EyeToy: Kinetic Review

By Martin Coxall Published 6 December, 2005

Exercise? Is that some kind of mini-game?

Version tested: PlayStation 2

Every so often, there falls into the lap of a games reviewer something which makes you pause, double take with a slightly feeble 'huh?' before wondering whether what you have in front of you can be reviewed.

In the case of EyeToy: Kinetic, the reason for the doubt is because this thing is not a game. In this case, I don't mean that it's not a game in the sense that a Flight Simulator fans claim their chosen pastime is a 'simulation not a game', because being a realistic simulation doesn't make a game any less of a game.

No, EyeToy: Kinetic is manifestly not a game. EyeToy kinetic has certain elements that look gamey. But it's a facade. What Kinetic offers you is nothing less than a personal fitness, posture, mind and body coach, all staring at you through one single, menacing wide-angled lens, delivering their sage advice through the medium of your TV.

It's a novel and ambitious attempt that provides you with the full range of personal trainer advice, exercise and encouragement that gym-bunnies expect - and for a fraction of the cost of signing up for a gym. There is also an irony here that although this isn't a game, it looks somewhat like one, and it has fallen to games reviewers such as myself to tackle it. Yet, as I spend much of my life sat on my expansive buttocks, I'm probably significantly less fit than both the target audience and people as a whole.

For reasons of hilarity, it is instructive to imagine my ample paunch oscillating extensively throughout my EyeToy-owning career; my time with Kinetic has been no different. Blubber blubber, wobble wobble.

'EyeToy: Kinetic' Screenshot force

Use the force...

In EyeToy: Kinetic, the camera becomes your guide through 12-week fitness, posture and mental/physical balance programmes. The programmes were designed, tested and blessed by the fit folks over at Nike Motionworks too, so there's a reasonable guarantee the programme will be doing you some good. EyeToy: Kinetic provides a robust and balanced exercise experience, provided one has the necessary conviction or will to stick to it. When stuck at, it should increase your overall fitness.

Kinetic's exploitation of the EyeToy is both novel and yet surprisingly robust. In true EyeToy fashion, Kinetic is 'played' by reacting to and interacting with a number of different screen entities by punching, kicking, dodging and ducking, and diving. The degree to which you have performed the exercise is used to chart your overall progress through one of the pre-ordained 12-week programmes.

As mentioned earlier, the Kinetic camera come supplied with an additional "full vision lens," that must be placed on the camera lens to increase its field of vision. Whereas most EyeToy games deal exclusively with the upper third of the player's body, Kinetic leverages the entire glorious wobbling form of the human body. This is obviously necessary to provide a full workout, but it also presents a real problem.

In expanding the EyeToy's field of vision, the camera gets less concentrated light because the full vision lens, acting as a filter, has dispersed it. This contributes directly to Kinetic's great flaw. That lens likes light; certainly rather more light than my living room is capable of providing during these long winter nights. Due to its high light demands, Kinetic renders itself nearly unusable in even normal artificial lighting conditions. You can flap madly, but it doesn't respond. All EyeToy games demand something of you in terms of setup and lighting, but Kinetic's demands are simply too strict.

'EyeToy: Kinetic' Screenshot watching

It's important to use Kinetic when nobody else is watching

Another unfortunate oddity is the question of fun. With any of the other EyeToy outings, although you've bee working up quite a sweat and doing a workout, it hasn't felt like it- it has felt like fun. Not with Kinetic. The workouts here never stop feeling like anything but work. And for me that's a problem - if it's not fun, it's highly unlikely I'll stick to it. If you want a workout that's fun because it's also a game, then grab a copy of EyeToy: Groove. It'll get you out of breath and has cheesy music too.

Assuming, however, that you want a vanilla, no-more-fun-than-is-necessary workout, or if you want in some way to legitimize your use of an EyeToy as an exercise device, by working in a way one that handles general fitness and toning as well as cardio-vascular, then EyeToy: Kinetic is an interesting alternative.

