I have made some significant progress this past week.
First of all, I was able to complete Fighters Uncaged. This was quite entertaining and better than the reviews would give it credit for. The achievements in this game are more time consuming than difficult, but still require a decent understanding of the games mechanics to unlock. I should have a review/tips and tricks post up later this week.
I also downloaded the free DLC for Dance Masters. It includes an additional level difficulty (Master). The great news here is that the new difficulty includes 5 additional secret ripple per song (150 total). These additional secret ripples do in fact count towards the secret ripple achievements. This means that you won't have to find every single secret ripple on Stealth (which is a pain).
Finally, I received Kinect Sports in the mail today via Gamefly. The game is quite entertaining and superior in its production value to other Kinect titles. I am having a blast with it so far. It may pose a handful of difficult achievements which I am dreading yet looking forward to.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
GAME COMPLETED #3: GAME PARTY: IN MOTION
This game is the easiest 1000GS I have played thus far for the Kinect and certainly one of the easiest 1000GS on any Xbox 360 title I have played. However, it is also the worst Kinect title I have played and one of the worst 360 games I have had the misfortune of playing.
GAME: Game Party: In Motion
REVIEW SCORE: 3/10
The concept is very appealing. You have Skeeball, Whack-a-mole, Air Hockey, Bean Bag toss, Darts, Billiards, etc. I was super excited when I saw this game available for the Kinect. Unfortunately, the excitement lasted for about 3 minutes after booting up the game.
The problem isn't the game's contents, but the game's execution. The game controls are a jumbled mess. Nothing works as it should. I have spent enough hours on my Kinect to know that my sensor is set up and working fine and that I have proper play space. The problems that this game encounters reach far beyond these rational mishaps.
First of all, most games require throwing of some sort. I have done my fair share of throwing in Kinectimals to know that Kinect can handle throwing. Game Party: In motion in particular however, does not. You can make a throwing gesture with no result, only to have you avatar make a feeble throw as you bring your hand back for another attempt. It all feels very random.
Multiplayer was a complete disaster. The game seems to have an extremely hard time telling who is playing. It isn't even so much a Kinect ID issue, as the game even forgets which profiles are signed in. During a 30 minute multiplayer session, my wife and I had to sign in and receive facial recognitions over a dozen times. The game would constantly tell us that we were not in the play space although we clearly were. Which is confirmed by the fact that the game clears us moments later without us even having to move.
I would love to see a game of this variety arrive on Kinect and work properly. I can't help but to feel that this particular title was rushed in order hit shelves by the time Kinect launched.
With any luck, the game will see a patch that can make this game enjoyable.
FITNESS SCORE: 2/10
To be honest, the games involved in this title don't really focus on activities that would be associated with fitness. What you will see here is mostly stepping from side to side and a lifting of an arm. Ironically, you probably get more of a workout due to the game not working properly, as you find yourself flailing around in hopes of getting the game to react the way you want it to.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
-The game is extremely glitchy when it comes to achievements. This is due largely to the fact that the game tends to forget who is playing. You have to make sure when you are in an activity that the game recognizes you by your profile (as opposed to "Player 1"). If you are signed into an event as "Player 1" and meet an achievement requirement, it will not unlock. In addition, you may find it glitched from unlocking when you do get signed in. To avoid these complications, use Kinect ID to recognize you. It should cause the game associate you with your profile before the start of each match. If you do find yourself having glitched an achievement, try to clear the cache on your console (see xbox.com for tips on clearing cache).
-For many of the perfection achievements, you may want to play with a second person. It is certainly possible to get the achievements in single player, but it is hard to reach perfection when the controls are far from it.
GAME: Game Party: In Motion
REVIEW SCORE: 3/10
The concept is very appealing. You have Skeeball, Whack-a-mole, Air Hockey, Bean Bag toss, Darts, Billiards, etc. I was super excited when I saw this game available for the Kinect. Unfortunately, the excitement lasted for about 3 minutes after booting up the game.
The problem isn't the game's contents, but the game's execution. The game controls are a jumbled mess. Nothing works as it should. I have spent enough hours on my Kinect to know that my sensor is set up and working fine and that I have proper play space. The problems that this game encounters reach far beyond these rational mishaps.
