PlayStation Move: The Good, The Bad, and the Most Wanted – Part 1
With the recent milestone set by Microsoft’s Kinect device, now would be as good of time as any to breakdown what is good, bad, and most wanted for Sony’s PlayStation Move controller.
From my perspective – it is hard to note how either the Kinect or the Move have sold any units at all. Granted both are less than seven months on the market and we are just now seeing full retail takes take great advantage of the Move; and the Kinect is sure to boom up primo software by years end. How much Dance Central can you handle? Well apparently, ten million users wanted to try it out.
How’s the PlayStation Move doing in comparison? Retailing for a far more generous $99.99 price tag in bundle form, where is Sony’s 10 million unit achievement, or trophy in their terms? Flashing back to the Kinect launch month of November, Sony announced they sold 4.1 million units of the Move in just three months time. Impressive right? Well, there was a catch – these 4.1 million units in terms of being sold just to the retailer (Source). For all we know, the retailers still have that stock in their inventory.
Difference? Absolutely!
Since then Sony has been rather mum about releasing sales figures. Here’s where the $99.99 value gets a bit too…depreciated. The bundle, which includes a copy of Sports Champions, comes with just the Move and the PlayStation Eye camera – the bare essentials of motion controller gaming on the PS3. Some games may require the Navigation controller, which retails for $29.99 separately. Players can opt to use the Dualshock 3 in place of the Nav controller if they don’t want to invest in another controller. Speaking from experience though – the Nav controller is far more accessible than the Dualshock 3, but it all depends on the game you’re playing and if you are using any kind of peripheral.
Games like The Fight: Lights Out require two Move controllers, others may have it as optional (Sports Champions). Add in another $49.99 for a second Move controller. So now the $99.99 bundle adds up to $179.97 if you want to have the complete experience available for use. The Kinect sensor costs $149.99, and essentially that is all you need to play Kinect-enabled games.
One can argue that you may not need a second Move or the Nav controller – but let me say this: a second Move controller is needed anyway to play with a friend. The Kinect supports two players via the same sensor (thank god). I will agree though that the Nav controller is completely optional, so let’s reduce the price down to $149.98 after subtracting out the Nav controller. For one more penny you can buy the Kinect and get the complete experience it offers; or you can buy a Move bundle with an extra Move to have the full experience at the ready.
It all comes down to software, and I would say right now that the Move has the upper hand. There is simply more games with Move support that I’d rather play over what the Kinect currently offers. There are certainly a handful of standout Kinect titles, such as Dance Central, Kinect Adventures (which comes with the device), and Kinect Sports. Like the Move, Microsoft is hoping to add Kinect support to some of their major franchises like Gears of War, Forza Motorsport, and possibly even franchises like the still unannounced but forever hopeful – Killer Instinct reboot.
With over 40 games available now with Move support; whether it’s Move compatible or required, folks wonder which are the best games currently available? Which games should we all stay away from? Which ones should we be looking forward to. Well, take a gander below:
The Best of the Best – What Are the Best Move Capable Games?
Retail titles that do not require but support Move
Killzone 3
Touted to be the one of the bigger Move releases of the year, Guerrilla Games did not fail on delivering what is possibly the best retail release for the controller yet. With full support in all one player modes, Killzone 3 allows players to customize the feel and sensitivity of the Move controller to get it the way you like. While complaints do exist in how these settings are applied online – it’s noticeable that Killzone 3 was developed with the Move in mind. It’s not same lame last minute add on for marketing purposes, the developers truly wanted players to enjoy playing the game with the Move or the Dualshock 3.
They even went as far as releasing a gun peripheral add on that is fully customized for use with Killzone 3 – the Move Sharpshooter (read more about it here).
To get a better understanding of Killzone 3 - read our full review!
