One advantage the game has over Invizimals is that it is possible to play with your EyePet for extended periods of time without using the camera, thanks to the Pet Home. That's quite useful while in transit. Also, the game isn't picky about the color of the surface you put your paw print card on, unlike Invizmals and its trap card. Your kids will find EyePet a lot easier to play in the car than the game the PSP Camera debuted in.
I spent the weekend at my dad's apartment, and I took Lexi with me. When I introduced her to my 73-year-old father, he was quite impressed. He was rather pleased that Lexi didn't tip over his glass of scotch. She just walked over it, as a surface as flat as the table it was on. Oh well, the technology isn't perfect yet.
Your kids may have a lot of fun customizing the look of their EyePets. You can dye their fur in different colors or prints, change fur length and cut, and dress them in accessories. I was constantly earning funny hats and wacky sweaters by receiving a new 'prize' each time I launched the game, plus items can be won in the many mini games there are available. I promptly dyed Lexi's fur an obnoxious shade of fushia, and put a trucker cap on her.
My favorite mini games include fishing, the trampoline, and the wooden car.
The trampoline game places four trampolines on your surface, around the card. Lexi is to go to each trampoline to jump and pop balloons. The player must select the correct trampoline for the EyePet to jump to, with the use of the directional pad or analog stick.
The wooden car racing game is actually done inside the Pet Home. Lexi hopped on the car, and it was my job to drive the car around obstacle courses. You don't go very fast, but steering properly took me a while to get used to.
When I went fishing for the very first time, a pond appeared on my father's dining room table! At least augmented reality doesn't create a mess. I guided Lexi to where the schools of fish were, with the marker and its pet call. Lexi would grab a fish, and then it was my job to catch it with my net. As the game progressed, multiple fish would fall at a given time, and I'd have to catch them in an ordered sequence, each fish a different color. I was eager to play the fishing game, because fish you catch can be placed in the aquarium in the Pet Home. When I got back to the aquarium, though, I was a little disappointed. Only fish caught in 'Free Play' mode can be put there, and the fish I caught were in a scored game.
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