First of all, most games require throwing of some sort. I have done my fair share of throwing in Kinectimals to know that Kinect can handle throwing. Game Party: In motion in particular however, does not. You can make a throwing gesture with no result, only to have you avatar make a feeble throw as you bring your hand back for another attempt. It all feels very random.
Multiplayer was a complete disaster. The game seems to have an extremely hard time telling who is playing. It isn't even so much a Kinect ID issue, as the game even forgets which profiles are signed in. During a 30 minute multiplayer session, my wife and I had to sign in and receive facial recognitions over a dozen times. The game would constantly tell us that we were not in the play space although we clearly were. Which is confirmed by the fact that the game clears us moments later without us even having to move.
I would love to see a game of this variety arrive on Kinect and work properly. I can't help but to feel that this particular title was rushed in order hit shelves by the time Kinect launched.
With any luck, the game will see a patch that can make this game enjoyable.
FITNESS SCORE: 2/10
To be honest, the games involved in this title don't really focus on activities that would be associated with fitness. What you will see here is mostly stepping from side to side and a lifting of an arm. Ironically, you probably get more of a workout due to the game not working properly, as you find yourself flailing around in hopes of getting the game to react the way you want it to.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
-The game is extremely glitchy when it comes to achievements. This is due largely to the fact that the game tends to forget who is playing. You have to make sure when you are in an activity that the game recognizes you by your profile (as opposed to "Player 1"). If you are signed into an event as "Player 1" and meet an achievement requirement, it will not unlock. In addition, you may find it glitched from unlocking when you do get signed in. To avoid these complications, use Kinect ID to recognize you. It should cause the game associate you with your profile before the start of each match. If you do find yourself having glitched an achievement, try to clear the cache on your console (see xbox.com for tips on clearing cache).
-For many of the perfection achievements, you may want to play with a second person. It is certainly possible to get the achievements in single player, but it is hard to reach perfection when the controls are far from it.
Monday, December 13, 2010
PROGRESS UPDATE
This week I have been focusing heavily on Dance Masters. I am faring much better in this game than I had originally thought I would. All I am missing now are a handful of achievements for discovering Secret Ripples (hidden objects scattered throughout the songs in the game) which will probably be more time consuming than difficult, and one achievement that I am not really sure how to unlock, although it is supposed to be easy. I just need the proper info i suppose.
Other than that, i started Game Party: In Motion, which is by far the worst game I have played thus far on the Kinect. It is a easy 1000GS, but I need my wife to stand in for a couple of achievements that are too hard to do in single player (well, not really too hard in the sense of difficulty, but in the sense that the motion detecting is crap on some of this game).
I am also pecking away at the calorie achievements in Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. I can net about 200 calories every 20-30 minutes. I know that I can pump up my in-game weight to help speed the progress along, but I plan on keeping the integrity for this game as I am interested in the fitness aspect. No rush to get this done.
In other news, I have upgraded my Gamefly account to the 2-disc plan. It doesn't look like Dance Masters will keep me occupied as long as I had planned, and it seems to take about 3 days to get a new game from Gamefly once it is shipped. Next on my Gamefly queue is Kinect Joyride.
Other than that, i started Game Party: In Motion, which is by far the worst game I have played thus far on the Kinect. It is a easy 1000GS, but I need my wife to stand in for a couple of achievements that are too hard to do in single player (well, not really too hard in the sense of difficulty, but in the sense that the motion detecting is crap on some of this game).
I am also pecking away at the calorie achievements in Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. I can net about 200 calories every 20-30 minutes. I know that I can pump up my in-game weight to help speed the progress along, but I plan on keeping the integrity for this game as I am interested in the fitness aspect. No rush to get this done.
In other news, I have upgraded my Gamefly account to the 2-disc plan. It doesn't look like Dance Masters will keep me occupied as long as I had planned, and it seems to take about 3 days to get a new game from Gamefly once it is shipped. Next on my Gamefly queue is Kinect Joyride.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
GAME COMPLETED #2: DANCE CENTRAL
This is by far one of the proudest 1000GS I have earned on my Gamercard. As of now, it appears that only a dozen or so people have completed this feat (Reference: mygamercard.net). I found the game to be very enjoyable, and easily the best Kinect game I have played thus far.
