Playback: PlayStation Move Special – Introduction
It's already been a year...
Published: 16:00, 06/10/2011 by Jim Hargreaves.
36Ah. PlayStation Move.
Al: I remember it. It was that thing we saw that stood up strongly against Kinect at that E3 because a) it wasn’t shit and b) actually looked like it might take what was good about the Wii and make it better. Those tech demos, the promise of games that would transform my hobby forever, the chance for Sony to enter the casual market properly and get grannies bowling.
Big promises. Bigger expectations.
Nestled inside the custom made box was a camera. Yes, a PlayStation Eye, that thing that made dragons leap out of your hands and cost a small fortune when bundled with a bit of cloth and some cards. The PlayStation Eye that wasn’t very high resolution, couldn’t detect depth and – much like Kinect – stood little chance of showing you what was on the sole of your shoe.
But it didn’t matter, because Move had a glowing ball (that I proceeded to dismantle immediately). This glowing ball (and some other fancy technology) could detect the angle of your wrist, the speed of motion, the distance from your TV, the colour of your wallpaper and when you last brushed your teeth. It was magical. Nobody knew how it worked – it even scrolled around the XMB like some kind of otherworldly stretched out Dual Shock.
And the games? Well, there were two (I think) shoved oddly into the media kit. It doesn’t really matter what they were, both were unfinished, and both were a little bit unremarkable. It’s easy to look back in hindsight and point fingers (if you’ll excuse the pun) but let’s face it, the Move launch line-up, Sports Champions aside (and who plays that now?) was a bit, well, dull.
And since the initial rush of new stuff, my interest in Move has sadly diminished. I like it when games use Move cleverly – the Sharpshooter is neat enough – but I just feel like the momentum that should have been there hasn’t really carried forward. Certainly, Sony haven’t captured the family market from where I’m sitting and that’s a real shame – the Move tech is smart, but the implementation hasn’t really progressed.
There’s still time, but just now, for me at least, my Move’s back in that fancy blue box.
Sports Champions was fantastic but a flagship PlayStation Move title has yet to materialise.
In this multi-part Playback special we focus on a number of games given the PlayStation Move treatment, from the simply fantastic to the dreadfully dire. Not fully representative of the selected games themselves, we focus entirely on how well they support Sony’s motion tech, whether it be full integration or on-the-side mini games. Be sure to keep an eye out for the first entrants in our list tomorrow.
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06/10/2011 at 16:07
Member since: Jan 2009
I am glad I didn’t let myself get caught up in the hype and buy this. I’d have felt as if it was wasted money. Perhaps somewhere in the future, if they ever get themselves into gear and start churning more, quality games out I will get it. For me, for now, there’s not enough worth buying it for.
06/10/2011 at 16:11
Member since: Aug 2011
Unfortunately I did.
Hopefully that new game which features a floating hand, forests and drunk driving will tempt me into stealing the Move off of my 1ft tall Sackboy
06/10/2011 at 16:36
Member since: Jun 2009
Gutted I got sucked into it too. Waste of money I think.
06/10/2011 at 17:00
Member since: Jun 2010
I did as well. But I’m not complaining: I always wanted to have arcade shooter games at home & Move delivered.
07/10/2011 at 01:05
Member since: Jul 2010
I was intensely eager to get a Move as i already had gotten a Wii for Christmas (my mother thought it would help my sister exercise) and this looked like a better version of it.
but i just did not enjoy using it.
The Move felt smooth and it worked but it just was not fun to use.
i can imagine if i had some friends or my old family here id be able to have some silly fun with it and that would make my purchase worth it, but alas.
i still think that Sorcery will be the best game the Move will ever get, but it does not seem to exist.
the killer app is missing but we know what it is.
the saddest thing is, the only Move game i played which i really liked and thought worked better on Move then on DS3 was Tumble, and that’s really short.
i want original games for the Move, being able to play Killzone with a realistic gun sounds cool in theory but in execution its debatable.
sure, if you combine it with Sony’s head-mounted 3D visor, the experience should be mind blowing.
but we still don’t know if that will be received positively either so that idea is up in the air for the moment.
the reason im excited for skyward sword on the Wii is because it looks like an amazing game that can only played with the motion controller.
whilst the PS3 Move game can be played with a normal controller so theres little reason to use the Move.
06/10/2011 at 16:14
Member since: Dec 2008
Must plonk Children Of Eden PS3 in and try it tonight.
06/10/2011 at 17:36
Member since: Oct 2009
perfect game with Move.
07/10/2011 at 00:10
Member since: May 2009
Same. It’s sitting here, but I just haven’t got round to it yet…
I did give Resistance 3 a quick go with it online last week, and that was rather amusing. It’s quite cool to see the little Move controllers next to peoples’ names on there with regularity. Maybe as many as 1 in 10 people I encounter use it!
06/10/2011 at 16:15
Member since: Jul 2009
I bought it along with ‘Start The Party’ for my son’s Halloween Party. It was great, we all had a good laugh. One chap suddenly realized he had a bit of a gut on him when he saw himself on screen, which was both cringe worthy and hilarious.
I think we’ve played it about a dozen times since and not once in the last six months. We’re still waiting for a decent Move game to come to market.
06/10/2011 at 16:19
Member since: Mar 2011
Still haven’t bought it for lack of a properly goos game, thought seriously about it with the sharpshooter though, but that, the nav and the move proved to be too many monies..
06/10/2011 at 16:34
Member since: Jan 2009
Where are the games? I haven’t bought one game for Move after buying a Move and Navi (unused!). Loved the Tumble and Sports Champions demos (or whatever it’s called) but still haven’t bought a single Move game. Any recommendations?
06/10/2011 at 16:37
Member since: Jun 2009
No, because I couldn’t actually recommend any. Possibly Children of Eden or whatever its called?
06/10/2011 at 17:35
Member since: Dec 2009
Kkillzone and resistance are ace with it. Eyelet is pretty cool, really enjoyed extraction too. As it stands need to give Child of Eden a blast. Also, when the patch dropped I really like the fight too. Must give that another blast. Sorcerer or whats it called looks good too….we all know that star wars and soul.caliber need to make the move….to move. Badumtish.
06/10/2011 at 18:03
Member since: Aug 2008
The Fight, thought it really needs two Moves. It’s a bloody good workout and fantastic use of the tech.
06/10/2011 at 19:02
Member since: Dec 2009
Yep 2 mate…
06/10/2011 at 22:24
Member since: Aug 2008
Cough. Zumba?
(Me ducks & runs.)
Seriously though – Child of Eden, Tumble, DS: Extraction, Killzone 3 (single player only!), Heavy Rain & the Time Crisis titles are all worth having Move for.
06/10/2011 at 16:40
Member since: Dec 2009
I don’t use Move regularly but i do enjoy playing some games with it, Tumble for example and it’s perfect for when i have visitors around who just want to have a laugh.
06/10/2011 at 16:43
Member since: Nov 2008
Heavy Rain and Resi 5…..thats about it. Lots of money for next to nothing in return.
I feel robbed.
06/10/2011 at 16:47
Member since: Nov 2009
Still gets heavy use in my house. My 3 year old son uses it with Eyepet, Start the Party and Sports Champions. Played through Killzone 3 with it and it made a nice change to the usual controls.
06/10/2011 at 16:48
Member since: Jun 2009
Got it on day one with my new PS3 at the time, played the demo disc and never used it again. There must be a inch of dust on it behind the tv by now.
06/10/2011 at 16:53
Member since: Mar 2009
Yesterday I had to pay £51 for some new runners on my car seat. I’ll enjoy those more than I have Move.