Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox 360, released on November 4, turns gamers themselves into controllers by sensing people’s bodies and their movements. As such, Kinect-enabled games provide some of the best full-body workouts you’ll find in front of a television.
Here’s a look at some of the Kinect games available at launch.
Codename D (Grasshopper Manufacture, Microsoft Game Studios)
This is about you fighting and trying to survive through an amusement park against hundreds of weird and deranged creatures.
Haunt (NanaOn-Sha, Microsoft Game Studios)
Wondering through a Haunted House dodging and trying to outwit ghosts.
Project Draco (Grounding, Microsoft Game Studios)
Train your new best friend… a dragon to find in combat and your partner.
Star Wars
Play like a Jedi warrior against your friends which sounds so much fun but not out until 2011.
Rise of Nightmares (SEGA)
This game promises to give players the ultimate fright.
Steel Battalion Heavy Armor (Capcom, From Software)
A game set in Manhattan of 2082 where all technology has been lost and the American Army land in New York to starts its big offense.This will be interesting to see on Kinect.
EA Sports Active 2
EA have confirmed that their new EA Sports Active 2 will be Kinect compatible.
Kinectimals
This virtual-pet simulator is quite engaging. After choosing a cub—cheetah, leopard, lion, panther, or tiger—you train it to perform tricks by doing those tricks yourself.
Forza 4 Kinect
From the long line of Forza games this has the potential to be the best where you drive an invisible steering wheel. Eeekkk how fun!
Kinect Adventures
Essentially a party game to play with friends and family, this serves up five activities that have you jumping, waving, crouching, and sliding. It will also have even the most athletic people sweating within minutes. You can use the free mode to just jump into the activities, or you can progress through increasingly difficult challenges in the adventure mode. Be forewarned: the difficulty ramps up pretty quickly, so don’t overdo it. And keep a bottle of water handy.
Kinect Joy Ride
Developed in Vancouver by BigPark, a division of Microsoft Game Studios, Joy Ride is a kart racer designed so that everyone in the family can participate. The racing is highly simplified, so players don’t have to worry about accelerators or brake pedals. You steer by extending your arms as if you were holding a steering wheel, and you trigger a corner drift by throwing your hips out to the side. Two players can play locally at the same time, or up to eight can race online. The objective is wacky, accessible fun, and Joy Ride delivers.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved
This fat fighting game introduced by Ubisoft lets you interactive with your virtual environment and get constant feedback from your chosen trainer in yoga and even Martial Art Classes.
Dance Central
The first full body, controller free video game which is designed from the best of dancers to more beginner dancers like myself. As well as learning some new dance moves to show to the ladies you can dance to tracks by Lady Gaga, No Doubt, M.I.A and many others.
Kinect Sports
Having a collection of sports activities seems to be a requirement for motion-sensing systems. The soccer and beach volleyball here are actually kind of fun if you let yourself get into them. The track and field events—sprint, javelin, long jump, discus, and hurdles—are passable. The bowling, boxing, and table tennis are kind of lame. Another drawback is that there are too many menu screens to navigate through when you want to change activities.
