation Move
controller has already gone through the motions in a previous review,
we've decided to examine another launch title, Ubisoft's Racquet Sports.
Unlike Sony's Sports Champions which took a more realistic approach, this
takes on a decidedly less serious feel that's more in line with the Wii
aesthetic. The main characters have a cartoony look that makes them feel
more approachable. There are several of them available right from the
start and you can customize their appearance by unlocking additional items
during the game. This includes outfits, haircuts, and other items that can
be used to give them more personality. Players have the choice of playing
each of the five events in different modes ranging from practice, to co-op
and a unique party mode, where different rules come into play at random.
As you might expect from the title, the events all have you controlling a
racquet of some sort and include a fairly standard tennis game, squash,
badminton, table tennis and beach tennis. All of the games play fairly
similarly and most players should have little trouble getting the hang of
things. Interestingly, the game has a completely different way of
calibrating itself than the one used in Sports Champions. You merely have
to point the controller at the screen and you can get right into the
action. This is a much simpler approach, but it also might explain a few
things. When using the Move controller, it doesn't feel as accurate as it
could have been and there's a noticeable lack of precision and accuracy,
which makes its mechanics feel less sophisticated than its SCEA-published
counterpart.
Once you navigate the menus, it's time
to go to the action. Players begin by holding the Move controller in
either your right or left hand and can then use it as you would a standard
racket or hand-ball controller. The on field running is mostly controlled
automatically, so you mostly only need to worry about hitting the ball.
The basic motion control techniques used in Racquet Sports are fairly
straightforward and most players will find little to no learning curve.
Swinging the remote straight out from the side allows you to hit the ball
and it usually volleys right back to your opponent. You can use several
moves such as forehand and backhand strokes by swinging the controller
either over or under. More advanced techniques such as lobs and applying
backspin can be controlled by swinging in an upward direction, which
allows you to perform much more unpredictable techniques. This is
gradually introduced to players who go through the training mode, which is
a simple set of tutorials that teach you the basics quickly. Once you move
onto the main court, you can practice further by competing against AI
opponents who put up a decent fight at the harder difficulty levels. As a
causal game, the main objective in Racquet Sports comes when you play
against friends, which can be done in co-op and tournament modes. Its
fairly fun when it comes to this part, and the game's simple play
mechanics and forgiving motion controls mean its accessible for players of
many different abilities and styles.
While the five games in Racquet Sports
roughly parallel each other, some come out a little bit better. For
example, the Ping-pong game might be seen as fun in isolation, but the
version of it seen in Sony's own Sports Champions pack-in disc is much
better overall, with increased accuracy and realism in terms of control
making for a superior experience. Things get a bit better when you play
the game's two tennis matches, which allow you to play on a variety of
locations throughout the world and offer a decent, though not spectacular
set of courts to play on. While the motion controls are decent in the
tennis games, we found that they lacked a little bit of the accuracy that
standard tennis titles implementing standard controllers usually offer.
Badminton is a slightly different style of basic tennis where you have to
keep the shuttle thing aloft throughout, but doesn't have as many rules,
which makes for a slightly less challenging game. Squash is an odd
inclusion on the disc and its one-on-one play can be interesting but the
limited court size and close-in combat makes it feel less balanced than
the other games. Like many mini-game titles on the market, this release
feels a little uneven in terms of quality. You can blow through most of
the game very quickly and even its extra party mode feels tacked-on and
doesn't really extend the title's replay value that much.
Ubisoft has done a disappointing job in
translating Racquet Sports. It definitely has the feel of a Wii title,
with very little effort spent to optimize it for the Move. While Racquet
Sports is fun and accessible, its also a bit shallow and superficial. The
simplistic visuals don't look that impressive on the PS3 and brings to
mind the Wii, which is a bit disappointing. Its multiple modes of play are
fun, but the mini-games don't offer much beyond what you'd expect. Racquet
Sports' flaws can be mitigated somewhat by its low price, which leads to
lower expectations. It's interesting to see the contrast between Sony's
Sports Champions and this title. Sony put a lot of production value into
their launch title, while Ubisoft seems to have put in just-enough effort
to get this out the door. It doesn't play with the same level of
sophistication as Sports Champions and instead feels very quick and
superficial. Racquet Sports doesn't aim nearly as high and instead aims
for the mediocre center. Not surprisingly, this exactly is where the title
ends up. By offering a basic set of straightforward tennis-type games and
little else, there's really not much that's unexpected.
- Michael Palisano
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