Game: TV Superstars

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Release date: November 2010

TV Superstars is a party game that places a customized avatar into a number of mini-games based on reality shows.  Before you jump into a game show, you are required to customize an avatar using the PS Eye.  You step up to the camera and take three pictures of yourself with neutral, smile, and angry faces.  After your face is placed on the head of the virtual avatar, you can play around with the size/shape of the head, hair color/style, and skin tone.  Then you are asked to record a personal message to go along with your avatar by speaking into the mic (which is built into the PS Eye).  Once your character is complete you can jump into one of three game shows, Let’s Get Physical, Frokstar, and Big Beat.  Due to time constraints I only played the first game.

Let’s Get Physical resembles a Japanese physical challenge show and places your avatar into the challenges.  In the “Wheel of Heroes” mini-game you hold the PS Move controller in one hand a shake it back and forth in a running motion to make the avatar run and jump over obstacles.  In “Airheads” you pull back the Move controller to spring yourself out of a slingshot and you have to position the controller to match the silhouette figure on screen.  If you match it up correctly your avatar will fly through the window and you’ll move on to more challenging orientations.

Though the customization aspect of this game is intriguing and quite comedic, the controls were a bit irritating.  In “Airheads” I had trouble matching the controller position to the silhouette figures.  I had to keep reminding myself that PS Move (in combination with the PS Eye) does not track your entire body like Microsoft’s Kinect.  The PS Eye camera only detects the glowing orb atop the Move controller.  So as hard as you try to position your body to match the silhouette configurations on screen you won’t get anywhere unless the Move controller is maneuvered the right way.  Simply put, this game would be a lot more fun if it was made for Kinect, not for PS3.