Start The Party! is one of three PlayStation Move only launch games that’ll be available on day one. It’s also the only one which feels compelled to include an exclamation mark in the title, which says a lot. Was our inbuilt bad game Spider sense right to start tingling? Find out in our full Start The Party! for PlayStation Move review.
Read the rest of our PlayStation Move review
PlayStation Move review
PlayStation Move review: Build
PlayStation Move review: Wii beater?
Kung Fu Rider for PlayStation Move review
Sports Champions for PlayStation Move review
Let’s get this straight from the get go: Start The Party!is bad, really really bad, but we can’t lay the blame on the PlayStation Move controller itself. The controls for the game are throughly responsive and accurate. But the nine mini games included (and they are mini) waste all that potential, leaving you with the feeling that this game was invented by a children’s TV presenter sacked for being too enthusiastic. Certainly the voiceover chap sounds like he auditioned for the role of the narrator in Wacky Races. A demonstration by way of the game’s trailer:
The game works by placing you in the action: the Eye camera required for PlayStation Move to work pops you up on the screen, and gives you an implement to control the on screen animation. Sometimes it’ll be a torch to scare away ghosts, a toothbrush to brush a crocodile’s teeth, or a remote control to guide a helicopter around a city scape while a Godzilla like creature gobbles up humans.
Unfortunately, each game takes just seconds to play, and once you’ve played them all, the laughs stop. You can play them through with friends, Mario Party style, but you’ll be handing the wand around to take turns one after the other – it’s nowhere near as exciting as table tennis on Sports Champions.
Start The Party! has one saving grace: it’s an impressive demo of the possibilities of augmented reality with the PlayStation Move and Eye camera. Every mini game maps objects to the ball of the controller perfectly, and they never drop or come away. Were the games themselves more fun to play, this would have some serious wow factor. As it is, it’s the silver lining of a very dark cloud.
Start The Party! for PlayStation Move is a great tech demo for the capabilities of Sony’s new technology, but it’s nothing more. It’s twee, tries to hard, and has little to no substance. Avoid.
Read the rest of our PlayStation Move review
PlayStation Move review
PlayStation Move review: Build
PlayStation Move review: Wii beater?
Kung Fu Rider for PlayStation Move review
Sports Champions for PlayStation Move review
