Despite these modern times, sports aren’t really about rules and regulations or instant replays and million-dollar shoe contracts.
The appeal is all in the bonding, rivalry, and competition that come from pitting one person against another. It’s the reason why the simple classics, like Foosball, are still the best.
Flick Champions HD doesn’t try to go deep with any of its eight mini-games, but it shamelessly layers on the old skool fun.
An octopus of gamesFlick Champions HD has eight games: Basketball, Tennis, Football, Hockey, Bowling, Archery, Baseball, and (American) Football. The first four are immediately available, but the final four are unlocked after you earn a certain number of experience points.
You win these points by jumping into any of the games, either against the computer or against another player.
The computer has three difficulty levels in Exhibition mode, which is a single game, and three matching difficulty levels in Cup mode, which is the playoffs. Points are gained by besting an opponent, but even a loss will get you a point or two.
Finger funAs the name suggests, everything in Flick Champions HD can be done with one finger. Basketball is about sliding your finger with enough momentum to sink the ball in the hole, while hockey has you slapping the puck with your finger. The controls are pretty tight, because things are kept so simple.
The pace here is less Madden and more pinball. There's no defence when another person is playing, so there are no complex control schemes or overdoses of stats. Instead, it comes down to one person’s pure ability compared to someone else’s.
BlockoutIn fact, no element of Flick Champions HD takes itself too seriously. The cartoon characters are blockheads – literally – built like Legos. The sound and music are equally goofy, with the basketball crowd stomping a mutilated version of Queen’s 'We Will Rock You' when the score gets close.
The difficulty is forgiving, but ever present. We were able to gain confidence going through the Rookie cup, but the next one gave us a run for our money. Dozens of unlockables, from funny footballs to strange items, give some incentive to keep earning experience points with the tougher competition.
The mano-y-mano design is also well-suited to two-player matches. There's no need to do boot up Bluetooth or wi-fi: battles are done by sharing an iPad and facing each other at the ends.
The one problem with Flick Champions HD is that hardcore sports gamers may find it too simple. People looking for even a modicum of realistic simulation should buy one of the more high-brow games within the eight categories.
That said, most players will immediately appreciate the funny, old skool gameplay Flick Champions HD delivers. Anyone who remembers the classic sports titles will appreciate it, too.