A disappointing sports compilation that had the potential of being a really fun experience.
THE GOOD
-Fun Party Play option
THE BAD
-Annoying delay in Kinect responsiveness
-Many lackluster sports featured
OVERVIEW
Kinect Sports is the first sports compilation game that utilizes Microsoft's controller-less system; aka Kinect. This family friendly experience features six different sports which include Bowling, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Track & Field, Soccer and Table Tennis. The entire game is avatar driven, so you do have the option to use your unique created character for each event.
GAMEPLAY
After a quick calibration of the Kinect sensor, the game begins. From the main menu you can choose to play one of three games modes: Party Play, Main Event and Mini Games. Party Play is great for large parties because it allows for more than four people to participate. In this mode, a red and blue team will square off against each other earning points for winning a head-to-head match. There are a total of six events and the team with the most points at the end, wins. Main Event allows up to four players to either play against each other or against the computer. You have the option to select one of the six playable sports and typical rules of play for each game apply. Lastly, the Mini Games option lets you spice things up by playing different variants of the Main Event sports. For example, there is a Super Saver mode where you play as the goalie and have to try and stop as many shots as possible.
Being able to play each of these sports without using a controller is a wonderful idea because it makes it feel like you are actually participating in the activity; while burning off a few calories too. Unfortunately, this Kinect experience is deeply flawed with an irritating lag in the control responsiveness. This huge drawback is prevalent throughout the entire game; however some sports do a better job in covering it up. All in all, you end up having to time your movements a tad earlier just to try and compete, which is highly frustrating. Now, let's talk about each individual sport.
Boxing is the best game in the entire lineup. Up to two people have the opportunity to square off in three intense rounds of fighting. Blocks, jabs, hooks and uppercuts are all skills available to you and failing your arms in a chaotic fashion doesn't always guarantee victory, unlike some other boxing games on the market. Plus, defense doesn't go unrewarded. Correctly blocking your opponent will charge up a meter at the top of the screen. The higher the charge, the stronger your next punch will be. I should also mention that Boxing is a great way to break a sweat.
Beach Volleyball is another standout and can really get your heart pumping, just like Boxing. Specific icons like a volleyball or pair of hands will guide you to where you need to be. Working with your partner to get that bump, set and spike tactic down will greatly increases your chances of earning points and winning the match. A word of caution when playing this game is to just make sure that the ceiling in your room is high enough.
Bowling is a fairly decent game for those that don't mind throw straight balls down the alley. The pin action is fairly realistic and the Kinect does a good job in determining ball speed, ball accuracy and body placement. One disappointment however, is the fact that the sensor doesn't recognize fine movements in your hand, so throwing a hook is quite unorthodox because you have to swing you arm across your body in an exaggerated manner.
Track & Field consists of five sub events which includes sprinting, hurdles, long jumping, discus and javelin tossing. You have the option to play each game individually or all together in a marathon type fashion. Unfortunately, all these events are either boring or frustrating due to either simplified or unresponsive controls. Even after playing this game for hours on end, I still couldn't throw a javelin properly to save my life.
Soccer is another bore in the collection. After the kickoff, the match turns into a series of mini rock, scissor, paper games. For example, when you have the ball a defender will show up in front of you. You have the option to pass the ball to the left, right and center (for most situations). If the defender chooses to stand in the path where you intended to ball to go, a turnover ensues. This game of cat and mouse happens all the way down the field until you are in close enough to shoot on goal. When this happens, the shooter aims their shot while the goalie tries to react and save the oncoming ball. The sudden and frequent stops really take away from the fast-paced action of a regular soccer match.
Table Tennis is probably the worst in the bunch. Depth perception issues and delayed motions absolutely kill this wonderful sport. The ball is very hard to judge and there were many times where I was confused as to why my avatar couldn't return an incoming shot. This sport also gives you a false impression that you have a lot of control over the paddle. When you're waving the paddle around it seems like you should be able to put top spin and utilize other high skilled techniques. Unfortunately, you never know what the ball is going to do after you swing the paddle. The same movement could result in a smash, spin shot or even a lob.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Graphically, this game doesn't do anything too spectacular and is basically on par with all the other avatar based Kinect titles on the market. Each sport is filled with flashy colors and the overall atmosphere works just fine. There were some glitches in the animations (i.e. arms cocked in awkward positions) but that doesn't happen too often. A fun feature included is the fact that the Kinect camera is always in full effect taking pictures of you and your friends while you compete. At the end of each game you can enjoy all those crazy moments which is good for a few laughs.
The sound effects and music, like the visuals, aren't anything to write home about but they do fit well with the theme of the game. Getting the crowd pumped by raising your hands is a fun little gimmick that makes you feel like a couple thousand people are anxiously awaiting your performance. The rest of the audio, like minor voice announcing, is alright too.
CONCLUSION
Kinect Sports had the potential to be as successful as Nintendo's Wii Sports but unfortunately, due to unresponsive controls and a bunch of boring games in the mix, it ends up only being a fair title. This game could make for a fun multiplayer experience for a few hours but after that you'll most likely be substituting it for something else. Because of that, I would only recommend a rental here. Kinect Sports has a few shining moments but the myriad of flaws ends up making this game a slight disappointment.