GAME: Dance Central
REVIEW SCORE: 9/10
The concept is simple, but executed phenomenally. The game has varying difficulties and dance types that cater to anybody. The tutorials are excellent at teaching you how to play the game, and the execution is flawless. There is also a fairly wide variety of music that is sure to satisfy most music lovers. This game makes being active very fun, and quite addicting.
The game doesn't really need to rely heaving on graphics, as it is a dance game, but it still is able to deliver stunning visuals. The game portrays dance moves as specific as possible, as to teach them to utmost accuracy. And believe me, the game will hold you to it a lot of times when scoring you.
The sounds and music are great, as to be expected for a music game. I am not a fan of all the songs/genres, but I am aware of my biases.
I was a little disappointed in the lack of proper multiplayer. I am generally more a single player kind of guy, but I felt this game would have benefited greatly from multiplayer option. The game does offer a local multiplayer "Dance Battle", but it is essentially two people taking turns dancing to the same routine.
FITNESS SCORE: 7/10
The game really had me moving around and sweating. The game isn't advertised as a fitness game, nor is it really designed as such. However, you will be getting a lot of lower body exercise. I would find myself sore in the legs and feet from day to day. Be sure to wear socks tough! I found out the hard way when I got blisters on my feet.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- The game is a little buggy as of now. If you are going for achievements, be sure to first play through the game on Easy. The game only registers your highest ranked performance on the Song List data. The game ranks "Hard" performances higher than it ranks "Medium" performances, and so forth. Makes sense, but achievements that focus on stats specifically focus on your highest ranked performance. For instance, there is an achievement for getting 5 stars on a song with flashcards off. For the achievement to unlock, you not only need to get 5 stars on a song with flashcards off, but the posted score would have to be your highest ranked performance. If you played a song on "Hard", you would have to get 5 stars on "Hard" without flashcards to get the achievement, as any progress made on "Easy" or "Medium" wouldn't be accepted. Hopefully there will be a patch.
GAME: Dance Central
REVIEW SCORE: 9/10
The concept is simple, but executed phenomenally. The game has varying difficulties and dance types that cater to anybody. The tutorials are excellent at teaching you how to play the game, and the execution is flawless. There is also a fairly wide variety of music that is sure to satisfy most music lovers. This game makes being active very fun, and quite addicting.
The game doesn't really need to rely heaving on graphics, as it is a dance game, but it still is able to deliver stunning visuals. The game portrays dance moves as specific as possible, as to teach them to utmost accuracy. And believe me, the game will hold you to it a lot of times when scoring you.
The sounds and music are great, as to be expected for a music game. I am not a fan of all the songs/genres, but I am aware of my biases.
I was a little disappointed in the lack of proper multiplayer. I am generally more a single player kind of guy, but I felt this game would have benefited greatly from multiplayer option. The game does offer a local multiplayer "Dance Battle", but it is essentially two people taking turns dancing to the same routine.
FITNESS SCORE: 7/10
The game really had me moving around and sweating. The game isn't advertised as a fitness game, nor is it really designed as such. However, you will be getting a lot of lower body exercise. I would find myself sore in the legs and feet from day to day. Be sure to wear socks tough! I found out the hard way when I got blisters on my feet.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- The game is a little buggy as of now. If you are going for achievements, be sure to first play through the game on Easy. The game only registers your highest ranked performance on the Song List data. The game ranks "Hard" performances higher than it ranks "Medium" performances, and so forth. Makes sense, but achievements that focus on stats specifically focus on your highest ranked performance. For instance, there is an achievement for getting 5 stars on a song with flashcards off. For the achievement to unlock, you not only need to get 5 stars on a song with flashcards off, but the posted score would have to be your highest ranked performance. If you played a song on "Hard", you would have to get 5 stars on "Hard" without flashcards to get the achievement, as any progress made on "Easy" or "Medium" wouldn't be accepted. Hopefully there will be a patch.
