Review of the Playstation Move

Sony's shameless clone of Nintendo's Wiimote has finally come. History has once again repeated itself with Sony desperately copying Nintendo's success and bewilderingly shrugging it off like they had no idea. We've seen this countless times before.

Nintendo Innovation! Nintendo's N64 is launched with the analog stick! Gaming's future is shaped.

Sony's Rip-off! Sony quietly remodels their PS1 controller to feature two of them.

Nintendo Innovation! With Star Fox 64, Nintendo introduces Rumble or 'Force Feedback' to video games. Gamers rejoice.

Sony's Rip-off! Sony remodels PS1 controller a second time- this time installing a rumble feature. Later they declare no one wants rumble and leaves it out of PS3 controller- pretending it has nothing to do with their Force Feedback technology being sued. After a settlement and much anger from the gaming community, Sony starts selling PS3 controllers with rumble- all of which are overpriced.

Nintendo Innovation! The Nintendo Wii is announced with motion-control technology! The world rejoices and buys more Wiis than PS3s and Xbox 360's combined. Nintendo wins the console war.

Sony Rip-off! Sony throws away their unimpressive boomerang PS3 controller- only to be hit by it a few seconds later. Decides to include 'tilt' technology or six-axis in controller. World doesn't care.

After failing to make motion-controls relevant on the PS3, Sony is trying again with PS3 Move. How does it play and does it even deserve to be called a Wii clone?

Before I get to the games, this really needs to be addressed. Like all products released on market, there is a required level of aesthetic appeal. The Move just doesn't meet that requirement. The silly looking ball on top is the first blow against it. It just makes it look like a cheap toy- a rattle. The next issue is in the general look of the controller. It reminds me of some obscure device you might see on an old episode of Star Trek. It doesn't inspire confidence when held- I feel like it's just mediocre in terms of tech appeal.

Aside from just looks, the button placement is quite awkward. While the regular PS3 controller is a great example of a traditional controller, Move is just beyond awkward. The last and biggest hurdle worth mentioning? Price. To get the most out of Move, you'll need to drop about $100 each on the Sony motion set. Not as expensive as the 'dance in front of it to play' Kinect, but still very pricey. It's my relief than a friend bought PS3 Move and a few games so that I didn't have to. Looking at Move's launch games is an immediate disappointment. I have fond memories of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi 2, and several other great Nintendo Wii launch games. Instead with Move I have...

Kung Fu Rider

I should say that for a short while I intrigued by the premise. I found the game's graphical style as unappealing as the cover, but it seemed quirky and interesting. Shortly after I found myself disappointed. The gameplay is repetitive and the motion controls shallow. Attacks just seem bland- I expected something more over the top. The accuracy was pretty much there, for what it's worth- just not very fun at all.

Racquet Sports

Earlier this year I got to play this game. I'm not sure if it's purely my much longer experience with the Wii or what, but I just had a much more fun, much more accurate time playing it. It's also worth mentioning that the game hardly looks much better on PS3.

R.U.S.E

For those that don't know this about me, I love strategy video games. I have an extremely high opinion of strategically-focused concepts, professions, and games. I had hopes for R.U.S.E upon learning about it. While I've found the game enjoyable, Move has nothing to do with it. It just seems like an expensive add-on and an excuse for Sony Fanboys to praise motion controls.

There are a few others I could have borrowed or purchased, but what's the point? The launch games for Move were, in all honesty, terrible. The funny thing is, with patches for old PS3 games, this launch is looking much better than Kinect's! It boggles the mind... Regardless, Move is not worth a purchase yet. That is, unless you've got more money than sense. I'll be sticking with my Wii, thank you.