Heavy Rain
Unfortunately, Heavy Rain‘s Move support came at a price – it was either new DLC episodes, or Move support. Sony and Quantic opted to go back and incorporate full Move support into the game, which led to the cancellation of any new DLC episodes after the lone “Taxi Chronicles.” Nonetheless Move support in Heavy Rain adds a new experience to the game, which already includes a great deal of replay value given the different story paths you can take throughout.
What is my personal favorite of 2010, Heavy Rain is a story of love lost and love gained. Each of the four playable characters are flawed in one way or another, and each character’s story intertwines with one another. There are certainly those who were not a fan of the game, and it’s understandable. It is a game worthy trying, especially those seeking a story to be told.
Heavy Rain recently achieved Greatest Hits status and is now available for the discounted $29.99 price.
MAG
Now we know why Kevin Butler was so adament on claiming we need a controller with triggers when it comes to motion control gaming (see the video here) – as Zipper Interactive’s online online massively multiplayer title is the second first person shooter on this list. MAG was constructed to be one of the first major online titles for the PlayStation 3; while Zipper has lived up to the massive part, the reception to the game wasn’t quite what they were hoping for. As it is though, despite the chart toppings of various Call of Duty titles and Killzone 3, there is still quite the audience on MAG. Zipper is currently focusing on SOCOM 4, but continue to push out patches, updates, and new content for their subscription free MMO.
MAG received Move support via a patch a few weeks after the Move’s release, and is one of those love it or hate it games. Players normally turn to the Dualshock 3, and despite Move support, will likely remain using it. The reception suffers with a lack of an offline bot mode or single player campaign, but in terms of how it plays with Dualshock 3 players, the playing field is level. Neither have much of an advantage over the other outside of the learning curve players will have with the Move if they are accustomed to the Dualshock for the game.
The Best of the Best – What Are the Best Move Required Games?
Retail titles that require the Move controller
Sports Champions
The first, and what many consider to be the best, Move-enabled game for the system – Sports Champions is Sony’s version of Wii Sports to help market and sell the Move controller. While online multiplayer is sorely missing from the title, Sports Champions continues to be the best sports compilation title out there – and the current go to source for some insane table tennis action.
Where Sports Champions shines is how well the game shows off the calibration and intuition of the Move controller. If you want a powerful shot in table tennis, you need to actually put some effort into your hit. If you want to get that hole in one in frisbee golf, a flick of the wrist will not get it done, you’ll need your best angle shot you can manage to git ‘r done.
Unlike the other list of launch titles for the Move, Sports Champions has yet to go stale. Online multiplayer is one of the more demanded features of the game, and at this point its doubtful we will see it patched in. For what it is (essentially a free game if you buy the software or hardware Move bundles), it’s one of the best experiences to show off what the Move can do and entertain you at the same time.
But I do want to say this – for whoever developed the AI of Kenji in Champions Mode in Table Tennis – I will hunt you down and lay upon you a great deal of pain.
Start the Party
It was to be expected that when the Move launched we were going to begin to see many Wii clones head our way. The Wii is notorious for having the biggest library of crap in this generation, mostly due in part to poor third party support but excellent first party releases.
It didn’t take long before the Move got its fair share of compilation party games. You know the ones – full of minigames that can last anywhere from five seconds to a minute in length, and be entertaining for about a week. Surprisingly, Start the Party surpasses mediocrity. In its core, this party is the same ol’ stuff we saw on the Wii. Whack this, whack that, do a funny gesture, do this, do that. It certainly won’t appeal to the masses, but for those who will actually be using the Move as a party tool, it is definitely a title to pick up.
Unfortunately as of this time, there really isn’t a killer list of Move-required retail games. When it’s seven months into your product lifespan and the list of best Move-only games still feature two launch titles, what have we been treated to thus far? Not taking anything away from Start the Party – it’s your everyday compilation game but the Move support isn’t just tacked on, it was developed for the Move in mind. Let’s start this party up…sometime.
