Hyperscan – Not Up To The Hype.
by Kelly Hoffman

Last year Mattel announced a new gaming console that was going to be the next best thing to sliced bread. The Hyperscan. The Hyperscan combines the best of the hottest toy properties today, video gaming and collectible card games all into one neat little package. It is aimed at boys in the “tween” years [8-12]. Using RFID [radio-frequency identification] chips the game lets the players scan in new or upgraded powers for their characters. Sounds pretty cool doesn’t it?

The games, however, are very low def, so to speak. The X-men game that comes with the console is a lot like the first generation Mortal Kombat games. Low quality graphics and not a lot of moves make this a very cheap looking system. But I guess the old adage; “you get what you pay for” really does hold true in this case. The game system, which includes the X-Men CD-ROM, 6 collectible X-Men cards a controller and the game console, only costs about $70. [We picked ours up on clearance for $13].

So the concept is you collect and trade cool character, offense and defense cards to upgrade your characters and their moves. As you play the game you scan your card again to save the information. Sounds cool until you have to sit there and wait for the card to scan. Then sit there and wait for the game to load. Then sit there and wait to the card is scanned again to save your data. There is a lot of sitting and waiting in a world of fast moving video games. Not such a good thing.

So this system is really recommended for those 7-8 year olds who have not had any experience with other gaming consoles and have parents who don’t mind the slightly violent games [they are all pretty much fighting games]. Current games include X-men, IWL Wrestling and Ben 10. According to the website www.hyperscangamer.com [which was not working when we stopped by] there are new games in the work. Artwork suggests Marvel Heroes and Spider-Man.

Game Pack includes CD-ROM and six Cards. Booster Pack adds 6 more cards to your collection. Don't forget the additional controller for head to head action.