Fruit Ninja Kinect
SCORE: 82
E3 in the year of our Lord 2011 had so many wonderful games to see. I was booked for every single thirty minute block of time the show was open, and then wall to wall bookings for after hours events. All of that comes from being the editor in chief of the number one video game site (and magazine) for families. We are the Voice of the Family in Gaming. A lot of companies want to get their games in front of that voice so we can talk about them.
We love talking about the good games for families. It is one of the real joys of this job. One of the perks is getting to play video games way before the public. We are constantly being approached about getting games early so our reviews can appear online before the public can purchase so they can make an educated decision. Fruit Ninja Kinect is one of those games that I have played long before the public got to. It has been a real pleasure for me.
The premise of Fruit Ninja Kinect is pretty simple. You stand there and swipe around with your extremities. The screen will have fruit flying around and you cut it in half with your swipes. Easy as pie. If all you ever did was swipe fruit then it would be, however you also have to avoid the bombs. This is where Fruit Ninja Kinect can require the precision of a ninja.
The fruit looks amazing in Fruit Ninja Kinect. In fact after playing this Xbox 360 game I wanted to go have a little snack. And the snack I wanted was some fresh fruit. Can you blame me? I got some exercise, then some water, and finally needed to fill that tank back up. So why not some fruit. After all fruit is really good for you.
The slicing and dicing sounds of Fruit Ninja Kinect are mixed together masterfully with the sounds of the Orient. Fruit Ninja Kinect made me feel like I was a ninja cutting fruit. I am not sure why, maybe the local grocery store needed some cut fruit to sell or something. Having to slice fruit on the menu screens fit the theme, and the sounds came directly from the game.
The coolest thing about Fruit Ninja Kinect is also the most dangerous. Party mode allows for two family members to slice and dice fruit together. Be sure to be standing a safe distance from one another or Fruit Ninja Kinect will become a very painful experience. We found this out here at Family Friendly Gaming, and hope to recover before the next Kinect game comes in.
The price for Fruit Ninja Kinect is okay. It is ten dollars for a port of a ninety-nine cent game. Fruit Ninja Kinect is a great way to get some exercise without realizing you are getting exercise. After playing for an hour your arms will remind you of what you are doing. But then you also know you looked pretty cool - like a ninja. And for most of us, Fruit Ninja Kinect is as close as we will get to a real ninja.
The controls work great on the Kinect. I had a few instances here or there where I wanted to slice one thing on a menu screen and hit a different one. My shadow was on the background so I am not clear why I had any issues ever. That shadow effect is a really nice touch, and one that I appreciated.
The main lesson in Fruit Ninja Kinect is hand eye coordination. If someone in your family needs to work on that, then Fruit Ninja Kinect is a great game for it. Plus you learn an amazing and important life skill - how to cut fruit. All without having to clean up the mess or endanger yourself with a knife. Yes I am saying that tongue in cheek. Ultimately I found Fruit Ninja Kinect a fun game that exhibits the creativity in the video game industry.
There are some neat little fruit facts that are shown on the menu
screens. I appreciate this nice little touch, although it can be missed
easily. I also appreciated all of the unlockable backgrounds, blades,
and shadows.
- Paul
Graphics: 85%
Sound: 82%
Replay/Extras: 83%
Gameplay: 79%
Family Friendly Factor: 82%
System: Xbox 360
Publisher: Halfbrick
Rating: ‘E’ - Everyone
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