Start the Party!


Start the Party! is a 2010 augmented reality party video game for the PlayStation 3, which utilizes the PlayStation Move controllers. The game is the first game developed by Supermassive Games and was published by Sony Computer Entertainment for release as a launch title for the PlayStation Move and was bundled with it in Asian regions excluding Japan. The game is a collection of augmented reality mini-games which use the PlayStation Eye, and was released in 2010.

Gameplay

The game first snaps a picture of the player using the PlayStation Eye, it then proceeds to display a real time video feed of players using the PlayStation Eye displaying the player and his surroundings in the game. The game consists of a wide variety of mini-games including bug-swatting and painting games, these are played using the PlayStation Move motion controller which would look like something else in the game. In the game the controller often transforms itself into animated objects similar to the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit which features real-life people holding cartoon-like objects. The controller can transform into a variety of things depending on the game such as a cartoon tennis racket for swatting bugs, a spiky prod for popping balloons which are shown in the game as being held on to by the player. The game also allows for multiplayer modes with up to four different players with the use of a single PlayStation Move controller.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of two sevens, one six, and one seven for a total of 27 out of 40.

Sequel

A sequel, titled Start the Party! Save the World, was released for retail in Australia on November 24, 2011, and in Europe the next day; and as a downloadable game for PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Network on March 6, 2012. In the game, the player is cast as a superhero, tasked with saving the world.

Reception

The sequel received a bit more mixed reviews than the original according to Metacritic.