E3 Stragglers: Kung Fu Rider (PlayStation Move)

The last time I heard anyone talk about Kung Fu Rider was at the Game Developers Conference back in March and it wasn’t pretty. Every new piece of hardware takes some time for developers to adjust to but Sony Japan apparently didn’t get around to applying later lessons with PlayStation Move to this glorified tech demo. The motion controls — requiring only the wand to play — are allegedly unintuitive and most of the actions are simple button presses.

All that aside, look at this! An overworked salary man and his scantily-clad secretary blast down bizarre roadways in Japan, dodging Yakuza thugs and picking up cash icons to make enough money to get the mob off their backs. All the while they’re jumping, grinding, dramatically dodging obstacles and even striking poses and hitting passers-by. I love the idea and presentation (reminds me of Incredible Crisis) but I’ll have to play it myself before deciding to buy. GameTrailers had a lame live demo but the only worthwhile details were that Kung Fu Rider will launch alongside PlayStation Move this September and that, sadly, it won’t be part of a pack-in game bundle. I fear that free may be the only price worth paying for this one but I’m still hopeful that it’s at least stupid fun.