With the launch of the Kinect sensor marking the beginning of Microsoft's assault on the Wii owning market, it'd almost be wrong for Kinect to launch without a Wii Sports-esque game. In an effort to show how its "controller free" approach can make things so much better, it's almost strange that Kinect Sports didn't come bundled with the sensor itself, as if anything, it does a better job of showing off the sensor's capabilities...
Following the Wii Sports formula almost to a T, Kinect Sports is a collection of mini-games that follow the sporting theme - some of them directly lifted from Wii Sports itself, while others highlight the extras Kinect provides. With a full line up of Bowling, Boxing, Volleyball, Football, Table Tennis, and Track and Field (which itself is made up of five events), there's a decent mix here, with a few old favourites, and plenty of new games to make use of Kinect's full body scanning.
While bowling featured in Wii Sports, it's a subtly different beast here.
Unlike many of the other Kinect games we've reviewed, Kinect Sports doesn't seem to have too many problems when it comes to space. Yes, you'll still need a minimum of 6ft between you and the camera (less for little ones, as they're shorter), but it's better than Your Shape and the 8ft that needs. With no controllers involved, all you really have to do is do as you would in real life - stand up, get involved, and get active.
Thankfully, Kinect Sports is fairly easy to get into, and does its best to get you up to speed. Before you start each game, you'll be given a video showing you exactly what you have to do, with nice stick figures demonstrating the actions - even if you've played the game before. Still, at least it means there can be no confusion, and therefore no excuses from the people you beat.
As it's tracking your entire body in 3D through the Kinect sensor, a few of the games work a bit differently to what you'll have experienced on Wii Sports, but it's all still very easy to get into. Football, for example, is one of the games that makes use of your whole body (especially if you're in goal), and is actually one of the better games in the collection. Rather than tracking your entire body accurately (which would make for a pretty confusing game, as you run around your living room, trying to keep an eye on the screen), the game instead takes the form of a series of passes. You don't directly control your player, as such - you only decide who to pass to, and can shuffle from side to side, as you slowly try to move towards the opposition's goal. If the other team should block your pass, the onus is then on you to shuffle from side to side again (which moves your character around on the screen) to block their pass. It all works very well, and in fact, the only problem is when it comes to shooting - which also happens to be the most important part. It seems far too tricky to judge where your shot's going to go, and how much power you're putting behind it - and, although we managed to score a fair few goals, it didn't feel like the ball was going where we told it to. That said, it doesn't feel like the ball does what we tell it to in real life, either...
Quick, stick your leg out and block it!
Bowling, on the other hand, is very similar to the Wii Sports equivalent, and, as such, is a lot of fun to play. Holding out your hand to select a ball, you move from left to right to aim your shot (which, sadly, is more awkward than it sounds), and then bowl as you would in real life, with the computer deciding when you let go of your ball. If anything, this feels a bit less accurate than the Wii version, but it was still good fun. Surprisingly, we even managed to find a sweet spot for aiming, as by trying to stand in the same place, and bowl in the same way, we netted 7 strikes in a row - something that we assure you would never happen in real life.
Boxing, too, is another game that's been borrowed from Wii Sports, and it takes on a very similar guise here. Holding your hands in front of your face, you can block, jab, and otherwise attempt to batter your cartoony avatar opponent as you would, er, in real life. In all, this is probably the second least enjoyable mini-game in the collection, as so much of your, and your opponent's time is spent dodging, which, when combined with a few problems we had with it judging our motion, left the experience a bit sourer than we could have hoped. It's still fun, but best enjoyed in short doses.
Quick, spike! They'll probably hit it back, though...
Volleyball is a bit of an interesting one, as again, it doesn't play quite how you'd imagine. You don't have free control of your character, as instead, like on Wii Sports Tennis, they move around the court for you. All you have to do is hold your hand in front of an icon on the screen to pass the ball to your partner, which he'll then pass back to you, ready for you to leap into the air, and blast it to the other side. The problem here is the difficulty, as the opposing team seem crazily good. They rarely fail to return a shot, and there seems to be no way to direct your spikes - all of which makes for a very long, very drawn out, and slightly dull game.
Track and Field, on the other hand, is a little bit of a mixed bag. The same problem exists as when we first played it in August, as, because your movements aren't matching what the character does on the screen, you're never entirely sure what you're meant to be doing. This is especially apparent in the sprint - you know you're meant to jog on the spot, but how does the game decide you're running fast? Are tiny little steps, done incredibly quickly for the best, or do you have to swing your arms and raise your knees to your chin to get the best effect? It doesn't tell you - but still, it didn't stop us winning!
Of similar confusion are the hurdles and long jump. Both require you to jump when you approach either a hurdle, or the end of a course, but rather than jump as you would in real life, you have to jump when the hurdle, or end of the course turns green. It seems a bit unnatural, as jumping well before you reach an object isn't something you'd do, and leaping a hurdle before your avatar's got there, and going back to running, only for your character to leap the hurdle a second later makes things feel a bit strange. Thankfully, the problem affects the Javelin less, and there's no such restrictions in the Discus, which are the two best games in the Track and Field section.
The Javelin's one of the better Track and Field games.
Where Kinect Sports starts to earn a few extra brownie points is in the mini-games, which offer interesting twists on the standard activities. Whether you're bowling using unlimited amounts of bowling balls, or aiming at specific targets in football (seeing how good we are at shooting at a goal, you can imagine how well this went), the minigames add some much needed depth and variety to each of the, er, minigames, and work well in multiplayer.
And, speaking of which, we're pleased to say that this is one of the few Kinect games out of the entire range of launch titles that actually works well in multiplayer. Yes, you'll need a stupidly large playing area (a recommended minimum of 8ft from the sensor for two players, plus space at the sides), or you'll have to make sure everyone else is out the way for the games you take it in turns for (Bowling, for example), but it's actually a lot of fun. While we don't see us playing it as much as Wii Sports (which became a staple for the bowling), it can still provide a lot of laughs - especially with the replays it puts together at the end...
With Kinect Sports, Microsoft set out to send a message to Nintendo - that their motion sensing device was here, and anything they can do, Kinect can do better. Has it managed it? Well, yes and no. While there's no doubting the Wii can't do full body tracking, and it hasn't got the same amount of licensed music (which the game plays you for all of five seconds, begging the question - why waste the money licensing it in the first place!) there's also no doubting that Wii Sports works better in multiplayer, as it's so much less of a faff to set up, and won't require you to live in a converted barn to play it with your friends. On the other hand, Kinect Sports has a wider range of minigames, and will get you up and active. And we mean, really active. Being a cat owner, we know all too well our cat's propensity for heat. On cold days in our living room, the cat always heads to the radiator, and sits on the back of the sofa, basking in the heat.
After playing Kinect Sports, our cat came and sat next to us.
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
