For years, gamers have wanted some sort of peripheral that would make them feel as if they were in the games they play, and for years, a number of companies have tried a few different means of accomplishing this feat. Of course it’s been a pretty bumpy road, what with stuff like Sega’s Activator, Nintendo’s oddball Virtual Boy, the Aura Interactor, and a number of overpriced attempts at creating 3D headsets all failing rather spectacularly to capture audiences. The problem with these devices was that they were all quite clumsy and didn’t really work as well as advertised, but some folks were suckered anyway. Of course, leave it to Sony to take the whole interactive idea and make it not only work well, but to also think ahead about its future applications. Sony’s EyeToy is the ffirst “virtual reality” device to actually work, and the technology is so ridiculously simple that pretty much anyone can immediately step up to their TV and have fun. EyeToy is a small camera that connects through the USB port of the PS2, and with the included Play game disc, opens up 12 simple yet fun mini-games and a cool video messaging feature. What makes the thing so cool is that it opens up gaming to anyone young or old who wouldn’t go near a console game previously.
It’s only £40 for the camera and the Play disc together, and operating EyeToy is ridiculously simple. All you do is plug it in, pop the Play disc into your PS2, watch the short, hysterical video that shows you how to set it up, and start playing soon afterward. It does take a few minutes to grow accustomed to waving your hands about to select options and games (especially if someone is watching you as you set up a game for a few people), but it’s almost like learning a new language if you think about it, and soon you’ll have others wanting to try it as well. Sure, it’s a gimmick, but it’s one that works very well, and is a perfect stress reliever after 8 hours of “another day another dollar” at the office. It’s easy to be sceptical, especially if you’re an observer at a store demo or party where people are acting like spastic monkeys, swinging their arms around wildly in front of a TV set trying to bash Ninjas, wash windows, or set off fireworks. But when you look around carefully, you’ll probably notice that people who normally don’t play video games are jumping up to take a turn, and that’s always something special to see.
Naturally, some folks will disagree and say that you don’t use any “real” skill to get the most out of EyeToy. But, not everyone is an Unreal Tournament 2004 or Counter-Strike super assassin, nor should they feel the need to be in order to enjoy what’s here. On the other hand, put 20 rabid Eye Toy users in a bar fight against 20 die-hard deathmatchers, and my money’s on the newly slim Wishi-Washers over the overstuffed chair mummy Doritos-munching mouse-clickers any day. EyeToy: Play not only puts you into the game, it makes you the controller as well. The interactivity in each of the 12 games here will give you a definite upper body workout, especially on the harder difficulty settings. These games are in no way incredibly deep, life-changing experiences, but they sure are fun. Put to the test, here’s a list of the games on the Play disc, in order of personal favourites:
Kung Foo: Chop and whack at assorted cartoon ninjas as they attack from the left and right of the screen. Great fun overall, with each difficulty level offering up different enemy patterns and tougher bonus stages, in which you have to break boards at different angles.
Rocket Rumble: Wave at coloured fireworks and set them off with detonators at the left and right of the screen. Loads of fun, especially with a few friends, but this one could have been a bit more like Fantavision.
Wishi Washi: Frantic window washing action for the whole family! It sounds silly, and it is, but it’s also fun - and that’s the point. Speed and accuracy will help you clean up for big points, and feel free to cheat by grabbing a cushion off your couch, but don’t tell anyone I said so…
Slap Stream: Smack a bunch of goofy-looking, cloud hopping mice silly and avoid hitting the cute bunny girls. The faster you knock ‘em down, the better your score. This one is short and to the point, but definitely addictive in its own way. And besides, who wouldn’t want to protect a trio of cuties in bunny suits?
Boxing Chump: Quickie boxing match against a robot. Fun and very taxing on Hard mode. A bit odd, in that you’re facing to the side while looking at your TV, but you get used to it soon enough.
Plate Spinner: Spin up to 4 plates, and keep them spinning for a high score. If you do well enough and maintain a steady rhythm, you’ll rack up even more points. Watch out for cheeky monkeys who’ll make things interesting when you least expect it!
Football Craze: Using your head, smack a football into empty apartment windows to score points while avoiding hitting residents or losing the ball. You can cheat a bit and use your hands, but it’s more fun to try it the hard way. Score high enough, and you’ll get a second ball to make things more challenging.
Mirror Time: This one can be rough at first, as you try to deal with the screen splits and reversals. Hit the green icons but avoid the red ones as the screen constantly changes. Very well designed and challenging, yet simple for most anyone once you get the hang of it.
Beat Freak: Slap spinning CDs into speakers at each corner of the screen as cool beats play. The closer the discs are toward the center of the speakers, the better the score you’ll get. It’s a bit odd at first, but if you’re a big fan of import rhythm games you’ll see a bit of a similarity to Konami’s cool Para Para Paradise.
Ghost Elimination: Too much like Kung Foo for its own good, but with slightly different play mechanics. Grab and crush ghosts and swat off swarms of bats that appear. It seems as if the developers were running out of ideas for harmless fun and stuck this in. I can definitely see the germ of a more polished idea in here, and hopefully it’ll be expanded upon on a later disc.
UFO Juggler: Not as much fun as Plate Spinner, and to me, the weakest of the bunch. Spin UFOs for points, and (wait for it…) keep them spinning. This one should have been added to Plate Spinner as some sort of bonus game. I wouldn’t call it boring - it’s just pretty much the same thing as Plate Spinner, but not as fun.
In addition to all the games above, you’ll also get a decent video messaging tool that requires some hefty space on a PS2 Memory Card, should you choose to use it (feel free to drop some more cash on a spare card, Sony definitely won’t mind at all). Visually, the games on the Play disc feature anime-inspired character models with minimal, yet smooth animation. Sounds and music selections are ear-catching coolness, and overall, the content here is presented as good clean fun all around, so you needn’t worry about the kids or grandmum seeing something they shouldn’t. It’s quite nice to actually see a new game product that doesn’t cater to the usual doom and gloom crowd, although seeing an EyeToy: SOCOM game would definitely stop me in my tracks for a minute or two.
Overall, as a stand alone peripheral, EyeToy is an interesting idea, but when you consider the future possibilities for the thing, it’s hard not to be impressed. A number of upcoming PS2 games will take advantage of the EyeToy’s capabilities, and already a second game by Sony, the dance-themed EyeToy: Groove, is out there if you want some hip-shaking action. What we have here folks, is the perfect gift for the gamer that has everything except say, a spouse or relative who doesn’t quite understand the lure of gaming, or a parent looking to interact a bit more with their kids. Of course, I can see a bunch of adults sending the kids to the mall or multiplex while they invite friends over to toss back a few and spin plates or bounce virtual football balls around, but that’s a good thing too in a way. The more people that get into EyeToy, the better future applications will be, and some of the potential game ideas are sure to keep the creative juices flowing for quite some time. JS
