Author Profile
James started his career in video games as News Editor on Nintendo Life. Since leaving in 2012 to join Nintendo of Europe, James has risen through the ranks to become NoE's Senior Product PR & Corporate Communications Manager.
Review Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Xbox 360)
"You had me at Halo"
The purple "Better with Kinect Sensor" stripe is a familiar sight on games now, but strangely it's nowhere to be seen on Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a HD revamp of the game that arguably established Microsoft as a major player in the console business. To put it another way: no Halo, no Kinect. Halo CE brings the...
Rumour Next Xbox Split in Two Models for Kinect and Core
Which would you choose?
Xbox 360 has been around for six years now, and although regular Dashboard updates and the introduction of Kinect have kept things fresh, eyes are starting to turn towards the next machine in the Xbox line. The latest rumours, from technical wizards Digital Foundry (via Eurogamer), claim that the new machine will come in two...
Review Raving Rabbids: Alive and Kicking (Xbox 360)
One for the committed
Ubisoft's crazy Rabbids hit the Wii five years ago, but what many don't realise is that the original Rayman Raving Rabbids was ported to Xbox 360 with support for the doomed Xbox Live Vision camera. Surely with that experience — and the vastly superior Kinect — to bring to bear on Raving Rabbids: Alive and Kicking, Ubisoft...
Review The Black Eyed Peas Experience (Xbox 360)
Rock that body
Some would say we've already had too many dancing games on Kinect, and certainly with Dance Central 2 and Just Dance 3 now on the sensor there's not much of a gap left for another title to make an impression unless it's of a competitively high quality, and that's where The Black Eyed Peas Experience comes in. Developed by iNiS — the...
Feature Kinect Holiday Gift Guide 2011
What's worth your money?
There are over 80 games available for Kinect now, and knowing exactly which one to pick up as a present can be a tough proposition. That's why we've put together our Kinect holiday game guide 2011 to let you know exactly what you should be looking for when picking a game this season. We've split this article into five...
Talking Point What's Kinect Doing Right or Wrong?
One year on, how's it going?
Kinect has had a full 12 months to bed itself in, and arguably the standard of releases this Christmas is higher than what the sensor launched with last year, but the sensor still hasn't established itself as a home for quality games. In the past few days we've seen an encouragingly healthy discussion about the matter...
Misfire
Kinect's had a few quirky shooters so far — step forward The Gunstringer and Child of Eden — but nothing so conventional as Blackwater. Dubbed a "first person experience" by its publisher, it's the first war game we've seen on Kinect, and carries with it all the pleasures and pitfalls you'd expect from that mantle. Blackwater isn't...
News Be Soothed by Deepak Chopra's Leela's Soundtrack
It's Sumthing Else
A good soundtrack is crucial to any relaxation experience, so it's probably good news that the tunes accompanying Deepak Chopra's Leela will be released separately on 15th November. The soundtrack, put together by Sumthing Else Music Works, draws from "traditional string instruments and dubstep" and features artists...
News Free Kinect Sports Season Two DLC Out Now
Up your game
We're big fans of Kinect Sports: Season Two here at KINECTaku, especially now Rare's released some new downloadable content for free. Available on Xbox Live Marketplace today, the Kinect Sports: Season Two Challenge Pack #1 adds new modes to each sport: Crazy Kicker (American Football), Frantic Fielder (Baseball), Cool Ringings...
Review MotionSports Adrenaline (Xbox 360)
Adrenaline junk
Last year's MotionSports was deeply average, but then it was never going to compare favourably to Rare's Kinect Sports. Ubisoft hasn't surrendered the sporting crown easily though, returning with MotionSports Adrenaline's all-new range of extreme sports. Far from the familiar motion-gaming sports that made up most of last year's...
Review The Sims 3 Pets (Xbox 360)
Ruff?
Traditionally, The Sims hasn't transitioned to consoles particularly well: the move from mouse-clicks and keyboards to analogue sticks does nothing to streamline the controls, and seeing as The Sims is all about control that's a major problem. The Sims 3 Pets still doesn't fully conquer the issue, but it does a good job of hiding any cracks...
News The Worst Kinect Photoshop We've Ever Seen
You won't believe your eyes
You'd think paying some actors to stand in front of a TV and Kinect and pretend they're having a great time would be among the easiest parts of releasing a game. You'd probably be right, which makes this back of box art for MotionSports Adrenaline even more brilliant. We're no Photoshop experts, but even we can tell that...
