Review of the Kinect, Dance Central and Kinectimals

The reviews I read lead me to choose Dance Central.  The game, from the creators of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, had already started showing up on Best of 2010 lists for games in general and was clearly the darling of the Kinect titles.  I didn’t really think of us as a group of dancers, but the reviews were just sooooo positive, that I figured it would at least be a cool way to show off our new technology.

I *still* don’t consider us a group of dancers, we kind of suck, but it has been a blast trying to improve. Dance Central is amazing.  The interface is dynamic, with the “drag and swipe” menu beating the pants off the languid feeling “select and hold” method every other game seems to have.  It’s a great workout, after 10 minutes of playing my heart rate was up and I was sweating, but I didn’t want to stop.  Recognizing its aerobic potential Harmonix included a “Workout Mode” which tracks the calories you’ve burned.  The music is dance music, so if you like that kind of thing, good for you.  I personally was so sick of “Poker Face” after beating it on hard, that I never want to hear it again (okay, I never wanted to hear it in the first place, but whatever.)  There are a couple of gems in there from a purely nostalgic stance; Dancing to “Whoomp There it is” and “Posion” by Bell  Biv DeVoe made me smile and “Funkytown” is super fun.  Look, I’m not saying the music is good, but it’s a dance game and as much as I enjoy Death Cab for Cutie, it just wasn’t going to work out.  As for the lyrical content of the songs: Nate’s ten-year-old sesibilites were totally freaked out by “Hey Mami” by Fannypack in which a voice that sounds like a child sings “Hey Mami/You sexy”.  So…yeah.

It’s not an easy game.  After you nail the “Easy” level the sensor starts getting really picky about how you move.  There’s no “kinda” doing a move and getting away with it, you’d better nail that Jazz Square from head to toe, or you’re going to lose points. The game gives you plenty of chances to “Break it Down” and learn the moves, though the ambiguous instructions from the off-screen choreographer (“dig left, dig right”) don’t always help.  I do appreciate his positive encouragement, though.  Unlike Rock Band you don’t get booed at, and even after Kitty missed every move in a routine he told her not to worry.  Nate felt embarrassed just attempting the moves and got very discouraged when he couldn’t nail them.  Coordination is key here and it’s something some kids (and apparently some adults like me) are just not developmentally able to do.

I wouldn’t recommend buying this game *just* for the kids, but if you have adults who are going to play the kids will enjoy giving it a go, joining in during the “Freestyle” portions and watching the hilarious time-lapsed, sped up montage at the end of each song.  Once you get over the initial shock of watching yourself look like an idiot this is pretty funny. However, if this feature is just too much embarrassment for you to handle you can turn it off.

So sweet your teeth will hurt.

“You will listen to me!”

Kinectimals will have you saying “Oooooh how cute!” about a zillion times.  Seriously, if you don’t think that this game (and watching your child play it) is the cutest thing ever, you have a heart of stone and shouldn’t have procreated.  Kinectimals has a loose story line involving a cat-loving sea captain who mysteriously vanished, but all that comes is in far behind the adorableness that is playing with your virtual cat.  Kitty picked a panther, named it Casey and treats it better than our real cat.  Even at three and a half she was able to play this game with minimal assistance. The on-screen cat/fairy hybrid  guide animal voiced by Invader Zim (really, it’s same voice actor. Try not hearing it now that I’ve told you) helps the little ones with this. Getting started was a little tricky, but after you are signed in and have selected your cat, even small children can navigate this game.  They throw in some mini-games involving teaching your cat tricks, playing fetch, driving RC cars and knocking over targets, but the star here is the interactions with your cat.  This game is probably the most perfect game for kids ever made with both Kitty and Nate enjoying it immensely.  While it has some playability for adults, I got bored pretty fast. The kids fought over whose turn it was and played until I had to pry them away from the screen. If you have the Kinect and you have kids, this game is a must have.

For the next time I have an extra $40 bucks lying around.

Kinect Sports was developed by Rare, known for the Viva Pinata and Banjo Kazooie games, both of which my kids love.  It seemed to be the more family friendly option with games like soccer and boxing that would appeal to the kids, to adults who may or may not have been imbibing and to those looking for a workout.  It didn’t make the cut this round, but this is still one of the better reviewed games, made by a company that has made some fantastic family friendly games, and will be the next title we purchase.

So is the Kinect worth it?  I’d say that if you already have an Xbox 360, then absolutely yes.  The technology is truly a game changer (see what I did there? Game changer?! Ha!). The Kinect is going to keep your Xbox experience fresh and may actually give the console the ten year life cycle Microsoft is hoping for.  The kids seem to enjoy it as much as the adults, and unlike the Wii its better graphics and innovative interface make this more appealing to hardcore gamers.  If you were already considering purchasing an Xbox, spend the extra and get the Kinect bundle, which ranges in price from $269 to $400 depending on the hard drive size you get.  If  this whole Kinect thing has made you think of buying a system for the first time, it’s probably not for you. Though if you get a lot of play out of your Wii you may consider upgrading.

Did you get a Kinect for the holidays?  What do you think?  Leave a comment below with your thoughts on the system and games you’ve tried.