SEGA SuperStars

By Tom Bramwell Published 26 August, 2004

SEGA invites us back for another look at SuperStars - and this time we're checking out Billy Hatcher, Crazy Taxi and Virtua Striker.

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We've seen quite a lot of SEGA SuperStars over the past few months, and, to be honest, we're sold on it already - on the strength of the Samba de Amigo, Virtua Fighter, Sonic and House of the Dead mini-games alone. Rain or shine though SEGA keeps inviting us back for another look, and as much as we'd like to say 'enough is enough and give us a call when the review code's ready', it just keeps getting better and better, and the games list keeps growing - and we can't resist blabbering about it.

Eye On The Prize

'SEGA SuperStars' Screenshot 1

On our most recent trip to the publisher's London HQ, we were once again thrust in front of a new build, and at this point - a couple of months ahead of the game's planned release date - it's really starting to come together. There's a glossy intro movie in place now, complete with a catchy theme tune, the menus are much nicer than the placeholders we've seen in the past, and there are all sorts of neat little touches in place - like a dinky Chao sat in front of a small television set in the corner of the load screen, which just happens to be displaying whatever the EyeToy can see at the time.

We weren't there to admire the presentation though; we were there to flap our arms around and work up a sweat in front of some more of SEGA's most popular properties - in this case Billy Hatcher, Virtua Striker, and Crazy Taxi. Most were in full working order, although SEGA reps were keen to stress that - just as the presentation and responsiveness of Sonic and co. changed between E3 and when we saw the game again in mid-July - these titles were also in a constant state of evolution, and Sonic Team was still buffing and shining them as we stood around making fools of ourselves.

As we've pointed out in our previous look at Sonic and House of the Dead, and Samba and Virtua Fighter, SEGA SuperStars is a bit different to the average EyeToy package in that a lot of its games are more than just simple parlour tricks. Sonic, for example, is split into various levels and actually takes some effort to succeed at, while Samba knocks Sony's EyeToy Groove release for six in one fell swoop.

Egg-xotic

'SEGA SuperStars' Screenshot 2

At first glance, Billy Hatcher seems to be from the Sonic school of mini-games - a graphically impressive offering that adapts its subject matter into a level structure more or less directly, rather than just extrapolating elements and asking you to wash windows with an egg or something. In this case, the player is given control of Billy as he does what he usually does - rolls eggs around - and the idea is to squash a certain number of enemies in a vast, maze-like arena and then run through a skull-and-crossbones-emblazoned gate before the clock ticks down to zero.

Graphically it is the GameCube game for all intents and purposes. Billy's model and his egg are the same, and his enemies are the same bouncy, albeit rather simplistic critters that populate the levels of that particularly under-appreciated Cube platformer. Rolling him around takes a little getting used to, but after a few minutes we had it more or less to a tee. On the screen are two hand icons, and the idea is to tap them rhythmically at the same time to move Billy forward, and then tap one or other faster to turn him left or right. It's certainly a novel way of translating the analogue stick controls over.

It also looks like you'll be able to grow the egg at some point, judging by the various fruit icons strewn around the map, although if that is the plan it wasn't active in this particular build. Nevertheless, Hatcher is yet another string to SuperStars' rather unusual bow, and with a little refinement could prove very popular. What sort of refinement? Weeell, perhaps Billy could do with moving around a bit faster, and we want to see ramps and jumps and other silly things dotted around the level - at this point it's all a bit flat. It's worth stressing once again though how much of an improvement Sonic's controls were in the post-E3 build - Hatcher will probably follow a similar course of improvement.

Three Strikes

'SEGA SuperStars' Screenshot 3

Equally unconventional was Sonic Team's take on Crazy Taxi. Nope, you're not controlling the car here - instead you're potential passengers, and the idea is to jump up and down, wave your arms and generally cause as much commotion as possible in order to flag the blighter down. It sounds a bit silly and throwaway, but it's hilarious to watch other people doing it, especially when you consider that the game takes advantage of the EyeToy camera's microphone facility, encouraging you to make as much noise as possible as you're leaping around like a loony. If you make enough of an impression, you'll fill up a meter and the taxi will pull over.

