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Sports Champions 2 is going for gold October 30
PlayStation Move-based sports minigame collection Sports Champions 2 is set to launch October 30, Sony revealed in a recent blog post. As the follow-up to the PS Move pack-in game, it will include a new archery minigame along with bowling, skiing, boxing, golf, and tennis.Sports Champions 2's Party Mode also enables groups of players to set up multi-game tournaments. That sounds like fun for the whole family, except for the socially-awkward fella that took last place in the screen above.%Gallery-162823%
SCE VP: Move should have done better in Europe (but it didn't)
Sony Computer Entertainment UK VP Fergal Gara said the Move could have, should have done better in Europe, noting that the system's software lineup is crucial to its success. Gara named only one title, Sports Champions, that sold the best "by far" with a few hundred thousand units. We assume he expressed SCE's disappointment with the Move's success in the tone of, "I should have lost 20 pounds by now, even though I never work out and I eat bacon with every meal." Gara is focusing on future titles to support Move, and by "titles" he means Sorcery (a game announced at E3 2010), and "other things that we know are bubbling under." SCE is stepping up its marketing and internal development for Move, Gara said, hoping to revitalize Move in 2012.
Sony's latest PS Move Bundles let you go Medieval, get your groove on
Good ol' gaming bundles can be enticing when you're on the prowl for a new console or accessory set, and we have to admit, we'd be excited to lay some motion-controlled moves down with Sony's latest PlayStation offerings. Back at E3, we had a chance to slice enemies with virtual swords in Medieval Heros: Deadmunds Quest, thanks to the PS Move's 1:1 tracking abilities. With the game releasing next week, Sony's decided to offer it in a $100 bundle, packing a PS Eye, Move controller and a copy of Sports Champions (which Deadmund shares its gameplay mechanics with). If you don't already own a PS3 -- and love getting your groove on -- the Everybody Dance bundle may be your $300 ticket to the wand-waving fun; it features a 320GB PS3 Slim, PS Eye and Move controller, along with a DualShock 3 for when Duty Calls. These likely won't be Sony's last PlayStation-related bundles to hit shelves before the year's through, but if it sounds like your kind of party you'll find more info at the source link below.
Sony launching new Move bundle, PS3 with 'Everybody Dance'
Next week, Sony will introduce two new bundles featuring the PlayStation Move to entice the family crowd. The first is a Move peripheral bundle, which includes the wand, PlayStation Eye, Sports Champions and Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest for $99.99. The second offering is a PlayStation 3 Everybody Dance bundle. The box includes a 320 gigglebyte console, Move controller, PS Eye and Everybody Dance. The box also features the stock image of the ever-present Peter Pan hoodie dancer man. He haunts our dreams.
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: gaming
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we're getting our game on -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Let's be honest, balancing coursework with recreation is just as important as maintaining a balanced food diet -- perhaps even more. After you spend countless hours hitting the books, cramming for tests, and writing papers, you're just going to need something to turn your brain to mush. Don't worry, we have just the thing: video games. It doesn't matter how many midterms you have, we're sure we can find something to help you slack off. Of course, it's not going to be easy; you'll have to wait until next semester (at least) to get your hands on the PlayStation Vita, but that doesn't mean that you don't have options now. Jump past the break -- we can probably help you find something to get you through mid-terms with your sanity intact. Don't want to shell out cash to have fun this semester? Enter our back to school sweepstakes! Simply leave a comment below for a chance to win, and drop by our giveaway page for more details.
