User Reviews

long live stars wars forever

jerbrandon — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:02:00 GMT

its really great that star wars is being noticed in our century because star wars cant be forgotten due to Lucas films and his greatest ideas of all time (thats my opinion of course).what i'm trying to say that star war cant be forgotten ever unless their are certain things happening.our new gen has to know about this trilogy or its going to long forgotten forever.

Bantha Poodoo

Craigaleg — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:15:00 GMT

Score: 6.25 / 10

Kinect Star Wars
Xbox 360 Kinect
Developer: Terminal Reality
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: April 3rd, 2012

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Pros:

Multiple game modes offer different styles of gameplay
Star Wars license grants authentic sound
Hop in, hop out co-operative multiplayer for all features
Plenty of unlocks and varying difficulties

Cons:

Technical issues hold the Jedi mode back from any real greatness
Rough textures and little visual appeal
General control for each mode allows little precision
Jedi Destiny gameplay soon grows stale after the first planet

When motion control gaming took the world by storm, fans cried out for one thing; motion controlled lightsabers. Star Wars fans have been pretending to swing lightsabers for a long time, so adding a motion control game to reinforce that action was a no-brainer. Microsoft unveiled Kinect Star Wars at E3 to mixed response, promising to address the concerns before release. The result is the potential fun that could be had only managing to occasionally peek out through the technical issues.

That Menacing Phantom...

Kinect Star Wars features various modes with the overarching story of investigating the Jedi records, but the Jedi Destiny mode acts as the most character driven option. You assume the role of a Jedi Padawan on their way to Kashyyk for training, right in the middle of a Trandoshian invasion. You set off to discover the reason for the invasion and assist your master in quelling the threat in your quest to become a Jedi Knight.

Other modes have their own story, whether it's the rancor that escapes and goes on a rampage or the unlikely janitor that rises to become a podracing professional. While the latter modes need no real explanation, the Jedi Destiny mode has an unexpectedly bland story for a campaign. Situations arise that are plucked straight from the movies and no attempt at producing anything unique is made. Considering this is the Star Wars franchise with a huge universe of lore, the story only manages to scratch the surface of potential.

Visually, Kinect Star Wars feels...lacking. Rough background textures adorn most of the environments and character models fail to impress up close. These distractions can hold back the greater cinematic moments, especially since the animation is the most appealing visual aspect. The Star Wars license is best used in providing a familiar soundtrack and authentic sounds of blaster fire and a lightsaber's hum. Jennifer Hale even returns to voice her third Jedi Master, breathing a small amount of life into the dead husk that is the story.

This is my Lightsaber, There are Many Like it...

There are five total modes to choose from in Kinect Star Wars, with Jedi Destiny acting as the main campaign;

Jedi Destiny puts you behind a Jedi Padawan, using one hand to swing your lightsaber and the other to use the Force. You can also put one foot forward to close distance between you and your enemy and even jump to flip over them. The combat soon throws droidekas and dueling droids your way, which require more than a simple arm swing to overcome.

There are attempts to mix up these sequences with speeder bike chases and one on one duels. The duels usually involve trading off between blocking and attacking and do little more than that. There is even a Duel of Fates mode to hone your craft in dueling the tougher generals, working your way up to face off against the dark lord himself.

Though the mode has the right idea, the game fails to really capture your attention. The pacing wears thin after the first planet, and hacking through hallway after hallway loses appeal fast. You have no ability to target specific enemies, and the droideka lighting you up in the distance will have to get in line behind the measly battle droid that is a few steps away. The attempt to vary the gameplay with starship sequences and speeder bike chases outstay their welcome, and the faulty tracking oftentimes mistakes movements for dodging or fails to acknowledge your intentions altogether.

Vivacious Variety

The other three modes prove more entertaining than the base Jedi Destiny campaign:

Podracing puts you behind the "wheel" of your favorite vehicle. Pulling back with your right hand turns right, and pulling back with your left hand turns left. Pulling both hands back and pushing forward will boost, and raising your left or right hand will use an item from your loadout. The mode holds up well enough with six different tracks and multiple racers to choose from, but turning on a dime and careful handling are difficult to get the hang of for the tougher tracks.

Galactic Dance has you pitted against the franchises most notorious figures...in a dance off. Akin to Dance Central, you perform the moves listed on the flashcards and chain together combos for a high score. There is no practice mode and you are thrown right into the mix with little explanation. The game has trouble with tracking once again, but works well for the most part with multiple difficulties. The mode alone is worth playing just to see the emperor dancing to Deadmau5.

Rancor Rampage has you assume the role of a rancor by hopping, charging, and stomping your way through one of four planets. A challenge mode will require you to perform specific actions for a boost in points, and fury mode will simply ask for you to survive the waves of enemies attempting to stop your tirade. Oddly enough, this proves to be the most enjoyable mode to play as trampling through buildings and hearing the one-liners of flying civilians never disappoint, and the leveling system will keep you coming back. Controlling the rancor's movement can prove difficult, as you must either charge or slowly stomp your way to intended targets.