Monday, December 6, 2010
PROGRESS UPDATE
I have pretty much been playing nothing but Dance Central this last week or so, and it looks like I will be wrapping it up in the next day or two. The only achievement I have left is to score 5 stars on all songs on Hard mode. I am currently two songs and two challenges away from completing that goal.
Once I have finished Dance Central, I will be focusing on my new Kinect strategy. I have just created a subscription with Gamefly with the 1 disc plan. I will use this service to receive Kinect games that I should be able to complete quickly and easily.
In addition, I will be purchasing games that look to take more time and offer greater challenges. This way, I should always have at least 2 games going at once, and I don't hold up my Gamefly account.
I just purchased Dance Masters and have Game Party: In Motion coming via Gamefly.
I hear that Dance Masters is quite the beast, and looks to be my biggest challenge thus far.
Until next time....
Once I have finished Dance Central, I will be focusing on my new Kinect strategy. I have just created a subscription with Gamefly with the 1 disc plan. I will use this service to receive Kinect games that I should be able to complete quickly and easily.
In addition, I will be purchasing games that look to take more time and offer greater challenges. This way, I should always have at least 2 games going at once, and I don't hold up my Gamefly account.
I just purchased Dance Masters and have Game Party: In Motion coming via Gamefly.
I hear that Dance Masters is quite the beast, and looks to be my biggest challenge thus far.
Until next time....
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
PROGRESS UPDATE
Nearly one month into the launch of Kinect and I am not as far along as I would have hoped. At the same time however, I don't find myself disappointed.
I am extensively enjoying my Kinect and look forward to each title as a new adventure.
I have thus far completed one Kinect title, Kinectimals. Although Kinectimals was quite entertaining, it is easily my least favorite of the four titles I have played.
The next closest I have come to completion is Kinect Adventures, the pack-in title. I am currently 70 points away. I am missing an achievement for completing an online session (which I am in no rush to complete) and an achievement for completing each level of the game with a second person (which I am relying on my wife to assist. She is not as concerned about the achievement as I am, so it may be a little while before we knock them all out).
I had a blast attaining all the Platinum medals, which is by far the hardest achievement for this title.
Next is 'Your Shape: Fitness Evolved'. Although I am not nearly close to finishing the required calorie loss achievements, I believe this game to be currently impossible to finish with 1000 gamerscore. I am missing an achievement for participating in an event on the web site (Yourshapecenter.com). Unfortunately, the 'Events' section on the site greets you with a "Coming Soon".
Regardless, I plan on slowly hacking away at the remaining calorie goals in order to play the game as it was meant to be played.
Lastly is my favorite Kinect title so far, Dance Central. I was a little nervous about starting this particular game as I was a little intimidated by the achievement difficulty. And let's face it, I wasn't too keen on booty dancing in front of my T.V.
Anyways, the game is tons of fun and really keeps you moving. The sensor the game uses is as flawless as I have seen in a Kinect game thus far. The in-game tutorials and training make it manageable for people of any dance experience to learn and master each technique.
I am not a huge fan of all the music or the moves, but I am having a great time overall. This is certainly going to be one of the major trying points in reaching my goal of 100% Kinect!
So there you have it. I should have Adventures done within a week or two, and should hopefully get another Kinect game to keep me busy in it's stead. The "pick-up-and-play" aspect of Kinect games makes it easy for me to jump from one game to another with ease.
I am extensively enjoying my Kinect and look forward to each title as a new adventure.
I have thus far completed one Kinect title, Kinectimals. Although Kinectimals was quite entertaining, it is easily my least favorite of the four titles I have played.
The next closest I have come to completion is Kinect Adventures, the pack-in title. I am currently 70 points away. I am missing an achievement for completing an online session (which I am in no rush to complete) and an achievement for completing each level of the game with a second person (which I am relying on my wife to assist. She is not as concerned about the achievement as I am, so it may be a little while before we knock them all out).
I had a blast attaining all the Platinum medals, which is by far the hardest achievement for this title.
