Is Rare’s controller-free take on the interactive sports collection enough to get you warmed up or does Wii Sports still finish first?
Format: Xbox 360 Dev: Rare Pub: Microsoft Out: 10/11/10 Players: 1-4, 2-4 online
Interactive sports games have been common ever since Wii Sports was introduced in 2006. There is something about sports that brings people together and, generally, there is a sport for everyone to enjoy. The idea of bringing sports into the home, so players can actively take part, is a great attraction. So does Kinect fair well enough to make you consider cancelling that gym membership?
In Kinect Sports there is a range of six sports to take part in: boxing, bowling, football, beach volleyball, table tennis and track and field. All are very realistic, despite the arcade nature of the graphics. All of the sports respond well to your movements and the movements you are expected to do really work you hard.
Boxing is a particularly good work out and is a lot of fun. It is very much like the Wii equivalent on Wii Sports, except, of course, you have no controllers to hold, so people familiar with the Wii will pick this game up with relative ease. This could also be said for the bowling mode.
The volleyball is also a lot of fun, but quite tiresome and simple moves, such as serving the ball, are a great risk to ceiling light fittings, as I found out quite often.
Table tennis is fun, yet very frustrating at points as the sensor doesn’t always respond exactly to your movements, making that failed attempt at a backhand with extra side spin particularly annoying.
Track and field is just about as good a workout as I’ve had in a very long time. This mode requires you to be very, very active. Running, throwing javelins, jumping long jumps and hurling discus are a few of the disciplines you are expected to take part in. Track and field is a whole lot of fun and particularly good to play with friends. Although, the fun can stall if you have touchy parents or housemates, as running about on the spot can create a lot of noise.
Being a football lover though, I found the football mode the most fun. It’s not exactly FIFA 11, yet it’s not the realism in fairness. It is a huge amount of fun and a great laugh. You can play solo against the computer, as a team with another player or one-on-one. You are not required to do any running, just passing, shooting, blocking and goalkeeping. Kinect responds well to all the actions. If you pass the ball, your avatar passes the ball on screen, you dive to the left to save a shot, so does your avatar, and so on. The matches are only four minutes, but trust me, if they were any longer, your legs would feel like lead due to the amount of kicking and blocking you have to do.
Though, more than the sports themselves, the greatest feature here is by far and away the replay feature at the end of each game. The motion sensor also acts as a camera, which records your actions during play. The recordings are then played back as a highlight reel, which I found to be a huge hit with everyone else I played with and also people watching.
All in all, Kinect Sports is a great game that Rare and Microsoft have gotten pretty spot on. The game modes are fun and aren’t to be taken too seriously, which makes it appealing to people of all ages and interests. Yes, the visuals may be a little slack, some people may prefer a more simulation style rather than the exaggerated style used, yet I would argue it suits the character of the game.
Fun, energetic and great for playing with friends. When the creators are trying to get a new platform, in this case Kinect, off the ground, a title like this is key for success. There is certainly room for improvement, but, as a start, Kinect Sports gives you plenty of reasons to get off your sofa. So get out there, on that pitch, that running track, that bowling alley, and show everyone what you’re made of.
Ian Davies
Tags: family, kinect, kinect sports, microsoft, rare, Sports
