Plot: What’s it about?
The launch of Kinect has led to a lot of games looking to put that innovative tech to good use, such as MotionSports, one of the launch games in 2010. The game used Kinect’s sensor to put players into popular sports like football, boxing, soccer, and even horseback riding. In the sequel, MotionSports Adrenaline however, the game focuses on more extreme sports, hence the Adrenaline in the title. The game offers up six sports to dive into, each a fully featured mini-game of sorts. If you played the original MotionSports, then you know about what to expect. How about wingsuit diving, rock climbing, kitesurfing, mountain biking, kayaking, and the return of skiing? As you’d expect from a Kinect game, you use your body instead of a controller, which can result in working up quite a sweat. The games are gesture driven and use movements that feel natural within the sports, so the entire experience has a fluid, natural feel.
You can tackle these dangerous sports alone, competing against global leaderboards for top honors, or invite up to three friends to join you for multi-player action. I was pleased to find both cooperative and competitive modes, so you can work with your buddies, or ensure they finish dead last. A few arcade style touches come into play in competitive modes, such as power up items that let you slow down your opponents. As you progress through the sports and increase your scores, you’ll unlock extra content such as bonus tracks for the games and custom items for your on-screen avatar. The unlocks give you a nice reason to return to the sports and try to outdo your previous performances. This a solid game if you just want to jump in and have some fun, or to break out in a group setting to liven things up. MotionSports Adrenaline provides six fun games to explore, as well as a good amount of bonus content, so it is well worth checking out.
Video: How does it look?
The visuals look improved over MotionSports, with more detailed backgrounds and character designs. Like most Kinect games, the graphics won’t challenge the elite visual game experiences, but it all still looks quite good. All of the sports look natural and as I said, have detailed, polished visual presence. Not much else we could demand in this area.
Audio: How does it sound?
The sound design is effective, but doesn’t have the depth I expected. This was most evident in the kitesurfing and wingsuit diving, which don’t have quite give you the audio rush you want. Even so, the events still provide a rock solid audio experience, I just wish there was more punch to some of the sports. The music sounds good and keeps your energy up, which is a key element for a soundtrack in a game of this kind.
Supplements: What are the extras?
N/A
