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.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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.
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