Walmart selling 320 GB PS3 with Move for $350 shipped to store
Amazon had the usually $400 350GB PS3 Move bundle for $50 off a while back, but now that that deal's ended, Walmart's in on the action. Right now, you can grab the bundle from its site for just $350 shipped to a store near you (a little more if you want it sent straight home). You even get a copy of Sports Champions along with it, so you can start swinging right away. The bundle itself is usually $400, so if you missed the Amazon deal the first time around and have been meaning to pick one of these up, now's your chance. [Thanks, Ahmed]
320GB PS3 Move bundle $50 off on Amazon
Without warning -- or explanation -- Amazon has snipped a sizable $50 off the 320GB PlayStation 3 bundle that includes PlayStation Move and Sports Champions. The set normally retails for $400 (and other retailers still list this standard price). Amazon's listing has no expiration date for the apparent sale. [Thanks, Robert]
Sports Champions 'Haunted' DLC coming to PSN Tuesday
We were just about to accuse Sony of selling us a false bill of goods with Sports Champions -- the demo shown at last year's E3 featured sword fighting against skeletons, a feature left absent in the final version of the game. All we want is to hit skeletons with bladed weapons! Fortunately, a handful of ghoulish opponents will be added to the Move launch title in the "Haunted" DLC pack, due out on the PSN this Tuesday. The pack, which will run shoppers $4.99, includes three new undead-themed playable characters and sports equipment, such as the "Skull Bocce Set" and "Skeleton Sword and Shield." Check out the full list of content in the pack after the jump, or a few screenshots of said content in the gallery below. %Gallery-104200%
F1 2010 races past Halo, Dead Rising 2 and Civ 5 on UK charts
It would seem the long-awaited return of Formula One racing to high-def consoles is more welcome than a doomed planet, a zombie-filled casino and even civilization itself, with Codemasters' F1 2010 taking the pole position on the UK charts last week. According to Chart-Track, the game didn't just take first -- it lapped the competition, beating sales of Halo: Reach and Dead Rising 2 combined. Reach lost its grasp on first, with an 80 percent drop in sales, while Dead Rising 2 premiered in third. Civilization 5 debuted in fourth, though it's worth noting that Chart-Track (like NPD in the States) doesn't track those nebulous digital distribution sales. Rounding out the top five is Sony Move's apparent breakout title: Sports Champions. Other premieres on the charts this week were Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock at sixth and Final Fantasy XIV in tenth. Dependable top ten titles Just Dance and Red Dead Redemption are out, dropping to eleventh and sixteenth place, respectively. Check out the top ten UK titles after the break.
Halo: Reach tops UK charts, Sports Champions takes silver
Halo: Reach took the top spot on the UK all-formats sales chart last week. According to Chart-Track, Reach's first-week sales were 20,000 units ahead of Halo 3 and 200,000 more than Halo 3: ODST. The members of Noble 6 also had the fifth biggest launch ever in the UK, with the top four belonging to Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360 and PS3), GTA: San Andreas (PS2) and GTA IV (Xbox 360), respectively. Likely a distant, but still impressive, debut at the number two spot is PlayStation Move's Sports Champions. The only other Move-required games in the top 40 were Start the Party! (#29) and Ubisoft's Racket Sports (#32). Rounding out the top three was Mafia 2, which held the top sales spot for the three weeks prior. Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands turned back time and went up the charts to fifth place last week, likely due to the movie's home video launch and retail promotions. Also, Ubi's Just Dance made it back into the top ten in eighth place. It gave us a good scare last week when the stalwart Wii-exclusive slipped to 11. Check out the UK top ten after the break.
