Review: Totem Ball

Totem Ball is the first Live Arcade game to fully interact with the camera, using your movements to control the game. The idea is simple enough. At each side of the screen is a waterfall, you must place your hands in these waterfalls and move the cursors accordingly. Push both upwards to move forwards, both downwards to go backwards, and so forth. The aim of the game is to use these movements to guide your little ball shaped totem thing to collect 'shiny things' and various pieces of a totem poll, as to eventually construct your completed poll. Or atleast, I guess that's what would happen after collecting all those pieces- if only it were that simple.

You see, Totem Ball is a nice game- no really, it is. It's the sort of game you look at and think 'o0o0 that looks kinda fun' however the game's most inventive element is also it's worst. I found myself barely being able to make it past the second level, so I would tell you what you actually do with those totem pieces- but truth is...is it possible to get that far? The game is fun, honest- but whilst playing I couldn't help but feel most of my fun was coming from how laughable the controls were for such a simple game and partly how foolish I must have looked trying to guide this little ball around the screen.

The problem is mainly two things. Firstly it is just too hard to keep track of where your hands are going whilst moving them (keeping them in the waterfalls and moving the cursors) and keeping track of where the ball is. Secondly, the cursors just seem too tempremental- they usually don't move in the way you would like them to.

So the game is awkward for the sake of being awkward- but somehow it's still a bit of a laugh. Is it worth downloading? Well it's free, whynot- it's worth it just to see how dumb you look- and in my case, have my girlfriend having a right laugh at me. Is it worth buying the camera for? Definately not!

So all in all, it's a simple game that has been made way too complicated for what it's worth. I'm also not too convinced after playing this that this, adventure/platformer sort of game, is the right sort to be using in conjunction with a camera. I remember Sony's Eyetoy games as been very simple yet very fun- that boxing game against a robot, that game where you cleared bubbles off the screen, you know. Hopefully the next game will be more adept to using the camera's capabilities.

The good: Well it looks and sounds nice- some fun to be had here.

The bad: Controls are pants, you'd rather use the standard controller making the camera features in the game- pointless!

The ugly: You playing! You'll look completely silly!