Game Reviews

Motion controls make a lot of sense as far as racquet-based sports games go. With that in mind, Ubisoft’s Racquet Sports, a game that was originally released on Nintendo Wii, is now available on the PlayStation 3 with complete Move support. Unfortunately, while the concept sounds ideal, Racquet Sports is anything but a proper representation of Move’s capabilities. Racquet Sports offers a series of racquet-based games and allows up to four players a simultaneous gaming experience. You can even play online. The activities in Racquet Sports include tennis, badminton, squash, table tennis, and beach tennis, with the visuals considerably improved over the Wii’s Mii-style avatars, allowing you to dress your character up in various outfits. Outside the characters, there is plenty of detail in the different environments and even the spectators. The problem with Racquet Sports is that it offers a decidedly poor showcase in regards to the Move’s precision and unique features. The game is filled with lag and commits the common Wii crime of only having to flick your wrist to hit a decent shot. There seems to be little reason to actually move around while you play through the different activities, and the slow reaction time of your onscreen counterpart really draws attention away from the game. Beyond the actual problems in gameplay, the game offers virtually no depth. There is a career mode for all five activities though it offers little incentive for players to pursue, outside of Trophies or costume rewards. If that weren’t enough, the five different activities are practically identical. Table tennis is probably the best of the five, but it pales in comparison to the same mode in Sports Champions. Squash appeared interesting, but it is extremely monotonous and demonstrates another irritating part of the game.