Customer Reviews

Champion Dreams: First to Ride

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This game has its good and bad aspects. But, just to put it out there, I would not recommend this game for little kids.

Good Aspects:

Fair Graphics
- The horse needs work because it has very ackward movements, but the people and surrounds are great.
Good Story Line
- The story line keeps you into the game longer then most horse games I have played (and trust me, I've tried maybe 99% of them).
Design your own Training Schedule
- You have certain goals to acheive before the end of the week, but otherwise you can do what you want, when you want to.
Realistic Gameplay
- Grooming, bathing, hoof cleaning, stall cleaning, turn-out, dressage, show jumping, cross country, trail rides, etc.

Bad Aspects:

Too Challenging of game obstacles
- After about an hour of trying on some, I gave up and had to go onto cheat sites in order to figure out some of the obstacles)
The main character talks to herself (or has an imaginary friend?)
- Okay, I had to throw this in, because it's just a bad idea on the part of the designer to tell you what to do in the game. It's just plain strange.
Some of the "Horse Care" tasks take WAY TOO LONG
- Hoof cleaning and stall cleaning take way too long. Sometimes you can't even get the hoof pick to get that certain piece of dirt without touching the frog (V-shaped area of the foot). Or you can't pick up the straw and manure pieces without trying multiple times (I feel like the arm on those stuffed animal toys at the arcade). In addition, the hose in the bathing option does not spray correctly. I have to aim lower then it looks in order to his the rump for example.
What's with the "Talk"?
- The "talk" options (after passing the first competition) is all messed up. First of all, I can't hear whether a horse is whinnying or puffing, etc. Second, it's too much for a hassle to have to write all these things down in order to get them even remotely correct, and I still sometimes get them wrong. Third, way too many of them are too close to each other to figure out the difference. It was an interesting idea, but needed to be designed better.
Important things get screwed up
- The first time I played the scenario, my collected canter would not work no matter what I did, so I would always get points off. Now, on my second time through, my collected canter works, but my horse continues to turn left randomly, even when I'm not pressing the key (although I prefer this one over the first because this one I can expect and correct).

I probably have more aspects, but I've written too much already. Overall, I don't want the bad aspects to get you down about this game. It is good, but only if you don't mind the difficult things and don't fret about having to look up some cheats if you get frustracted on the scenario obstacles.

As someone who has also played more than my fair share of horse games, I was a bit frustrated and disappointed by this game. For starters, the NICE thing about this game is that it has a more complete manual than most UBISOFT games. However, in keeping with tradition for UBISOFT, on the downside, there are still MAJOR gaps to be filled in - as you can see from other reviewers questions. The sequence of events is not always naturally progressive so there are some areas that you need to make a leap of logic to fill in.
There are some areas - such as talking to your horse - which continue to be mysterious no matter how many notes you take. What your horse "does" doesn't always match up to the descriptions given. Also, having found something in the manual that didn't match up in game play, I am a bit suspicious that they made sure everything "written" had a matching equivalent in game.
Additionally, while the level of the game scales up - as in the courses get harder - so too does your level of expected competency. As you get to the last week in the game your expected level of competency is higher than any other week, and the challenges are MUCH harder. As most who have played the game know is near impossible to make any jumping circuit without having at least one refusal(on the cross country course) or at least one bar down (in the show jumping), but during the last week thats exactly what's expected of you. Suffice it to say, with 34 cross country jumps and 15 show jumping jumps, the odds are just that much higher that you won't succeed. I've found myself saving and repeating courses over and over again just so I can try to get the best score possible. You get three fails at any week or task before you're expelled.

And as a side note, I am NOT a fan of the "love interest" side story, mostly because I find it to be VERY creepy and very disturbing at the end. I just found the concepts to be more mature than should be in a game of this level (E for everyone).
Overall the game is entertaining, but frustrating requiring more hours of repetition than actual progressive game time.

This game is very close to being my favorite . Next to equestriad . I think it is very correct it's horses movements except for the lead no game can grasp the concept of this . I really like all the competions it's not all about cleaning your horse and I like the Idea of making my own schedule . Think is great . I love the dressage part on some games they only do some of the movements this one does all.I would suggest this to anyone that is a kid at heart it's a little hard for younger kids to play.

Wonderful wonderful game.

