PlayStation Move Hands-On Preview

10 Aug 2010 at 10:30:05 by James Chalmers

If there is one piece of gaming merchandise that I have been unresolved on it has to be the PlayStation Move. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve pre-ordered the motion controller through online retailers only to change my mind a couple of days later and cancel my order.

Having seen it at E3 earlier this summer and watched numerous demonstrations for games such as Time Crisis and Socom 4 the appeal to the hardcore gamer is there. Rather than doing what Microsoft is doing and pushing out the same shovelware that we have seen from the Nintendo Wii when that originally launched, Sony has decided to market motion controllers to the masses.

Sure, for the family and casual gamer there are the likes of EyePet, but when you see the long line of big titles which are including Move support either from launch or updated using a patch you see the vast array of genres that the Move is catering for.

But it was hard to pass judgement until I got to go hands-on with the games and controller. So what better way of seeing a glimpse of what Sony has on offer than the PlayStation Beta rooms in Birmingham? Four games were on offer with The Fight, Kung Fu Rider, Heavy Rain Move Edition and Sports Champion all on show for the community to wave their hands around with. But can Sony redefine the motion controller market or will it fall into the been-there done-that category with the Nintendo Wii?

Heavy Rain Move Edition

First up was Heavy Rain Move Edition and being a huge Heavy Rain fan I was earger to step up to the plate and attempt to take on this gripping title with the motion controller, however what I played out was rather disappointing.

Anyone who has played Heavy Rain knows that the game succeeds so well because of the controller interaction. Quick button presses along with the holding of many buttons at once takes some technique to master and with the PlayStation Move it just felt awkward. One of the most annoying things to get over is the fact that the face buttons are on the controller in a square. This may not sound too much of a hindrance, but that simple switch from the triangle layout to the new one takes some time to work out; something that doesn’t bode well with Heavy Rain which relies on quick button pressing.

Quantic Dream had real potential to create a truly immersive real time activity with the Move controller. Opening a door could’ve been a simple twist of the Move controller, a punch could’ve been just swung, however we are instead greeted with a mix of odd movements ranging from thrusts, flicks and odd zig-zags in front of the camera which all too soon become a little tedious. Then again there was always potential for fun with the PlayStation Move naked Madison edition.

Put it like this, if you’re in a room with a large group of men who are watching you play the game and then you have to initiate in the shower scene; hilarity will unfurl. Overall Heavy Rain Move Edition was disappointing, you could tell the game had already been released with the six-axis controller in mind and that the patch was simply an additional thing. Hopefully Quantic works on the add-on and the fact it will be a simple free patch for normal Heavy Rain owners is a handy thing especially if you’re going to pick up the Move Controller.

The Fight

After being disappointed by Heavy Rain, my frown was turned upside down with The Fight. Expecting some bog standard boxing game that has three or four punches thrown in the same standard manner each time, I took to the booth to see if I was right.

It was the first game to properly calibrate you with the Move controllers and PlayStation Eye camera. Due to the game tracking your full body movements you need to stand out of the camera and then walk back on with the camera picking up where about your head is with precision. You will then need to point your glowing balls at the camera (you don’t realise how many times I’ve sniggered when I’ve re-read this article) in a variety of positions to calibrate your arms and where your hands are.

Overall the calibration was near perfect, the only hiccup we had on the way was one of the booths was poorly lit and couldn’t track where my head and PlayStation Move controllers were. It was a little worrying that the Move struggled to do this but with the many lighting rigs set up in the Beta Rooms and the looming shadows there were going to be some obvious muck-ups along the way.

So it was down to the down and dirty fighting. It was an ongoing trend with the community over The Fight that the game was a true representation of what the PlayStation Move had to offer. Punches were thrown on-screen exactly how people were doing them in front of the camera. Using the special trigger on either the left or right controller when throwing a punch used extra power and The Fight could register how much velocity you were throwing behind each punch.

Hit an opponent strong enough and you can knock them straight to the floor, while landing a few punches and then knocking them out with a uppercut never felt more realistic. Sony wants you to be able to play this game however you want and for the Ric Flairs out there, you can be the dirtiest player in the game using a variety of ear drum slaps to disable your opponent before swinging in for a devastating head butt. Ducking and weaving was responsive through the PlayStation Eye camera and with this added motion and control over your character you should truly feel like you are in a bare-knuckle fistfight.

However, the only downside is you need two PlayStation Move controllers to play it. This can prove quite a stumbling block with Sony relying on PS3 owners to stump up the extra £29.99 GBP for an extra controller. But from what I’ve played and the promise of varied levels and experiences The Fight has the potential to be a leading Move launch title.

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