EyeToy: Play

"EyeToy: My secret obession."

Although it's been out for years now, the EyeToy is still selling. It's cheapness, user-friendliness and all-around-funness is still pushing it in the hands of buyers, even a good 3 years after its launch. I held judgement went I read about its unveiling at E3, and even more so when I saw a bald chap wave his arms frantically around as he tried it out in a store, but only recently did I think about purchasing one for my sister's birthday. Erm...however, after taking it out the box and slotting it in (Plug and Play! Easy-peasy), jiggling around for an hour, I decided that I might just have to keep it for myself. I'm sure my sister wouldn't mind if I gave her a keyring or something....hmmm...I wonder if the gas-station is
still open. Anyway, yes, I was surprised that I enjoyed it, as my tastes are completely different, and novelty titles like this I tend to skip.

The EyeToy deal I got was the camera and a disc with 12 mini-games on it. I felt slightly gypped at there being only 12, as the DS's fun-packed puzzler WarioWare: Touched! has a mighty 180 on a tiny cart, but it didn't bother me too much, as there were other EyeToy discs to buy and play. To give you the gist of what to expect, the 12 games' are: Beat Freak, Boogie Down, Boxing Champ, Ghost Catcher, Keep Ups, Kung Foo, Plate Spinner, Mirror Time, UFO Juggler, Rocket Rumble, Slap Stream and finally, Wishi Washi. Plate Spinner sees you...well, spinning plates, and Keep Ups has you trying to do as many keep ups as you can with a football. You can figure out the rest.

When I said I was gypped earlier at the fact there was only 12 games, I didn't mention the option of MULTIPLAYER! Yes, you can battle it out with friends and family and laugh to your heart's content. I still have midnight sessions of this by myself, but I do take it over to friend's for a quick laugh-a-thon. You've also got the #1 spot on the high scores list to try and usurp, and if you do, say cheese, as instead of having to type in a 3-letter name (come on! Super Awesome Jimfish can't fit in to 3 letters!), the camera takes a picture of the victor and places your grinning mug on the list.

I see no limit to this type of game. There's always a market for puzzle and party games (just look at the success of the Mario Party series, all ready on its 7th title) - and you've also got the 3 difficulty modes to try on each and every mini-game. But wait! There's more! You've got the Play Room to explore. Basically it's a whole bunch of special effects to manipulate, like being underwater or having bubbles being blown all over the screen which you can pop. All in all, you've got 14 to try out and enjoy. However, this is for the younger (or drunker) players who'll enjoy the pretty effects.

Not to mention, you've got plenty of bonus discs being released with plenty of games to play with, so you're EyeToy will never go redundant. Plus you can use it with the PS2's Online Play mode, allowing you to communicate with friends with the camera and a microphone. I've never used EyeToy Chat before, but it's still a nice feature for those who can't afford a decent webcam.

Overall, I would say that the EyeToy would be a proud member of your game library. It's a mighty piece of hardware and a prime example of what video game technology could amount to in the future (I'm still waiting for Virtual Reality goggles). It's a worthwhile investment that you should undertake. Your whole family has something to enjoy with this and should be shared with them...

...except mine of course. The EyeToy's my precious, my sister ain't getting her claws on this.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/06