Can this motion fighter make Kinect more appealing to core gamers and shake off the ‘family fun’ stigma?
Format: Xbox 360 Dev: AMA Studios Pub: Ubisoft Out: 10/11/10 Players: 1-2
Kinect has so far been a bit of a family friendly piece of kit. The titles released for the system highlight this – see our reviews for Kinectimals or Kinect Adventures for example. Microsoft haven’t really expanded the market for Kinect yet, but there are a couple of titles emerging that are targeted at the core gamer, not just families, and it’s likely more will come in future as we get away from the festive time of year.
Fighters Uncaged is one such title, a game that offers pretty much what it says on the cover. The game is most certainly not for all the family, but does this mean it isn’t any good?
Fighters Uncaged is a tough one to call, as it is the type of game that will only appeal to a certain audience and type of gamer: ones that love fighting games. Everyone else would probably disregard the title straight away, however this is unfair.
The game itself is actually quite well put together. It seems carefully made, with a real focus on gameplay and tight controls, not something you would really expect from a title with such a brutal sounding name.
The game plays pretty well and control is easy to pick up, following the tutorial which then throws you straight into a fight. However, despite how easily this game can be picked up, ultimately, there is only so much fighting you can do. Once you have used every kick, punch and other fighting move, you are out of new things to do. Of course, you come up against opponents of differing skills levels, but if you have practiced enough, these can be overcome with relative ease, making the game easy and lacking.
You could argue that, as this is the first title of its type that uses Kinect, the developers are playing safe, as they wouldn’t want the title to be a complete flop and fail at the first hurdle. If this is the reasoning, then fair play, it’s average at best. It is just a shame that the level of play within the game is lacking, as the game in appearance and ease of use is actually quite good.
Fighters Uncaged is one of the first titles to break away from the typical family titles we’ve seen for Kinect, yet it’s a missed opportunity. The idea is right, however the execution isn’t nearly as good as another active Kinect title, Dance Central. Fighters Uncaged is a starting point; it is just the wrong place to start.
Ian Davies
Tags: boxing, fighters uncaged, fighting, kinect, ubisoft
