Should you save the world or just let it die?
Start the Party: Save the World is the second game in the STP series and honestly I’m surprised it got a sequel considering how poor the first game was, it was far too gimmicky and the mini-games were beyond bad. The team has had a year to get more used to Move, so can they improve things second time around?
Sadly not, if anything it feels like a step backward. The mini-games are even worse and the modes are the same, such as survival where you keep playing till you lose, or Free Play which lets you pick any mini-game to try out as you aim for high scores. The mini-games vary from placing fish into a boat to shooting down UFO’s with a gigantic robot with a TV for a head, which places your face on it if you align the camera right. The problems are the same as before, lack of accuracy and the fact that they are pretty awful games.
Some of them are just downright annoying, the UFO one I already mentioned doesn’t make any sense…you essentially tilt the remote to the angle you wish to fire at, yet it’s random wherever your shots take out the UFO’s or not, while others are just inconsistent and boring. I cannot see a family sitting around playing this, I really can’t. There’s no online mode to speak of either and the whole experience wears thin extremely quickly, which is inexcusable for the £30 price tag.
The visuals are average, hardly making use of the PS3 hardware. I know it’s only a mini-game collection, but it should have some charm to it at least…instead there is none, the same goes for the awful voice-acting.
The Verdict
Start the Party: Save the World is a poor attempt at making Move appeal to the casual crowd of gamers. It’s shallow; the games are dull and repetitive, while some just feel broken. Your money is better spent elsewhere…
