Eye Toy: AntiGrav
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Tags: Eye Toy: AntiGrav Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jan 3rd, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye Toy: AntiGrav (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Sports (Exteme) | No | ||
Perhaps more than any other Eye Toy game before it, AntiGrav needs space. The game will have players ducking, weaving and jumping in addition to flailing arms about in a rhythmic, yet spasmodic, manner. Basement dwellers need not apply.
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Of the first party Eye Toy games, this is the first to actually feel as if it is a full game, not simply a demo. It also would have helped it if had been available much earlier in the peripheral’s life cycle. The first party (and even third party) support for Eye Toy hasn’t been as great as one would hope for such an accessory – really, the Eye Toy is innovative, and the number of good games, or even bad games for that matter, available can be counted on one hand.
Ah, but let us not digress into a tirade about how the Eye Toy is not getting the support it should. Let us instead focus on the task at hand – that of outlining why you should consider picking up Eye Toy AnitGrav (or not). The first query is this: Do you have an Eye Toy? If the answer is yes, then you most likely have picked this title up. If you haven’t, then you should.
Unlike Play and Groove, AntiGrav isn’t a collection of mini-games. Instead it is a full on airboarding game that actually uses the Eye Toy the way it was meant to, not as a gimmick, but as a controller.
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The camera calibrates itself to the player’s head – and that’s a necessary step, as the head will help to control the board. Leaning to the left or right will steel, well, left or right. Players will be able to duck under obstacles and jump over them by… you guessed it… ducking and jumping. The Eye Toy camera uses the player’s head as a third piece of the controller, not just the hands as in other Eye Toy games.
The hands are definitely put to use as well. Two things will primarily occupy the extremities use of space – performing tricks and hitting targets. Targets are there to provide a small speed boost, but it’s the tricks that will have you flailing about like a retarded monkey with a crack habit. While in the air, certain arm movements are keyed to certain tricks. It is up to the player to find these out for themselves, making for some interesting footage for America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Unlike other Eye Toy games the player doesn’t appear in the middle of the screen. Instead the head and hands appear on the HUD (Heads Up Display) in the corner in a target, allowing the player to see where they are in the process. All too often though the attention will be focused elsewhere because this game is played so differently from anything else, it taxes the entire body and brain in a good way.
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While it is a complete game, it is pretty short. There aren’t nearly as many courses as one would hope for. The other problems with the game that aren’t Eye Toy specific (lighting, low ceiling, etc.) have to do with control – such as not being able to fully control where the board will go. When near a rail, the player’s board will automatically grab on, and won’t get off until the end. Now, I’m sure that this was a decision made to make the game more accessible to everybody, but does detract (at least for players that have been playing Tony Hawk or SSX games).
Graphically Eye Toy AntiGrav isn’t a bad title. It has plenty of bright colors and big environments. It just looks… simple, like it could have been on the PS2 three years ago. The music is good though – but who would be surprised since Harmonix was the developer?
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There are two modes in the game, a straight race mode and one where the goal is to score as many points as possible by performing tricks. This is another shortcoming, as the racing portion has three heats on the same course to advance. A few extra courses would have helped lessen the repetition. By the time you reach the final course, you may be sick of racing down the same path over and over.
Ultimately this is the direction that Sony should be going with the Eye Toy. AnitGrav is a must own for gamers with an Eye Toy and a penchant for strapping a plank of wood under their feet. On its own, it doesn’t justify a purchase of the Eye Toy peripheral.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Innovative use of the Eye Toy + Immersive |
8.3 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Not enough courses - Outdated visuals |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| It's good, but I was really hoping it would be better. | |
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Tags: Eye Toy: AntiGrav
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jan 3rd, 2005 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
