Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mildly violent office-chair racing; kids shouldn't copycat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Kung Fu Rider
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
The slimmest of narratives provides context for KUNG FU RIDER, an odd mishmash of office-chair shenanigans, martial arts, and extreme street sports designed for Sony's new PlayStation Move motion controller. Players take on the roll of either a detective or his sexy assistant, both of whom are trying to escape from a mob of nameless gangsters for reasons unknown. Each level begins with our hero hopping on an office chair (or other random wheeled contraption, such as a vacuum cleaner) and pushing off for a long roll down busy city streets. The goal of the game is to avoid obstacles, use kung fu attacks on any enemies encountered, and collect money scattered along the course.
Is It Any Good?
The premise is a bit peculiar, but there's actually some potential here. Flipping up the motion controller and then pressing the Move button to grind rails with your chair's wheels is satisfying, as is pressing an action button and swooping the controller to perform attacks that send our enemies flying with exaggerated ragdoll physics.
However, navigation is a chore. To steer, players must widely swoop the motion controller left or right, but we were rarely able to take corners sharply enough, resulting in crash after crash. And unless you manage the tricky feat of pulling the controller perfectly straight back in line with the PlayStation Eye camera, the act of ducking transforms into wild swerving. Kung Fu Rider could have been a sleeper hit for PlayStation Move. As is, it's a half-baked failure in dire need of some fine tuning.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the dangers of replicating plausible looking video game stunts in real life, starting with a conversation about the difference in danger between rolling around on chairs outside versus at home or in a parents' office.
Families can also discuss motion control in video games. Did you feel as though you were more active while playing this game? Do you enjoy moving your arms and upper body while playing as opposed to just your fingers and thumbs?
Game Details
- Platform : PlayStation 3
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Sony Computer Entertainment
- Release date : September 19, 2010
- Genre : Arcade
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : June 21, 2022
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