From the main menu, gamers are able to choose between four options. The 'Information' option takes you to an advertisement for the game. The options panel is pretty self-explanatory, and a 'Chao' garden has also been included which allows you to take care of a little Chao - coins earned in the mini games translate to this mode. The final option is the game selection panel.
So let’s take a look at the twelve games and just how successful they are:
Samba de Amigo: Players begin by choosing what song they want to dance around too. The object of Samba de Amigo is to touch the buttons as the icons go over them. This is something we’ve seen on many Eyetoy games but it's a bit different when playing it with Samba de Amigo.
Sonic the Hedgehog: What good would a Sega compilation be without a Sonic game? The aim of the game is to move your arm in a circular motion to collect the rings. There are also seven chaos emeralds to collect in each level - getting them all will make Sonic into Super Sonic and he is no longer harmed by bombs. The game is good and Sonic controls really well.
Virtua Fighter: Virtua Fighter is a bit like Knockout from the Play titles, but is a little better. The game features the full Virtua Fighter interface and the first opponent is Kage. Players are prompted to guard or attack.
Super Monkey Ball: Has players controlling AiAi to get him to the finish line. This is a really difficult game to control, it could have been really good but unfortunately most people will probably just give up.
Crazy Taxi: Crazy Taxi utilizes the voice recognition of the Eyetoy. The objective is to wave your hands and get the attention of the taxi driver. This is a pretty easy game that only really gets difficult when it gets to the normal difficulty.
House of the Dead: The premise of this game is pretty simple, hit the zombies, avoid the damsels in distress. At times the fast-paced nature of the game will mean it is really easy to hit the damsels and most of your life will be taken because you hit the damsels.
Space Channel 5: Space Channel 5 requires the players to copy the actions that are shown on screen. This is a really fast paced game. In terms of being a rhythm game, it works better here than Samba de Amigo.
Chu Chu Rocket: This game is a puzzle game that requires a lot of quick paced thinking. The players needs to ensure that the Chu Chu’s make it into the rocket whereas there enemies don’t. It is a really creative way of using the Eyetoy and is an entertaining game to play.
Billy Hatcher: Billy is controlled by your hands. This has to be the most boring game on the compilation as it is slow and repetitive. We cannot see players devoting much time to this game.
Virtua Striker: Players have to header the soccer ball into the balloons to pop them. For no particular reason Virtua Striker is really addictive and a decent game. It gets really hard quickly and requires some perfect timing to destroy the balloons.
Puyo Pop Fever: Puyo Pop is another strategic game. Players have to guide the same coloured Puyo into the appropriate tray. There are so many Puyo’s coming at once that it becomes extremely frantic on screen.
Nights: Sega’s cult classic NiGHTS also makes an appearance, and thankfully features in a really good game, giving players the opportunity to become fly through the skies of the original game. Unfortunately, this is probably the closest we are going to get to a next generation NiGHTS title which is a shame because this game plays so well.
One of the best aspects of Sega Superstars is that difficulty levels need to be unlocked. Easy mode needs to be beaten before Normal opens up and the same applies for Normal and Hard modes. Thankfully, most of the games in this compilation are not timed which means that players can go on until they either complete the game or they die.
One of the other strengths of Sega Superstars is the overall presentation of the game. Sega seem to have gone to great lengths to ensure that the games all look unique and authentic. All of the games look as if they belong rather than if they have just been quickly created.
Just like every other Eyetoy game, the graphics in Sega Superstars are really basic. The world’s are a little more detailed than in other titles but overall there isn’t much difference.
Sega Superstars is a thoroughly enjoyable Eyetoy title. Sega brings something unique to the franchise, and it's great to see some of the older Sega characters back again. The only problem is that the twelve games do get repetitive and some games just aren’t worth playing at all. Sega Superstars lacks the lastability of Eyetoy: Play 2 as once the twelve games are over and the Chao garden has been exploited that is the end. There is no playroom and there are only small novel unlockables.
So which game should you choose between Eyetoy: Play 2 and Sega Superstars? We suggest you take a look at the game list and see which one you think will entertain you more. Personally we were more entertained by Eyetoy: Play 2 and its plethora of mini games but, if you’re a die-hard Sega fan then Sega Superstars is the better choice of the two. Overall, it is good to see a decent attempt being made to utilize the Eyetoy, let’s just hope that some other developers also choose to add their own element to the Eyetoy phenomenan.
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