PlayStation 2

EyeToy: Play

Eye Toy is the sort of product that Nintendo should have come up with first. It's that simple, obvious, kid-friendly, and flat out brilliant. It's a killer application, a laugh out loud riot at parties, and the kind of game that will attract everyone ages 3 to 95 to stand in front of the TV and act like a spazz. What is it? It's a small Logitech made digital video camera and comes with a game disc called, simply, Play, which holds a slew of 12 clever games aimed at all ages, plus delightful extra play room activities.

Whenever gamers think of things that have been dubbed as revolutionary, a couple of inventions come to mind for me personally. For starters, the Super Game Boy was one of my all time favorites, since I could play my Game Boy games on the bigger TV screen. Also, who can forget things like the mouse / keyboard combo for the Dreamcast or the failed (but nifty) Virtual Boy back in the 80’s? Well, Sony is looking to add another chapter to the whole “revolutionary” idea with gamers with their release of the Eye Toy … part digital camera, part game collection, 100% fun.

The Sony EyeToy has all the makings of a classic, it simply cannot fail. A great sense of humour has been put in as well as a lot of work making each game fun and accessible. For the lone player there is plenty of fun to be had, but pull this one out at the party and the night will be full of stomach-bending laughs and arguments of 'are you eyeing up my bird?' as girls boogy down to Beat Freak.

All in all, Sony’s EyeToy peripheral is, in our humble opinion, the most innovative and original add-on device that has hit home consoles in years. The technology implemented to capture your image and detect motion is surprisingly refined considering this is the first version of the unit. If you’re tired of party games that star fat plumbers or require you to dance in rhythm then the EyeToy may be what you’re looking for.

Besides being able to play the twelve mini-games in varying difficulties as a single-player or with up to four people in multiplayer, EyeToy adds in some extras in order to liven up your television screen. This is done in playroom where 13 interactive effects portray your room as an underwater environment full of fish or manipulate the area in hanging a beehive which buzzing with bees whenever you hit the hive. Neat to take a tour of the added effects, but nothing you’ll use more than your screensaver.

EyeToy: Play doesn't have complex graphics, nor will any of the sound effects or songs blow you away. Despite the fact that the games are simple, they almost all manage to be fun to play alone, or with a group of people. There's also a playroom, which is perfect for parties where you just set the camera up where people are walking around, and the EyeToy will add effects like snow, or trails of rainbow light behind your friends.

On sera tous d'accord sur un point : l'Eye Toy c'est super fendart et novateur. Le seul problème c'est de se mettre d'accord sur combien de temps ça l'est. En dépit de son prix raisonnable (pour une caméra et 12 jeux), si aucun éditeur ne vient tirer parti de l'accessoire, le joueur risque de regretter un investissement qui l'aura énormément amusé pendant quelques jours avant d'aller au fond du placard. Ceci dit, il serait fort surprenant que l'engin finisse comme cela. Foncez, mais en connaissance de cause ou si vous êtes frileux, attendez de voir les annonces des futurs titres compatibles.

So do you buy it? That depends on who you are. It’s great for kids and non-serious gamers and a fun party favor, but those of you with a taste for the finer things in gaming life will be let down by the largely disappointing games. It will make your mom and your girlfriend happy, though, and to us, that’s priceless.

If you're in the market for a game to play when you have friends over, especially friends who have little or no interest in video games, EyeToy: Play is an excellent choice. It's incredibly easy and fun to play, and it's hard to stop playing once you've gotten everyone in the room involved. As a single-player game, though, the minigames don't provide much of a challenge. While only time will tell if more games will use the EyeToy camera in the future, the first game to make use of it is one that will provide at least some fun for just about everyone.

Call it simplistic. Call it silly. Call it what you want. But there is something ridiculously likeable about the EyeToy, Sony Computer Entertainment's newest little peripheral.

There's a curious primal comfort to be gained from making a fool of yourself in front of other people, so it hardly came as a great surprise when the EyeToy became this year's innovative success story, selling hundreds of thousands of units all summer long when most other publishers had shut up shop. The chance to leap about in front of your own TV and see the results of your apery was a masterstroke by Sony, for the fact that it dragged in thousands of previously unwilling 'casual' gamers into joining in this evil pursuit we call videogames.

Now that software companies have a large enough fan base of us hardcore gamers to pay off their BMWs, a new audience is needed to step things up a notch. EyeToy is a device that makes gaming fun and accessible to anyone -- regardless of whether they've ever held a controller in their hands before. That's because EyeToy is the controller.

Overall, Eye Toy is a lighthearted game that's great for kids and parties. I don't think it has much long-term value, but if it's the first time you've played anything like this, you're in for a real treat.