The lights are on
Once you get past its too-clever name, Kinectimals is an adorable treat. It's a natural extension of ideas developed by the Dogz games of yore and the more recent Nintendogs, only with jungle kittens. Using Kinect, players can talk to their adopted pets, teach them tricks, and play games. You're probably not going to get a baby leopard through customs, so this looks like the next best thing.
In our demo, we started by naming the kitty by physically calling out suggestions. Once the cat has found one that it likes, it'll wiggle its ears and smile enthusiastically. A few more times, and the name is imprinted on the animal. From there, you pet the creature until a bond is formed. Some cats like being pet in particular places, and some temperamental ones get testy when the wrong parts are stroked.
Unlike their domesticated real-world counterparts, the animals in Kinectimals are intelligent and can be trained to perform tricks. They'll watch you closely and try their best to mimic your actions. Jump in the air and he'll try to follow suit. Since he's young, he'll flop to the ground adorably the first few times. Patience is key, and after a while your cat can do things like play dead, stand on one leg, and spin in a circle.
One of the parts we didn't see during Microsoft's stage presentation was the agility course minigame. In it, players take direct control of the animal as it negotiates an obstacle course. Starting out, players run in place until they come upon a trick segment. You'll have to balance across a beam, jump over gates, and freeze in place while racing against the clock. It's just one of about 30 activities, according to Microsoft.
So far, this is the most impressive thing we've seen from Kinect. It looks great, and the animals are cute enough to induce cavities. We'll have to see how it fares in the long term. Will it maintain player interest over weeks and months, or can you see everything that's there in a few marathon sessions. One thing's for sure: It's going to make more than a few casual players buy Kinect.
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I watched the trailer for this with my friends. My friends and I were speechless by the end of the trailer, in a bad way.
noting says stupid like pretending to be licked by a virtual kitten.
Though I would never buy it, I hope this is the start of Microsoft ripping into the Wii's profits. Too long has the most inferior of the 3 consoles sold the best.
Guys, accept it, this game isn't for us older gamers.
My younger children, on the other hand, fell in love with the demo. Which is probably exactly why they demoed it with a little girl, and not an adult.
you shouldn't put something down, just because it isn't suited for you. Chances are, it's marketed at someone else....in this case, my 6 and 4 year old kids.
I LIKE DIS
I've heard they were giving out some animal plush toys that the game can scan to put such animals on screen. Know any other details about that implementation? I guess they will try to sell those plush toys... which I'm sure my kids will dig.
It also stroke me how much the background set reminded me of Viva Piñata, which is a good thing in my books.
Now I just hope they price these titles accordingly, like $39.99 or something like that, and that they make them available on demand the same day of release.
Wishful thinking?
This seems pretty interesting. I wonder though, if it is going to be appeal to more than just an adolescent age range.
Won't be buying it but i like the interactive action that is going on. there are a lot of possibilities out there.
looks like something my baby cousin dreamed up
Take the same technology and interactivity and apply it to something that appeals to the hardcore gamer.
You guys HAVE to understand that this game is not MEANT to be appealing to those of us who play games like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed. This game is here to bring in the 'Family' aspect of the Xbox 360. It's here to try and do what the Wii has been successfully doing for a few years now which is make more kid-friendly games that has the ability to bring a family together. Because let's face it.. Family is driving force in the entertainment world.
I'll pass, but that thing is going to be a gold mind for little girls ages 5-11 oh man sooooo much money.
lol theyre targeting 9 year olds
Haha... I had the same reaction when i saw the name of this game. They must have named it on GARBAGE DAY!!!!
If it was a dragon or a wolf it would be awesome...training them to eat the village BURNINATING ALL THE PEOPLES TROGDOR!!!
sadly, i already know i'll be buying this...but not for myself. i basically forced my wife to watch microsoft's presentation, and what did i get out of it? a look that said, "you will be buying me kinectimals." lame.
The agility course sounds a lot like Nintendogs