Not quite as enjoyable as CT, but still a bit more enjoyable and task-based than its EyeToy: Play cousins, is the developer's take on Virtua Striker. Here you have to header a football into balloons in front of a stadium graphic. It's a bit daft, but it has all the trimmings - right down to the dodgy announcer voice and crowd sound effects from the arcade titles - and it's not as easy as it sounds. The ball drops from the top of the screen, and the balloons are organised so that the higher scoring ones are further away. If you're clever though (or more likely just plain lucky) you can head the ball into the nearest one, see it bounce up in the air again, then head it onto the second. Which we managed a grand total of, er, three times.

Still, we liked all three. They weren't completely finished, of course, but the foundations are there, and when you consider they're just three of a host of SuperStars games, many of which look to have plenty of longevity, you can probably see why SuperStars is just about the only EyeToy game on our radar. And believe us when we say that the rest of the games - i.e. the ones we can't tell you about yet - are far more inventive and exotic than anything we've written up so far. By the time it all comes together in October, SEGA SuperStars could be the EyeToy game that saves the little black fella from an ignominious future on eBay.

SEGA SuperStars is due out in October by SEGA's current estimates. Check back soon for more on the game including screenshots and four more mini-games based on popular franchises.

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Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Khab #1 8 years ago

    Lookin' good!

  • Ali #2 8 years ago

    SEGA SuperStars could be the EyeToy game that saves the little black fella from an ignominious future on eBay

    Gary Coleman?

  • Lutz #3 8 years ago

    What choo talkin' about Willis?

  • Tweakmonkey #4 8 years ago

    Does it come with free beer?

  • Blerk #5 8 years ago

    Yep. I'm still completely unconvinced. I guess I must just be a grumpy old bastard.

  • mal #6 8 years ago

    Blerk writes: I guess I must just be a grumpy old bastard.

    Noooo! Say it ain't so!

  • Tricky #7 8 years ago

    /seriously starts eyeing (geddit?) up several PS2/Eyetoy packages online...

    Damn it guys! I'm trying to save some money here!

  • Kami #8 8 years ago

    I don't think it's enough to SAVE Eyetoy from a not-so-distant future as an E-Bay novelty, but I do think this might be justification for it's existance because so far, it's all been really shallow novelty titles for the terminally "has-more-money-than-sense, look-at-me-I-can-play-games-even-though-I-can't" market...

    The thing is, it's going to probably be too little, too late... the era of the Eyetoy as a novelty is well and truly over (thankfully, I might add), and just because a company FINALLY gets it right, doesn't make it enough at the end of the day...

    I'm saying this because as fun as it sounds, in 12-18 months time, when we look back at the PS2, I fear we're going to look back at this title and dub it one of those "cult" titles...


    Red_Shift is right I feel, or has a point although not best put... Eyetoy was "fashionable". It was a statement - it was cool, it was the "in" thing... and as with anything fashionable, it inevitably goes OUT of fashion.


    Besides, theres bigger stuff on the horizon too... games and hardware wise...
    Edited by 2 at 26/08/04 @ 17:13

  • Ted Cuntablast #9 8 years ago

    Blerk if you can't enjoy EyeToy then are a grumpy old bastard. Then again you're an RPG addict so there's no hope for you.

  • IronGiant #10 8 years ago

    Kami really what is your problem? i know people and especially kids who still have a lot of fun with EyeToy and that's what games are all about, isn't it? you know fun.. In fact i know people who still play Samba Di Amigo on the Dreamcast, nothing wrong with that at all.

    Why on earth would you want this to fail? it's not causing you any harm, people get fun out of it, it's great for drunken parties, it's got a new NiGHTs themed game coming for it. Not everyone is dribbling over the next generation of consoles or Halo5 and Metroid4 and thank god for that.

  • IronGiant #11 8 years ago

    ooooh, bit of politics ;)

  • gamingdave #12 8 years ago

    bought an eye-toy on release, played with it that weekend, now its a web cam. looking forward to this though if only for a bit of samba action.

  • Scimarad #13 8 years ago

    Doesn't appeal to me but consoles have an extremely broad and varied audience these days - especially the PS2

    Oy, Ted! There's absolutely nothing wrong with being an RPG addict, at least that's what I keep telling myself:-)

  • Kami #14 8 years ago

    IronGiant, you're looking for things which aren't in my post. I did not state I wanted it to fail. More, that I just can't see it being taken as anything more than a novelty by the market.

    EyeToy itself is no longer able to rely on the "cool" and "fashionable" status it once had. I'm not dissing the title, just questioning - since the era of EyeToy seems to be over, is this title really going to do that well?


