Party pooper?
Start the Party is a combination of mini-games using Playstation Move solo or with friends. There’s hardly any reason to play it on your own other than to try and play the Survival mode which sees how long you can last against wave after wave of mini-games. Playing it with friends is it’s main selling point, but is this one party you should avoid?
Turning the Move controller into different objects on-screen is clever and shows off what Move can do, but the mini-games themselves are gimmicky and sadly, forgettable. Chopping wood with an axe, waking up a bird with a bell and trying to land troops on boats with a fan don’t exactly make the most of what the controller can do. It’s a real shame and unfortunately, Start the Party isn’t as much fun as it should have been.
It can be enjoyable for a little while, but chances are you’ll only play each mini-game a few times before becoming incredibly bored of them and there isn’t as many as the likes of Mario Party/Wario Ware, nor are they as memorable. There is a competitive edge to be found, but chances are that you won’t really care who wins. The game uses good use of the camera and puts you on it full-screen while blending in the game. The visuals for the objects are average and the sounds are a mixed bag.
The Verdict
Start the Party is a disappointment. It doesn’t have the replay factor, nor is it memorable and worst of all, it doesn’t push Move to the best of its ability. I know Move can be so much better than this, but if all we get are a bunch of gimmicky mini-games then I really can’t see it taking off.
