Driving games such as F1, Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Midtown Madness have all managed to capture our attention. There have been driving titles that have crashed while others have zoomed past the finish line and into the hearts of racing fans all over the globe. Well, Kinect Joy Ride is a racing game with a definite twist. The title is published and developed by Microsoft Game Studios and BigPark respectively. We adorned our helmet and braced ourselves as we indulged into the review of the fast and furious title.
The Kinect Joy Ride does not look anything like other racing games and seems to be parked in a different league of its own. Right from its gameplay elements to its graphics, the game has a very cartoony feel to it but at the end of the day it is an exciting take on the racing genre. The home screen has My Cars, Play and Recent Photos. Depending on the options chosen, we could select different activities.
In Pro Race, gamers can zoom down the tracks and just race across to the finish line while Stunt enables you to show off your best stunts by assuming various positions that are tracked by the Kinect. Once you get the hang of racing, why not try taking the genre one step further with Battle Race. This mode allows you to race with weapons such as hover mine, rockets, super speed, blast, deep freeze and teleport. These not-so-deadly devices can be accessed by simply stretching out your hand.
The Dash mode lets players zoom past the opponents literally leaving them in the dust. In Xbox Live Race, you can go online and test yourself against other human players. We could score big by destroying items in Smash. Trick allowed us to match crazy poses as we went soaring through the air. Once these are opted for, the track of our choice was up next. All we had to do then was extend our arms in front of us and it was just jet set and go.
There is an imaginary steering wheel and absolutely no accelerating or breaking. Drifting is done by leaning to the desired turns. You can boost by leaning back to charge and push forward to activate it while a flip can be carried out by leaning forward or backward while in the air. To perform a spin, you simply have to twist your torso while the car is in mid-air. For a barrel roll, lean towards the side while airborne. Finally, the dashboard can be opted for through the pause menu. During gameplay, if you aren’t positioned in the optimum place, the game indicates the perfect spot onscreen.
Once each activity is done, you will earn fans by car stunts, fan tokens and challenges. At the end of it, you are also treated to a photo of your different poses. These can also be shared with loved ones through the Kinect share community site. There are treats to be unlocked in the form of tracks such as Boathouse Bay, Great Dragon Road, Rocky Road Speedway. Through the Main Menu, we could pick our favorite model, color and style.
Final Word: Kinect Joy Ride is a fun non-serious game offering that is set to capture the fancy of gamers in any age group. A downside however was that it could have been a bit more informative such as displaying clear-cut indicators onscreen during races. There are no trackers or speed-gauges that appear anywhere on the screen. The title could have also incorporated some additional stunt moves.
Graphics: 8.2/10.
Gameplay: 8/10.
Sounds: 8.1/10.
Environments: 8.5/10.
Replay Value: 9/10.
Overall (not an average): 8.5/10.