by Chris Buffa on Monday, November 22, 2004
Up until recently, Sony's EyeToy peripheral was used for very simplistic things such as slapping ninjas and washing windows. However, Harmonix's latest game, EyeToy AntiGrav, may usher in a new wave of titles for the popular camera. Much more than a collection of mini games, AntiGrav is a full-fledged hover board game that makes excellent use of the technology, and even though it somewhat stands in the shadow of its competition, it's still an absolute blast to play and definitely worth checking out.
AntiGrav tosses aside the common EyeToy game conventions and marches to the beat of its own drum. Gone is seeing yourself on TV acting like a fool. Rather, you watch a selected hover boarder grind along rails and catch big air in five futuristic environments, but that's not the game's biggest selling point. Unlike other EyeToy games, where all you need to do is wave around any body part to smack things, AntiGrav actually maps and tracks your head, allowing for an unparalleled sensation of movement. When you jump, duck, and lean to the left and right, so too does your onscreen counterpart, and it's all deliberately paced, so even though you'll get a fantastic work out, you won't be required to jump 80 times in a row and tire yourself out in the first five minutes. The game runs at an even flow, and it's cool because even though you're playing in the third person, you'll still feel like you're in the game, but that sensation may be affected by your living room setup. As usual, you'll need very good lighting for the game to properly work because the EyeToy camera is very finicky. However, because you'll be waving your arms around and jumping, you'll also need to make sure that your TV is high enough (a foot off the floor won't work well at all), and that you move objects out of the way so you don't trip or bump into things. In that regard, AntiGrav is the most particular EyeToy game available, but if you have your living room set up the correct way, the reward is well worth it.
The game features eight boarders, each with different personalities and dress styles, and it's your job to guide them to the finish line. The game's five locales are these huge and gorgeous sci-fi environments chock full of rails to grind on, ramps to launch off of, power-ups to collect, and multiple pathways to explore. Because of the different routes, the handful of environments winds up being adequate because you may very well spend over an hour exploring each one, and in your travels you'll come across items to improve your chances at winning races, such as Turbo boost upgrades, point multipliers, and another that allows you to pull off tricks at faster speeds.
Speaking of tricks, AntiGrav allows you to perform some great maneuvers with ease. For example, if you want to do a back flip, just sweep both of your arms in one circular motion. It's that simple, and as you get better you'll be able to perform combos by doing all sorts of weird hand motions. It's often times fun just to go crazy and wave your arms about while in midair just to see what happens, but some careful precision will allow you to pull off more advanced tricks, and if you're really skilled, you'll be able to do each character's unique SuperTrick. It's a neat system, though it's also somewhat limited. You don't have as much freedom to do what you want as in other games, but for what it is, AntiGrav's is good enough that you won't feel like it's seriously lacking.
While the emphasis is on racing, the game tosses some other modes to play with that are a bit more relaxed. There's a tutorial mode where you can learn the intricacies of the gameplay, but there's also Style Mode, where you have to collect a certain amount of points. It's cool because you can just explore each level, though you'll also need to keep an eye on the clock.
In terms of its bells and whistles, AntiGrav is full of high production value. The environments, from the Skyway to Black Rock Ridge, are absolutely gorgeous and brimming with detail. The game's effects are also spectacular, and just seeing your boarder spin through the air en route to another rail one hundred feet below is a breathtaking sight that must be seen on a widescreen TV to be fully appreciated.
Similar to the game's visuals, its soundtrack is equally outstanding. Scored by the popular group Apollo 440, the game's tracks have a very futuristic vibe to them and actually morph depending on what area you're in. Other musical groups provided their own remixes of the tracks, so you'll need to discover all of the different paths to hear everything.
As for multiplayer, AntiGrav has play for up to four people, but you can't play all at once. Rather, you compete against the ghost image of the previous racer. I'm not sure whether online play would've worked, but if it was possible, it definitely would've been appreciated.
In terms of competition, it's difficult to say whether AntiGrav has any. As an EyeToy title, it certainly stands on its own because there's nothing else to compare it to, but for those consumers who see it as a hover board game, it gets smoked by similar games on the market such as EA's SSX series. True, SSX is a snowboarding game, but the time period notwithstanding, AntiGrav (even though you control the game with your body) feels A LOT like SSX, so in terms of a racing game, it's not very innovative. In fact, it's a few steps behind because its trick system isn't too advanced.
Lastly, for some strange reason, the only way you can buy AntiGrav is with the EyeToy, and the bundle costs $50. As a consumer who already has an EyeToy this is a huge disappointment, as I have no use for another camera, and would rather not pay the extra cost just because it comes with the peripheral.
You don't buy AntiGrav because it's a deep racing game. You buy it because it's a unique gameplay experience you can't get anywhere else, and the fact that it's immensely fun to play and looks pretty is a huge plus. It's the first break-thru title that makes the EyeToy more than a simple novelty item, and it'll hopefully usher in a whole catalogue of quality games that were designed "outside the box." If you have an EyeToy it comes highly recommended, and if you don't have one, this is the first game you'll want to pick up.
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