String Quintet- Racquet Sports Review

While we didn’t get a review copy of the first Wii title to integrate camera support- Your Shape featuring Jenny McCarthy, we were able to get our hands on the recently released Racquet Sports. The disk forgoes the strict regimens found in its motion tracking predecessor, instead focusing on recreating some of the casual activities found in games like Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.

Unlike Your Sports, Racquet Sports doesn’t stubbornly require the use of the camera accessory. In fact, frugal gamers may purchase the disk without the peripheral for a reduced MSRP, and use their existing Wiimotes to control their on-screen athletes. Owners of the WiiMotion Plus attachment even receive a few supplementary shot variations, although they don’t radically alter Racquet Sports’ core mechanics.

Each of the recreations in Racquet Sports– tennis, ping pong, squash, badminton and beach tennis, share the same basic control tenets. Forehand and backhand strokes are initiated by a swing of the controller with a left or rightward sweep, respectively. To execute a drop shot that sends opponents dashing to the net, gamers depress the ‘B’ button while making contact. Like Wii Sports Tennis, players won’t control the position of their character; the game automatically moves athletes around the court. Shot trajectories are determined by a combination of player timing and an assessment of the player’s swing. While Racquet Sports’ system doesn’t allow the range of shots offered by Grand Slam Tennis, it also avoids the sporadic missed swings associated with the Electronic Arts title.
 

Racquet Sports feels radically different when using the USB camera, obliging players to alter their swinging actions. As the system has to interpret body motion, there is a small amount of lag introduced by the peripheral. While this doesn’t spoil the game, it does require players to anticipate their swings, particularly if they’re grown accustomed to the Wiimote-based input method. Gamers are also required to stand in a designated area about four feet in front of the camera, limiting the amount of superfluous physicality associated with Wii-based sports games. Generally, the Racquet Sports was able to discern controlled swings consistently, however, the game did seem to respond sluggishly to the downward-hand movement used to exit replay mode.

Although Racquet Sports has six different modes, each presents the game’s five sporting events with restrained variation. Training challenges players to hit the ball or shuttlecock in a designated square, while Quick Match rewards player will an assortment of unlockable items to accessorize their avatars. Party Mode sole disparity is giving players specific rules at the commencement of each match, such as switching their Wiimotes to the other hand.

Graphically, Racquet Sports meticulously evokes the both the charm and polish of the Wii Sports series. From the well-rendered locations which stimulate a sense of natural serenity, to characters which recall Mii’s with their rotund bodies and detached appendages, the game doesn’t veer far from the Nintendo canon. Fortunately, the title’s uncomplicated visuals allow Racquet Sports to keep its framerate high, permitting players to easily track the trajectory of every ball and shuttlecock.