Next is 'Your Shape: Fitness Evolved'. Although I am not nearly close to finishing the required calorie loss achievements, I believe this game to be currently impossible to finish with 1000 gamerscore. I am missing an achievement for participating in an event on the web site (Yourshapecenter.com). Unfortunately, the 'Events' section on the site greets you with a "Coming Soon".
Regardless, I plan on slowly hacking away at the remaining calorie goals in order to play the game as it was meant to be played.
Lastly is my favorite Kinect title so far, Dance Central. I was a little nervous about starting this particular game as I was a little intimidated by the achievement difficulty. And let's face it, I wasn't too keen on booty dancing in front of my T.V.
Anyways, the game is tons of fun and really keeps you moving. The sensor the game uses is as flawless as I have seen in a Kinect game thus far. The in-game tutorials and training make it manageable for people of any dance experience to learn and master each technique.
I am not a huge fan of all the music or the moves, but I am having a great time overall. This is certainly going to be one of the major trying points in reaching my goal of 100% Kinect!
So there you have it. I should have Adventures done within a week or two, and should hopefully get another Kinect game to keep me busy in it's stead. The "pick-up-and-play" aspect of Kinect games makes it easy for me to jump from one game to another with ease.
FITNESS LOG #2: DAY 23
It has been nearly a month since the launch of Kinect and I seem to be past most of the strain my body has received from my reintroduction to physical activity.
With the exception of some tight calves following a day of 6+ hours of Kinect and some sore feet (I'm looking at you Dance Central), I have not experienced any further discomfort from my excursion to reach 100% in all Kinect titles.
I find that with each passing day I seem to move a little bit faster and a little more accurately. This will be essential if I ever hope to attain all 1000 Gamerscore in Dance Central.
I have decided not to rush finishing Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, as I plan to do some of the in-game activities day to day until I eventually hit the achievement milestones. I figure this would be more beneficial from a fitness standpoint.
I have yet to notice any visible changes to my physique as of yet, but hopefully that will change in the upcoming months. I do seem to feel better overall and I find it easier to make myself get up in the mornings.
There are still a lot of Kinect titles I have yet to play and many months projected until completion, so there will hopefully be much more to come in future postings.
With the exception of some tight calves following a day of 6+ hours of Kinect and some sore feet (I'm looking at you Dance Central), I have not experienced any further discomfort from my excursion to reach 100% in all Kinect titles.
I find that with each passing day I seem to move a little bit faster and a little more accurately. This will be essential if I ever hope to attain all 1000 Gamerscore in Dance Central.
I have decided not to rush finishing Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, as I plan to do some of the in-game activities day to day until I eventually hit the achievement milestones. I figure this would be more beneficial from a fitness standpoint.
I have yet to notice any visible changes to my physique as of yet, but hopefully that will change in the upcoming months. I do seem to feel better overall and I find it easier to make myself get up in the mornings.
There are still a lot of Kinect titles I have yet to play and many months projected until completion, so there will hopefully be much more to come in future postings.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
GAME COMPLETED #1: KINECTIMALS
Alright! Kinect has been out a little over a week, but I finally completed my first game. Anyways, with each new game I complete, I will release a post like this one, which will include a review as well as tips and tricks for the game. Here we Go:
GAME: Kinectimals
REVIEW SCORE: 7/10
I found this game to be quite entertaining. I was not a fan of the flying lemur, but then again, I am not in the age group the game was directed.
The graphics were stunning and sound effects were quite well done. The game allowed a variety of different play styles that keep things interesting, as well as show off a lot of the potential that Kinect has to offer.
The gameplay is quite simple, but features such as hidden objects, customizable house, item shop and contest medals really offer replay value.
One major flaw in the game in my opinion, is the user interface dealing with multiplayer. After completing a contest, the game will inform you that a new player can join in to compete. The second player can step in and signal the swap player. However, the in-game messaging does not inform you upon switching that the second player must have an active Kinectimals save file. This wouldn't be so much of a problem, but once the swap is unsuccessful, the game kicks you back to the main menu, prematurely ending your game.
Nothing a patch can't fix I suppose.
