News - October, 2011
Monday31st Oct 2011
Review Hulk Hogan's Main Event (Xbox 360)
Oh brother
In the sweeping midst of Hulkamania, Hogan set out three demandments for Hulkamaniacs: to train, say your prayers and eat your vitamins. A fourth was added a few years later in 1990: to believe in yourself. Had Hogan had the foresight to add a fifth — “don't make terrible video games” — we all would have been spared of the tedium...
Wednesday26th Oct 2011
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...
Tuesday25th Oct 2011
Review Kinect Sports: Season Two (Xbox 360)
The best just got better
Despite posting impressive sales figures and delivering some engaging titles, Kinect has arguably struggled to find that elusive ‘killer app’ that is capable of convincing both casual and hardcore gamers of its worth. While the original Kinect Sports was a fantastic grounding in Microsoft’s brave controller-free world,...
Sunday23rd Oct 2011
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...
Saturday22nd Oct 2011
Review Minute to Win It (Xbox 360)
Bored in 60 seconds
Another day, another Kinect mini-game collection themed around a reasonably popular TV game show. This time out it's NBC's Minute to Win It, in which Food Network chef Guy Fieri takes a break from introducing the nation to diners, drive-ins and dives across the country to give contestants a chance at the big bucks through...
Thursday20th Oct 2011
Review Dance Central 2 (Xbox 360)
Step out of the ordinary
If history has taught us anything it’s that dancing games will eventually go the way of the Guitar Heroes and the Rock Bands before them – although we anticipate the grave will be filled with less plastic instruments. Like any trend, what goes up must eventually come tumbling down but if Harmonix’s dance-em-up sequel...
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,...
Wednesday19th Oct 2011
Review Nicktoons MLB (Xbox 360)
Not quite a home run
With the real MLB season coming to a close, the sport is rapidly approaching its Toy Story moment: when no one is around to see, what happens to all the players? They're recruited by Nickelodeon, apparently, for a simplistic and, despite its best efforts, charming take on America's pastime. Nicktoons MLB falls under the same...
Tuesday18th Oct 2011
Review Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster (Xbox 360)
"C" is for "charming"
It’s every child’s dream to be able to play with their favourite TV characters. To them, they’re not pretend; they’re just as much a part of their reality as anything else. The talented folks at Double Fine have teamed up with Sesame Workshop to give kids the chance to play with their favourite Sesame Street monsters in...
Monday17th Oct 2011
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...
Sunday16th Oct 2011
Review Just Dance 3 (Xbox 360)
Hands in the air like you just don’t care
With a whopping ten dance titles shuffling towards store shelves in time for the holidays, you’d be forgiven for writing off every single one as being just another dancing game. Whilst that’s arguably the case, the Just Dance series hasn’t earned its millions by just being another dancing game...
Tuesday11th Oct 2011
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...
Monday10th Oct 2011
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...
Friday7th Oct 2011
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...
Monday3rd Oct 2011
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...
Sunday2nd Oct 2011
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...