-User friendly, good for adults & mature kids
-Great mystery, very well thought out
-4 Teammates you interact with and get to know
-Many many courses, always new ones
-You plan your own schedule for when to practice, care for your horse, etc.
-You must go to the library to do research, learn dressage moves, and understand your horses needs
-Long game, but lots of variety, never monotonous

Best game of this style that I've seen.

I really love this game! I almost wasn't able to play it because I scratched the disk terribly. My dad cleaned it about 7 times and it worked! Anyshwa, the way the horse moves is terrific! I put "Help Me!!!" on the title because, just like a lot of people will be, I'm stuck. You will come to a part where you have to get Ginger's present (You'll learn who these characters are in the game). Esteban forgot it in the attic room. Your mission: to retrieve it. Now, it sounds easy, especially because the attic is right up some stairs. WRONG. In orded to get the attic door UNLOCKED, you to get a phone number (You don't have to write it down.), steal a chess piece, call on a phone to disrupt the LOOKOUTS playing chess at another place, get past the lookouts AGAIN, and well, I haven't gotten past the 2nd lookout, so I can't tell you anymore. Well, hopes this help!

P.S. In the library, read entertainment 5. Go to the site it says and you will find stuff to collect. ON YOUR GAME COMPUTER

P.P.S. In order to unlock the attic door, you have to go to the library, which is past the 2nd lookout, which is also LOCKED.

If anyone reads this and finds a way to get past the 2nd lookout and succeed in the mission, WRITE A REVIEW!!!! I'D LIKE HELP PLEASE!!!!!

I bought this game sometime last year and I love it. The graphics are farly good the only thing is sometimes the sound gets cut of from the hoofbeats when your praticing, but it's a problem thats easily fixed. When I first started the game it was really hard getting the required movements and I went through most of the game without having them because I didn't know you had to go to the library and read about them to get them. It's is a pretty easy to play once you get the hang of it. I suggest that before you go into Kiew's room in Morroco, you find your bedroom first and spend as much of your tokens as possible, because the Director is going to take them away. And in week five find some time to go into your bedroom and buy as much as your tokens will allow and you should have enough popularity to get to the competion. There are still a few things I don't get like talking to your horse. I've written all the notes down and I still don't get it all right. And when your chasing the guy on the motorcycle how are you supposed to catch him? But still this game is fun to play, but it does take a couple of different logs to actually master it.

This game is definatley one of the better created horse games. The graphics are fantastic and the riding is realistic. The game can be a little challenging at some points in the game and the dressage takes a little getting used to but other than that it is a great game. I was very happy with Champion Dreams and would reccoment it over the other horse games out there.

This is the best horse game ever. Some parts are very hard though,here are some hints.
.When you have to find Ginger's present in the attic,take the chess piece and the phone number,then you'll find that the library is locked,so go down the stairs and you'll be outside. Go to the front building and go inside. Once your inside get the key on the table.Then go back inside and go in the library. Patrick will give you the key to the attic. Then go to your room and use the phone with the phone number that you got.Then go up the stairs to the attic. Once you've got the present follow Harry down the hall to the student center.
.When you have to race Kiew,press the esc key.
Hope that helped.

OK heres a hint for getting Ginger's present: theres a phone that gives you a number by the first chess board and another phone in "your" room. Also you have to go outside and into another building to get the key to the library. I actually learned this from somebody else's review!!

You have to go to the library and read the "extended or collected stuff" in order to learn it.

I thought this game was great. Out of my 8 or so other horsey games this was one of my favorites, although I didn't really like the drop-off ending. It would have been nice if you could have continued just for fun afterwards, but the game just ends after the last competition (which took me 4 trys!!)Other than that it was a lot of fun and I liked how it was mostly all about horses but there were some parts that werent. I am a totally horse-obsessed girl, but I am also a teenager and so I found the perfect kind of game for me!!

To find Ginger's present you have to:
1. go to the chess board that th lookouts are playing at and steal a chess piece
2. go to the phone and get the phone nummber
3. go through the hallway towards the library, but then go down the stairs where the stables are located
4. follow the path, going under the bridge, to a door on your left
5. pick up the key on the table
6. go back to the library the man there will give you a key to the attic
7. go into your room and call the number you got by the 1st chess board you will find it in your inventory
8. go up the stairs, and then into the attic, find the present
9. wait untill the lookout turns around and follow him out and go into the lounge room.(by the way, the lookout doesn't go all the way to the end of the hallway)