Game: The Fight: Lights Out

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Release date: November 2010

Another PlayStation Move launch title is The Fight: Lights Out, or Wii Sports Boxing on steroids.  Using two Move controllers you are in control of a street fighter.  Though motions are not 1:1 (your on-screen character does not imitate every action you make), the game does a good job at picking up specific boxing moves like punches, uppercuts, and body and elbow shots.  The more fluid and deliberate you make your punches the better PS Eye transfers your motions on-screen.  By holding down the main Move button on the controller you can control the direction in which your character moves.  Predefined “dirty moves” can be called up by pressing the trigger button.  Check out that double-hammer fist special move!  The game is also physics-based; in the demo this means that you can use one Move controller to push your opponents arm out of the way to make room for a clean punch with the other controller.  If you defeat your opponent you get the opportunity to “finish him” with a special move.  In the demo I played this involved my character lightly tapping the opponent to make him fall over and pass out on the floor.  I’ve also heard that another finishing move will involve blowing your opponent over by physically blowing into the PS Eye’s built-in mic.  After the fight is over a results page lets you know how many calories you burned during the length of the fight.

Overall I really enjoyed playing The Fight.  When I first picked up the controllers I wanted to beat up my opponent to a bloody pulp with frantic punch gestures and flicks of the wrist.  Quickly I learned that fast movements resulted in poor feedback on the PS Eye’s end.  Once I settled in and started to strategically produce counter-punches the experience became a whole lot more realistic and fun.  I also like the black-and-white style with splashes of red when blood is drawn.  With the promise of a character customization studio, a single player campaign, an online multiplayer mode, and the ability to bet on games and use your winnings to purchase in-game items, The Fight is panning out to be a solid launch title for the Move.