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Sports Story

Sports Story

Sidebar expands with all sorts of different things, grouped together in a jumble so confusing that it can be hard to get an overview.

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I was so infinitely excited about Golf Story when it came out. The "RPG-ification" of various game genres is something that generally, both then and now, has suited me quite well, and maintaining systems, keeping track of gear and levels, I think often adds to my immersion. On top of that add seeing an adorable pixelated golf adventure with RPG mechanics spring to life? Yeah, it was almost too good to be true.

However, I ended up being slightly lukewarm to it in the end, sadly, and had to admit after roughly 20 hours of play that it simply takes more to make such an experience interesting.

So what has developer Sidebar Games done? Well, they've certainly expanded the business, and now present us with "Sports Story", a gaming experience where we retain the same "arcade sports but RPG" idea, but where there are more sports, which should hopefully ensure more mechanical and structural versatility.

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Sports Story
Sports Story

So did they succeed? Well, perhaps we should first welcome you to an island dedicated to sporting activities. Here your character from the previous game is holidaying with the coach and two colleagues, and there is no further motivation than that they want to see what this "sports island" has to offer. Sidebar still manages to write excellent satirical dialogue, and on a more moment-to-moment level there's one sharp line after another, each with their own quirky setup. The problem is that the game has so much gunpowder in its rump that it never really leads to anything concrete. During the game's first 10 minutes there pirates, gang members, beekeepers and I'll be coming after you. One idea loosely hooks onto another without forming a cohesive story together.

There is not a single memorable character in Sports Story. You could make the argument that in an arcade sports game with an RPG structure, it's not that crucial, but this is an RPG, so some kind of narrative structure is critical. It's particularly annoying because Sidebar is obviously so good at writing single exchanges, so why do they never amount to anything?!

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On the other hand, the whole place oozes charm. Compared to Golf Story, Sports Story has been given a graphical overhaul, so the Earthbound-inspired aesthetic shines through more easily. Overall, this is a game that both looks good and sounds good.

As described above, there are more mechanics to play with this time around. Not only does it now expand with several sports, such as tennis and football, but there are also a host of mini-games, such as obstacle course cycling, and even dungeons. The game's gameplay loop is so jam-packed that the game can barely catch its breath at times. Just at the start, you're introduced to volleyball, but you barely get through a set before you're thrown on - it's several hours, many hours, before you're playing volley again.

There's a sort of overworld where you move between various small open worlds, but it doesn't give the game the structure it needs. Often you feel like you're wandering restlessly, panting for a bit more flow, and by just adding, adding and adding again, Sports Story feels decidedly unfocused at times.

Sports Story
Sports Story

That's not to say that the game, again, doesn't have charm, and works well in isolated situations. Playing golf is entertaining, playing tennis is entertaining, but precisely because we span such a wide range, not everything is equally polished. That BMX mini-game from before? Yeah, it's just not fun. Not all sports are equally polished, no, but they all work on a more central level. The problem is because the game refuses to be focused and streamlined, it never feels like there's an intentional progression between them, where you grow, get better, and can see where you came from and where you're going.

Sports Story isn't bad, but it so quickly makes the typical mistake of piling too much on top of a foundation that can't really hold up anymore. More sports and content types give more flexibility and versatility, yes, but it also makes the game distract itself, and you, all the time, and without narrative footholds this is the definition of a pearl clutch. That's not to say that the game is decidedly broken, unambitious or bad. Volleyball, tennis, golf, dialogue, graphics, soundtrack - all the broken pieces are here. It's just bad... well, arranged.

HQ
06 Gamereactor UK
6 / 10
+
Solid sports, great 16-bit graphics, good soundtrack, lots of content.
-
Poorly arranged, confusing structure, boring mini-games, hopelessly halting.
overall score
is our network score. What's yours? The network score is the average of every country's score

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Sports Story

REVIEW. Written by Magnus Groth-Andersen

Sidebar expands with all sorts of different things, grouped together in a jumble so confusing that it can be hard to get an overview.



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