Your Shape Fitness Evolved - Kinect Xbox 360 Kinect

Released on 10/11/2010

• GAME HQ Kinect Preview!

  Formerly known as Project Natal, Kinect has been a bit of a mystery to us here at Game. But Microsoft put a stop to that today by allowing us to get hands-on (so to speak).

  The basics of Kinect are that it will let you play and navigate with out the need of a controller. Instead of slouching in a cheer you'll need to get up and active in order to play.

  We got to go head on with Kinect Joyride, Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports. These were our impressions...

  
  

   

  Tom

  My Kinect playfest began with Joyride, a fun little driving game using your Xbox Avatar as the driver. To steer your car you hold your hands in the 10-2 position and steer like you would in a car (a bit like Mario Kart Wii, without the wheel!). You won't need to worry about accelerating as this is automatic, but you can boost by simply thrusting your hands forward and to send your car shooting into the screen.

  Drifting is also in Joyride, and just like steering it's easy. Just lean into the turn with your body whilst steering with your hands and your car will start to slide around the corner. There are also jumps to hit and whilst in the air by you'll be able to pull of some pretty awesome tricks with simple hand gestures.

  Next up was Kinect Adventures, which boasts several minigames that let youyou're your body to control the on-screen action.

  First up was the river rapids game, which saw me and my colleague, Chris, stood side-by-side as we navigated a perilous rapid river in a little rubber dingy. It's crucial to point out at this point that if you are playing cooperatively on Kinect Adventures, communication is key.

  To begin with we stepped independently and jumped at different times, which got us around some of the obstacles in our way but by the smallest of margins. It wasn't until we started yelling "LEFT" "RIGHT" and "JUMP" that we started to make good progress in missing obstacles and gaining greater height by jumping at the same time.

  We then tried a game in Kinect Adventures where we needed to duck, jump and sidestep obstacles whilst riding on a cart on tracks, which was pretty fun. Next we tried a game where we hit red balls at blocks, which broke revealing targets beneath them.

   

  Chris

  My time with Kinect proved to me that it's much better than I thought it would be.

  Kinect Joyride and the Bowling game in Kinect Sports were fun and the responsiveness was impressive. Navigating the menus by swishing your arms around is awesome as well, straight out of a sci-fi spaceship!

  My only concern is that the games I tried weren't quite enough to carry the device by themselves - but I'm sure more titles will arrive once developers get to grips with this incredibly clever piece of kit.

  All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised!

   

  Glenn

  There's no doubting Kinect is cool. I loved being able to move my hands and navigate a menu, or runnin and jumping about to watch my little avatar do the same!(that's right your Xbox avatar is you in the game, so seeing my little gear of war running around would be wicked!)

  Having one of your friends jump into the game just in time to push your raft round that rock in the rapids is a really nice feature, too; anyone who walks within the scope of the Kinect camera can jump in to the game and help you out!

  Kinect is a serious bit of kit, and I truly believe that in a couple of years when developers have had some time, to go all out, we will see some incredible titles and have some awesome fun!

   

   

  Mark

  The 2009 Xbox E3 conference had me whooping and hollering at my PC monitor, with Microsoft's sci-fi Kinect video and demonstrations hinting at an entirely new way to play games. As you can imagine, I was more than excited to finally get a go with what's being touted as the future of Xbox gaming!

  I started with the bowling game in Kinect Sports, which was even easier to play than the famous Wii Sports interation of Fred Flintstone's favourite pastime. With the camera swooped in behind my on-screen Avatar, I reached down to my right to make him pick up a ball, then held it in front of my head to aim, and, to my delight, got a strike on my first throw, with the Kinect camera managing to pick up the spin I naturally impart on a bowling ball in real life, and translate it to the screen in much the same way.

  Next up was a swift go on the athletics mode of Kinect Sports, which had my same Avatar running a hurdles race. For me, that meant running on the spot - the faster I did so, the faster my Avatar sprinted - and hopping up in the air when the upcoming on-screen hurdle turned green as I closed in on it. Luckily no actual hurdling skills were required!

  Obviously there's a big question mark about how Kinect will handle titles for 'core gamers', and the selection of games on show when Microsoft headed to GAME HQ was never going to answer that. What it did show us though was how responsive Kinect is to movement, which can only be a good thing; the crowds of people cheering and laughing as people jumped, bounced and yelped as Tom and Chris played on Kinect Adventures (and as I crashed through my fourth hurdle in a row... *sadface*) would attest to that.

