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| Justin Calvert
Associate Editor
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Now Playing: Beat Freak (PS2), Kung Foo (PS2), Wishi Washi (PS2), Keep Ups (PS2), Boxing Chump (PS2), UFO Juggler (PS2), Slap Stream (PS2), Plate Spinner (PS2), Boogie Down (PS2), Ghost Catcher (PS2), Mirror Time (PS2), Rocket Rumble (PS2)
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Despite the fact that I generally avoid games like Dance Dance Revolution like the plague for fear that I might actually work up a sweat or improve my general fitness, I recently purchased a copy of SCEE's EyeToy: Play for the PlayStation 2. Being as obsessed with gadgets as I am with games, I'll admit that the cool USB camera that comes as part of the bundle was a big draw for me, but since the majority of my working days are spent sitting on my behind in front of a computer, I'm actually finding that the game provides me with a great way to stretch my legs (and arms) when the English weather (or whichever excuse comes to mind first) makes venturing into the great outdoors an unappealing prospect.
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It's got a blue light and a Sony logo--how could I resist? |
Setting up the EyeToy camera for the first time proved to be no more difficult than plugging in a standard Dual Shock controller, and navigating the game's menu screens using nothing but the movement of my hands was surprisingly intuitive considering they're more used to spending their lives hovering over a keyboard and mouse or clutching a joypad. Before actually playing for the first time, the assembled family members and I were each required to create our own player profiles that necessitated creating photos of happy, sad, and silly faces in addition to the usual three-letter moniker. Pulling faces in front of the TV (as well as a beer or two) put us in the perfect frame of mind for what was to follow, and it wasn't long before the three of us were swatting ninjas from the TV screen in the Kung Foo minigame as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was about half an hour later that we became very aware of the fact that where we were standing, in the center of the living room, was directly in line with a large window through which passersby were looking in bemusement as we each took turns jumping around with our arms flailing wildly. This had the effect of calming down our performances somewhat for a short time, but as the games became increasingly competitive, the voyeuristic neighbors became insignificant.
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Washing windows has never been so much fun. |
EyeToy: Play comes with 12 minigames in total, and while all of them are fun for a while, we each inevitably have our favorites. Personally I'm a fan of the soccer-themed Keep Ups as well as the Kung Foo and Boxing Chump games, but the girls seem to enjoy dancing in Boogie Down and cleaning windows in Wishi Washi--the latter of which we've found is best played with a giant yellow sponge in hand. The one thing that we all agreed on is that EyeToy: Play is, unsurprisingly, a game that's best played with friends. The fact that spectators get to see you jumping around in the middle of the room and can see your facial expressions on the screen means that EyeToy: Play is just as much fun for those awaiting their turn as for those manipulating the onscreen action as if they were Tom Cruise in Minority Report.
As you've probably guessed, I'm a big fan of EyeToy. The gadget's not without one or two problems though, namely that you have to reposition the camera manually for players of differing heights and that as you approach the TV to do so you invariably find yourself selecting various options accidentally just by moving. The camera also requires that the room you're playing in be relatively well-lit, and I can vouch for the fact that playing at night under a solitary light bulb not only makes the game a little more difficult but also exposes the top of your head to extreme temperatures after prolonged periods of play.
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Neither has fighting off hordes of ninja attackers. |
All of us in the house have had fun with EyeToy: Play but, in truth, now that we've seen what each of the minigames has to offer it's unlikely we'll be playing any of them again until the next time we have friends over. The peripheral surely has no end of potential applications though, and although Sony hasn't officially announced any at the time of writing, a recent report in the German trade publication MCV suggests that both EyeToy: Groove and EyeToy: Sports are currently in development--perhaps featuring some of the 20 games that were originally announced for EyeToy: Play that didn't make the final cut. I'm also hoping that future PS2 games might boast EyeToy-specific features in the same way that many GameCube games now support GBA functionality. Picking locks in Splinter Cell might work, saving penalty kicks in FIFA would be interesting, and with the addition of a novelty plastic golf club the EyeToy could consign swing-o-meters to history once and for all. I remember seeing a very early prototype of the EyeToy technology at ECTS a few years back, where players were moving their arms as if they were the wings of a bird of prey to soar over mountain ranges and were using plastic medieval weapons to kill enemies in what I think was a first-person action demo. I only hope that Sony's current plans for its new must-have gadget are as ambitious now as they were back then.
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