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Are you a shark, or a mouse?
Sports games are always going to be a staple of motion-controlled consoles. Overall quality aside, they serve as a great showcase of what the control system is capable of, as well as helping newcomers become comfortable with the nuances of the controller. Hustle Kings is not one of these games. Instead it is an intricate, well-realised take on pool, revealing just how clever Move can be.
Shiny balls
It’s incredibly deep, so may not be as ‘out of the box’ friendly as Wii Sports, but once you learn how to master the cue, you will likely sink serious playtime into the career and multiplayer modes. Thankfully, a simple tutorial provides players with the basics of shot control, spin and manipulating the camera to better align tricky shots.
Standard manoeuvres aside, the game is full of nuances and, as the title suggest, hustling tricks that separate the skilled player from the newcomer. Thanks to a superb trick shot mode, you can practice jumping the ball and taking advantage of swerve to trounce your opponent. It’s almost comparable to football games, where knowing a few more skills here and there will help level the playing field significantly.
Taking shots with the Move controller is simple, although we did have to lower the sensitivity to line up the shots we wanted. Pressing circle will slow down the aiming line significantly, allowing for pin-point accurate shots, and by raising or lowering the controller, players can apply top or backspin for positioning, as well as swerve.
Lavish stuff
Taking your shot is as simple as holding down the trigger, pulling back the controller and thrusting it forward, with shot power entirely dependant on your physical force, making for an incredibly intuitive control mechanic. This simple system proves Move’s superiority over Wii, with the controller perfectly gauging depth of field, axis spin and forward and backward force.
Although there is a real emphasis on skill, different brands of cue chalk throw some real game-changers into the mix. With every shot, your cue will lose chalk, gradually decreasing your overall accuracy. Players are free to re-apply chalk to their stick at any time, but will earn less of a cash bonus for potting balls or pulling off tricky shots.
Standard blue chalk has unlimited use, raising your shot accuracy slightly, while special chalks can only be used every so often, but improve your skills significantly. Black chalk, for example, will give the player 100 per cent accuracy for one turn only, but comes with a heft cash penalty. It’s a neat addition, requiring the player to twist the controller to apply chalk.
With razor-sharp visuals, a laid back jazz and electro aesthetic and an expansive career mode, Hustle Kings is one of the many jewels in PSN’s crown, made all the more inviting thanks to the superb implementation of Move control. It’s a simple, laid-back experience that holds a wealth of hidden depth if you’re prepared to put plenty of practice in. We’re looking forward to building on our fledgling hustling skills nearer launch.
A great showcase of what Move is capable of.
http://ps3.nowgamer.com/previews/ps3-network/1140/hustle-kings-move