PlayStation Move review: Sports Champions
Wii launched with Wii Sports and Kinect will have Kinect Sports, so PlayStation Move would seem the odd motion-controlled-gaming-platform out if it didn't have a sports compilation on tap day one. Enter Sports Champions, developed by Zindagi Games, a second-party studios that's been working with Sony on Move since the earliest days of the technology. I mention this fact because, out of the Move's launch lineup, this is the game that seems to best show off the technology's potential – while being incredibly fun, to boot. Five sports are featured on the disc: disc golf, beach volleyball, archery, table tennis, bocce and ... gladiator arena. (Ah, yes, we watch that one on ESPN all the time.) Disc golf, volleyball and bocce are nice diversions that all play well, but the gold medalists of Sports Champions are table tennis, archery and – from a more "this is cool and I can't wait to see this built upon" perspective – gladiator arena. Like all of the sports included, these feature tournament modes (with bronze, silver and gold tiers), free play and local multiplayer. Stats from all of them are also tracked on PSN leaderboards. Table tennis is my absolute favorite experience on Move so far, thanks to it being such an incredibly realistic recreation of the actual sport. Basically, if you've played table tennis, you've played this. Move tracks the tiniest hand and wrist movements all the way up to the positioning of your body while playing, and does so effortlessly. The ball and paddle collide with a satisfyingly realistic sound and feedback; the results of hitting the ball with the paddle are exactly what you'd expect if playing in real life. Plus, the AI opponents are a perfect challenge in the more advanced tournaments. You'll get a similar effect with archery if you're playing with two Move controllers – and, if you're laying down money on day one, I suggest you do so – minus the tension of the bow. It offers a variety of target challenges in its tournament mode, from tic-tac-toe to hitting a moving cart, pushing it towards your opponent before it reaches you. Reaching back with one Move controller, grabbing a virtual arrow from your virtual quiver, bringing it forward to touch the other controller serving as the "bow," and then pulling back to ready your shot not only works well but is just plain cool. (On a side note, it's possible – even suggested – to "shoot from the hip" if your arms get tired, and they will.) Finally, gladiator arena puts the dual Move controller to work as a sword and shield. Anyone who's been waiting for a 1:1 sword fighting experience with actual swords -- this is for you. It's not the deepest fighting game, but the swinging accuracy of the sword and maneuverability of the shield combined with some special moves makes it far more strategic and dynamic than, say, the sword game in Wii Sports Resort. Sports Champions is a great pack-in for Move and well worth buying on its own if you go the a la carte route with the hardware. You'll spend a good chunk of each day playing it and hoping for a sequel. (Can we have bowling and baseball, please?) This review is based on a final retail copy of Sports Champions provided by Sony. More PlayStation Move reviews: Kung Fu Rider | Racquet Sports | Start the Party | Tumble
PlayStation Move review: The launch games
Once you get past that initial thrill of opening the packaging, setting it up and toying around with its settings, any platform is only as good – and as fun – as the games available for it. With the launch of PlayStation Move, the lineup of what's on offer is relatively limited and, as the hardware's all about getting people to, er move around, focuses on sports and party games, with a couple of notable exceptions. Those would be EyePet, Kung Fu Rider and Tumble, all from Sony, with Tumble being a PSN game. EyePet is a virtual pet "game" that's been available as a PS Eye title in Europe for some time and has been reworked to incorporate Move. While charming, it falls under the category of a kid's title (though I've no doubt some adults will find it fun) and it won't be subject to review here; instead I'll be focusing on the more "core" games in the following pages. As for Kung Fu Rider, it's an odd creation out of SCE Studios Japan. That leaves us with Sports Champions and Racquet Sports from Sony and Ubisoft, respectively. Sports Champions comes bundled with the $100 Move starter kit and the PS3 Move system bundle, but is also available separately ($40) for those who decide to buy their Move setups piecemeal. With that out of the way – and without any further ado – it's on with the reviews: Kung Fu Rider | Racquet Sports | Sports Champions Start the Party | Tumble
PlayStation Move review
The PlayStation Move. It's funny to think just 15 months have passed since Sony first unveiled its motion controller, and now we're mere weeks away from hitting the retail market. To be sure, it's not like the company didn't have waggle on the mind already -- patents dating as far back as 2005 reveal as much, and of course the incredible success of Nintendo's Wii proved there's a market for more physically exerting gameplay. And it's not just PlayStation; Microsoft's got its controller-free Kinect motion camera system coming this November. So, in the year where all major game consoles now ask you to get off the couch and earn arm muscle, how does Move fare? Read on for more!
Become a Sports Champion with the 'Sports Victory' set for PlayStation Move
Kevin Butler and Subway aren't the only ones excited for the PlayStation Move. Peripheral companies, like Hyperkin, are getting ready to unleash a salvo of plastic accessories that "enhance" the motion gaming experience on PS3. Like the Wii, Move will be home to a number of absurd attachables, like the ones featured in the "Sports Victory Set" (pictured above). For $30, you'll be able to get a dagger, shield, bow and table tennis paddle, designed with Sports Champions in mind. For $25, you'll be able to invest in Hyperkin's "Special Ops Shooter," which transforms your Move controller into (you guessed it!) a gun. Hopefully, it won't be long until companies like CTA Digital make some PS3-compatible inflatable karts.
