Kinectimals
© 2010 Microsoft Studios
See also Kinectimals Now With Bears (November 2011). See also the Kinectimals App. This immersive animal simulation experience for one player takes the Nintendogs concept to the big screen, with "extremely cute" realistic-looking tiger cubs and plenty of opportunities for jumping, throwing, driving and dodging. Note that this game requires the Kinect sensor plugged into your Xbox 360. Because the game can see your motions and -- at points -- hear your voice, it helps to consider both the lighting and background noise before starting this game. After you watch an introduction that can't be skipped, you get to adopt one of five pet cubs (all giant cats), who will lead you through different areas of a remote island, full of movement challenges. Content includes an obstacle course (move through a maze, balance logs, duck to crawl through a tunnel, and so on), and a copy-cat experience where you teach your cat tricks using motions or voice commands. Our testers, as young as five, were able to get the Kinect to see them, and were amazed by how their hands were represented on the screen as a pair of misty gloves that move in direct relationship to your real hands. Want to give your cub a pat on the head? Go ahead, it's easy. While the narrator is a bit pesky, it is easy to get attached to your animal, and there's plenty of content to explore, with tried-and-true Kinect game play. However, you have to work through the game in sequence, progressively unlocking parts of your island. Also, the activities vary in quality. For example, there seems to be a lot of throwing, and at times the item being thrown or driven is less than accurate. Much of the game is designed for one player, although it is easy for another player to take over -- the Kinect seems to have no problem with substitutions. All in all, this is the most innovative -- and highly detailed -- animal simulation we've reviewed to date. It provides an excellent upper and lower body workout, and opportunities for gross motor skill development. The idea that video games turn you into a couch potato certainly doesn't fit with this experience. Created by Frontier Developments Ltd. for Microsoft Game Studios. See the preview at http://bit.ly/bq9Bxk.
$50, Kinect, Xbox 360
Teaches: movement, physical coordination, gross motor movement, lower body movement, following directions
CTR Rating: 94%