At E3 this year, one of the move titles that really didn’t capture our attention or imagination was PS Move exclusive The Fight: Lights Out. It wasn’t because of its visuals or boring characters, it was simply because it didn’t quite work as advertised. We decided to give the game the benefit of the doubt and not draw any conclusions until we saw the final product. Well the final product is finally here and it’s nothing short of disappointing. Read on to find out what happens when motion gaming goes terribly wrong.

When you first boot up the game you’re introduced to your trainer, who is non other than Mexican gangster character actor Danny Trejo. Once I saw the live action tutorial clips load up I couldn’t help but think back to the early days of 3DO or Sega CD’s Night Trap. The style is campy at best and just like live action clips in games 15 years ago, the game seems like its trying way too hard to impress. There’s something that screams “not really that tough” when Trejo is shown holding two glowing orbs in his hands.

I should have known something was wrong when during the tutorial I was having issues with punches and moves making contact. I thought to myself maybe, it’s just a little rough, but boy was I wrong.

Once all the tutorials are finished you then take to the streets for some good ol’ fisticuffs. There are multiple areas, such as parks, under bridges, and anywhere else one would assume fight clubs to be held. At each locale, you have a pyramid of fighters to go up against. Working your way up the pyramid, while earning money along the way for attributes and upgrades is what it’s all about. There isn’t much story or motivation behind what you do.

Fights can last anywhere from 1 – 5 minutes, and that’s all depending on how well you’ve leveled up your fighter (and your own skills of course). After the fight you’re provided a breakdown not only of the fight, but also a statistical breakdown of calories burned. You should have no issues moving around and burning calories - especially out of frustration. Let me explain.

The biggest glaring issue with The Fight is that it works when it wants to, and even when it does work, it never seems fun. Every time I played this game before hand, reps repeatedly told me about how 1:1 it is or that “this game will be great because the PlayStation Move allows for 1:1 control.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only are there slight delays in most of the punches thrown, but also most of those same punches either A: Don’t hit the opponent or B: Hit the opponent so awkwardly that your fighter cannot reset into their normal stance unless you hit the circle button to “auto calibrate.”

This in turn, makes you think you're not punching fast enough or with enough force. When you do start flailing your arms like a maniac all of a sudden you make a little more contact but it still isn't enough. You spend more time fighting with your own character to get him to do what you want than actually fighting, and once that happens in a game that is all about fighting, there's not too much that can be done to save it.

Calibration is another thing that I couldn’t really understand. Before every single fight you are told to hold out your arms and then in a (relaxed) fighting stance below your chin. Yet while in a fight, it’s as simple as pressing the circle button. Does the game lose calibration half way into a bout? It makes absolutely no sense.

Movement in The Fight is another shaky subject. Forward and back is simple as it’s done by holding the move button and leaning the controller forward. Lateral movement is a whole other story. For side-to-side control, again you hold the move button but this time you have to violently jerk either left or right, and I say violently because if done subtly your fighter will simply not move.

Visually the title doesn’t do anything to even remotely attract you into the action. I’ve seen better color palettes in run-of-the-mill first person shooters, which doesn’t say much. One cool feature is that the title is 3D ready for those lucky enough to already own a 3DTV but then again who wants to see these graphics in 3D anyway? The audio is also uninspired. Besides the sounds of fists hitting slabs of meat the only thing to look forward to is the verbal abuse from Danny Trejo.

Multiplayer is present, but keep in mind that for any local multiplayer, you’re going to need 4 move controllers. There’s also the online multiplayer, which can be fun but only when the game works the way it should.

Overall I have to say that if you picked up the PlayStation Move and you’re looking for a game that can really show you the potential of the new controller, look elsewhere. Since it was first introduced to the world at GDC way back when The Fight: Lights Out looked incredibly rough around the edges. It was still pretty rough at E3 2010 and at all of the media events leading up to its launch. Now that it has shipped, and the situation remains the same. The game is uninspired, frustrating, and not much fun.

  • Title: The Fight: Lights Out
  • Platform Reviewed: PS3
  • Developer: Coldwood Interactive
  • Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
  • Release Date: Available Now
  • MSRP: $39.99
  • Review Copy Info: A copy of this game was provided to DualShockers Inc by the publisher for purposes of this review.
The Fight: Lights Out
1 / 10