Xbox Kinect Games Review

Xbox Kinect Games without Controller

If you are one of the most cynical gamers out there when it comes to control in video game titles there is no getting away from the fact that Xbox Kinect Games from a technical standpoint is an extremely impressive. For most gamers my self-included you will find it very hard to convince them that anything but an actual controller may be used to properly play a game, however Kinect sure is attempting to change gamers minds.

When Kinect is working great the thing is amazing some Kinect including Zumba Fitness utilize the device amazingly and the game is fun, a great showcase for the way a Kinect game works. Obviously Zumba Fitness isn’t going to win the hard-core gaming audience over and this is the main struggle for Microsoft.

If you’re taking the soon to be release of Star Wars Kinect as an example, I recently had a chance to play this at the trade show. Now granted it had not been finished yet, however the first time I pushed my own hand forward towards the console using “the force” I became like a child having fun with my Star Wars toys again, I was completely blown away, it got better still once the guy at the booth told me to use my arm like I a light sabre, this made me think this would be one of the best Xbox Kinect Games ever.

During these 3 minutes I was thinking to myself “this is it, the future of games” and then just as my excitement started it quickly went away. The simple truth is I had to make my character progress forward and this became a nightmare. I had to leap forward slightly and yes it took the Kinect a less than superb five attempts. At that very moment I wished a controller was in my hand leaving a slight disadvantage to any new Xbox Kinect Games.

That is the main trouble with playing Xbox Kinect is as much fun as the new technology is, it just cannot compete with the feeling of a controller comfortably in your hands. But that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy using a Kinect, it just means for now we need both options with the main option being the Xbox controller.

One of the first games that showed me a negative flaw was Star Wars demonstration was a wonderful illustration of exactly what is right with Kinect and exactly what is wrong. Perhaps if they had given us a controller just as the Wii’s nun chuck we might have more of a chance to move the characters on screen.