EyeToy:Play 2 Brings Cool New Features

But will it be enough to give Sega's SuperStars, which is coming along beautifully, any kind of pounding? Important details inside!

EyeToy is set to win a lot of new fans. For a start, Sega SuperStars is shaping up amazingly well, based on our latest playtest of a build with all twelve games included (see our exclusive forthcoming video coverage). But in addition, Sony is suggesting another appealing EyeToy offering with the sequel to the game that launched the concept, EyeToy: Play.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced the November release of EyeToy:Play 2 from the company's London studio. It expands upon the fresh, accessible gameplay of the original with "new advancements in technology that make the 12 new games in Play 2 even more interactive than before!"

If that sound slike hyperbole, then let me tell you it probably isn't - I was very impressed recently at how much more accurate and responsive SuperStars was compared to earlier EyeToy games. It's a much improved experience and it goes without saying that Sony would incorporate the advancements in Play 2.

Twelve New Games

Like the original, EyeToy:Play 2 places the player right in the centre of the action. The EyeToy USB camera projects them onto the television screen live within the game, allowing them to physically interact with characters and environments.

The 12 new games allow players to take part in a diverse range of events. Whether performing super high-kicks in Kung2, trying their hand at home improvement skills in DIY, or making burgers and fries in Mr Chef, players become the star of the game, using any part of the body to control the action.

A new multi-player tournament option allows for up to four people to face off against one another taking quick-fire turns in the competition.

Impressive Technical Improvements

"Motion-Cam" motion detection allows players to fine tune their technique in games such as Home Run and Table Tennis, which take into account where you aim and how hard you hit the ball. In Boxing, the harder you punch in real life, the better you score in the game. Many of the games also feature "Sonic-Cam" audio recognition, enabling players to add another dimension to the action by shouting at the screen (as seen in one of the Sega SuperStars mini-games).

But it doesn't end there. Sony is also pushing a new feature called "MiniVision", which takes an image of the player and the room they are in and projects the reduced image deeper into the game. This new feature makes games such as Goal Attack and Home Run possible, allowing players to not only control the game with their body but to actually move around within a 3D game environment.

New effects in the Playroom area include "Cutout-Cam", which quite impressively, allows players to be separated from the surrounding background and superimposed into a new environment, and "Colour-Cam", enabling players to control the action using brightly coloured objects.

In addition, EyeToy:Play 2 features SpyToy, enabling players to turn their EyeToy camera into a fun security system that will record anyone that passes by! The mind boggles...

The game's popularity will come down to the quality of the twelve mini-games, and with well-known characters and franchises offered in the Sega EyeToy offering, Sony may well have a bit of genuine, healthy competition on its hands this time around.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com