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Platform: Playstation 2 Genre: Interactive Gaming Peripheral Number of Players: 1 - 4 Peripherals: Eye Toy USB camera
* The following screenshots were actually taken from the art disc supplied by Sony of America. There's no way that any one of us at the site would humiliate ourselves enough to actually include photos of ourselves in this review. Better luck next time *
Eye Toy Technical Specifications
GENERAL
LENS
ELECTRONICS
The Eye Toy is one of the latest products to hit the market, and much like the dance pad that can be found all across the world today, it’s one of those little things that requires you to use your body to play. For those that aren’t in the know about the Eye Toy, it’s just your run of the mill USB web cam, with a few modifications made to make it game ready. We don’t need to go into technical specs here, as for the most part; most average gamers really aren’t into that sort of thing. Besides that, they are all at the start of this review if you're really interested in knowing exactly what makes this thing tick. What they want is information on the product, as well as game play and everything in between, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about here. I’m sure the first question is, how exactly does it work? The Eye Toy is very easy to set up, and is essentially a plug and play device, without the hassle of having Windows search for a new item, restart, add drivers, restart, ask if you want to add this in, restart, and so on. One look at the Eye Toy right out of the box, and it’s easy to see just what you need to do. Much like Namco’s GunCon 2 controller, the Eye Toy has a USB cable, so you simply hook it into one of the ports on the front of the PS2. Just in case you’re not completely sure what you’re doing though, the game will give you a simply and easy to understand walkthrough when you start the game. There are a few things to keep in mind though. Make sure that the room isn’t too bright or too dark. You need the camera to be able to see you after all, and if things are too blurry, simply use the lens on the front to adjust the picture quality. As already mentioned, the Eye Toy comes with 12 games already on the disc. These aren’t lengthy titles by any stretch of the imagination, but do a good job at showing the potential that the Eye Toy has. Each game is set up with you and your surroundings being center stage and the game itself being more or less a border, with some things crossing over into your space essentially. Think of it a bit as being like the movie Roger Rabbit. You exist in the real world, but you can “physically” interact with the game. From the title screen, you have the option to use the arrows to select the feature that you’d like to use, and then again you’ll use them to select your game and such. In case you hadn’t already figured this part out, that’s right, you’ll use your hands. You can slap, grab, or do whatever else you need in order to get things rolling; As for the games, the disc comes with the following mini-games: Ghost Eliminator: Who you gonna call? Well, you. Ghost Eliminator puts you in the middle of a creepy graveyard, complete with haunted house, where ghosts and bats are trying to drain you of your health. Simply hit those creatures to earn points. Wishi Washi: The windows are dirty, and you need to get them clean. Use your hands to wipe away dirt and grime to progress your way up the building. But, watch out for things that can make the job a little messy. Rocket Rumble: This is a bit like Fantavision in some regards, but with obvious changes. As the colored rockets stream across the screen, touch them to active them, and then hit the detonators on either side of the screen for an impressive display. Also like Fantavision, the rockets must be of the same color to be linked, but the white ones that appear occasionally will allow you to link together different colors. Disco Stars: Select your music and get into the groove. Disco Stars is more or less the video game version of the classic table electronics game Simon. The on-screen character will hit different lights, and then it’s your turn to follow their moves. Timing means everything here though. Plate Spinner: Perhaps one of the most tiring games of the twelve, B-Monkey has four plates set up in the jungle, and your job is to keep them spinning before the Ba-Boon’s get to them. Fast hands mean longer play time in this one. UFO Juggler: A bit like Plate Spinner, now you take on the role of ground control. Get those UFO’s spinning, moving, and out into the far reaches of space. It’s not going to be quite that easy though, and there are enemies that are determined to make each flight a short one. Boxing Chump: Are you ready to rumble? This is an interactive boxing game where you can throw punches in order to knock your opponent silly. Each match is 30 seconds, so you’ll have to be quick, and throw some good punches, if you want to be the champ. Soccer Craze: So, you may be wondering how you’re going to play interactive soccer in a game where you use your hands. Well, you won’t use them. Instead, you’ll be using your head and your elbows to keep the ball moving and hit Dex when he appears on screen. But, it’s not nearly as easy as it sounds. Kung Foo: We all know that fighting games are one of the most well known genres on the face of the planet, and what interactive game wouldn’t be complete without one? With enemies flying at you from either side of the screen, it’s going to be a fast paced knock down, drag out fight, and you’re going solo on this one, as usual. Beat Freak: Think of this one as the Eye Toy version of DDR. As CD’s fly across the screen, you’ve got to time your hits to the speakers in each corner just right to get the beat pumping and keep the dancers moving. Slap Stream: Yumi and QT are in trouble, and it’s up to you to help them out. Smack Ratmen out of the clouds to help them get to a dress party, and just like with most of the other games, you’re going to need to be quick. Mirror Time: A magic mirror has trapped