Ritual Humiliation Never Felt So Good (EyeToy Play)

Member Name: dj981

Product:	EyeToy Play
Date:	22/10/03 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great sociable gaming, Unashamedly dancing like your dad at a wedding, Look! I'm on t'telly!

Disadvantages: Short lived, Broken ornaments abound, Some truly futile features

I used to laugh at people on those rhythm-step games at the arcades. "Ha! Fools!" I'd mutter to myself, as they shimmied manically from pad to pad, like gerbils on a halogen hob (Note to RSPCA: - I love animals would never try this). Oblivious to their ever-increasing audience, they would continue uninhibited, staring wide-eyed in a pixel-induced trance.

So, when my better half suggested we go halves on Eye Toy, I commented that there were numerous other things I'd rather put £20 towards, like a season ticket at the colonic irrigators. "That's not a game!" I protested pompously. You may guess where this is going; that very afternoon we were at the till with a copy of Eye Toy.

Just a few hours later, it was I doing the gerbil routine, Kung Fu kicking around my living room, like a heavily starched Bruce Lee, having the most fun I'd had with a game for ages. Next up was the dancing game, which saw me reaching out to Boogie Nights, just like my arcade dwelling friends. With considerably less rhythm.

Eye Toy is essentially twelve extremely straightforward games, which you play solely via a tiny USB camera, which sits atop your television. Your movements register on-screen to access menus and play the games. You can create player profiles, with the nice touch of being able to put your picture beside your name, in an array of performance related poses (smug grin for a victory, etc.) thus enhancing the satisfaction of pummelling your friends.

It's all very user friendly, and easily accessible. The camera is small enough to grace even the smallest TV, although finding the correct lighting can be a struggle at times. The on screen menus couldn't be simpler, and the games are explained at as much length as is necessary. The only slightly irritating aspect of the hardware presents itself when you have people of considerably different heights; I have a friend who stands at 6'6" and having t
o perpetually adjust the camera grated on my nerves somewhat.

The twelve games provided generally test your hand eye coordination and reflexes. A couple of them are more sedate, but most of the time you will find yourself sweating profusely, swatting thin air and laughing uncontrollably. My favourite has to be Kung Fu, which sees you attempting to fight off waves of high kicking opponents. Better still, someone who sounds suspiciously like Burt Kuock provides the voiceover...Genius.

Others include; using timing to coordinate a firework display, playing keepy-ups with a football, plate spinning, and cleaning windows to the strains of George Formby. To be honest, some of them are tedious and will struggle to hold your attention, but most are entertaining both to play and to watch.

Asides from the games, there are a number of special features, such as being able to put yourself in a goldfish bowl; having your image followed by Technicolor traces; and a time delay which displays your movements a second or two late. This will have you captivated for at least sixty seconds. In fairness though, stressed parents of younger kids could probably buy themselves hours of peace with it.

More redundant still is the record-a-message feature, which allows you to save a video message of up to a minute to your memory card. Extremely useful. Imagine the scene over the breakfast table: "Oh, by the way, there's an important message for you on the Eye Toy. It's packed up on top of the wardrobe." Thanks.

In terms of longevity, all but the most enjoyable games and features will fall by the wayside over time. Once the novelty value of seeing yourself on TV wanes, you will struggle to muster the effort to unpack and set up the camera, clear a space, etc. In truth, my Eye Toy only gets dusted off after a night at the pub with a few friends, but the entertainment value when this happens is priceless.

However, I see this
as a long-term investment. Presumably, regular games will event
ually have some form of compatibility with Eye Toy, allowing you to incorporate your image in some way. Also, as technology improves, there may be a whole host of more complex games to compliment the twelve currently available. On this basis, I've given it another star.

This deserves to do well, as it's always nice to see something innovative hitting the shelves. In addition, this is the first real attempt at family gaming I've seen, which can't be a bad thing. Even your decrepit old granddad could get the hang of it. Just make sure you shut the curtains when playing, as I have already received some strange looks from my neighbours.

Graphics - Largely dependent on your own aesthetic beauty 10/10 (ahem)
Sounds - Formby & Kuock in one game deserves a 10, but on balance 7/10
Gameplay - Initially inspired but quickly subsides 7/10

Summary: