Sony's new Toy: gimmick or gimme?

By James Anthony

Just place the camera on top of the TV and voila!

Fancy seeing yourself on TV?

Well here’s a step in a new direction from Sony - a PS2 camera-based game that puts you right into the action.

EyeToy Play is a collection of childrens’ games that comes with a cam you plug into your PS2 and that beams you into play faster than Scotty and his transporter machine.

A little bit of twiddling will organise your focus and camera angle and then it’s away into 3D land.

There you are, standing in front of the Idiot Box with beastly little sprites jumping at you and it is your job to virtually knock them away by moving your arms/legs/botties or whatever to the left and right.

If you think of the TV screen and where you are standing as two parallel planes that interact or overlap it makes things much easier - although until they get used to it some little kids will be too caught up in the excitement and will try to move their limbs closer to the screen and out of camera angle.

Anyway, it doesn’t take long to get used to the idea and there are some fun gamettes to get into on the disc.

Here are some of the 12 games included in Eye Toy Play.

Kung Foo: This is a fun game that has you kung-fooing all sorts of little ninja brutes that want to judo chop you. Mind you, with a wave of the arms, poke of the finger or (sometimes) a deft wiggle of the backside you can see them off.

It's so small!

Wishi Washi: Using your hands or arms in a circular motion you have to clean a certain number of windows in a given time. The kids will probably love it, but it tends to lose its shine for adults after a while.

Keep ups: Become a soccer whiz by practising keeping the ball in the air with your head. Assorted characters pop along to do their best to “assist” you.

Boxing Chump: Turn sideways for this effort and try to knock the living heck out of the cartoon opponent. It is fun and a bit more agro than Kung Foo.

Ghost Catcher: Similar to Kung Foo except these little dead-uns are a tad hard to see and you do need to keep your concentration levels up.

Other gametes include Mirror Time, Rocket Rumble, Boogie Down, Boat Freak, UFO juggler, Slap Stream and the circus favourite, Plate Spinner.

Now, the EyeToy Games are a tad gimmicky, but may well hint at the shape of things to come. The technology will no doubt be used in increasingly more sophisticated games and - one expects - we’ll see (and put) ourselves within a Mortal Kombat XXI or a RPG-like Everquest.

But, for now, you can still have a really good time as you gyrate and wave your arms about trying to outscore your fellow gamers, whether they be you grandparents, your mates, whatever. And at less than $100 for the entire kit, it makes for solid value to boot.

Just be sure your neighbours can’t see or they’ll be phoning for an ambulance and chaps in white jackets.

Game: EyeToy
System: PS2
Players: 1-4
Memory Card: Yes
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE)
Distributor: Sony

Rating: 80%

(Ratings Key/Explantion)

EyeToy is on the shelves now.