The Eye of Judgment Hands-on Preview

While there is no doubt that Eye of Judgement harnesses the PlayStation 3’s functionality in a revolutionary way, it also marks a curious convergence of cultures and technologies that will have to work hard to find a welcoming audience.

Using the PlayStation Eye, the sequel to the EyeToy and thus a product typically associated with party-gaming where non-gamers fool about in front of the USB camera, Eye of Judgement mixes the basic concept of Top Trumps with the complexity and subject matter of established trading card games like Magic: The Gathering.

Combining post-pub technology with a youngster’s card game typically focused on sports cars and trucks, and a proudly geeky past time that carries the stigma of meeting at conventions to discuss orcs and warlocks sounds like the recipe for an unstable cultural bomb. Yet if Sony get the mix just right, then they may have something on their hands that could explode into a new genre of niche gaming that could bring in huge revenues and cultivate dedicated player communities.

To begin a game players must insert the PlayStation Eye into an assembled plastic stand that positions the lens above a large square of cloth printed with a grid of nine card shaped sections. After constructing this eccentric replacement for a typical controller, cards placed on the cloth appear on screen as various combatants, featuring a diverse range of characters from twisted trees with tormented faces through to hulking steam-punk mechs and flying whales armed with the payload of a WWII bomber.

Despite a set-up that harks back to the days when board games like Mousetrap consisted of several elaborate pieces, two things about Eye of Judgement immediately impress. Firstly, the technology itself is smooth and flawless. Though it relies on a relatively simple take on the concept of barcodes, placing cards did not require any fuss or overwhelming precision, and the creations on each card leapt into 3D life on the screen quickly and smoothly.

As well as the apparent slickness of the technology, there is also an undeniable appeal inherent in the novelty of turning flat pieces of card on a desk in front of you into on-screen warriors, and the simple sense of wonder that it creates certainly makes a great bedfellow for the magic and mystery that the game’s themes convey.

The second alluring quality of Eye of Judgement comes in the form of the style of both the collectable cards, which will be available in packs in shops, and the digital versions of the various characters. Typically, the art of fantasy settings cannot escape the dated blast of the airbrush, and all too often games with such themes end up stained by imagery that looks most at home on the doors of American trucker’s cabs.

Eye of Judgement takes a rather more enchanting approach to design. Anyone who fondly remembers the brilliantly gory Garbage Pail Kids stickers of the 1980s will immediately take a shining to the artwork, which will also appeal to fans of the kind of imagery associated with Ghosts and Ghouls or Maximo, which manages to skilfully combine cute with horror-shop excess.

Where Eye of Judgement may topple from its plastic tower, however, is with its rulebook. A brief hands-on gave nowhere near enough time to grasp the basics of the intricate set of numbers and symbols that will no doubt fill a weighty manual, but it is clear that with some persistence the laws of the game should become instinctive.

In essence you can turn to and battle with your foes on adjoining squares, casting spells and taking advantage of various elemental powers, striving to wipe out your rival’s deck. Here we return again to the simplest card game after Snap. Top Trumps is popular with almost everyone, thanks to the instinctive nature of its various rules. If Sony are to succeed with their ‘Tech-Trumps’, then they need to be confident that players will sit comfortably with the depth of the apparent complexities of Eye of Judgement.

With single-player, multiplayer and online modes, there is little doubt that those versed in trading card games or the likes of Warhammer will enjoy this game, and the potential of the PlayStation Eye in this context could be used in a huge number of ways. However, for everyday console owners, the video game long ago replaced cards and the fondly remembered ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books as a way of indulging in interactive adventures. Eye of Judgement has novelty and simple technological innovation on its side, but whether they are big enough weapons to tackle mainstream gaming will make for an interesting battle when the curious title sees a release.