Flight Control HD puts you in the seat of an overworked air traffic controller in this addictive digital PlayStation Move PS3 download. If you’ve already played Harbour Master – one of the most addictive iPhone games around – Flight Control HD is pretty much the same thing, but with aircraft, and now equipped for Sony’s motion controller. How does it fare with the new wand? Read our Flight Control HD for PlayStation Move review to find out.
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The release of PlayStation Move has opened up the floodgates for an even bigger variety of games for the PS3. The type you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of buying were it not for motion control. Flight Control HD, (though not solely reliant on PlayStation Move) is one of the best of these.
Already nestling comfortably on the Apple iPad and iPhone, Flight Control HD is now available to download on the PlayStation Network for the not too shabby price of £3.99. That’s just a quid more than the iPad version (it’s 59p on iPhone). The aim in Flight Control HD is to touch and drag aircraft to their dedicated landing zones using either the Dualshock 3 or PlayStation Move controller.
For that price you get nine maps filled with 16 different types of aircraft from helicopters, to planes to military jets – each varying in speed to determine how you prioritise which you land first. Exclusive to Flight Control HD on the PS3 is the Metropolis Map, complete with a day/night cycle in Flight Control HD’s most stunning level. Speaking of stunning, Flight Control HD can be played in 1080p high definition. Naturally it looks suitably spiffy. If you’ve got a 3D TV you can even don a pair of stereoscopic glasses to see the planes landing in the third dimension an’ all, though unfortunately we weren’t able to test this out.
Also exclusive to the PS3 version is the addition of PS3 Trophies. There are 12 trophies in total for achievements as simple as reading the game tutorial to the end, up to landing 200 aircraft in a single map. It’s tough, believe us. Thankfully not all the trophies are difficult to grab, and even a gaming newcomer will bag a few.
New features aside, what’s it like to play using PlayStation Move with Flight Control HD? Where the iOS version has you literally touching the aircraft, here you hover a cursor over the aircraft using the PlayStation Move controller as an extension of your arm, before holding down the large Move button, or the trigger button to draw a flight path to the dedicated landing zones.
It’s not quite as intuitive as using your own fingers, but the controls soon comes across as natural and swift enough, as you find yourself waving your arms all over the shop. Initially planes amble along like airborne tortoises, but land a few and the increased difficulty almost stealthily creeps up on you. Speed freaks can press circle on the PlayStation Move controller to speed things up, as if things don’t get frantic enough.
Check out our Top 5 Best PS3 Move games here
Before you know it you’re in a genuine state of frenzy as you constantly draw and alter flight paths with each new oncoming aircraft in Flight Control HD. We hear being a real-life traffic controller is stressful stuff. We bet it is, judging from our big screen air traffic controlling misfortunes – one crash and you’ll be forced to start over. You can select any of the nine maps from the start, so it’s not as if you’ll be forced to play through any maps you don’t wish to.
As with the iPhone and iPad versions, Flight Control HD on the PS3 is great, addictive fun, made even better by the ability to let a second player drop in and out of the game. If you’ve got another PlayStation Move controller another player can join in to help you clear the clogged skies from aircraft.
Flight Control HD allows for up to four player multiplayer. Seeing multiple players play the game simultaneously using PlayStation Move is an amusing sight, particularly when wires get crossed and you’re attempting to land the same aircraft as another player. It’s here where Flight Control HD on PS3 really stands out from its Apple-housed counterparts. Of course, if you haven’t got three spare PlayStation Move controllers, Dualshock 3 pads will do, though it’s nowhere near as entertaining this way.
Flight Control HD for PS3 is an enjoyable title that won’t leave you disappointed, at just £3.99. It’s simple, addictive fun, though not quite as addictive as on iPad or iPhone for the reason that either Apple version doesn’t require you needing a TV or having to sync controllers to play it.
Thats said, if you’re looking for a title worthy of getting the PlayStation Move treatment that offers a fun, addictive challenge, and you don’t already own an iPhone or iPad, Flight control HD is a worthy addition to your digital PS3 catalogue.
Flight Control HD has made our Top 5 list of best PS3 Move games, which is why we’ve given it our Recommended rosette. Check out more Top 5s here and find out more about how they work with our Top 5 guarantee.
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