After our previous introduction from Al, we’re now ready to celebrate/mock the first anniversary of PlayStation Move, starting off with a number of early releases. We’ll have part two coming shortly.
Sports Champions
Developed by Zandagi Games, Sports Champions was touted as the must-have launch title for the PlayStation Move – and for good reason. The studio, which is currently putting the finishing touches on Medieval Moves, proved that one-to-one interaction was no longer a distant dream for your everyday gamer.
From table tennis to archery to gladiatorial battles, each of the game’s six events held up exceptionally well where both gameplay and control set-up were concerned. The only bad thing about Sports Champions was that it set the bar high for the rest of the PlayStation Move 2010 line-up, none of which even came close.
Racquet Sports
The first poor entry on our list is none other than Ubisoft’s opportunistic shovelware quick-shot, Racquet Sports. It looked fresh and lively with a mild sense of variety but the only thing players wanted from this game was precise one-to-one feedback, and sadly Racquet Sports didn’t deliver.
With antiquated gameplay that made made the original Wii Sports look like the paragon of motion gaming, the folks at Asobo Studio were caught with their trousers down and Ubisoft hasn’t attempted a Move-enabled sports title since.
Tumble
A favourite among early releases and long-term supports of the PlayStation Move, Tumble was simple in premise yet showcased the precision of Sony’s motion tech seamlessly. Building towers of immense size, placing each brick with the utmost diligence while playing competitively with friends doesn’t exactly sound exhilarating but for some, it will have been the definitive social gaming experience of 2010.
What’s so special about Tumble is that it was a PSN title, hardly burning a hole in your wallet yet supplying hours upon hours of fun, unlike the majority of the Move launch line-up.
Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition
Though an outstanding game to begin with, when Resident Evil 4 was ported to the Nintendo Wii it proved that intense third person action games could work extremely well with motion controls, therefore it seemed like a no-brainer to give Resident Evil 5 a new set of legs with the arrival of PlayStation Move.
Accurate and fairly easy to set-up, the only drawback with Move controls in Gold was how cumbersome the button layout proved. Switching from Dualshock to Move controller is more of a chore than it sounds and in a game as perilous and unpredictable as Resident Evil 5, the last thing players want is to be bogged down by finicky controls. With that said, as a whole, it was still a successful implementation despite feeling a little clumsy in a few areas.
The Fight: Lights Out
Originally billed as a launch title, The Fight ended up getting knocked back into early November last year. Out of all the then-available Move-enabled titles it was by far the grittiest, proving that Sony didn’t just have the casual gamer in mind when releasing the new tech.
Occasionally clumsy and physically demanding, Lights Out received a mixed reception, slightly leaning towards mediocrity. Those who stuck by it, however, will claim that it’s actually one of the best PlayStation Move experiences to date; once you get past the first few arenas, more moves become available and the input of your movements are given more on-screen clout as you train in the gym. After all, you could do a lot worse (Fighters Uncaged, anybody?)
TV Superstars
Clearly aimed at a much younger, casual audience; TV Superstars transferred your facial likeliness and slapped it onto a motion-controlled avatar, ready to participate in a number of TV-show-inspired activities, including a co-operative cook-off, sports challenge, DIY makeover and fashion fix.
Evoking fond memories of EyeToy Play, TV Superstars utilised the tech well, though there was the occasional hiccup here and there. Despite being an enjoyable experience overall, the game never pushed any boundaries with the PlayStation Move, which is fine for the casual audience but as gamers, our attentions were directed towards Sports Champions once again.
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest
Just reading the announcement of a Move-enabled Lord of the Rings game surely had fans prancing around the room, re-enacting scenes from the battle of Middle Earth. The thought of having one-to-one swordplay in Tolkein’s sublime universe was simply too good to be true. Though Aragorn’s Quest was far from being a disaster, it will have surely disappointed a number of keen motion gamers.
Instead of one-to-one feedback we got pre-set motions, triggered by moving the controller in the specified direction at a moderate speed. It felt incredibly limited but those who thought it would be the definitive Move experience were fooling themselves; this was essentially a port from the Nintendo Wii anyway.
We’ll be back soon with part two of our PlayStation Move Playback special.
Dange
Good read, Liked Sports Champions, probably played that the most. More clever games like Tumble need to be made. Expected more PSN Move titles to be honest.
Other Move games I’ve enjoyed are Flight Control HD, Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves, High Velocity Bowling, Heavy Rain Move Edition and Resi 5 Gold.
Need some more PSN Move games, some unique and different titles soon. I’ve hardly had any use for my Navi controller. Fans are getting bored and Move controllers are gathering dust :(
TSBonyman
I’ve got Sports Champions and Tumble out of that lot. Had Resi 5 gold too but found it a bit too cumbersome to enjoy. I have the TV superstars demo and might yet pick up the full game cheap as it seems ideal for having a laugh with friends who wouldn’t otherwise play video games. I also have The Fight demo but have yet to try it out.
I said before Move launched that if it turned out to be just something i could use for parties i would be quite happy and it serves that purpose well. Still though, having played Tumble i’m sure there’s more could be done in that vein.
I also wish they had made that ‘minority report’ tech demo publicly available. That was by far the most impressive display of the tech that i saw.
I haven’t heard much about Move.me since it launched which is disappointing as i hoped to see some cool ideas come from that.
I’ve got a few more Move and Move-compatible games but i’ll wait to see what crops up in the next part of this feature.
justboy
I bought Move as an impulse buy, but it is now gathering dust along with my Wii. While I have resi 5 and killzone 3 I found the controls awkward to us. I occasionally play start the party when I have friends over for singstar; the Move has turned out to be a novelty rather then essential tech.
cosmic_slop
I love my Move. I agree that the launch line up was a little flat, but since the new year I’ve got a lot of enjoyment from it. top of my head – MAG, Killzone 3, SOCOM 4, Tumble, The Fight, Flight Control HD, Echochrome II, RE 5 Gold, Resistance 3, LPB2 Move pack, Heavy Rain, John Daly Golf, Hustle King, Tiger Woods, Pro Darts. I don’t get those that say there’s nothing for it, as there is a ton of content. And ok, some of that could be played with DS3, but imho I think Move improves the experience. So much so that I don’t want to play a non-Move enabled FPS – aiming seems so clunky without it. I am really disappointed in Uncharted 3 not having support.
I think there is a lot more to be done with the Move, and the disappointments have been around lazy implementation from 3rd Party devs – Virtua Tennis was a joke. PSMove Heroes was a let down. Sorcery is a sore point, my son still asks me when it’s out. But there is a lot to look forward to – Datura, the new game from the Linger in Shadows people; Bioshock Infinite; Infamous 2; Medieval Moves; Carnival. Sony should get some of their Japan devs on the case to make sometihng innovative and quirky to supplement the hardcore experience the Western 1st Party devs are delivering.
Finally, I recommend that you check out iWaggle3d, as this guy is a real expert on all things Move related.
dude90
Nice thoughts and it’s Zindagi not Zandagi.