Game Review: Kinect Sports Rivals (Xbox One)

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Since the inception of the Wii everyone has loved these motion control sports games but it wasn’t until the Kinect came along that things got a lot more interesting. Fast forward to the release of the Xbox One and when I heard this game was being released I was jumping at the chance to play it. What interested me the most was testing out the precision of this generations’ Kinect sensor and boy did I test the hell out of it. I started the game by creating my avatar which really surprised me. The Kinect basically does a scan of you including your face and shapes the avatar to your likeness. It got my features down pretty good, give or take a few things (possibly due to lighting) but it was pretty spot on.

From there I went straight to the Story Mode and started to make my way through it. There are a total of six sports to choose from: Soccer, Target Practice, Jet Ski, Rock Climbing,Bowling and Tennis. In Story Mode each have a small training run through before you go into the actual game which I thought helped get used to the event, especially the Jet Ski and Rock Climbing. All of the events were very fun to play and will even make you sweat if you get deep into it but my favorites had to be the Jet Ski and Rock Climbing. Those I felt really showcased just how the Kinect has evolved. While Jet Skiing you can steer yourself exactly like you would if you were riding a bike and you can control the throttle by simply opening and closing you hand. Rock Climbing was impressive as well. You find yourself reaching out for the grips and pulling yourself up just like someone normally would while doing it. I was sold after that. Just the fact that it could sense your hand movements the way it could made me engulfed in this game.

The story itself that goes along while you play isn’t big or overly complex but it does give you a bit of a distraction when going from event to event. There’s also some good incentives that you can rack up from the Story Mode. You earn coins which can then be redeemed to upgrade you avatar. It’s the perfect way to keep the replay factor up. The Quick Play option is great if you just want to jump in and give the events a try right away and give you the option to include other people in on the fun. Multiplayer Bowling honestly gives you the feeling like you’re in an actually in a bowling alley. You take turns and can go have a seat off to the side in between frames like you normally would in real life. The other thing that is a definite must to go along with KSR is the Kinect Sports Rivals Hub. It’s an add on that allows you to share your avatar, check the leaderboards and even compete in challenges through the Kinect Sports community. I can already tell that the Hub is going to expand the title immensely and allow for some interesting social gameplay between people in your friends list. I had so much fun playing this game and will continue to have fun with friends and family as well as even getting a good cardio workout in if you feel like playing solo. Yes, Wii introduced us to motion control games but after experiencing Kinect Sports Rivals it’s very easy to say that Xbox has perfected it. I can’t wait to see what they have in store next!

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Kinect Sports Rivals is available NOW on Xbox One!

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