EyePet Move Edition is a title with enough charisma to keep you coming back to its charming range of activities (and lovable pet) day after day. On the whole it’s a user-friendly experience which implements motion control in a non-intrusive manner. The game’s look is one of its most remarkable features, and all in all it’s an utterly unique, worthwhile experience for PS3 owners to undertake.

If you already own the original EyePet you can upgrade to the Move Edition via a free 2GB software update. This reworked version of the game adds a whole range of new activities and ways to interact with your virtual pet, making gameplay more enjoyable and doing away with the ‘magic card’ requirement of the original. All you’ll need to play the game is one Move controller and a PlayStation Eye camera. The Eye needs to be positioned 30 to 60cm above the ground so you’ll probably need to move it from its usual position and place it on a stack of DVDs or a box.

You’ll need to sit on the floor when you play EyePet so it’s advisable to put something behind your back to lean against. I tried sitting in the middle of my lounge with no support for my back during my first play session and a very stiff neck was my only reward by the end of it. I imagine that children (or yoga enthusiasts) should fare a lot better sitting unaided than I did.

Once you’re set up comfortably it’s time to meet your big-eyed, shiny-coated pet and give it a suitable name. As in LittleBigPlanet, you can change its gender on the fly by clothing and styling it in a girly or boyish fashion. You can also make it resemble different types of animals such as a lion, poodle or pig by changing its fur style or dressing it in the corresponding outfit. Judging by Mario’s bee suit in Super Mario Galaxy, it’s not long before this iconic figure in gaming makes an appearance on the 3DS as an augmented reality playmate complete with all sorts of cutesy outfits to dress him up in.

The main mode in EyePet is called ‘Pet Programme.’ This consists of 60 challenges spread over 15 days. To unlock the next day of the programme you’ll need to complete a set amount of challenges – usually about three-quarters of all challenges available to you. However, the game will only allow you to play three days worth of challenges per 24 hours, which is a problem if you want to rush through the challenges and quickly collect all the virtual outfits, accessories and toys to use with your pet. Each challenge takes about three minutes to complete, and these comprise a wide variety of fun, fresh activities to enjoy with your pet.

Many of the activities turn your Move controller into a prop of some sort, such as a trampoline, bowling ball launcher, microphone or watering can. The illusion is very convincing and represents the best use of augmented reality I’ve yet experienced. Challenges that incorporate depth are sometimes a little tricky to pull off because you’ll need to shift around to get your Move controller lined up correctly, but on the whole they feel very intuitive and are a pleasure to play.

Every day of the programme has a ‘photo challenge’ where you’ll need to kit out your pet in certain gear and then have it perform a certain action before snapping a photo at just the right moment. For example, one of these challenges tasks you with dressing your pet up in a flower hat, growing a tulip in your virtual garden, and then taking a photo when a butterfly settles on your pet’s nose. Any photo or video taken during challenges or free play mode can be exported to your PS3’s hard drive or uploaded to EyePet’s servers for the rest of the community to peruse.

It’s a great feature which makes recording those special memories with your virtual playmate and sharing them with your real-life friends a reality. Another too-cute-for-words implementation of the PlayStation Eye occurs when your pet is sleeping. Dream bubbles pop up above its head and different videos of your play sessions are framed by the bubble. The first time it happens is definitely one of the most sentimental moments you’ll experience in augmented reality gaming.

Outside of the pet programme, there’s not a whole lot to do. You can just chill with your pet and experiment with the different toys and equipment you’ve earned from completing challenges. From time to time your pet will need to be fed or washed, and it’s a good idea to take care of these basic needs so it doesn’t get sick or depressed. You can scan your pet to get a feel for its well-being, and send off a pet report to earn prizes the following day. I imagine the free play aspect of the game will be more appealing to children than adults, and all the virtual toys and activities available in this mode should prove to be an enjoyable and stimulating experience for them. They can even add some of their own, real-life toys to the mix and see how their pet responds to them. For instance, rolling a ball around in the play area is sure to get your pet’s attention. EyePet provides you with multiple pet profiles so everyone in the family can rear their own virtual critter.

The online component of EyePet is a welcome addition to the main game. There’s the inevitable store where you can pick up new outfits for your pet. While some of these are free, the majority are not, and seem very costly at R30 per item. In fact, I don’t remember seeing anything as overpriced on PSN before. It would have been nice if you had the option to buy new toys or activity packs for your pet, but sadly there are only outfits available at the moment.

You can also view other people’s photos and videos taken in EyePet, or check out their profiles. There are weekly photo themes which encourage the community to upload pictures of their pet doing various activities or donning certain gear. These are definitely fun diversions from the main game and it’s good to see a singleplayer title like EyePet making use of PS3’s online features. Unfortunately, there are no online leaderboards for any of the challenges in pet programme mode.

EyePet comes with 3D support and from what I’ve read, uses the stereoscopic technique to great effect. The graphics are beautiful even in 2D – your pet and all the objects in the game look straight out of a CGI film. The graphics are some of the cleanest, well-textured and most colourful I’ve ever seen on PS3. Your pet’s fur effects and animations are incredibly well-done. You can tell when your pet is annoyed with you, or when its eyes are getting heavy. I’m looking forward to seeing what SCE London Studio’s next project is because they obviously have some very talented and dedicated artists on their team.

The music and sound effects in EyePet are also perfectly suited to the virtual pet genre. The tunes are upbeat and catchy, and the sound effects match the realism of the graphics. Hearing your pet mimic any song you blast out in its cute, squeaky voice was definitely a highlight for me.

There’s so much more to EyePet Move Edition than I can possibly cover in this review. It’s one of the most kid-friendly games on PS3 and has enough charm to keep adults entertained for short periods as well. It’s a brilliant showcase of what the Playstation Eye and Move motion controller can achieve in tandem, and just like adopting a pet in real life, is sure to win you over with its unique sensibilities if you’ll only give it a chance.

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