Xbox 360 Kinect Sports

Xbox 360

Much like the Nintendo Wii when it was first introduced, Xbox 360 is unveiling a sport collection game to kickstart the launch of its new Kinect motion control device. Unlike the Wii, however - or the PlayStation Move, for that matter - is that the Kinect device captures the movements of your entire body, rather than just the motions of your arms. The new device has the player use their feet in a way never seen before in a video game, and that's where the appeal comes from.

Kinect Sports is set in an Olympic-like gathering, making use of your Xbox avatars as athletes. There are six major sporting events: Track and Field (including javelin throw, long jump, discuss throw, and the 100 meter dash), Bowling, Boxing, Table Tennis, Volleyball, and Soccer. Some events, like Bowling, are rather subdued and can be played by anyone as it requires little movement. Throwing the ball itself is similar to how you would do it in Wii bowling (minus the controller, of course), but you set your starting point by moving left or right with your feet. The easy, intuitive controls will make this a popular choice among Kinect Sports players.

Other events require much more physical work. Hurdles, for example, requires you to run and jump on the spot. The speed of your avatar does a decent job of matching the effort you exude when playing - the higher you lift your knees and the faster you do so, the quicker you will run. Though all this physical activity may sound like fit players will have the advantage, Kinect Sports does a good job of leveling out the playing field. Having said that, a good half-hour of active play is enough for most to really start feeling it.

The two hardest events to pick up are Volleyball and Soccer. Both games use onscreen prompts to guide you into certain actions, whether it's to save a goal, make a spike, or pass a ball. As you can imagine, the harder you swing or kick at a ball, the harder it will be hit. Both games take a little getting used to, but it's more or less pretty easy to pick up on. The biggest issue is when playing multiplayer in soccer, it can be difficult to know which player will receive a pass as you get no indication until someone takes possession.

Those who purchase Kinect Sports are likely getting it for the multiplayer experience, but for anyone looking to play solo, you may be disappointed. It would have been nice if those who play single player get some kind of reward, like badges or added experience leading to more levels. Even worse, there are not a lot of added level designs or challenges to keep things fresh. Without friends and family to play along with, this game would get awfully stale awfully fast.

A question on everyone's mind heading into a game like this is: how responsive is it? There is a bit of a lag, unsurprisingly, but not so much that it impacts the game. Kinect Sports does a great job of capturing the nuances of your movement, best showcased in Table Tennis, where making a simple twist of the wrist the wrong way will send the ball flying.

For Kinect users, Kinect Sports is a great game to pick up and show off. Be sure to have at least a few feet of space between you and anyone else, not only for safety reasons, but to help the device best capture your movements. There are a few blips here and there, but they are overshadowed by the enjoyable experience of this unique game - so long as you have people to play with.