First look: EyeToy: Mini Games

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has today released new information on the recently renamed EyeToy: Mini Games (working title)--a collection of between 15 and 20 minigames that are played using nothing but a USB camera. Players stand in front of the USB camera--which has been designed to look like a miniature PS2--and, without the need for props of any kind, are able to interact with everything from soccer balls and record decks to dirty windows, ninja assassins, and the game's menu screens simply by moving.

It appears that the final roster of minigames has yet to be confirmed, but SCEE has today released information on seven of the games--some of which were on display when we checked out the EyeToy at the PlayStation Experience event in the UK last year. The games confirmed by SCEE today are as follows:

Wishi-Washi
Window washing simulator in which players must clean windows as quickly as possible en route to the top of a soap-covered skyscraper.

Kung Foo
Players in the middle of the screen are attacked by small ninjas and bamboo bad-guys jumping in from both sides and must use punches, kicks, and head-butts to defend themselves.

Plate Spinner
Players must attempt to keep a number of plates spinning on poles, keeping an eye on their speed and any pole-climbing drunk monkeys in the vicinity at all times.

Boxing Chump
A six-round boxing match in which the player and a boxer face off on opposite sides of the screen and must avoid each other's punches to avoid being knocked out.

Mirror Time
A target in each corner of the screen must be hit when it changes from red to green, which would be easy if the entire screen (including the player's own image) weren't being flipped and rotated.

Keep Ups
Players must prevent a soccer ball from landing on the bottom of the screen, with extra point up for grabs if low-flying birds are hit by the ball.

Beat Freak Targets in the corners of the screen must be hit in time with the music, essentially a variation of Dance Dance Revolution for hands instead of feet.

EyeToy: Mini Games, which can also be used to record video messages for friends onto a PS2 memory card, was originally scheduled for release in Europe this month, but that date has recently slipped back to July. A North American release for the EyeToy has not been confirmed at this time. For more information, check out our previous coverage of EyeToy: Mini Games.