Buddy System

In all of the aforementioned modes, a co-operative option is available at any time. The hop-in, hop-out co-op is a nice touch and going through the game with a friend makes for a much better experience than flying solo. The benefit of having a second lightsaber to hack away at droids or fellow Rancor to assist in completing challenge objectives outshines the lacking AI or lonely experience. If you want to experience Kinect Star Wars at its best, it's with a friend.

Each mode has a series a of unlocks or rewards for completing certain tasks, and provides incentive for completing everything offered. These usually involve completing each mode on a tougher difficulty or performing a specific task to unlock new characters or different difficulties. Placing first in a race can unlock a new podracer or completing a dance with five stars can unlock a new character. The varying objectives can be a chore to accomplish, and the reward is usually not worth the time invested.

Despite this attempt, Kinect Star Wars is much more of a party game than an actual solo experience. In most cases death is treated too lenient, oftentimes popping you right back into place for another run. It makes the game seem much simpler than it should be, as it rarely forces you to retrace your path from a checkpoint. Each mode will only last you a few hours before it's all said and done...or if you collapse from exhaustion.

Overall

Kinect Star Wars fails to really capture what was desired. Technical issues with the Kinect and an overall uninspiring campaign drag the game below expectations. Though the less focused modes end up being the most entertaining, they won't hold your attention long. Frustrating platforming, unresponsive controls, and repetitive battles make Kinect Star Wars one of those titles where glimpses of enjoyment get snuffed out for frustrating moments. It's not a completely lost experience, but those looking for their pivotal Jedi experience will fall victim to a Jedi Mind trick...

A Star Wars game for kids

HuevoMoose — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:20:00 GMT

Nothing really works in this game at all. The gameplay is clunky , the mini games are only appealing to kids and there isn't anything here whatsoever to appeal to the hardcore star wars fan. The only good thing i liked about the game is the nice stylized graphics this game has.

An epic failure with 2 fun mini-games.

DeadBull — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 21:32:00 GMT

This game was recently given to me as a gift. I knew that the people who bought it for me make very little money so I tried to be as polite as possible. My father and I somehow played the first 2 levels in front of them without killing ourselves. Afterwards I tried out the Rancore Rampage mini-game which was entertaining but did not control well at all. Luckily the podracing in it is perfect. I have to say that podracing itself may be worth 60$. If you end up playing the story mode I highly suggest using the kick as your main attack.. It kills the most people.

Please do not fund this game. It is crap. Thanks George Lucas. Somehow you made me hate Kinect games even more. I also can't look at Harrisson Ford without seeing him do his gay dance.

Short and Simple

sirhc — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:56:00 GMT

This game is an insult to such a great franchise.

Kinect Star Wars: Surprisingely Fun

Areviewer — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:38:00 GMT

I just want to tell you when I first saw the game it seemed promising but the controls looked broken and the mini games looked just downright hateful to me. I'm a Star Wars fan and it was rough for my eyes to see C3PO dancing. Still, the game was fun for me. I can pretty much sum up the game in the next paragraph.

The controls are hard, if not downright unresponsive, to use at times but the game itself is fun. Humor is one of its greatest strengths and so is its fun factor. I can definantaly see this game played cooperatively at parties ( story and dance games). This game is definantely for kids too, I can tell by the art style and the games. If you have kids, and you love Star Wars., get this game but propabely not at full price but at discount price.

Very Enjoyable :)

Jen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:22:00 GMT

I heard plenty of people complaining about Kinect Star Wars. Saying stuff like "a true Star Wars fan would cry" yada yada yada. Let me put you at ease, I am a true Star Wars fan and I loved it. True it has a few bugs but show me a kinect game that doesn't. I had some issues wielding my light saber and controlling the force but that was because my character was left handed while I'm right handed. The Galactic Dance-Off was so funny and right up my ally. It's pretty clear that they got some help from the people at dance central which made me happy. If it was set up like just dance I probably would have been pretty annoyed. I found it very cleaver how they changed some of the songs we know like Christina Aguilera's Genie in a Bottle and changed it to Princess in a Battle or Jason Derulo's Ridin' Solo into I'm Han Solo. Rancor Rampage was an absolute blast. I couldn't say what's more fun, throwing people or eating them. While you are restricted to an certain area, it is good sized with plenty of buildings to smash, people to squish, and chaos to be reeked. Fly the Pod Racers and Land speeders can really take a toll on your arms but is still filled with fast pace fun and plenty of things to run into if you're a tad clumsy behind the reins, like myself. Perhaps I enjoy it more than other because I like to be active during my games and so the Kinect is perfect for me. None the less you should check it out. And to everyone who won't even pick it up and assume it sucks, don't knock it till you try it :P

The worst star wars yet.

Rapheal — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:04:00 GMT

Let me tell you. I like all games. I love em all. Even the worst. This got a bad score because it was hard to play. No other reason people.