Playstation Move - Game Reviews

By Reardon Jones

On the 19th of November 2006 Nintendo changed the way of gaming by creating a console designed to take on the powerhouse pair, Sony PlayStation and XBox. 

The Wii became the 7th generation console for Nintendo and as of December 2011 has sold over 94.9 Million units shipped out across the world.

Utilising the motion controller, the Wii enabled gamers to feel more involved within the game than ever before. So naturally it wasn’t going to take long before the other two consoles moved towards a similar technology. 

XBox released the Kinect in 2010, using an interface based system that didn’t require a controller at all, instead relying on physical interaction and voice commands.

In September 2010 Sony released the PlayStation Move for the PS3, in an attempt to keep up with the Wii. Using the PlayStation Eye and a funky new controller the battle for the motion sensor games was on.

So here at the house of Wombat we take a look at the PlayStation move and few titles that have been released so far on this new addition to the PS3. We start with the most surprising game of the group in Medieval Moves.

Medieval Moves

So a Prince called Edmund led my first foray into the move system. Some bad stuff goes down in his kingdom and leading the charge of evil guys is the calcium crazed Morgrimm. (He ends up turning the town and our hero into skeletons after stealing the Gatestone). Doing so creates a new hero in, wait for it.... Deadmund. Gold.

The thing that surprised me so much about this game was the engagement when fighting off enemies. Four main types of movement are used throughout the quest. Holding up the remote allows you to Block with your shield, wielding it will allow you to attack. Easy enough.

Then we have the bow and arrow attack which entails you to pluck an arrow from you quiver by reaching with the remote behind your head and then aiming at your targets (Best part of the game). The last one is flinging ninja stars with a flick of the wrist and a touch of the trigger.

The fact that you need to physically encounter and react makes this game fun, not overly challenging, but a great introduction game for beginners and kids. Which leads me into the next game. One of the first released using Move. Carnival Island.

Carnival Island

Ok now I have never been to a carnival and truth be told don’t really want to, so the thought of bringing one into my lounge wasn’t very appealing. Very similar to Wii games (Resort and Sport), Carnival compiles over 35 games into the one arena. Games are divided up into stalls, based on throwing, ball manipulation and shooting. These can range from bowling to ring tosses, Whacking things and shooting targets.

Again the enjoyment in using the Move and motion remote is there from the start however with Carnival there is just a little too much ease in gameplay. Once you master a technique the difficulty really isn’t there, leading to a very quick attention span. The Move technology works great in reacting to your movements and I guess it really is accurate because I feel that the rapid reach of boredom would be similar if I was playing these games in real life.

There is a story to Carnival however probably not one that will directly affect or enhance any enjoyment. I found a similar feeling when playing Pumas: After Hours Athletes.

Puma: After Hours Athletes

Another game based around bar sports entailing comps and games focussing on Darts, Pool and Bowling. This is a game that restricts the Dual Shock controller, forcing you to use the Motion Move Controller.

Again another easy set of movements to master however this time I found myself enjoying the competition that the games provided. Being standard everyday games also adds to the realism of it all. These are the types of games I could sit around with some mates, have a couple of drinks and enjoy the night.

After getting beaten a few times in pool I found the need to play with another person all the more desperate as the AI is surprisingly difficult, either that or I suck as much at virtual pool as I do real pool. 

Puma: After hours has felt like the most real in relation to movement and accuracy. It’s a simple game that shows off the move with nothing else but the three games and their variations, letting the Move speak for itself.

Eyepet & Friends

The final game I had a look at was EyePet & Friends. Now aside from the fact that nothing will ever beat the real thing, this is a pretty cool attempt. Despite the most frustrating of set-ups for the PlayStation move yet, the EyePet should become a decent seller and a worthy addition into the virtual Pet genre.

Setting up involves repositioning the PlayStation Eye in such a way that the height and angle allows for your digital pet to appear on the ground in what ever room you are set up in. Get this wrong and the poor guy could be sunk into the ground or floating somewhere in front of you.

Getting this perfect is worth the time, as EyePet doesn’t only create a virtual pet but places that pet into a live stream of you and anyone else in view. While this can at times look funny and disbelieving isn’t that why we play games, to enter a world not of our own?

The challenge begins by nurturing your pet soon after hatching; by feeding, bathing, playing and teaching it. This is probably the closet thing to a pet simulator you can get. 

The “game” progresses with each report you generate about your pet, allowing you access to new items, such as clothes and toys.

The EyePet is a great starting point for young kids and families testing the waters of becoming Pet People. While I still maintain nothing beats the real thing, probably the best offer so far on the PlayStation Move.

Start The Party! Save The World

The sequel to Start The Party, has a strong focus on fun and group participation.

A large selection of mini-games ranging from Scooping up fish, swatting flies or rescuing lost divers enables gamers to compete against eachother. So go head to head against mum and dad and show them how it's done.

Defeat Dr.Terrible in a series of comical mini games as you watch yourself on screen.

This game will be brought out to liven up a party, but the novelty wears off quite quickly.

Still, there is fun to be had in the second installment of the series.

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All in all the games are simple and mainly built for kids. The move as a system works well with specific tasks and doesn’t really advance on much that hasn’t been achieved by Wii. In four years between the release of the Wii and Move I was kind of hoping for more.

I won’t be trading in my Dual Shock controller any time soon. It’s the age - old argument. For those that can play sports and games that involve movement, why not just play those games outside, in the fresh air. 

Isn’t it better to head out and do that and maybe create healthier lifestyles.

While I can’t fault too much of the technology and would be happy to knock about a few more titles, this won’t be a lasting genre for me.

Game: Playstation Move - Game Reviews
System: Sony Playstation 3
Developer/Co-Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Rating: 70%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)