  Put that together with some of the videos Microsoft have already shown and you start to build up a picture of the kind of experiences Kinect will offer. Can you imagine playing a first-person adventure game where you can walk in the spot to move, grab in-game items with your arms to solve puzzles, thrust your arms to slice a sword, and talk to characters using your actual voice?

  The possibilities are practically limitless.I am excited!

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• GAME Midnight launch for Kinect

  Kinect for Xbox launched in the UK on 10th November, 2010.

  
  

  Microsoft invited us to experience the countdown to the launch of Kinect at the celebrity party on the evening of the 9th. Billed as 'the most anticipated and exciting launch in entertainment history' and hosted at London's Natural History Museum, the party featured presenter Kate Thornton with music from The Wanted and Leona Lewis, and skating for all those who were brave enough!

  The party was followed by a midnight launch at GAME stores across the UK.

  Find out what happened here.

   

• New Release Round-Up: 12th November 2010

  This week's new GAME releases see you engage in secret Cold War battles, use your body as the controller, speed around an amusement park in space, and manage your own community...

  Opping mad

  The biggest-selling action FPS series of all time returns with Call of Duty: Black Ops (X360, PS3, Wii, PC, DSi, DS Lite). It sees you battling in secret conflicts across the globe as elite soldiers in deniable operations under the veil of the Cold War.

  Black Ops also features the franchise's highly praised multiplayer component, offering fast-paced combat with more features than ever before.

  You are the controller

  Kinect for Xbox 360 (X360) brings games and entertainment experiences to life in new and extraordinary ways as your body and voice become the controller. Kinect uses full-body tracking to put you at the centre of the action, with your body movements and voice commands mirrored in-game.

  Kinect comes with Kinect Adventures, which sees you jump, dodge and kick your way through exciting adventures in a variety of exotic locations.

  Going for gold

  Sports party game Kinect Sports (Requires Kinect) (X360) features Soccer, Bowling, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Table Tennis and Track and Field events.

  Play solo or with friends, using your body as the controller as you compete to become the star player.
  

  Tear up the dance floor

  Dance Central (Requires Kinect) (X360) features over 90 dance routines and 600 moves, plus tracks from the world's hottest artists!

  Without any plastic instruments or mats to worry about, this is possibly the most immersive dance video game ever, letting your feet do the talking, with no controller in sight.

  Animal magic

  Kinectimals (Requires Kinect) (X360) invites animal lovers of all ages to build fun, lasting and interactive relationships with a selection of cute pets, including a lion and a Bengal tiger.

  Your new best friends will react to your body gestures and voice commands as you play with and train them.

  Take the wheel

  Kinect Joyride (Requires Kinect) (X360) lets you go on the ride of your life - with no steering wheel required.

  You'll pump your hands forward for speed, and bend and move to hug the curves and perform stunts in this relentless kart racer, which offers solo and competitive multiplayer options.

  Sim-ple life

  A strategic life simulation game, The Sims 3 (Wii) lets you create your own Sims, give them unique personalities and control their destinies. As you guide them through life you'll complete challenges, customise environments and explore your neighbourhood to discover its secrets.

  For the first time ever, you can also share the fun with a friend in the co-op buddy mode, or compete against three others in the Life Moments Game.

  Blue blur

  In Sonic Colours (Wii, DSi, DS Lite), the diabolical Dr. Eggman has abducted an alien race and is harnessing its powers to fuel a sinister plot for world domination.

  As Sonic, it's up to you to use these alien powers for the force of good and foil his plans. It's a fast-paced adventure across an interstellar amusement park featuring imaginative power ups and explosive boss fights.
  