Once you've got the space and lighting issues resolved, you're ready to work out. There are two workout modes - one useful, one not so. The first, less useful mode is Routine Builder. This lets you perform any exercise in Kinetic. You select a number of the exercises of any type, then you choose whether to do warm-ups and stretches. Once you've then selected some music and a personal trainer, you work out. This mode won't stretch you at all - it's not very demanding, and if you really want to get fit, you'll need the other mode.

This is the full-on 12-week programme mode. Based on your responses to questions about your general fitness, Kinetic will generate a customized 12-week programme consisting of a three-times-a-week session. The proffered exercises fall into four categories: cardio, combat, toning, and mind and body.

'EyeToy: Kinetic' Screenshot failiure

The price of failure? A stern look from your trainer.

The cardio offers aerobic exercises as expected. In the combat zone, exercises and postures from disciplines such Taekwondo and Karate appear. Toning lets you work out specific muscle group. Mind and Body offers a range of relaxing, low-impact activities from the worlds of Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates. Each series offers you a compulsory warm-up and cool-down routine, where you basically copy your on-screen trainer.

If you're prepared to give Kinetic the time, the guidance of the on-screen trainers potentially offer a great workout experience, free from the stresses and costs of a gym visit. Offering encouragement and useful tips, as well as warnings about common exercise mistakes and pitfalls, the on-screen trainers are a fantastic resource.

Despite the camera flaws, EyeToy: Kinetic is a well-designed virtual personal trainer. Obviously, the PS2 cannot respond as well as a real personal trainer could, but you may well find that these digital avatars are good enough not to pay fifty quid a month. The exercises are entertaining, but you will never forget that you're working out, not gaming. There are more fun alternatives to play on the EyeToy that will give you a less balanced workout. But if, like me, you are looking for a way to rein in that distended gut, Kinetic is an interesting and polished gym experience.

8 / 10

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About Martin Coxall

Read more articles from Martin by visiting the Martin Coxall archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 6 years ago

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

  • Teeth #1 6 years ago

    Tai chi eh? Nice.

  • Dizzy #2 6 years ago

    8? ROFL

    >But if, like me, you are looking for a way to rein in that distended gut

    I suggest you do a real sport, take the dog for a walk or start running.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/05 @ 14:50

  • ImGameCube #3 6 years ago

    If I had been training for 12 weeks with this, I would have been quick enough to write the first comment

  • krudster #4 6 years ago

    It's an 8 "for an exercise title". A score is actually pretty meaningless for a title like this.

  • Teeth #5 6 years ago

    I dunno, I mean it might just not make you fit, in which case it should get a low score, or it might make you fit whilst being really fun in which case it would score higher... can still score it IMO.

    Went for an interview with this team and mentioned I did tai chi, and I think they said they were thinknig about doing a bit more active stuff in the game :) Not sure. Seemed like a bit of a sporty lot anyway, probably wouldn't have got along with them.

  • tengu #6 6 years ago

    So... at least as good as the 360 launch games then? :)

  • Fozzie_bear #7 6 years ago

    If anyone buys this purely because it got an 8 rather than reading the review and thinking for themselves "do i want an exercise program" then, quite frankly, they deserve to have their money taken off them.

  • gaijin #8 6 years ago


    Fozzie:

    I think one can reduce that to:

    "If anyone buys this ... then, quite frankly, they deserve to have their money taken off them. "

    Surely that's kinda the definition of 'buying', no? Otherwise it's a present. Or shoplifting.

    :-)

  • Bitkari #9 6 years ago

    This game IS quite fun, but if your TV is designed for couch-height viewing, you're going to get a sore neck from staring down all the time while jumping about.

    Good to see SCEE London continue to put out interesting titles like this tho, keep it up!

  • kangarootoo #10 6 years ago

    "Surely that's kinda the definition of 'buying', no? Otherwise it's a present. Or shoplifting. "

    lol, nice one.

    EDIT: And furthermore, I quite liked the look of this title so I hoped it would turn out well. Eyeytoy is a genius idea (although not quite a new one of course) and I would hope to see it taken further in new ways.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/05 @ 15:30

  • TedBaker #11 6 years ago

    Wonder if it carries health saftey guidlines:

    1) Don't eat and drink whilst using this product
    2) Consider buying one of these to help with the harder moves: http://www.bodybouncer.co m/
    3) Realise at the end of the day, this is a gimmick and you'll end up having a large arse no matter what you wear.