Confirmed: PlayStation Move is trampoline compatible
Because we know you were wondering. Seriously, this odd setup for a Sports Champions demo unit at Gamescom 2010 made us do a definite double take. Is this now the official, Sony-recommended way to play the game?
PlayStation Move unboxed, demo disc detailed
Joystiq tipster Phil received a promotional PlayStation Move kit, which included two Move controllers, a PlayStation Eye camera and a demo disc. The disc features an interface inspired by the "Now Playing" section of the XMB, allowing you to quickly peruse its contents. Included on the disc are demos for Sports Champions, Start the Party, Kung Fu Rider, TV Superstars, The Shoot, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Beat Sketcher, and Tumble -- all games demoed at E3 earlier this year. Interestingly, it appears that the demos (at least on this promotional disc) cannot be launched directly from the disc; you must install each demo to your PS3 hard drive. According to our tipster, each demo is about 1-2 GB in size, meaning you'll need at least 8GB of free space if you want to play everything off the disc at once. In addition to the demos, the disc includes an installable "Setup Guide," which may be the most enjoyable part of the entire collection. It includes some helpful tips, like "don't use the camera upside-down" and "don't smack people around you." Truly, advice for winners.
PlayStation Move Starter Pack includes nine demos in the UK
The PlayStation Move is set to launch in the US on September 19 alongside several bundles. The Starter Pack -- a $99 bundle including one PlayStation Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera and a copy of Sports Champions -- is apparently going to be a bit different when it launches in the UK on September 15. MCV reports that the UK Starter Pack won't include a full copy of Sports Champions, instead giving gamers a taste of nine different titles. The nine demos included in the package include snippets of six retail Move titles: Sports Champions, Start the Party, The Shoot, EyePet: Move Edition, TV Superstars and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. The remaining three demos will be for PSN games: Echochrome 2, Tumble and Beat Sketchers. In the UK, the Starter Pack will have a suggested retail value of £49.99.
Ape Escape joins Japan's 2010 PlayStation Move launch library
We haven't seen much (or anything) of Ape Escape's first foray onto PS3 since it was announced at Tokyo Game Show last year. However, a new announcement video (after the break) showcases the first few seconds of footage of the Move-exclusive game. Furi Furi! Sarugetchu, as it will be called in Japan, joins a relatively small line-up of games launching this year for the PlayStation motion controller in Japan. In fact, only six games are planned for release on the hardware's October 21 launch date: EyePet (SCEJ, ¥3,980) Sports Champion (SCEJ, ¥3,980) Beat Sketch (SCEJ, ¥2,980) Fure! Fure! Bowling (aka High Velocity Bowling, SCEJ, ¥1,900) Machi Suberi (aka Kung Fu Rider, SCEJ, ¥3,980) Big 3 Gun Shooting (Namco Bandai, ¥6,279)
Visual overload: Sony's E3 PlayStation Move lineup
PlayStation Move is essentially a brand new platform for Sony. While many of the motion-sensing launch games for the new PS3 controller are "Wii HD" titles, there are a few noteworthy additions, including echochrome 2, Heroes on the Move and a Move edition of Heavy Rain. Check out trailers for all of Sony's first-party Move titles after the break.
Sony PlayStation Move launch details get official: $99 for the bundle, hits North America September 17th
Well, Sony didn't waste too much time in announcing the Move details you've been waiting for -- the complete PlayStation Move Sports Champions bundle with the PlayStation Eye, Move and the game will run $99.99, while the Move controller itself will set you back $49.99, and the optional navigation controller is $29.99. Anyone that doesn't already have a PS3 will also be able to pick up a new console bundle containing everything for $399.99. As for a release date, folks in Europe will be able to get their hands on the Move before anyone else on September 15th, but North American gamers won't have to wait too much longer to get theirs -- it'll be available over here on September 19th. Update: We've added the full press release after the break, which also includes details on the Move charging station and shooting attachment -- look for them to run $30 and $20, respectively. Update 2: PlayStation Move's official US release date is now September 17th, as of our full review.