  Also out this week:

  • BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable (PSP)
  • Cooking Mama World: Hobbies and Fun (DSi, DS Lite)
  • Cooking Mama World: Babysitting Mama (Wii)
  • Crossboard 7 (Requires Kinect) (X360)
  • Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth (DS)
  • Drag & Stock Racer [Racing Wheel Bundle] (Wii)
  • Fighters Uncaged (Requires Kinect) (X360)
  • Game Party in Motion (Requires Kinect) (X360)
  • Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley (PSP)
  • Invisimals: Shadow Zone (PSP)
  • Monopoly Streets (X360)
  • Motion Sports (Requires Kinect) (X360)
  • Sonic Free Riders (Requires Kinect) (X360)
  • Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 (Wii, PC)
  • Venetica (X360, PS3, PC)
  • Rally Racer [Racing Wheel Bundle] (Wii)
  • Your Shape Fitness Evolved (Requires Kinect) (X360)

  Published: 12/11/2010

• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 out for Kinect this week

  Gamers wishing to get themselves in shape will soon be able to get their hands on Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012, a new Kinect title that allows them to do just that.

  The new exercise game from Ubisoft is being released exclusively for the hit Xbox 360 peripheral this week and features an intuitive and improved movement tracking system.

  Fitness Evolved 2012 is able to precisely follow each movement the player makes as they work through a number of fitness routines, including yoga, dance, floor exercise and cardio workouts.

  It then points out which moves the player is doing incorrectly, helping them to improve their form and burn off the calories.

  Meanwhile, a new addition in the game is the Run the World feature, which enables players to run through virtual representations of cities from around the world, including destinations such as New York and London.

  The game's predecessor Your Shape: Fitness Evolved was released this time last year as part of the original line-up of titles available for Kinect.

  Published: 11/11/2011

• Kinect for the Core

  When Kinect was launched with titles such as Kinect Adventures and Kinect Joyride, some thought Microsoft's new motion control technology had abandoned the hardcore gamer, but all along the developers were thinking about you.
  
  There are two types of Kinect games. Some can only use Kinect to work, they are controlled purely by it's motion control and voice recognition interface, and can't use a controller. There are other Xbox 360 games that can use Kinect to enhance the game-play with the additional features that Kinect offers.
  
  Below we have a selection of games that are compatible with Kinect and are excellent examples of how Kinect can improve the world for the Core gamer.

  

  Child of Eden

  
  Offering a magical experience, Child of Eden is a game for the senses . Using elegant game-play mechanics to create a hugely immersive, first-person shooter. When you shoot, the music and the world around you shifts, the whole game ripples with gameplay. More than a game ,Child of Eden is an experience and can be done justice with words, an incredible title that needs to be played to be believed.

  

  Ghost Recon Future Soldier

  
  You are a ghost. The first, first-person shooter that allows you to operate solely with Kinect. Reload, zoom and fire with simple gestures. Bring down your enemies in a hail of bullets with a flick of your hand. Navigate the menu customise your weapons with voice control and hand gestures. Is it perfect? Well, wel let you be the judge of that!

  

  Mass Effect 3

  
  No messing around here this is a definitive hardcore Game. Mass Effect 3 is great example of how Kinect can enhance the gameplay of real games in a way that other consoles can currently compete with. Taking advantage of Kinect advanced voice software you can control your squad in combat with commands, giving yourself that extra edge. When out of combat, the same software allows you to take control in conversations so you need never click for your response again. If you have to save the universe, do it in style,and do it with Kinect.

  

  Forza Motorsport 4

  
  Forza 4 has Kinect integration in almost every area of the game. If you love cars, then the auto vista is for you, exploring every feature of the car with your hands, with Jeremy Clarkson providing a detailed voiceover. When racing, Kinect tracks your movement, enabling you to check your mirrors with a gentle turn of your head. It even allows you to steer the car using Kinect, putting you more firmly in the drivers seat than ever before.

  

  Rise of Nightmares

  
  Created by the guy behind, the classic, House of the Dead, this is clearly not a title for your mum! It gritty, it bloody, it full of zombies and you will die all the time. . . Either by being ripped apart by the hordes of undead or sliced in half by deadly traps, Rise of Nightmares is not a game for the faint hearted. You are the controller, so hold onto your limbs.

  

  UFC Trainer

  UFC Trainer takes fitness games to the next level, there is nothing family friendly about this. Certified by UFC, you know the experience is going to be intense. Build a routine that is right for you, get the benefits and see the results. Using the same techniques as some of the most tough, disciplined men in the world. So if you want to build up your strength, get fit or lose weight, UFC Trainer is the hardcore game for you.

  Final Word

  
  The games on this page are a but a few of the incredible range of games that Kinect can improve. With more coming out all the time, Kinect is soon to become an essential accessory for every gamer.

  Published: 23/11/2011

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