Photo gallery: Sega SuperstarsIf you thought Sega was out of the hardware business think again. Well, OK, with the packaging options of Sega Superstars, it's only back in the hardware business in the most peripheral way (pun intended); like other EyeToy specific titles, you can either buy Superstars in a bundle with an EyeToy camera (AU$99.95) or on its own (AU$69.95) if you're already equipped with an EyeToy -- and with the massed numbers that purchased one last year, that's probably most of you. The other real pre-requisite for Sega Superstars is a massed number of people -- because like every other EyeToy game, it's just nowhere near as much fun if you're playing by yourself. Put head to head with the other major EyeToy offering on the market at the moment, Sony's own EyeToy: Play 2, Superstars comes off looking a little worse for wear, simply because it doesn't have quite as wide a range of experiences on offer -- but it's still plenty of fun regardless.
Sega Superstars comprises twelve core games built around Sega's massive army of games characters and game play types, and viewed as a whole, it's a very comprehensive package with a little bit of something for everyone. Take it apart bit by bit, though, and you'll see that some games are definitely better implemented than others -- or just plain more fun to play.
The twelve games on offer are Billy Hatcher, Chu Chu Rocket, Crazy Taxi, House of the Dead, Nights, Puyo Pop Fever, Samba de Amigo, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Channel 5, Super Monkey Ball, Virtua Fighter and finally Virtua Striker. Oddly enough for such a wide swathe of titles, they can be broken down across some core categories, and in almost every case, there's one title that works much better than its similar compatriot or compatriots. Take for example the rhythm games, represented by Samba De Amigo and Space Channel 5. Both use a fairly similar control scheme, but Samba De Amigo just works better, although fans of the original should note that it uses a smaller track listing than it used to. Likewise, Super Monkey Ball, Billy Hatcher and Nights use similar control mechanisms, but Nights is clearly the superior title, as Monkey Ball and Billy Hatcher are just too plain frustrating to play for any length of time. Our only complain with Nights, on the other hand, is that it's taken Sega far, far too long to use this particular character in any meaningful way -- where's the next generation full Nights title, exactly?
On the hitting things side you've got another triumvirate -- Virtua Striker is a pretty simple soccer title, while Virtua Fighter puts you up against the enemies from Sega's best-known arcade series. Lastly you've got House Of The Dead, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Kung Foo title in the original Play title. They're amongst the easiest titles to get to grips with, and their intensely physical nature makes them great for group play as well.
Sega Superstar's puzzle titles are the exception to the one good/one bad rule however, as they've done some nifty tweaking to both Chu Chu Rocket and Puyo Pop Fever to make them immensely playable little titles. Leading up the back of the pack are Crazy Taxi and Sonic The Hedgehog, two titles that defy categorisation like this, although it's very easy indeed to work out the superior title. Sonic uses the tunnel-like bonus stages of Sonic The Hedgehog to great effect, while Crazy Taxi, to use a technical term, is crap. You wave your arms about like a demented gibbon until you collapse in exhaustion, feeling no better for the experience. If you've got a four year old who's just downed an entire two litre bottle of red cordial, it might be a good release valve, but beyond that it's just plain dumb.
One thing that does stand out with all of the titles in Sega Superstars is the level of visual quality on offer. All of the characters look correct and suitably bright in that distinctive Sega style, but beyond that, the overlay of your visual image onto the screen via the camera is done very smoothly, with the background often faded out to the point where you really feel as though you're part of the action. As official Sega titles, you'll hit plenty of audio spot effects from each of the individual titles, something that's sure to send fans of each series into something of a tizzy.
With controls varying so widely it's all but impossible to judge how well Sega Superstars uses the EyeToy Control method in a holistic sense, but we will comment on the menu selection. The problem with Sega Superstars' menus is that the individual application buttons are quite large, and as a result, it's possible to inadvertently launch a game simply by standing up. You've then got to wait through a lengthy loading sequence for each title, then cancel by holding your hand over the camera, and then wait again for the menus to load -- and that's more than just a minor annoyance.
Overall, though, Sega Superstars adds a lot to the EyeToy experience, and it's great to see a title that should see dusty EyeToy cameras being given another dose of play time. It's not quite as extensive as EyeToy: Play 2, but if you've got a particular affection for Sega's existing game franchises, this is a title you shouldn't simply overlook.
