Sony takes a stab at the pet simulator genre…
Nintendogs more or less owns the crown for the best pet simulator thanks to the genius of the hardware of the DS itself. Since then, plenty of imitators have appeared and while some of them been poor, some have also been well received. Sony now decides to step the simulator war a notch with Eyepet, a game that uses just the Playstation Eye camera and a card that transforms into items on screen, but is it enough?
Eyepet starts out with a video introduction telling you how to best adjust your living room for the game to work, this includes moving objects out of the way and changing lighting so it’s perfect. There is a guy dressed like a scientist who takes you through every step of the game, I personally found him to be extremely annoying but I could see he had more of an appeal to the younger gamer and since this game is clearly for that audience, I guess it works pretty well.
I did come across a few problems with the game; it takes a while to get used to using the card provided to work with the camera. The card can transform on screen to objects that your Eyepet can play with like a trampoline. You can also stroke your Eyepet with your hands, but it can be quite irritating at times. I got so wound up that I tried to hit my Eyepet and accidentally ended up punching my desk, causing one of my knuckles to draw blood. So now I’m really mad!
Eyepet has all the basic features of a pet simulator like feeding and playing, but it doesn’t really do anything to push the genre. It feels more like a tech demo of what the Playstation Eye is capable of instead of what the game can do. It’s a shame because underneath it all, Eyepet is a solid game…it just feels like I’ve played so many other versions like it over the years that this one feels stagnant.
On the plus side, there’s no real skill needed to play Eyepet. So younger gamers will be able to play it with no problems other than having trouble with the card and camera itself. It’s really important that you set your room up right, or it just won’t work, period. There is also trophy support for those who are into them, but I doubt younger gamers care about them as much as hardcore gamers like myself.
The Verdict
Eyepet offers no challenge to gamers, but it is a simple simulator. It’s just a shame it feels more like a tech demo to show off the camera instead of the game. Personally, I would recommend sticking to Nintendogs for your pet simulator needs…at least for now.