FITNESS SCORE: 3/10
This rating is strictly informative. It reflects how well I felt the game incorporates the fitness aspect of motion gaming. It in no way affects the overall rating as stated above. It is basically just here for people who are interested in this type of thing.
Anyways, the rating is low for two reasons. First of all, 90% of the game is spent standing and using minimal physical effort to play with your cub. Second, the game includes obstacle courses that can be vigorous when going for gold medals.
Now, you may be thinking that the second point contradicts the low fitness score. However, since most of the game is not very active, it feels quite awkward to be thrown into a course where you find yourself running in place, jumping, running some more, weaving left and right, jumping, running, jumping, etc.
Then you go back to standing around. The sudden exertion leaves me more sore than an hour long session of Kinect Adventures. So, my advice to you is to stop and stretch before any of the obstacle contests, as it exponentially more strenuous than the rest of the game.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
-The achievement for getting the ultimate jump is accumulated. Every time you jump while in 'Trick Mode', your cub's jump gets a little bit higher. Eventually, your cub will do a slow motion super jump and unlock the achievement.
-When going for the decorating achievements, it is sometimes hard to tell which theme certain decorations belong to. Oddly enough, generic looking decorations such as floor and beams belong to certain themes. To help you out, listen carefully after selecting any decoration. There will be a short sound byte that follows the selection. The sound byte varies depending on the theme. For instance, all 'Music' themed decorations are signaled by an electric guitar sound when selected.
-In the obstacle courses, the hardest obstacle is arguably the slalom poles. To make it easier, began weaving before your cub actually reaches the poles. When you see the word "Slalom Pole" at the bottom of the screen, it is a good time to stop running in place, and start weaving left and right.
GAME: Kinectimals
REVIEW SCORE: 7/10
I found this game to be quite entertaining. I was not a fan of the flying lemur, but then again, I am not in the age group the game was directed.
The graphics were stunning and sound effects were quite well done. The game allowed a variety of different play styles that keep things interesting, as well as show off a lot of the potential that Kinect has to offer.
The gameplay is quite simple, but features such as hidden objects, customizable house, item shop and contest medals really offer replay value.
One major flaw in the game in my opinion, is the user interface dealing with multiplayer. After completing a contest, the game will inform you that a new player can join in to compete. The second player can step in and signal the swap player. However, the in-game messaging does not inform you upon switching that the second player must have an active Kinectimals save file. This wouldn't be so much of a problem, but once the swap is unsuccessful, the game kicks you back to the main menu, prematurely ending your game.
Nothing a patch can't fix I suppose.
FITNESS SCORE: 3/10
This rating is strictly informative. It reflects how well I felt the game incorporates the fitness aspect of motion gaming. It in no way affects the overall rating as stated above. It is basically just here for people who are interested in this type of thing.
Anyways, the rating is low for two reasons. First of all, 90% of the game is spent standing and using minimal physical effort to play with your cub. Second, the game includes obstacle courses that can be vigorous when going for gold medals.
Now, you may be thinking that the second point contradicts the low fitness score. However, since most of the game is not very active, it feels quite awkward to be thrown into a course where you find yourself running in place, jumping, running some more, weaving left and right, jumping, running, jumping, etc.
Then you go back to standing around. The sudden exertion leaves me more sore than an hour long session of Kinect Adventures. So, my advice to you is to stop and stretch before any of the obstacle contests, as it exponentially more strenuous than the rest of the game.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
-The achievement for getting the ultimate jump is accumulated. Every time you jump while in 'Trick Mode', your cub's jump gets a little bit higher. Eventually, your cub will do a slow motion super jump and unlock the achievement.
-When going for the decorating achievements, it is sometimes hard to tell which theme certain decorations belong to. Oddly enough, generic looking decorations such as floor and beams belong to certain themes. To help you out, listen carefully after selecting any decoration. There will be a short sound byte that follows the selection. The sound byte varies depending on the theme. For instance, all 'Music' themed decorations are signaled by an electric guitar sound when selected.
