Michael Phelps: Push the Limit
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit is not the game that will jump start a Michael Phelps game franchise or swimming game genre, the way that the original Tony Hawk skateboarding game pioneered a video game subgenre. Instead Michael Phelps: Push the Limit tries to meet the standards of a modern sports video game but never succeeds in overcoming the repetitive nature of its core gameplay.
The core of Michael Phelps: Push the Limit is as one would expect competitive swimming. While attempts were made to make this simulation interesting, competitive swimming is an activity that is better watched or participated in, rather than played in video game form. Each race begins with the player trying to pump up the crowd by pumping their arms up in the air using the Kinect sensor. Successfully pumping up the crowd will grant the player an additional boost to their stamina bar, which dictates how long they can swim for.
After pumping up the crowd, the player must move into a diving position and at the sound of a gunshot perform a dive. This doesn’t mean literally diving into the floor but to alternate from a crouched position to a standing position with arms outstretched, similar to how one would actually dive. Then the player must swim against eight opponents by performing the designated stroke while maintain their stamina bar and stroke meter. The stroke meter is the perfect pace the player should be moving their arms at to simulate swimming. If the motion is too quick the stamina bar will drain leaving the player with less mobility in the second half of the race. If the player can maintain the perfect motion and keep the arrow on the stroke meter they will begin to fill the “push the limit bar,” which is the level of speed the swimmer can use for the last twenty five meters of the race.
The problem with this swimming system, which is the crux of the entire game, is that the swimming motion performed by the player does not register on a one to one basis with the game. Each race will require the player to spend crucial race time trying to find the perfect motion to fill the push the limit bar, often quickening or slowing their pace because of the seconds of input lag.
The balance between the stamina bar and stroke meter bar is sound in theory but the execution using the Kinect sensor deteriorates the experience. With the noticeable input the lag the developer should have simply allowed the player’s own stamina to dictate their performance level, not through an artificial gameplay mechanic.
The lack of accurate motion detection only serves to make the repetitive nature of the game more noticeable. The only difference between races is the length of each race, the venue and the type of stroke performed, and skill level. The four different strokes that can be performed are the front crawl, back stroke, breast stroke and butterfly stroke. Each stroke requires a different range of motion and is the key variation on each race.
There are six different venues from around the world that a race can take place in. Each venue is slightly varied and helps to break up the monotonous races. A race can range from a sprinting 50m race to a marathon 200m race. The longer the race the more difficult the game becomes with keeping the stamina bar filled while trying to find the correct speed to move your arms. The lower the skill level (gold, platinum and elite) the more forgiving the game is. On gold difficulty the game will automatically perform the turn (the motion of pushing off the wall to swim inthe opposite direction) while on platinum or elite the player must do it themselves.
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit is broken down into three modes: quick play, career and multiplayer. Quick play allows the player to choose the type of stroke, venue, difficulty and length of a single race. It also allows you to choose from several swimmers including Michael Phelps. In career mode you can create your own swimmer with a basic character creator. Throughout the career mode the player competes in three seasons of various swimming events, each culminating in an “annual games” which seems to be the equivalent of the Olympics.
The multiplayer mode allows players to compete both online and through split-screen play. Michael Phelps: Push the Limit may be the single most dangerous Kinect game to play locally. The motions required are to similar swimming often resulting in one quickly moving their arms in a circular motion. To fit into the area the Kinect sensor will register, two players may be close enough to accidently smack each other in the face while racing.
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit does offer a strong tutorial mode that explains the game’s mechanics as well as how to perform each swimming gesture for Kinect. Also included in the tutorial for your amusement is Michael Phelps himself performing these gestures in a Speedo on the deck of a pool.
While Michael Phelps: Push the Limit does try to break new ground by offering one of the first real swimming motion simulation games, the inaccuracy of the game coupled with the Kinect sensor make for a repetitive and often frustrating experience. Compared to other sports games available for Kinect like Kinect Sports: Season 2, Michael Phelps: Push the Limit lacks the depth of gameplay and accuracy of controls to be a recommended purchase.
