PS3 Review - The Shoot

One of my fondest memories while visiting local arcades in my youth, was the on-rails shooter. With the long-time absence of a worthy light-gun for the PlayStation brand, on-rails shooters have all but dried up. Now that the PlayStation Move has launched, we’re suddenly experiencing a blitz from the sub-genre, and Sony’s entry, The Shoot, is leading the charge.

While the PlayStation Move has been touted for its precise motion controls, it also works similarly to the Nintendo Wii as a pointer. This works effectively in all forms of shooters, as you aim with the Move the reticule will follow where you point. Though the accuracy PlayStation Move is known for still holds true in The Shoot, it’s not as prevalent here.

Despite not bringing the “wow” factor with the PlayStation Move, The Shoot is still a great game. Where it lacks in variety, it makes up for in fun-filled gameplay.

The overall premise is simple as can be. You move from area to area on rails, shooting various targets. The setting takes place among a 5 different movie-themed sets: a western, a robot movie, a mob movie, an underwater theme, and a monster/horror theme. Though, the game is really just a moving shooting gallery, the movie sets make it a blast to play.

You must shoot all the props, which are really just enemies and targets, in order to impress the director. Perform poorly and the director gets pissed, forcing you to do a retake. The better your accuracy and hit count, the higher your score… obviously.

Even though the game is “point-and-shoot” at heart, there is some additional motion action in The Shoot to bring some unique flavor to the title. Certain areas will prompt you to move the PlayStation Move to the side or down to take cover. There’s also special moves that you’ll earn as you rack up a hit streak. One move has you spinning the Move in a 360 degree motion; on-screen this will slow down time so you can hit the targets much more easily. Another move clears the screen of all targets, and yet another turns your Move into a machine gun.

Adding to the fun, another player can join in and either compete against you or assist you in going for a high score. If just holding the PlayStation Move isn’t enough for you, you can add to the experience by using the PlayStation Move shooting attachment. The shooting attachment holds your PlayStation Move in such a way that it’s manipulated like a gun, with a grip and trigger for a handle. This will turn the immersion up a notch providing a more visceral experience. This isn’t anything new or groundbreaking, and certainly isn’t necessary, but it’s always more fun to hold a gun than a wand while playing a “shooting” game.

The game is rather short. Each movie can be completed in roughly a half an hour, and with only 5 movie themes, there isn’t a whole lot to do in The Shoot. Luckily, the game is as fun as can be and offers enough secrets to keep you coming back for more.

The Shoot is a decent game overall. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it perfectly fills the void of a truly fun-to-play, laid-back shooter that’s been missing on the PlayStation 3. The short length may put many off and the lack of variety is blatant. However, that shouldn’t detract from what the game is meant to be: great fun. The Shoot is the perfect game to have some light-hearted family fun, to relive the feel of on-rails arcade shooters of the past, and to kill some time until the more exciting PlayStation Move games hit the market.