Kinect Adventures!

Kinect Adventures!
Developer(s) Good Science Studio
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Engine Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Release date(s)
  • NA: November 4, 2010
  • EU: November 10, 2010
  • AUS: November 18, 2010
  • JP: November 20, 2010
Genre(s) Adventure / Sports game
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer

Kinect Adventures! is a sports video game released by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. Released in 2010, it is a collection of five adventure and sports minigames and was developed by Good Science Studio, a subsidiary of Microsoft Game Studios. The game utilizes the Kinect motion camera and was offered as a pack-in game with the console.[1] It was officially unveiled at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and went on to become the best selling game on the Xbox 360, selling 24 million units worldwide.[1]

Gameplays

Kinect Adventures! uses full body motion to allow the player to engage in a variety of minigames, all of which feature jump-in, jump-out multiplayer play. Each minigame lasts about three minutes. While most of the minigames are co-operative in two player mode, Reflex Ridge is a competitive game. The game also supports Xbox Live multiplayer. At many points during the game, Kinect's RGB camera takes photos, which are shown to the player(s) and saved to a storage device. These can then be viewed within the game, with the option of uploading these to a private repository on Kinectshare.com and downloaded to a computer or uploaded to social networking sites.

The object of all the minigames is to get the highest number of adventure pins, which are collected in different ways. Adventure pins earn the player(s) medals which, in story mode, affect progression. Medals can be bronze, silver, gold and platinum, in order from least to most pins needed to acquire each.

As a pack-in game, Kinect Adventures! also contains features which aid users in proper set-up and use of the Kinect sensor.

Game types

In 20,000 Leaks, the player's avatar is in a glass cube underwater. The player positions his or her limbs and head to plug cracks as crabs, fish, and bosses such as sharks and swordfish cause cracks and holes in the cube. As difficulty increases, up to five leaks must be plugged at a time to earn Adventure pins. Each game consists of three waves, which end when time expires or when all leaks are plugged. Extra time left over at the end of each wave is added to the Adventure pin total. The name is a reference to the novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne. [2][3]
In River Rush, one or two players stand in a raft and work together to pick up the adventure pins scattered throughout the winding rapids. The raft is controlled by stepping left or right to steer, and by jumping to jump the raft. There are many secret places that you can get to by taking ramps. There are considerably more adventure points there than on the river.[2] Crashing into barrels, wood, markers, or rapid markers, causes the player to lose points.
Rally Ball is a Breakout clone, but also similar to handball. The player uses his or her limbs and head to hit balls at blocks and targets which are at the end of a virtual hallway. When certain targets are hit, the ball splits into multiple balls which can be handled simultaneously. Each game consists of three rounds, each with a different set of blocks and targets. Rounds end when time expires or when all blocks and targets are destroyed. Extra time left over at the end of each round is added to the Adventure pin total.[4]
Reflex Ridge is a track-and-field inspired game, but played on a moving platform in an environment similar to a wooden roller coaster or minecart. One or two players (in split screen) race on a platform, jump over hurdles, lean away from obstacles, and limbo to avoid hitting their heads on low beams. Jumping in place makes the platform move faster along its rail. Adventure pins are earned by avoiding obstacles or touching ones scattered throughout the course. They will not be earned if the players end up biffing, bonking, and bashing into the obstacles or touching ones scattered throughout it. The game is timed, with extra time left over at the end of the course added to the Adventure pin total.[4]
In Space Pop, transparent balls (soap bubbles) shuttle between holes on the walls, floors and ceilings of a virtual zero-gravity room. The player attempts to pop the bubbles by touching them to earn Adventure pins. Space Pop utilizes depth, requiring the player to move toward and away from the sensor. To move upwards, the player can flap his or her arms, and to stay at current height, hold arms out to the sides.[2][3]

Pre-Order Bonus

Pre-order Kinect bundles included a card with codes redeemable for two exclusive levels of Rallyball and one exclusive level of Reflex Ridge, as well as a helicopter prop for use with an Xbox Live Avatar.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings65.39%[6]
Metacritic61/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comB[8]
IGN6.5/10[9]
OXM (US)7.0/10[10]

Kinect Adventures! has received mixed reviews from various game reviewers. Video game talk show Good Game's two presenters gave the game a 6.5 and 6 out of 10 saying that it's a good demonstration of what the Kinect is capable of but lamented that there weren't more mini-games in the game, also stating that only 2 of the 5 mini-games were worth playing.[11]

Being a pack-in game for Kinect, Kinect Adventures! has sold 24 million copies worldwide, making it the bestselling game for the Xbox 360.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Introducing Kinect for Xbox 360". Microsoft Showcase. June 14, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 http://123Kinect.com/exclusive-interview-science-studio/2/
  3. 1 2 http://123Kinect.com/Kinect-adventures-online-multiplaye/
  4. 1 2 http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/06/17/like-jumping-and-ducking-Kinect-adventures-will-blow-your-mind.aspx
  5. ↑ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Kinect
  6. ↑ "Kinect Adventures! for Xbox 360". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Kinect Adventures! Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ Atienza, Jobert (November 4, 2010). "Kinect Adventures Review". 1UP.com. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ Clements, Ryan (November 3, 2010). "Kinect Adventures Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (November 4, 2010). "Kinect Adventures Review". OXM Online. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010.
  11. ↑ Bendixsen 6.5/10, O'Donnell 6/10 (29 November 2010). "Kinect Round Up Review". Season 5. Episode 42http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s3079641.htm. ABC Television. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  12. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (12 February 2013). "Kinect sales reach 24 million". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
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