Parents' Guide to Windjammers 2

This is a fun, intense game that honors the original while adding new elements to keep things fresh, but there's not enough to keep players engaged for long periods of time. Best described as Pong meets Street Fighter, Windjammers 2's appeal is in mastering all the different moves per character. Who knew there was so much depth to throwing a Frisbee? There are new moves not found in the original, such as heavy spikes and parries, and new EX moves to execute at the right time. How you use walls to ricochet, adding spins and curved throws to your arsenal, and mastering your defensive maneuvers (like dodging) will all determine your success at winning matches. The controls are tight and responsive, and it's quite a challenging game to get the hang of since the A.I.-based opponents aren't too forgiving. Even on Easy mode, get ready to lose. A lot. (When you're feeling confident enough, you can play head-to-head against someone beside you or go online and challenge a human player over the Internet.)

It's too bad there aren't a lot of single-player options, like a Story mode, which would have been fun to learn more about each player and discover any rivalries they have with each other, but the game is light in the narrative department. Instead, the Arcade mode is the only solo option, featuring mini-games (including an awesome one with a dog) and some stages to sharpen your skills before choosing either Online (Ranked Match, Quick Match, Play With Friends) or Versus (couch play). The top-down retro visuals are a treat, with plenty of color, unique characters, and fighting game-style animations. Aside from some missing modes, there isn't much wrong with Windjammers 2. Even if you never played the original, there's a lot of appeal here for fans of arcade sports titles -- especially for those who enjoy grinding through challenging games. But if you're looking for more of a plot, you won't find it in this disc-based sport.