Kinect Sports Rivals: XBox One Review

Kinect Sports Rivals: XBox One Review

Platform: XBox One
Released by Microsoft

Here comes the first title for the XBox One which really relies on the Kinect sensor to propel the gaming along.

Sports Rivals sees you once again taking on the computer or some mates at various sports using the Kinect sensor to aid (or in some cases, fail to aid) you towards a winning path.

The game begins with the basics of setting up your champion, a start which could have been impressive if it weren't so cumbersome and slightly frustrating. (Sadly this is something which is symptomatic of the release overall). Using the sensor, you get to build your champion after selecting your gender - but despite Dr Who David Tennant's soothing tones, failure to get it spot on with the sensors could mean that you end up wanting to throw the thing out of the window. However, when it comes to the facial recognition the software is relatively spot on, using blocks to recreate you and giving you the chance to be in the action.

Once that's done, it's on to the games themselves - six of them to be precise; wake racing, climbing, target shooting, soccer, bowling and tennis. These games actually require you to get off your backside, off the couch and in front of the TV, pretending to be some kind of sporting expert. It ranges from the relatively easy - target shooting involves pointing fingers at the screen to quite difficult - the wake racing needs you to crouch, flex your hands and move your body all over the place. Bowling is also fun and brings back memories of the Wii and the fun that gave me as I fired the controller around, determined to get a strike and beat my wife.

The thing is with Kinect Sports Rivals, you will get as much out of it as you want - it's a social occasion in some ways, with a chance to get mates involved, but you need to make sure the motion sensor is at its best. All too often in this, I found myself verging on real frustration as the game didn't do exactly what I wanted to - but when it worked properly, it fires up well.

Kudos to those behind this title as they make the very best of the Kinect sensor. It's the first game to really do so and for that, it deserves to be praised.

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