Kinect Adventures
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Lead Kinect launch game is accessible fun for all ages.
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Kinect Adventures
Community Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Great game for 6 yrs and up.
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What’s It About?
KINECT ADVENTURES is the game that comes in the box with Microsoft’s new Kinect sensor, a device that allows people to use their bodies to play games (no controllers necessary). It’s a collection of random activities tied together by the idea that the player (or players -- up to two people can play simultaneously) is going on a wild adventure. Some of the things you’ll find yourself doing include: plugging leaks in a submerged room with your hands and feet; using your entire body to block and hit balls bouncing down a long glass hall; jumping, ducking, and dodging a series of rapidly approaching bars as you glide along a moving sidewalk while simultaneously trying to reach out and grab adventure pins; and shuffling around a raft to try to steer it down raging rapids, again, jumping and throwing out your arms to reach for pins. Each new adventure becomes a little more challenging and adds new play elements to the mix.
Is It Any Good?
Microsoft Game Studios has clearly put a lot of time into this primary launch title for its new camera peripheral. It looks great, is finely tuned, and puts Kinect to clever use. Its greatest strength is its accessibility. Everything is highly intuitive. Just do what you would do if you were in the situation presented before you onscreen. It also helps that the game supports two people playing simultaneously, and that the guided adventures on which we find ourselves force us to try new activities rather than getting stuck in a rut with the same one. Plus the game takes photos of you doing silly things and shows them to you at the end of each adventure, which always gets a room of people laughing.
The only question is this: How long will it take to grow tired of this small collection of mini-games? We don’t have an answer for that. Regardless, many families will likely keep it around as a game they can use to introduce Kinect to visiting friends.
Online interaction: Online multiplayer for two players supports voice chat, but it is optional. Note that open voice communication means possible exposure to offensive language and inappropriate topics of conversation as well as the sharing of personal information. Parents of younger kids might want to disable this feature.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about active gaming. Did you feel like this game gave you a good workout? Do you think that it can be part of a healthy, active lifestyle? Do you prefer this sort of gameplay over that which involves a standard controller?
Families can also discuss Kinect in general. How old should a child be to use this sort of motion control? Is it harder or easier for young children to use than, say, a Wii remote? Do you think that young players will get the hang of Kinect games more easily than their parents?
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