Kinect Nat Geo TV

© 2012 Microsoft Studios
$30, Xbox Kinect
Teaches: science, animals, bears
CTR Rating: 84%

CTR Review

We've all grown used to the notion of watching TV. Now it can watch you back, providing you have one of two Kinect titles -- Kinect Sesame Street TV, or Kinect Nat Geo TV ($30 each, from Microsoft Studios). The catch, of course is that you need Microsoft’s $250 Xbox 360 Kinect video game system to make them work. Each title comes in a single jewelcase with two disks containing recent (2011-12 season) television episodes with games that invoke Kinect's motion-sensing camera and microphone. Additional episodes, offered for sale from the main menu cost $5 each and required both an Xbox Live account and free hard disk space. In the Nat Geo title (also two disks with multiple episodes) you can take pictures (screen captures) by shouting at the Kinect microphone, or become an onscreen bear, complete with a bear head and paws. You then earn points by scratching rocks to scare-up moths, snapping them from the air with your mouth. We found this to be easy and fun. The title features Casey Anderson, a Nat Geo WILD wildlife expert and host of Kinectt Nat Geo TV. Each 30 minute TV episode includes visual cues on the screen to highlight the interactive "sidetrack" activities for viewers to jump in and explore with Casey; "Go WILD" role-play games where players become animals as they explore the natural world; and access to archived episodes of Nat Geo WILD TV programs through Kinect. The game is available at retail stores on DVD or as a download when you purchase a Season's Pass on Xbox Live. Prices are $30/2400 MS points for eight 30-minute episodes, or $4.99/400 MS points per episode. Developed by Relentess Software for Microsoft Studios. A second player can jump in simply by entering the camera’s field of view, making this an excellent social experience. If you step out of the room or just get tired, your Xbox waits for about 45 seconds and then starts churning through the episode on autopilot. You might consider this the couch potato mode.