The Shoot
Like Start the Party before it, it took no time at all for the Move to get your typical light gun game. The Shoot was one of two major light gun releases for the peripheral, the other being Namco Bandai’s Time Crisis: Razing Storm. With Time Crisis being the more familiar name, all bets were that it would be the better light gun release. The audience seems to be mixed on it, but I have to give it to The Shoot.
Unfortunately the game can suffer from calibration issues. Nothing a simple re-calibration won’t fix, but annoying nonetheless. What the title does right is that it offers a challenge. Mastering the game won’t be done on the first try, it requires the best sharpshooters out there to get the job done. Alongside the handful of campaigns, it offers an Arcade mode and a decent amount of multiplayer and challenges to compete in. There is no online support outside of leaderboards but honestly these kind of games don’t need to be online outside of tallying up your best high scores.
Both The Shoot and Time Crisis have proven that we have yet to get a stellar light gun game for the Move, but for the time being The Shoot gets the job done. I recommend playing it with the Precision Shot 3 peripheral, it adds a nice touch to the gameplay.
The Best of the Best – What Are the Best PSN Move Games?
PlayStation Network titles that require or support the Move controller
Tumble
Who would have ever thought a game that played deals with stacking blocks would be so entertaining? Well, Tumble is exactly that. A game that focuses you to use a trade you learned back in kindergarten is one of the best PSN games out there for your Move controller. There are a wide variety of chapters and the objectives of each game differentiate from each other as you progress.
Tumble is the game that evolved from the original PlayStation Move tech demo that was shown off back at E3 2009. What started off as a tech playground turned into a simple yet addicting game of block building. For only $10, Tumble has far more content packed in than some of the $40 retail games out there.
PAIN
The PlayStation 3′s most patched/updated title to date. PAIN has been there for every new inspiration of the PS3. For defining body physics, to adding online multiplayer, defining how a micro-transaction market works, adding 3D support, and now its latest addition – Move controls. PAIN has been there every step of the way as the PS3 attempts to add new ways of playing games for the players. It’s no wonder the game remains to be one of the top selling games out there for the PSN.
While there are some elements taken away from PAIN when you use the Move controller, it makes up for it with great accuracy and a nice, simple, way of causing as much chaos as you can in PAINdemonium. I found myself breaking high scores that took me months to achieve with the Dualshock 3 in a few sittings with the Move, thanks to the fact the game reads every movement you put out.
PAIN is packed with different game modes, maps, and characters. Yes, it relies on micro-transactions but the developers have also been very generous with free content for download as well. It is a game that doesn’t abuse the system. Next Objective: PAIN on the NGP!
Modern Combat: Domination
Say what you will about Modern Combat: Domination being nothing more than a Modern Warfare 2 clone. Obviously folks out there dug Modern Warfare 2 as most went on to buy CoD: Black Ops (save the “like hell I did;” I know you did). Gameloft has been a rapidly growing developer/publisher out there on the mobile market as well as on the PSN – pushing out new games each month at fair prices and generally being well received. The even put out the PS3′s version of UNO, which was one of the more popular XBLA games out there.
Modern Combat: Domination does what it needs to earn itself worthy of costing us gamers $10. It delivers a solid multiplayer experience that we should expect for such a low cost. Modern Warfare 2 it is not, but is that necessarily a bad thing? The game comes packed in with Move support, and it works well with the controller. It’s not too sluggish, not too sensitive = it’s just right. Like Killzone 3 and MAG – it’s a feature you may not use all that much online but when you do, you won’t be frustrated more than you normally are when that scumbag little punk shot you from his camping spot.
Die MommasBoy0817!
This is some of the best of the best of the Move thus far in its seven months on the market. 2011 should be a great year for the controller as more big name titles are coming down the pipeline supporting it. Lookout for our list for our most anticipated games for the Move in the near future. With that said, with every great Move title we get, you are going to get five pieces of poo to go with it. Joining our list of our most anticipated will be our list of what games to currently avoid.
Sound off below – what Move titles are you finding to be the most entertaining for you right now? Do you play with the Move online in titles like Killzone 3 and MAG?