Kieu inside, and once again, it’s you to the rescue. The problem here though is that not only are things reversed, the mirror tends to split into two and even four, making this one confusing game. For the most part, the graphics are fairly simple, even rudimentary at times, but that really doesn’t take away from the fun factor at all. In fact, anything more complex would take away from the gaming experience, and make a cluttered and distracting screen. As it is, most of the interaction and effects that are used a very well done, and Rocket Rumble probably comes across as being the high point in terms of all of these things. There are more than just games here though. Let’s say for instance you need to leave a message for someone, parents, roommate, significant other, or anyone else you can think of that may be coming to the house. The eye toy will allow you to record a message, complete with audio. You can record from 10 seconds to one minute of footage, and even select a variety of backgrounds to make things look good. We ran a test on this of course, and the camera does pick up the audio fairly well, and it’s very easy to use. You will have to use the memory card to save though, so better make sure that you have the space available. You can also create a profile for the game, a feature that allows you to take a picture and then save it. It’s another easy to use feature of the product. The playroom will give you a variety of effects to play around with. It’s not a game in essence, just a fun little feature to let you laugh and have some fun. Effects range from things like sparkles, where your whole body has colors emanating from it, to the Eye Toy equivalent of a house of mirrors. You’ll also find more interactive features where you can pop bubbles, hit bees nests, and a whole variety of other things. How well the Eye Toy does will depend on a couple of different things. The first, and most obvious, is how well the gaming public at large takes to the product. Interactivity though is really a blooming part of the gaming industry, and the Eye Toy definitely has potential. The next factor is overall support, not just from Sony, but other companies. While I’m sure that’s there are more titles on the horizon, it’s going to take some different game types to make the product have a long life span. However, it is a very fun and highly entertaining piece of gear for the PS2. Already, we have things like the GunCon 2, the dance pad, and even the USB headset getting more and more titles released that use the technology, and it’s fair to assume that this will be the case here as well. With any luck, the Eye Toy won’t go the way of R.O.B, and it will be something that we can all enjoy for quite some time. If you’re looking for something that’s a bit different, and a good party toy, this is the thing. -mike-
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If
history in the gaming industry has taught us anything, it’s
that a peripheral can either sink or swim, depending of course on
how well it’s not only marketed, but also the support from the
creator and third parties alike. Nintendo of course has been one of
the biggest ones in this area, and we’re not talking about success
stories here. Very few people remember R.O.B, also known as the Robotic
Operating Buddy that came packed with the original NES system, and
why should they when there were only two games that were created for
it, and it had a tendency to break. Again we can look at the big N
for failure when it came to the Dancercise Pad, an add-on that would
have remained forgotten had it not been for the genius of Konami and
Dance Dance Revolution. Sony however is ready to take on the add-on
market, and with something that’s both interactive as well as
original.
The
disc itself comes packed with 12 different games, where the star of
course is you. That controller that you’re so used to holding
in your hands, well you won’t need that. Coming back again to
the DDR dance pad, the Eye Toy is an interactive product, meaning
that you need to use your body, your hands in particular, and in a
completely new one. This is good news for those that want games to
require a little more effort, but bad news for the couch potato that’s
more at home lounging around without having to put any effort into
anything at all. You won’t even need the controller for the
menu select either, and again, everything in this game is done with
your hands.
For
the most part, the games are all timed, meaning you’ve only
got a limited amount of time to play. This may sound like a downside,
but it really isn’t as the Eye Toy provides quite a workout
in itself. Getting a high score isn’t a matter of entering in
initial though, and the game will take your picture, that way you
can show off to all your friends. It’s a fairly simple way of
proving that you did in fact obtain that score. I would think that
a few people are also wondering, what if you need to pause the game
for some reason? That’s yet another simple task here. Simply
place your hand over the camera lens, and the game will pause until
you start it back up again. You can even play multi-player games with
up to three friends if you want, making this a much more entertaining
party game than let’s say, Mario Party.
Aside
from the fact that it can get very tiring, there are a couple of minor
complaints that I have about the Eye Toy. The first would be in terms
of the colors that it can pick up. For the most part, the Eye Toy
does very well at picking up most colors without any major loss or
over saturation. However, much like the Sony digital camera that I
have, red seems to be a major problem, and it turns out looking far
too bright, almost neon on occasion, instead of being a true red,
and again like the camera, it’s not something that’s easily
corrected, save just not wearing anything with red it in. Also, the
focus seems to be a little off. As much as I tried, I couldn’t
quite get a crystal clear image of myself, no matter where I stood
or how much I tried to adjust the lens. Again though, these are just
minor things and easily forgiven.