As I write this review the winter Olympics have just started and I am totally engrossed in all of the ups and downs of the different athletes. With Playman Winter Games, you can join the fun in four different sporting events.
You are Playman the star of this and some other fun sporting titles including the summer games. Playman is a sporting superstar and this time he is chilling in the Alps and having a lot of fun trying out Bobsled, Downhill Skiing, Ski Jump and Biathlon. Before I get into talking about the different events, the one thing that really struck me as fun with this game is that you can have a bunch of players and pass the phone around and compete against each other.
The event I was most eager to try my hand at is the skiing and shooting Biathlon. You gain or loose speed in the skiing portion of the event by hitting the correct number as you ski past makers. And when you get to the shooting phase, you hit the target by correctly hitting the number on in the target circle. This game is not easy when you are taking your time, and the challenge only builds when you are racing against the clock.
The next event I tried was the Slalom. The slalom is just what you would expect from watching skiing on TV. You have to ski through different gates. The trick is to cut your corners as close as you can, because if you turn too far, you loose speed. Naturally missing gates in not very helpful ether and each game you miss results in a penalty on your final time.
I found the Ski Jump to be the least fun of the events. You slide down the ramp and when you reach the bottom you have to hit the right spot on the power meter to get the best distance. And then while you are sailing through the air, you hit different keys to keep your skis level. And finally you have to land just right.
My second favorite event in the Olympics is the Bobsled. The directions for this event sound easy. They are to keep your sleigh in the optimal spot indicated by the circle and you will gain the best speed. Sounds pretty simple. Well, let me tell you it is not simple at all.
To really test the game in the right environment, I took Playman Winter Games, and several other games from the real arcade network, down into the subway and tested it on my commute. I mentally set a station several stops away and if I was enjoying the game and missed the stop I was looking for I took that as a good sign.
The individual events in Playman made it somewhat easy not to miss my stop, but being in the middle of the biathlon, I have to say I did miss my target, though more on purpose that anything else. Overall, I have to say with the timing of the Olympics I found trying out this game to be a huge treat.