-In the obstacle courses, the hardest obstacle is arguably the slalom poles. To make it easier, began weaving before your cub actually reaches the poles. When you see the word "Slalom Pole" at the bottom of the screen, it is a good time to stop running in place, and start weaving left and right.
Friday, November 5, 2010
FITNESS LOG #1: DAY 2
Kinect has been out for a little less than 48 hours and I am enjoying it thoroughly, and so comes my first entry of the Fitness Log.
Now, I am not what most people would consider to be out of shape, but I am certainly not in peak condition. After messing around with the Kinect for several hours yesterday, and a couple hours today, I am starting to feel the effects. You can check my Gamercard and get a decent idea of how much time I have spent on the couch these last few years.
Most of what I have played so far has been 'Kinect Adventures', which comes as a pack-in with the Kinect sensor. A couple of the in-game events (Rally Ball and the bubble popping game) focus more on arm movements, while other events (River Rush and the obstacle game) focus a lot on leg work. So my body seems to be getting a pretty balanced workout.
Lack of endurance and limited range of motion have been a result of years of physical inactivity for the most part in my lifestyle. However, I am hoping that by continuing with my quest for 100% Kinect gamerscore and facing a large array of different motion games, I will increase both over time. That is my immediate focus on my Fitness Log.
Hopefully, on my next entry, I will have noticed a increase in range of motion and stamina, and a decrease in fatigue and muscle soreness.
Now, I am not what most people would consider to be out of shape, but I am certainly not in peak condition. After messing around with the Kinect for several hours yesterday, and a couple hours today, I am starting to feel the effects. You can check my Gamercard and get a decent idea of how much time I have spent on the couch these last few years.
Most of what I have played so far has been 'Kinect Adventures', which comes as a pack-in with the Kinect sensor. A couple of the in-game events (Rally Ball and the bubble popping game) focus more on arm movements, while other events (River Rush and the obstacle game) focus a lot on leg work. So my body seems to be getting a pretty balanced workout.
Lack of endurance and limited range of motion have been a result of years of physical inactivity for the most part in my lifestyle. However, I am hoping that by continuing with my quest for 100% Kinect gamerscore and facing a large array of different motion games, I will increase both over time. That is my immediate focus on my Fitness Log.
Hopefully, on my next entry, I will have noticed a increase in range of motion and stamina, and a decrease in fatigue and muscle soreness.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
ACHIEVEMENT FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It is 15 days until the launch of Kinect but achievement lists have already started popping up over the web. For those interested, most of the achievement lists are available to view on x360a.org.
You can usually get a good idea from the achievement descriptions on how hard they might be. From what I have seen so far, it doesn't look too bad (at least, not unattainably so) .
The only cause for concern I have seen thus far is from Dance Central. There are many achievements that require 5 star ratings and an extent of perfection. Depending on how the game plays and how well the Kinect sensors are able to capture your motion, these achievements may frustrating to say the least.
Regardless, I shall prevail. I am up for the challenges ahead. If all the games were easy, then there would be no glory in attaining 100% completion.
Bring it on!
You can usually get a good idea from the achievement descriptions on how hard they might be. From what I have seen so far, it doesn't look too bad (at least, not unattainably so) .
The only cause for concern I have seen thus far is from Dance Central. There are many achievements that require 5 star ratings and an extent of perfection. Depending on how the game plays and how well the Kinect sensors are able to capture your motion, these achievements may frustrating to say the least.
Regardless, I shall prevail. I am up for the challenges ahead. If all the games were easy, then there would be no glory in attaining 100% completion.
Bring it on!
Monday, October 18, 2010
DISCLAIMERS AND SO FORTH
I thought it might be important to throw out a few disclaimers in regards to possible future postings. Here goes:
1.) I am not sponsored or endorsed by Microsoft, or any game studio/developer/publisher. Any reviews posted are based entirely on my own personal experience and are therefore subject to my own biases.
2.) I am not trained or certified as a fitness instructor or personal trainer. Any information presented in my reviews or fitness log concerning the Kinect as a fitness tool are done strictly in a personal and non-professional manner and should be taken as such.
