Kinect Sports Review
Kinect Sports is a game created by Rare, yeah that Rare the one behind GoldenEye, especially for the Microsoft Kinect. In this game you'll be able to take on several different sporting events. You'll be able to bowl, play soccer, compete in a track and field contest, play volleyball, play ping pong, and box. Yes this does sound a little too much like Wii Sports, but there's definitely some differences between the two.
First off on the graphics front, don't be surprised if the Mii idea has been translated over to the XBOX 360 avatars appearing as your character in all the games. There's a little bit more life to the games in terms of the graphics and surroundings, but it, by no means, is going to blow you away with beauty.
On the sound front don't be surprised if the announcer in some events grates on your nerves. There's not really any music for the game so you might want to throw on some beats to keep you company while playing.
the controls, well with it being for the Kinect, your body is the controls. If you want to kick the ball in soccer you're going to have to literally kick with your foot. Now I'll warn you right now there are certain games, if you don't have the correct amount of space that you're going to have a hard time with. There is a little bit of a delay in certain actions as well, the easiest one is in volleyball when you're trying to hit the ball, but this is also a forgiving game so you figure out how to maximize the controls before you're ready to quit. I will give you this recommendation, exaggerated movement is KEY.
So as I stated you've basically got the now common sports game to enhance your experience with a new peripheral. Personally I find this game is a lot of fun with friends, if you've got the space, and to some degree practice makes perfect. Now one thing I will recommend immediately is make sure the room you're in is very well lit, if its dimly lit you might find your avatar bending or doing things that are physically impossible to do as a human, you might also find that your avatar will try to do an action before you're ready. Another helpful pointer, make sure if you have animals that they don't interfere with what you're about to do, a dog sprinting in front of you might get the Kinect to cause undesirable results. Overall this is a good title, I really like the bowl game as well as the track and field game. Bowl is just fun, you can play with 4 players (the only game in the set that you can actually do that with), and it really takes into account how you swing your hands. The track and field portion is just enjoyable because you get to sprint, throw a javelin, throw a discuss, do the long jump, and run the hurdles, sure there are some issues, but its just way too much fun to pass up.
For a launch day release game, this is one to have. Its also very entertaining to see the small video clips of how you and/or your opponent looks in real life while attempting to play the game. If you've got a Kinect, you'll want this game, there's enough here to keep you and your friends busy for a while. This game gets an 8.5 out of 10.
