Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Interactive Art

Number of Players: 1

Support: HD 720p
PlayStation Eye Required

Mesmerize: Distort only barely came out and already Sony’s London Studios has released an update for it. This isn’t a patch or anything like that but instead merely an add-on. As I made mention of in another PlayStation Eye review, the commitment for the latest PlayStation 3 peripheral has been extraordinary and has already outdone what was seen with the EyeToy. So, if you’ve already grown tired of what Distort offered, there are a few more effects to play around with.

Mesmerize: Trace adds in four new effects for what I suppose will know be referred to simply as Mesmerize series, and I’m sure that Trace isn’t the end of what we’ll be seeing. The different types of visuals that can be created is undoubtedly limitless, but there’s no reason to overwhelm users with a plethora of effects right from the beginning. As with other add-on’s for PS3 games, all you need to do is simply install it and from there, you’ll find the new effects added into your current list. As with Distort, if you find one that you don’t like, you can remove it from the list and never bother with it again, though I tend to keep them all regardless simply to show what the interactive art can do.

Like with Distort, Trace simply follows your movements but with different results depending on the effect you have selected Urban builds geometric towers and buildings that resemble a cityscape and soon, your virtual city will begin to grow as you see what seems like roads appearing in the surrounding area. Chain Reaction on the other hand draws shapes behind your movements but if you decide to touch the original shape, things begin to change and you can keep shifting the images for some rather unique and eye-catching visuals.

There are also two other effects which use the microphone, though like many other reviews that I’ve read, I had some issues getting the PlayStation Eye to pick anything up (and after reading of other failures, I don’t feel like a complete idiot.) Firefly is a very cool effect where there is a series of small lights in a circle. As they move around, you can touch them to make them “fly” away and if you stop moving or you are no longer active in their general area, they will return to their point of origin. The final new effect is Twister. With this, simply move your hands, fingers, or your body within the vision of the PlayStation Eye. The result is a twirling, dancing light show that will cycle through a myriad of colors.

Trace may not be a game, but it does make great use of the PlayStation Eye and it definitely shows the potential that the peripheral has beyond just card games. The potential of the PSE is still untapped and if previews for upcoming games like Eyedentify are any indication, artistic downloads like Mesmerize or interactive aquariums are merely the beginning of what developers will be doing with this piece of gear and the coming months and years are certain to result in things that we never thought we’d see on a gaming console. While we wait however, Trace is a perfect add-on for Distort and the ideal thing to come back to if you just want a leisurely break away from gaming.
 

-mike-