Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Snowboarding game that's not as cool as it thinks it is.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Adrenalin Misfits
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
ADRENALIN MISFITS is a Kinect game that lets players use their bodies to control the direction, speed, and tricks of onscreen snowboarders (though, to be precise, they also \"board\" on water and rocks). Leaning forward or backward will adjust the character's course and any number of motions -- jumping, stomping a foot, waving your arms -- will result in tricks. There are several themes for players to explore, including time challenges, a half-pipe, and mini-games. The game does not have a career mode, though.
Is It Any Good?
Adrenalin Misfits won't be a game that people talk about in six months. Sadly, many will have forgotten about it. But that's not to say they won't have fun with it today. It's the gaming equivalent of a potato chip: fun to enjoy for a brief moment, but something that leaves you hungry for more. The controls are inexact and might cause some frustration, but not to the extent that families won't get past it. (Gaming enthusiasts are more likely to notice the problems.) The characters are largely forgettable and try too hard to be edgy, but being able to use your Xbox Live avatar to board down a mountain is novel. Both single- and multiplayer modes (split screen on the same TV) are fun and can be a good bonding experience for families -- and might get the kids excited about some real outdoor winter activities.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the difference between playing a snowboard game that requires you to move versus one that's controller based. Do you like playing video games this way?
Is this a good use of the Kinect peripheral? What other kinds of games would be good to use this way of playing?
Game Details
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