Kinect Sports Shovelware Impressions
Just the other day we bought our friend a Kinect for his birthday. What better way to test out the new device with an amazing shovelware launch title!
To define shovelware as fun is not exactly easy. Shovelware, for those who do not know, are cheaply made. They are usually of poor quality and are nothing but a collection of mini-games. One of the first trendsetters of this type of game was Wii Sports. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying shovelware games are bad. I’m merely saying they’re… short-lived experiences.
Anyways, onto the impressions. Kinect Sports featured several “athletic” games involving running in place, moving your arms and legs quickly enough to one spot on the screen as well as jumping. These are the basic elements that are repeated throughout the entire game in different sports like volleyball or soccer. In addition each of the 5 different events have ranging difficulties of easy to “champion”. Not having a controllers speaks wonders of my ability to be “good at games”. Once my success was no longer determined by a stick and buttons my skill level significantly dropped. Kinect requires you to get up and have some space to move around. You will definitely look funky doing the body movements and the picture recaps are just as silly. The difficulty of Champion is insane. Your body acts as the controlled and you have some leeway in your accuracy of hitting the ball or throwing a javelin. This is particularly useful if you step into the role as goalie in a game of soccer.
Control issues are a bit dodgy as this is a launch title of the system. The controls feel a bit unrefined and are definitely not particularly great. Visuals are an HD upgrade of Wii Sports. Your avatars have the same cartoony feel with a tad more customization than the Wii’s Miis. Nothing too special but not disappointing either. When you play Kinect Sports’s boxing, you will feel like you’re playing Wii Sports’s boxing. Everything feels the same except you’re not holding anything in your hands. This can be tricky if you’re learning for the first time and trying to dodge punches on higher difficulties.
The music in Kinect Sports is also plain. If I had to describe this game in one word it would have to be average. It’s nothing we haven’t already experienced with Wii Sports. However, it does allow free roaming control with your body and no controller. This allows for a new experience that is actually fun and exhilarating. Although a new experience, Kinect Sports is definitely a gimmick and I can see the game getting boring really fast. The competitive aspect of the game isn’t that great since 2 players or 4 players at once is difficult to maintain without enough living room space.
Overall, Kinect Sports is an OK Wii Sports clone shovelware game for the 360. However, I don’t think it’s worth anything more than 10-15 bucks.
