Sports Champions

(Sony for PS3)
By Mike Delano

It’s a cliché, but when it comes to the new Playstation Move motion controller, you really have to hold it in your hands. Ergonomically, it feels miles better than the Wii Remote, due to its excellent design, satisfying rumble feedback and, most importantly, greatly improved on-screen accuracy (how it looks as you swing a colored orb around your living room is another matter). It’s a peripheral rife with potential, although that potential hasn’t revealed itself in one must-have title yet: Instead, it’s sprinkled throughout several smaller experiences. The Move bundle, which includes the controller, Playstation Eye camera, Sports Champions game, and a disc of game demos, does a good job of collecting these experiences. Of the six games in Champions, the most satisfying are the ones that take advantage of the Move’s strengths, whether it’s the accuracy of Archery or Table Tennis or, surprisingly, the simple pleasures of Bocce. Unfortunately, the game has a rather sterile presentation overall, and a couple of the meager selection of activities (Gladiator Duel and Beach Volleyball) are just bad. So it’s not a complete package, but Champions does do a good job of hinting at where the Move can go from here.
(www.us.playstation.com, available at RadioShack.com)