'Film karaoke' videogame launched

Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy and new-generation star Zoe Saldana have put their acting skills to the test in a Yoostar "film karaoke" videogame.

Both were won over to the game, which taps into motion-sensing and camera capabilities of Xbox 360 and PlayStation Move to virtually insert players into movie scenes to play the parts of beloved actors.

"It was awesome," Ms Saldana said after giving Yoostar 2 a try at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

"It's really amazing. This ups the ante and just makes the enjoyment of you loving films even greater."

Mr Nimoy opted for a shot at the part of a robotic killer played by actor-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original Terminator film. He donned dark sunglasses and was trasported into the film to utter the famous line "I'll be back".

"Eat your heart out Schwarzenegger," Mr Nimoy shouted after nailing the scene. Yoostar software erases a chosen character in a scene, then replaces it with video of the player taken by cameras linked to videogame consoles. The game rates players on their timing and movement in scenes.

"What's exciting is you are going to have something great to do on a Saturday night besides just sitting with your friends and singing karaoke," said Ms Saldana.

"To get the opportunity to be in a movie either I couldn't get or I wasn't born at the time but I can share the scene with certain actors I admire is wonderful. You will see me probably on the Enterprise with Mr Nimoy."

Ms Saldana, who will be 32 tomorrow, played the part of a young Uhura in the blockbuster Star Trek film released last year.

"What was it like to kiss Spock," Mr Nimoy asked Ms Saldana in a playful reference to a romantic scene in the latest Star Trek film.

After she replied "Awesome," Mr Nimoy quipped "That makes me so jealous."

Mr Nimoy, 79, became a part of pop culture for his role as Spock in the original Star Trek television series in the late 1960s and in films made with the same crew.

Yoostar launched last year with a version of the videogame tailored for personal computers. Players had to use "green screens" as background and web cameras to insert themselves in scenes.