News Zumba Kinect 2 Official, Called Zumba Fitness Rush
Groovy
If you've finally had your fill of Zumba Fitness: Join the Party, you'll be thrilled to know Majesco is bringing a sequel your way in February 2012. Called Zumba Fitness Rush, the game adds more songs, steps and style to its predecessor, with downloadable songs after launch extending the game's lifespan. MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT AMPLIFIES THE...
Review The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn (Xbox 360)
Bored quiff?
You know the drill by now: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a film tie-in. It also uses Kinect. It can't be any good, right? Well, the drill has changed slightly this time around. Unlike THQ's efforts such as Kung Fu Panda 2, Tintin is a standard controller-led platformer, with Kinect's functions tucked away in the...
Review Michael Phelps - Push the Limit (Xbox 360)
Naked men
When it comes to the world of swimming, there's no bigger name than Michael Phelps, but even his mighty reputation isn't enough to secure Michael Phelps: Push the Limit a gold medal. Any game that starts with a warning that it's physically draining even by Kinect standards should set alarm bells ringing, but Michael Phelps smartly rations...
News Ubisoft Announces Four New Kinect Quiz Games
Final answer?
Update: Ubisoft has informed us that Family Feud 2012 is not Kinect compatible, despite an earlier Gamestop leak pegging the game for Kinect. Original story: Ubisoft's locking down the licensed quiz show category on Kinect, with no fewer than four game shows on the way before the end of the year. First up we've got Family Feud 2012,...
Review Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)
Leader of the pack
We've seen a handful of games call themselves "Better with Kinect" — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and Virtua Tennis 4 are two of the more high-profile titles, but neither managed to use the sensor for more than mildly entertaining side games. Arguably, Forza Motorsport 4 is the first game to show the...
Out Today Kinectimals Bear Island DLC (Worldwide)
Now with bears!
You guessed it: bears are coming to Kinectimals today in DLC form. The Bear Island add-on is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1,200 Microsoft Points. Weighing in at a hefty 1.54GB, the pack grants you stacks of new animals, activities and quests to take on. Explore a whole new island and mystery in the Kinectimals add-on Bear...
Review PowerUp Heroes (Xbox 360)
Here to save the world?
After last year's disastrous Fighters Uncaged we thought we'd never want to touch a Ubisoft fighting game for Kinect again, but then along came PowerUp Heroes to change our mind. It's easy to see the big difference here: whereas Uncaged was set in the dirty world of street-fighting, PowerUp transports you to a world of...
First Impressions Kinectimals with Windows Phone 7
Kitty in your pocket
Unlike Nintendo and Sony consoles, sadly you've never been able to take your Xbox games on the go with you, something even Dreamcast offered over 10 years ago. Now with Windows Phone 7 devices and Xbox 360 you're able to access select content wherever you are, something we recently got chance to try out with Kinectimals and...
News Tiger Woods Tees Off EA Sports' Kinect Support in 2012
The first of many
EA Sports hasn't done anything with Kinect yet, somewhat surprising considering its unrivalled stable of sports games. The publisher will break that duck next year when it releases Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 for Xbox 360. The golf game, due out in March 2012, will make use of Kinect's body-tracking and voice recognition capabilities...
Review Kinect Fun Labs: Mutation Station (Xbox 360)
Malformed
We all imagined that Kinect Fun Labs was Microsoft's way of providing engaging, free content to Kinect fans, but with the third paid add-on it's clear the emphasis has shifted towards a microtransaction model. Does Kinect Fun Labs: Mutation Station offer enough to justify the adoption of this new sales strategy? While Kinect Sparkler...
Review Rise of Nightmares (Xbox 360)
Shocking?
Kinect has been on the market for a less than a year, and in that time has amassed no fewer than six dancing games, five fitness titles and an alarming number of minigame compilations, but where are the more mature titles for single players after a story? Rise of Nightmares may not completely fill the gap, but it'll do in a pinch. The...
News First Puss in Boots Screenshots Look Furry Good
You might be surprised
Licensed games rarely look good, but we have to say that the first screenshots of Puss in Boots don't look bad at all. The Kinect-exclusive title puts you in the feline footwear of the titular cat, with the official details laying out a three-stroke gameplay system: Master the style and charm of Puss in Boots in an engaging...
