Kinect Sports Review

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(More customer reviews)I just got finished playing all of the sports in Kinect Sports and here is my evaluation:
1. Track & Field: This area includes a variety of different activities that work well with the basic body movements the Kinect can control. These include running , jumping, and throwing things (javelins & discus). I think young and old would both have fun with this! This may actually be my favorite activity in this game.
2. Bowling: Not as much control as Wi Sports bowling--but it is actually feels more like bowling when you can just stick your hand out to pick up the ball and then swing your arm to bowl. No controller to hold on to or push buttons. Once again this is an activity that would appeal to both young and old. Personally, I still like the bowling in Wii Sports better because of the more precise control.

3. Boxing: I like this better than the Wii Sports Boxing--but there is still some lag time and I just don't get the feel that all my moves are translating accurately. Plus, like an earlier reveiwer indicated it seems like punching wildly is actually a winning approach in this game. I do like how you can just hold your arms up to block--this felt very natural. I'm waiting for the Kick Boxing version because when you kick your legs in this activity your avatar kicks its legs--but they don't seem to translate to "hits" in the game.
4. Beach Volleyball: This one will take some time to master. It can get a bit confusing because there are several different techniques involved--jumping, hitting, and blocking. If you're tall--make sure you don't have a ceiling fan above you--or at least make sure it's not on!
5. Table Tennis: Once again it was fun to play without a controller in my hand but I felt there were a few times when the intensity of my hits were not reflected in what actually happened on screen. For example, when an opportunity comes up for a "smash" the game announces it and then actually does it regardless of whether I swung harder or not.
6. Soccer: Fun and interesting. You don't have to run around the field yourself. Your player magically appears where the ball is kicked to. Simple body movements control your kicks and blocks. Gray directional lines on the screen show the directionally options when kicking and your location when blocking.
Throughout the games the Kinect takes photos and short videos of your movements. These are played at the end of each game. The images are saved so you can share them with others. This feature will appeal to some and not to others. For example, I find the images of my son interesting and humorous--but I need to find out how to erase the images of me!
Adding a second player was extremely easy. If I wanted to join my son all I had to do was step in front of the TV and the Kinect added me to the in-play game. The graphics are also much better than the Wii! Kinect Sports looked great on a 40" HDTV. We don't even play the Wii on this TV because of how bad it looks.
Bottom line: If you have an XBOX already--adding the Kinect and Kinect Sports really adds a nice dimension to your video game experience. If you have young kids or older folks that have trouble remembering what buttons to push on a remote--it doesn't get any easier than the Kinect.
P.S. It is a neat and strange sensation to be standing in front of your TV and the avatar on the screen is doing the same movements that you are. You can sway, move your arms and legs, and dance, and the avatar mimics it. This alone makes for good entertainment!

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With Kinect Sports, anyone can become the next star of the living room, and it's fun no matter how fit you are. Add your style to any of the six action-packed games - Soccer, Volleyball, Track & Field, Bowling, Table Tennis or Boxing - with Full Body Play. Compete against yourself to set a personal best or win as a team. Either way, you will unlock new content and thrills as you play.

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Brunswick Pro Bowling Review

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(More customer reviews)I waited several months in anticipation for this games release. I had the Wii version which was really bad, but Crave promised this one would be better. Let me say it is NOT. If anything, it is worse than the Wii version. Let me explain why.
1. The Kinect controls are absolutely terrible. It is not the Kinect sensor at fault here. It is the code written to use the Kinect sensor that is bad. The controls are truly unstable. It is very difficult to lock the cursor on any control. The cursor moves away from the target without any hand movement at all.
2. There are very few options. You have to tell the game which hand the bowler will use, every time you start up a new game. If you check the bowler profile, it knows which hand the bowler uses, but still Crave makes you select which hand the bowler will use.
There should be an option to skip the NPC player / players. The way it is now, you have to select each and every time the NPC bowls whether to skip his play display. I should be able to tell the game up front which NPCs I don't want to watch bowl.
There should be a saved setup that determines which bowlers are NPC bowlers. The way it is now you have to set that at the beginning of each new play session.
3. The Wii version told you each time your bowler increased his stats. The Kinect version does not tell you anything. Each time I check the bowlers stats they are unchanged, so it appears they do not even change, which means you are doomed to bowl the same lousy way every time you bowl.
3. The targeting is just terrible. It does not seem to matter where you aim, the ball is going to roll where it will. It often will go to one side or the other, sometimes directly at the 4 pin or the 6 pin.
4. Lastly, this game is not fun. You would think the Crave devs would understand, if a game is not fun, people will not buy it.
The xbox 360 provides a method for publishers to patch their code. I certainly hope Crave reads these reviews and will attempt to fix their game. Until that happens I would recommend not buying this game. I think you will be disappointed as was I.
I will wait and see if they do patch the game to make it better. If that happens I will change this review.