    You'd do best to read what's there and not keep taking it out of context... it looks like a great little title, but is that enough to really revive the EyeToy and make it be taken more seriously? That I seriously doubt...

    Seriously, just calm down... I wasn't bashing Sega Superstars, it does look fun and sound much deeper than the usual EyeToy fare. I'm just wondering if it's going to do any well... no offence or bashing was meant to the game, just at the state of the market it's going to be thrust into...
    Edited by 1 at 26/08/04 @ 22:19

  • IronGiant #15 8 years ago

    Fair enough.. though i ain't looking for anything in your posts that isn't there, but you are just posting negative comments and what's the point in that. The EG guys sound like they've had a great time with this and anything that gets SEGA some sales and back in kids PS2's is a good thing as far as im concerned. I think they sold a coupla million of the EyeToy which makes it more than a novelty and without much else to buy for it i'd say this is a damn shrewd move by SEGA.

    Hey i wouldn't say EVERY post with an argument has me in it.. anyway no-ones arguing here just giving opinions and that's what we're all here for init.
    Edited by 1 at 26/08/04 @ 22:30

  • Kami #16 8 years ago

    IronGiant perhaps just takes it too seriously and personally.

    Like I said, if I came across as bashing this game, sorry. I was more pointing out, with the hype around EyeToy a dim memory, and the status it enjoyed dipping, does this game stand a chance, no matter how good - or how fun - it is?


    I mean, IronGiant, if "fun" was what really sells in the market, then explain Viewtiful Joe not doing well? Beyond Good and Evil? Or a whole variety of titles too numerous to count...

    Fun is important... but it doesn't always SELL...


    I'm not always negative... it's just some games, no matter how bloody good they are, end up flopping like dying fish... I've learned to kurb my enthusiasm a bit. Besides, you do need to balance the positives with a few negatives... and the negative in this scenario has got to be: is the EyeToy itself doomed?

    My fears are, yes, it is... even though it seems someone is finally getting it right...
    Edited by 1 at 26/08/04 @ 22:45

  • IronGiant #17 8 years ago

    Word.

  • IronGiant #18 8 years ago

    No dude i don't take anything related to games personally at all.. i couldn't care less which manufacturer sells the most consoles or games, i've no loyalty to any of em. I likes me games and from reading the preview this sounds like a damn fun title. As the EG guys said there's still more mini games they can't talk about so this sounds like a great value package. The EyeToy was/is an innovative piece of kit, i hope it continues to be successful.. even Nintendo regretted not coming up with it first. As you say fun doesn't always sell, let's hope we don't end up saying the same about the DS.



    Edited by 2 at 26/08/04 @ 22:39

  • Kami #19 8 years ago

    Innovative, I'll grant you, but marketed by hype alone with no decent games to really give it any kind of "backbone" for support.

    Yeah. It is sad when you realise "Fun", the reason some of us do play games, isn't what sells them, and the really decent titles seem these days to flop when compared to marketable franchise horse crap.

    You have to temper yourself down a bit. There are titles which WILL do well regardless, and titles that do well but stink, and then there are titles which deserve time and attention but probably, and often, won't and don't get it.

    It's not fair. But it's how it seems to work...

  • BLACKSHEEP #20 8 years ago

    Eyetoy:Chat looks likely to get a few console luddites in the mix especially if SCEE do a bundle with it's recent price drop. I think it'll be included with the PS3 (probably more powerful) and even could work with the PSP.

    Play2 has some new stuff, such as using the motion detection, colour detection and even the built-in mic, which is quite sensitive.

    Eyetoy ain't bargain bin fodder yet for sure!
    Edited by 1 at 27/08/04 @ 00:40

  • aabyssx #21 8 years ago

    Hey! IMHO EyeToy is only great with FRIENDS (and then it is really-really great)! It is really fun to laugh loud at a (half) drunken, stupidly twitching mate before the TV. :D

    It is a party game, and you should threat it that way, too.

  • Master Cheif #22 8 years ago

    So what do u guys think about this? tbh it looks way better than all those $h1TTy eye toy games

  • BLACKSHEEP #23 8 years ago

    SEGA gives their IP a good run on the Eyetoy. I think that's what is really needed for gamers to be interested in the, usually short-lived, add-on. Hey even DualShock took a while to catch on when it first appeared with GT one.

    I want to see an actual game based on the Eyetoy control without seeing your mug-shot taking up screen real estate. Maybe the PS2 just ain't got the umph?! /great word