3.) My goal is to reach 100% Gamerscore in all Kinect titles. By "Kinect titles", I am referring to games that are controlled strictly by the Kinect peripheral. There will be certain games (Def Jam Rapstar, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, etc.) that will incorporate Kinect, but will also be playable via other Xbox 360 controls. I am not counting these games. Reason being that there needs to be a line drawn somewhere.
4.) I am at the mercy of glitches and server closures. It has been well established that there is much unobtainable Gamerscore across various Xbox 360 titles. Reasons include, but are not limited to: Server closures, Marketplace De-listings, in-game bugs and glitches. Hopefully though, I won't run into any snags.
5.) All achievements that I earn will be done so in a legitimate manner. I will not use hacks, modified equipment, or any other type of gamerscore cheat to acquire achievements. I will not allow others to earn achievements for me, whether it is locally on my console or by someone remotely via account recovery.
1.) I am not sponsored or endorsed by Microsoft, or any game studio/developer/publisher. Any reviews posted are based entirely on my own personal experience and are therefore subject to my own biases.
2.) I am not trained or certified as a fitness instructor or personal trainer. Any information presented in my reviews or fitness log concerning the Kinect as a fitness tool are done strictly in a personal and non-professional manner and should be taken as such.
3.) My goal is to reach 100% Gamerscore in all Kinect titles. By "Kinect titles", I am referring to games that are controlled strictly by the Kinect peripheral. There will be certain games (Def Jam Rapstar, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, etc.) that will incorporate Kinect, but will also be playable via other Xbox 360 controls. I am not counting these games. Reason being that there needs to be a line drawn somewhere.
4.) I am at the mercy of glitches and server closures. It has been well established that there is much unobtainable Gamerscore across various Xbox 360 titles. Reasons include, but are not limited to: Server closures, Marketplace De-listings, in-game bugs and glitches. Hopefully though, I won't run into any snags.
5.) All achievements that I earn will be done so in a legitimate manner. I will not use hacks, modified equipment, or any other type of gamerscore cheat to acquire achievements. I will not allow others to earn achievements for me, whether it is locally on my console or by someone remotely via account recovery.
INTRODUCTIONS
First of all, I would like to thank you for visiting my site.
I have been an avid gamer since I was old enough to pick up a controller. Over the years, video game technology has improved drastically. Recently, we have seen console gaming evolve to the point of motion enhanced controllers as seen on the Nintendo Wii.
Now, the Xbox 360 is introducing the Kinect, a video game peripheral that makes YOU the controller. Using motion sensors and a voice recognizing microphone, Kinect brings gaming to a whole new level.
There is some controversy in the gaming community on whether or not the Kinect will be a true renovation in the realm of gaming, or simply a cheap gimmick to appeal to the casual masses.
As a video game aficionado and Xbox junkie, I have decided to take on the Kinect craze head on.
As an extremest, I will take it one step further.
It is my goal to not only play every Kinect title, but to earn 100% gamerscore in each game.
In addition to playing (and hopefully conquering) every game, I will be compiling reviews, posting tips and tricks, and composing a fitness log to track the benefits (if any) to the wellness angle of the Kinect.
So follow me on my quest and wish me luck!
I have been an avid gamer since I was old enough to pick up a controller. Over the years, video game technology has improved drastically. Recently, we have seen console gaming evolve to the point of motion enhanced controllers as seen on the Nintendo Wii.
Now, the Xbox 360 is introducing the Kinect, a video game peripheral that makes YOU the controller. Using motion sensors and a voice recognizing microphone, Kinect brings gaming to a whole new level.
There is some controversy in the gaming community on whether or not the Kinect will be a true renovation in the realm of gaming, or simply a cheap gimmick to appeal to the casual masses.
As a video game aficionado and Xbox junkie, I have decided to take on the Kinect craze head on.
As an extremest, I will take it one step further.
It is my goal to not only play every Kinect title, but to earn 100% gamerscore in each game.
In addition to playing (and hopefully conquering) every game, I will be compiling reviews, posting tips and tricks, and composing a fitness log to track the benefits (if any) to the wellness angle of the Kinect.
So follow me on my quest and wish me luck!
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