UbiNintendo: Academy of Champions
posted:
7/14/2009 11:50:00 AM
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Academy of Champions
What would a soccer-based take on Harry Potter look like, with Pele himself as Dumbledore training a ragtag group of aspiring footballers as the wizards? It’d look exactly like Academy of Champions, because the Harry Potter analogy is really the best I can come up with. It seems that Pele wants to pass the torch to a new generation, not only teaching the fundamentals of soccer but also sportsmanship, practice and hard work. For this reason he’s established Brightfield Academy, a sort of Hogwarts of soccer. You can begin the game as either a boy or girl student and then you set out on a quest to not only get skilled at soccer but also solve the problems of your peers.
At the outset you’re assigned a ragtag group of four students as your initial team, which you can train up into competent specialists or trade out for some of the school’s 40 other available students. Mia Hamm is even a student, somehow, and each one will have a number of requirements for you to complete before you join their team. This adds a social, adventure dimension to the game that makes AOC much more than just a kid-themed soccer sim. The story is a big part of the experience and involves a ruthless rival school that plays to win at any cost.
In terms of gameplay and appearance AOC is highly stylized, but that’s not a bad thing. Pele, the other characters, the school and the stadiums have a colorful, angular wood carving appearance that is very appealing and makes it easy to distinguish between players on the field. The gameplay reminds me a bit of Mario Strikers; players can execute special moves when a power meter is filled, but to fill it up you must play good team soccer by passing the ball frequently. Pele was involved with development from the start and made sure the game emphasized the basics of his philosophy, by rewarding team play and perseverance. If you let one player be a glory hog and carry the ball from one end of the field to the other, you won’t win many matches.
In addition to the story mode AOC has two player multiplayer (sorry, no online play) and a number of training minigames. The showcase of these trainers was a balance board game that had you moving your body as if balancing a soccer ball. It’s pretty intuitive to roll the on-screen ball around on your shoulders, but bouncing it with your character’s foot requires that you shake the Wii remote. I’m not complaining about the mode—it’s a cool little addition to the game—just the rather cheap quality of Nintendo’s pricy bathroom scale. Unfortunately the balance board isn’t used for anything else, but AOC does support WiiMotionPlus.
I played a couple multiplayer matches with developer Carsten Myhill, who pointed out the nuances of the game. I won a couple times but I’m pretty sure Carsten was being nice and letting me win, because he showed off some impressive skills later. Each team has its own distinct theme and uniform which makes it easy to stay focused on your own players, and if you want you can import your custom team from the story mode. The teams I tried out made the game feel like Ubisoft Strikers Charged—team Ubisoft vs. team Rabbids. My team consisted of Altair, Sam Fisher, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, the new Prince of Persia and Rayman playing goalie.
AOC isn’t as involved as games like FIFA but it makes up for this by being accessible and fun. Passing often and strategically really is important to keep your opponent guessing, and it fills that team meter for sprinting and special moves. The Ubi team’s moves were very creative—Sam Fisher turned the whole field pitch black and flipped on his night vision goggles, letting him move the ball to the goal while the opposite team fumbled around in the dark. If you have WiiMotionPlus you can dodge with gestures instead of the C button, and add angle to your passes and shots. It’s not a huge addition but the inclusion of WM+ shows that Ubisoft is dedicated to the new hardware and understands it.
Overall Academy of Champions was one of the most pleasant surprises at the event. I never imagined a kid-oriented soccer game could be so addictive, but the pick up and play nature makes it a lot of fun to just jump into. I’m interested to see more of the story mode and according to Carsten the whole game is essentially finished. Expect it on store shelves September 1st 2009.
At the outset you’re assigned a ragtag group of four students as your initial team, which you can train up into competent specialists or trade out for some of the school’s 40 other available students. Mia Hamm is even a student, somehow, and each one will have a number of requirements for you to complete before you join their team. This adds a social, adventure dimension to the game that makes AOC much more than just a kid-themed soccer sim. The story is a big part of the experience and involves a ruthless rival school that plays to win at any cost.
In terms of gameplay and appearance AOC is highly stylized, but that’s not a bad thing. Pele, the other characters, the school and the stadiums have a colorful, angular wood carving appearance that is very appealing and makes it easy to distinguish between players on the field. The gameplay reminds me a bit of Mario Strikers; players can execute special moves when a power meter is filled, but to fill it up you must play good team soccer by passing the ball frequently. Pele was involved with development from the start and made sure the game emphasized the basics of his philosophy, by rewarding team play and perseverance. If you let one player be a glory hog and carry the ball from one end of the field to the other, you won’t win many matches.
In addition to the story mode AOC has two player multiplayer (sorry, no online play) and a number of training minigames. The showcase of these trainers was a balance board game that had you moving your body as if balancing a soccer ball. It’s pretty intuitive to roll the on-screen ball around on your shoulders, but bouncing it with your character’s foot requires that you shake the Wii remote. I’m not complaining about the mode—it’s a cool little addition to the game—just the rather cheap quality of Nintendo’s pricy bathroom scale. Unfortunately the balance board isn’t used for anything else, but AOC does support WiiMotionPlus.
I played a couple multiplayer matches with developer Carsten Myhill, who pointed out the nuances of the game. I won a couple times but I’m pretty sure Carsten was being nice and letting me win, because he showed off some impressive skills later. Each team has its own distinct theme and uniform which makes it easy to stay focused on your own players, and if you want you can import your custom team from the story mode. The teams I tried out made the game feel like Ubisoft Strikers Charged—team Ubisoft vs. team Rabbids. My team consisted of Altair, Sam Fisher, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, the new Prince of Persia and Rayman playing goalie.
AOC isn’t as involved as games like FIFA but it makes up for this by being accessible and fun. Passing often and strategically really is important to keep your opponent guessing, and it fills that team meter for sprinting and special moves. The Ubi team’s moves were very creative—Sam Fisher turned the whole field pitch black and flipped on his night vision goggles, letting him move the ball to the goal while the opposite team fumbled around in the dark. If you have WiiMotionPlus you can dodge with gestures instead of the C button, and add angle to your passes and shots. It’s not a huge addition but the inclusion of WM+ shows that Ubisoft is dedicated to the new hardware and understands it.
Overall Academy of Champions was one of the most pleasant surprises at the event. I never imagined a kid-oriented soccer game could be so addictive, but the pick up and play nature makes it a lot of fun to just jump into. I’m interested to see more of the story mode and according to Carsten the whole game is essentially finished. Expect it on store shelves September 1st 2009.