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Brunswick Pro Bowling is a bowling simulation game for Xbox 360 that utilizes the motion capture and control capabilities of the Xbox 360 Kinect motion control system. The result is addictive gameplay that is both realistic and entertaining for the whole family, with the extreme sensitivity of the Xbox 360 Kinect allowing players to roll their ball virtually any way that they could do so in a real bowling alley. Additional features include: detailed environments filled with interesting characters, multiple mode settings, character customization and even bumpers for kids, or others needing help staying out of the gutter.

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Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been playing video bowling games ever since Bowling came out for the Atari 2600. Never have I seen a game that has more realistic pin action than Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowlingby THQ for the Playstation. I'm a bowling fanatic so I'm a hard judge on bowling games. The pin action will leave you in awe. I've played hundreds, perhaps thousands, of games, and still see new pin action at times depending on the bowler, ball, and lane that I use. I never tire of playing this game. I only hope that THQ brings an updated version of this to the Playstation 2!

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Sonic Free Riders Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me introduce Sonic, master of the most grueling thigh workout on the Kinect. You probably thought you'd need to buy an exercise title featuring a screaming trainer to get a good workout. Well, it turns out this little racer will bring you to your knees as you use your whole body to twist, turn and jump your hoverboard through 16 tracks.
You can upgrade your board gear temporarily with energy pickups like a soda rocket or fully to extreme gear, which is available in both board and bike formats. The hoverboard reacts like a snowboard on steroids. Maneuvering requires your whole body:
*Cornering involves bending your body forward at the waist or backwards to steer;
*Jumping is self-explanatory but power jumping requires you to crouch down for a few seconds before leaping into the air;
*A kick dash is completed using a kick gesture using your back foot with a good follow-through;
*Braking requires squaring your shoulders toward the screen; and
*Your hands are kept busy to catch rings, grab horizontal bars, wipe away foggy screens and to cling to the bottom of trains (?!).
The game provides an extensive tutorial along with a host named Omochao, who also serves as the game commentator. I highly recommend casual gamers take the time to go through the tutorials. This isn't a bowling game you can simply step up and play.
I completed two racetracks and slumped into the couch. A trickle of sweat ran along my spine, my legs trembling. Brain synapse fired in all directions and soon I was hearing Robert Klein wailing on the harmonica and singing "I can't stop my leg."
The gameplay is not as extensive as the granddaddy of kart racers, Mario Kart DS. However, what Sonic Free Riders lacks in depth is more than made up with by the physical racing experience that comes from using the Kinect system. Even my 8-year old son stopped after competing in four consecutive races to catch his breath and get a drink of water.
So, what are the negatives?
*The controls are not perfect. Don't let early frustration turn you away. The game doesn't respond as smoothly as it would if we were gripping steering wheels. We found it helped to recalibrate the Kinect for this game and widen our playing area a couple feet to allow side-by-side racing.
*The menus are maddening. I'm tired of sweeping options left and right. Game designers need to hold back their Kinect zeal. Keep the menus basic, like a simple drop-down menu format, and save the wild moves for the game itself.
*The online features aren't that attractive. Fortunately for us, with four in our family, there's plenty of competition at home.
In summary, if you are willing to invest practice time, this is a fun, family game that also delivers a good full-body workout, too. With the initial library of Kinect games including dogs like Game Party: In Motion, "Sonic Free Riders" is a good value, especially for kids. Rating: Four stars.
Hey, look. My leg stopped.

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