The Eyetoy has been a fun
little gadget since it hit the shelves, but so far hasn’t offered much in the
area of gameplay. Up until now it has been more of a novelty sporting lots of
entertaining but simple minigames. Eyetoy Antigrav is the first true game to hit
the Eyetoy and begins to show off the true potential of Playstation 2’s camera
peripheral.
Antigrav takes place in
the future where hoverboard racing is a popular extreme sport. As the player,
you control your hoverboarding avatar by moving your body. The in-game character
on the board will mimic your arm, body and head movements (to a certain extent).
In Antigrav, players must
actually move their whole body to interact with the game since the Eyetoy tracks
the player’s head and hands as the means of controlling the on-screen character.
To navigate you must lean in the direction you want to turn, as well as duck or
jump to avoid obstacles. A helpful indicator sitting in the bottom right corner
of the screen allows the player to see where the game senses their head and
arms.
There are two modes of
play: Speed or Style. In Speed mode you area racing to the end of the selected
course. You must finish first in three heats to unlock new goodies and move onto
the next course. In Style mode you are attempting to score the most points on
your way to the finish by pulling of tricks and passing through point bonuses.
On the way down the
course there are many ways to speed up the trip. One of my favorite modes of
transportation is the spider web of rails that weave throughout each course. As
the puppeteer of your character, you must duck and jump pieces of the rail while
reaching your hands out at icons whizzing by. Hitting grouped icons will grant
you a speed boost and points.
Another helper you’ll run
into is a jump pad. If you hit this you’re sent sailing through the air, at
which point you must maneuver your character through floating rings to stay
airborne. There are also ramps that will give you enough airtime to perform
tricks, which are done by moving your arms in specific patterns. You can even
pull off super tricks by doing the tricks displayed on the screen in the right
order.
While each course offers
much to explore, there are only five total in the game. The levels are
interesting to look at, and some areas that are hard to reach will take practice
to explore, but with only five levels to play through many gamers will finish
Antigrav quickly.
Another interesting thing
about Antigrav is that it seems to be the first Eyetoy game you can’t cheat on.
Other minigames offered on the Eyetoy can be mastered by simply moving closer to
the camera and filling the screen with movement, but Antigrav’s courses and rail
systems can only be mastered by practice and good reflexes.
I have to admit that
without the Eyetoy, Antigrav would be a very simple game with nothing new to
offer to the boarding genre. The true joy of Antigrav is the ability to play a
true game with your body and not a controller. It really is exciting to move
your character by moving yourself.
On top of the forking
paths of each stage in Antigrav there is a good-sized collection of unlockables.
You can unlock new characters, hoverboards, and even new sets of wings for your
characters which gives them more trick opportunities throughout the races.
Antigrav offers a new way
to play video games, and while at its core it is a simple game, the inclusion of
the camera adds layers of fun. I’ve never felt as involved in a game as I have
with Eyetoy Antigrav and I hope it paves the way for more interactive Eyetoy
games.
Gameplay: 8.0
While you might
get off to a shaky start, you’ll soon feel like a hoverboarder yourself. Though
there may not be too much lasting appeal, the unlockables and open levels will
most likely keep you coming back.
Graphics: 8.0
The levels and
character design have a very nice art style (think Amplitude) that works well in
the futuristic setting of Antigrav.
Sound: 8.8
Full of thumping
techno beats, the soundtrack is catchy and fits perfectly. The little blips and
beeps that signify hitting a point bonus makes it that much more satisfying.
Difficulty: Easy
There is a slight
learning curve, but once you get the hang of controlling your character it isn’t
too tough to finish the races.
Concept: 9.5
Antigrav isn’t
that unique of a game, but using the Eyetoy the way it did breaks boundaries.
The motion tracking works very well and makes you feel like you’re flying
through cities and canyons at high speeds.
Multiplayer: 8.0
Multiplayer
doesn’t add a whole lot, but it doesn’t make the game any worse either. Players
take turns trying to outdo each other’s scores in a typical speed or style race.
Overall: 7.8
Even though
Antigrav is a simple and quick play, the innovation and unlockables easily add
replay value. It’s just plain fun.
