It’s really hard to review any sort of pack-in game. After all, what choice do you really have? If you’ve purchased the Kinect, chances are you’ve already gotten Kinect Adventures, a game that comes free with the unit as a way to show players just how it works. And if you try to trade it in, chances are you won’t get much for it, unless you find someone who managed to pick up the unit and somehow didn’t get the game. Despite the argument for the trade in opportunity, after playing Adventures for a little while, we can honestly say that we could’ve been stuck with worse. Kinect Adventures contains five main activities in all – the leak-plugging 20,000 Leaks (what are we, Dutch?), the river rafting adventure River Rush, the wall-dodging Reflex Ridge, the 3-D Breakout-style Rallyball, and the cute outer space bubble popper Space Pop. Each of these activities can be played with your Avatar, so you’ll have some familiarity as you perform each of the in-game actions.
In addition, you can play them with a friend locally, or hop online via Xbox Live and compete that way. The games themselves don’t provide much in the way of replay value, as you’ll be doing the same thing repeatedly on the same levels. Still, for a game that takes advantage of body motions, it’s pretty good. Space Pop gets a little old over time, and, really, we’ve got better things to do than plug leaks. But the rafting game is surprisingly enjoyable, and nothing beats a good, heated round of Rallyball to prove your striking skills to your friends. All the games perform admirably, capturing your motions almost perfectly as you move your Avatar about. Kinect Sports provides more in the way of interactivity (since it’s more about sports than mini games), but Adventures still bodes well. Really, the only downer here is the lack of replay value.
Online play is good, and you can unlock Living Statues to add to your library (along with Achievements), but outside of that, it’s a novelty title at best. But if you have friends over and want a good party game to pull out, this is a noble choice. Kinect Adventures looks and sounds good. The five activities are fun to navigate through, especially the river rafting and the fast-moving platforms in Reflex Ridge. Your Avatar keeps up with all the in-game action like a champ, and the other characters are interesting, too. The music is lively and upbeat, and the sound effects do the trick. What can we say? For a free title, you could be worse off – like with a sports compilation that barely performs. Kinect Adventures may not be your best choice for Kinect fun, but considering its cost and various activities, you’ll have fun with it while it lasts.
