Kinect Sports: Season 2 review
Sports is back on Xbox 360 with Kinect Sports: Season 2. Following last year’s successful Kinect Sports debut, developer Rare has come back with something deeper, more varied and more fun, as Stephen Ebert finds out.
Kinect Sports: Season 2 is Rare’s second effort at this motion-controlled lark. The first game out last year was one of the first games designed to show off just what Microsoft Kinect can do. One year on, Kinect Sports: Season 2 gives hope that Kinect games can and will get better.
New sports, deeper controls, secondary challenges, and competitive online play make Kinect Sports: Season 2 a better all-round package than the original.
The good
The original Kinect Sports was all about introducing the player to a new world of controller-less gaming. Kinect Sports: Season 2 then, is all about adding to the experience. And you’d be hard-pressed to say Kinect Sports: Season 2 doesn’t achieve this. The joys of Season 2 are all in the details.
In Golf, it’s being able to hold your hand to your brow to survey a golf course before taking a swing. Or the newly implemented voice integration letting players switch golf clubs with a “Change Clubs” vocal command and asking for a “Nine Iron” before teeing off. The voice commands work perfectly without having to shout. The golfing itself feels as good as it could, just like the original Wii Sports golf did, but with better presentation, graphics and courses.
Skiing is another highlight. There are two snow-packed events, both of which are good fun: Slalom and Downhill Dodge. Slalom has players bob from side to side downhill in a race, squatting to gain speed. Again the controls are very responsive. Downhill Dodge is the highlight simply because it gives players lots to do, really putting Kinect’s tracking, and the player through through their paces as they dive, sway from side-to-side and literally jump over obstacles. It’s frenetic and fun to leave players out of breath. This is how a Kinect Sports game should feel like, where the body really feels like the controller. If this is the future of skiing in games, the virtual sport is in good hands.
Baseball in Kinect Sports: Season 2 shows Rare can do it better than Nintendo did in Wii Sports. As expected, players swing their hands to hit the ball. But here players can run to bases, stick a leg out to slide, and even field. The fielding mechanic is a simple one that, while not adding a lot, gives the pitcher something else to do, making players feel as involved fielding and pitching as when batting – something Wii Sports did not manage.
Darts is an unusual but welcome addition providing a change of pace. Players race to lower their score by going for high numbers. Aiming initially feels so unnatural as to feel almost impossible, but give it some time and it soon becomes possible to throw without thinking. Darts is a rarity in motion games, where practice actually makes perfect. Darts feels much less like throw and hope as it first looks. Some are likely to grow impatient from missing the board or their targets, but given time, the precision is there to see. A darts mini game on the side sees players pop balloons while at the same time hoping to avoid spearing the mascot strapped to the middle of the board, in a faster paced take on darts more likely to appeal to party gamers with friends over.
Each sport aside, all the character and humour of the original Kinect Sports remains: the corny music when a player celebrates a high score or win, the expressions of the avatars, and the recognisable presentation gives Kinect Sports: Season a charming sense of character in the way the Wii Sports games did very well. Rare’s presentation is superb.
Added features such as achievements and an XP leveling up mechanic encourages to play on in a way the original did not. A Challenge Play encourages online competitiveness between friends over Xbox Live. Once a player is challenged, they will be altered next time they sign in. This is Rare giving players a reason to come back.
The bad
Tennis and American Football are two blots on the form book. Tennis feels slow, and unrewarding. The player has to put a lot of effort to see the ball move at any kind of pace. Players can move one foot forward for power shots, but having to constantly lunge to do so doesn’t feel as authentic as it could.
American Football fares less well in the excitement stakes. In there for the American audience, UK audiences are unlikely to feel the same enthusiasm. Games consists of throwing a ball to a designated runner, and then running on the spot. A commendable effort has been made to encourage players to use different plays and tactics, yet the sport feels like an unwelcome sideshow.
The space issue remains. Players are going to need plenty of it in order to get the best from the games on offer. The game will occasionally ask players to either move forward or back if standing too close. Shoebox rooms need not apply.
The bottom line
Kinect Sports: Season 2 takes on lessons learned from the original to deliver another fun showcase of the gameplay experiences Microsoft Kinect can offer everyone. New voice commands, more subtle gestures, and extra incentives to play on make for a fun party game that fans of the original should definitely check out.
