When In2Games released the Gametrak last year, it seemed to slip under the radar of many console owners, some probably thinking that it was just another novelty controller for the PS2 that would be used for a week and then thrown into the back of the cupboard with the Eye Toy and dancemats. Billed as a truly interactive way of gaming, a lot of sceptics, myself included, shunned this new gadget as yet another marketing ploy that promised good things but never really delivered. Buzz surrounding the release suggested that the Gametrak frees the gamer from the confines of the normal joypad by allowing you to interact with your game. The difference between the Gametrak and other so-called devices however is that the Gametrak actually does deliver what it promises. Yes, it works and it works damn well.

Present Gen Gametrak Hardware

The hardware that makes up the overall package known as the Gametrak consists of a small black base unit, two gloves and a small foot control. The Gametrak plugs into your USB port so in theory it works with anything that has one, however, it’s games are made for the PS2 at the moment and I’ll discuss those later. Now here comes the technical bit. The Gametrak utilises full 3D movement, which seems to be very accurate without the need for overhead processors, infrared beams, tilt mechanisms or any of the other technology of the apparent controllers of the future. What the Gametrak does is connect you to the base unit via two fishing line type wires that go from the base unit to your gloves. The lines clip in and at first you may well think as I did, “oh how sad that they’ve had to use old-fashioned connectors to let you interact with the game”.

Basically, in a world that is becoming increasingly wireless, you expect things to work without wires so at first I was a little perturbed by this however, on starting up the games, I soon realised that In2Games had been far smarter than most. They’d used wires and with those, they’d produced something that is extremely accurate and very aware of your positioning throughout your gameplay. The wires in no way hinder your movement as there is no pulling from them at all and at certain points in games you’ll actually completely forget they’re there. The only other part of the Gametrak system that you’ll really interact with is the foot control that now consists of a plastic button attached by wire to the front of your base unit. This is used to select menu items, move on, skip and so on. With the Gametrak, it’s all about your hand movements and you’ll even wave your hand up and down to move left and right or to select different variations on play. It is a VERY responsive system and the developers should be very pleased with how high the accuracy is.

Original Gametrak Hardware

One of the most important aspects of furthering any controller system is always going to be the games that are available to play on it. The first title I had the joy of playing on the GameTrak is Real World Golf, a relatively recent release that aims to tap into the sports market and the increasingly high profile of golf amongst both seasoned golfers and younger new players alike. I’ve played Golf only once in reality but I absolutely loved it and keep threatening to take it up. Why haven’t I? Well numerous reasons, but actually getting out there and joining definitely ranks as one of them. Now that I have Real World Golf at home however, I feel I’ll be delaying joining a golf club even longer. It really is that enjoyable playing with the Gametrak.

Real World Golf is one of those titles that people may scoff at. The doubters will argue that you can’t really get the feeling of playing golf by standing in front of a TV screen with a tiny golf club, hitting an imaginary golf ball. Maybe they’re right, but I don’t think it matters. What this game does is offer a true alternative to the usual passive golf play you get whilst engaging in golf games on your console. You do feel that you’re part of the game because the shots you’re making are based on your own swings. You can see when you’ve made a terrible shot and there is nothing like seeing the screen flash up ‘perfect swing’ as your ball goes zooming down the green. Beautiful. Real World Golf would no doubt be a perfect game for real life golfers who want a little extra practice and the courses that appear in the game are plentiful and can be as challenging as you want them to be. You have the option of playing at different skill levels as well as training to perfect your skills. One of the nice additions is that you can also choose your own player so that you can pick someone who most resembles you to be shown on screen. The great news for female gamers is that you can play female golfers, this truly is aimed at the biggest possible market and I think it’s great that they’ve considered this option in their development of the game.

Critics may suggest that the graphics aren’t as spectacular on Real World Golf as they could have been and don’t really push the PS2 hardware to it’s limits, however, it honestly doesn’t feel that important when you’re playing. You become so completely immersed in the game that the graphics actually take second place to the enjoyable gameplay. As you progress through this game, you will find that you start to become increasingly improved at the shots you’re making and you can then of course up the difficulty setting. If you haven’t thought of buying a Gametrak and still see it as a novelty controller, I urge you to buy it with Real World Golf and have a go. If you’re interested in Golf at all I really do believe you’ll adore this game and even if Golf isn’t your thing but gaming is, try this simply for a new alternative to your usual console gaming.

One of the other joys of the Gametrak system is that as new games are released, your style of gameplay will alter. The first release for the system was a fighting title named Dark Wind where you basically punch and block your way through a series of encounters with different enemies. The aim of this game is to become the best fighter in town needless to say and you follow through different characters stories in story mode, as they eventually perfect their fighting skills and defeat their magical enemies. You can also cast magic spells in this game and this gives what could have been just a run of the mill fighting game yet another side to it. Once you’ve calibrated the machine, you’re all set to go and you can jump into arcade mode or survival mode if you just want a quick fix of fighting. The Gametrak actually records the speed of your fastest punch, the calories you’re burning and more, so if you’re looking to get fit from playing a game, you could do far worse than Dark Wind. The graphics on Dark Wind are actually pretty good, they could have been better considering the power of the PS2 but again, it almost seems secondary as the enjoyment factor is there anyway. Most of the time you’ll have an opponent on screen whom you have to battle with and as you kick their ass, their rage builds, leading to an all out frenzied attack on you where all you can do is block. I was exhausted after playing this game for a while on easy mode so you can imagine the difficulty involved in the higher skill settings. The sounds are fairly amusing too and it’s nice to hear your enemy groan in pain when you’ve landed a particularly good punch. Overall it is a nice package that brought tons of enjoyment and exhaustion. Because of the unique Gametrak control system, you will find that your shots are accurate so long as you’ve calibrated correctly so I really recommend taking a look at this.

Kudos! They show a girl gamer! Huzzah!

The Gametrak system is full of promise. In2Games already have plans for a Sword Fighting title named ‘Sword Master’, that I literally cannot wait to get my hands on! The thought of being able to imagine myself as a character in Kill Bill really appeals to me as does shooting aliens in their other upcoming game called ‘A World Away’. There are other titles in the works at the moment for the Gametrak such as those mentioned above as well as ‘Dance Mayhem’ where you dance to chart topping hits and ‘Gametrak Sports Party’ where you can indulge in a little basketball, baseball (hurray!), bowling, air hockey and table tennis. The sheer number of possibilities for the Gametrak seems to be endless. In2Games have got the hardware sorted out and now all we really need are more quality titles to come along to keep a great piece of kit interesting and fresh. The upcoming games certainly seem to be taking on something new and as you can see from this article, I certainly consider myself a convert to the Gametrak experience. The only flaw for me is that they really need to make sure they’re developing great titles to showcase the Gametraks abilities. Without good games, the controller may well fall by the wayside and that would be a damn shame. I seriously urge you to go out and buy yourself one of these, secure in the knowledge that there’s already two good games out there for it with more to follow. Well done for providing gamers with a true 3D controller that meets the high standards we seek.

Thumbs Up SCORE A great piece of hardware that may be overlooked by the masses which is a shame. 9 Thumbs Down Game graphics aren't as spectacular as they could be. Overall   Good response and accuracy and if the games continue to entertain and grow then this should really be a must have controller for gamers looking for true interactivity in gaming.