    :p

  • Teeth #12 6 years ago

    "And furthermore, I quite liked the look of this title so I hoped it would turn out well. Eyeytoy is a genius idea (although not quite a new one of course) and I would hope to see it taken further in new ways."

    LOL.

    You would say that :)

  • Halo.Jones #13 6 years ago

    Are you going to review it after doing the twelve week exercise course?

    Go on, you know you want to :)

  • gypsumfantastic #14 6 years ago

    Actually, I'd be happy to review it after completing the full 12-week programme, but, you know, willpower being what it is and all...

    In any case, with Mario and Luigi 2 having just arrived from Hong Kong, I may not have the time.

    Alas.

  • SentientNr6 #15 6 years ago

    8?
    PGR3 8?

    I am confused

  • Celeborn #16 6 years ago

    Get some excercise; that blood pumping to your brain might help erase the confusion

  • Teeth #17 6 years ago

    haha, funny post :)

  • TheDifficult3rdAlbum #18 6 years ago

    > "how much are they paying you, eh?"

    Run! Run for your lives! This thread is about to blow!

  • gypsumfantastic #19 6 years ago

    I don't understand the confusion.

    The Eurogamer CCS needs a score, and as I can't review it as a game, I reviewed it as an exercise programme. It's polished and well done, but has a flaw under low lighting conditions. One flaw; An eight.

    Seems simple to me. No confusion.

  • LOLLERS #20 6 years ago

    Edit: What he said \/\/\/
    Edited by 2 at 06/12/05 @ 17:41

  • botherer #21 6 years ago

    Some common sense.

    A game on the DS isn't going to be marked down for not having the graphics of the 360. A game on the PS2 is not going to be marked down for failing to implement mouse/keyboard control. A driving game isn't going to be marked down for having a poor story. An RTS isn't going to be marked down for lacking realistic ragdoll physics.

    Hence an eye toy exercise release isn't going to be marked by the standards of PGR3. PGR3 didn't get its 8 for its excellent fitness regime, and Kinetic doesn't get demerits for its poor steering.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/05 @ 17:38

  • Teeth #22 6 years ago

    I don't think you have to defend yourselves against people like "Sentient[sic]Nr6"!

  • vane101 #23 6 years ago

    The CGI female trainer looks sexy! :)

  • karstux #24 6 years ago

    I had the opportunity to play this once, in a not overly-bright room - didn't notice any problems in that regard. Maybe it helps to wear clothing that has a high contrast to the room background.

    What might be a problem for some would be the amount of free space this game requires. Some of the excercises will have you jumping, kicking and punching around quite a bit - you just can't do this in a room which is less than very spacious.

  • captain-future #25 6 years ago

    8? ROFL TOO.

  • Pho-Zoon #26 6 years ago

    Damn. If only it had the extra-shiny graphics of the 360 and online Live play, then I'd definitely shell out the extra £270 on a new console.

  • Kostabi #27 6 years ago

    An EyeToy style game over Live would throw up some horrors, that's for sure.

  • Clive_Dunn #28 6 years ago

    Bah, they should have got Harvey from Fat Club to front it - "move your fat ass".

  • SeesThroughAll #29 6 years ago

    Nice review. Sony can also have nice ideas, it seems.

  • rare_uk #30 6 years ago

    Has this "worked" for anyone yet?

  • Troutio #31 6 years ago

    I bought this for the missus' birthday (at her request - I might add, before I am accused of any neanderthalic ulterior motivation) and had go yesterday afternoon.

    I had no problems with the lighting except for one of the games, and the settings were east to adjust to fix it.

    What I can say, though, is OW!

    OW OW OW! That abs workout is a killer. And no fun? Admittedly the warmups and a couple of the targeted exercises are a tad dull, but some of the aerobic games are a real gaming challenge as well as a physical one. There's one that's like playing 1942, using yourself as the plane. One of the combat exercises, where you have to protect a central orb being attacked by projectiles from all sides is like martial arts Asteroids.

    I'll be going back. If I can just find a way to stop anyone I know finding out about it.