[xy_game]Kinect Party is the latest [partially] free offering to hit Xbox LIVE, and it’s just in time to try and boost a few more sales of Kinect for Christmas. I’m not exactly an advocate of Kinect as you may already know so my thoughts on this may surprise you.
Let me start by telling you that Kinect Party isn’t really one game, but instead it’s a multitude of mini-games and augmented reality experiences. All games are presented in the form of “channels” on ‘Hey Television’ and there are a total of 36 things to play. While some channels are similar to others, there’s small changes added in to mix it up. While some of the games may only be 3-5 seconds long, others can take a couple minutes to play, but you can also move forward or back to other channels using simple voice commands such as, “Hey Television, what’s up next?”
There’s a solid variety throughout the selection of channels, from playing a ninja and breaking various items, plus some Space Invaders type games, and lots of silly yet fun augmented reality scenes. It’s slightly comparable to the Warioware titles on the Nintendo Wii, and those games were a ton of fun. Can we expect DLC for Kinect Party? It’s set up in a way that it’s perfect to add in new channels so I wouldn’t doubt it.
The game supports up to 6 players, but unless you live in a mansion you’re going to be fighting for space with friends, and game will feel quite crowded. I think it’s much better with four or less people, though I actually spent my time playing through every channel all alone yesterday. Yeah, I’m sad and pathetic – but I still had fun.
Pricing structure on Kinect Party offers a couple options for players. The base game and five of the channels are free. Each addition game will cost you $1 or you can unlock all 36 for a mere $10, which is obviously the better deal. Even if you’re not huge into Kinect gaming, I think Kinect Party is worth a look as it’s quite a bit of fun and the random silly fun factor puts a smile on your face.
Double Fine has done a fantastic job putting this together and I look forward to seeing what comes next, whether it is more fun for Kinect Party, or something new altogether. Kinect Party is a solid mix and should prove to be great entertainment for those Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties coming up soon.
| Rating | Description |
| 9.0 | Gameplay Reminiscent of Warioware title, plus some retro mini-games, and augmented reality games, a good variety all in all. |
| 8.0 | Graphics For what it is, the graphics are decent. Some channels look much nicer than others. |
| 7.0 | Sound A few ambient sound effects and forgettable background tunes - nothing to write home about. |
| 8.5 | Final Score |
