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.