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Kinect Joy Ride review

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Image used with permission by copyright holder
Kinect Joy Ride
“There are better uses for your Kinect.”
Pros
  • More Kinect games are always good
  • Fun for familes
Cons
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Not much depth
  • Bad contol scheme

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Have you ever wished you could drive a car — but without a controller? Probably not, and with good reason. In Kinect Joy Ride, you are a racer with limited racing controls, and by steering the air, you control your car as it accelerates around the track. You can also pull off some tricks while jumping.

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The game offers several game types, including: a “Pro Race,” which is your average lap-based race; “Battle Races”, similar to pro races, but with weapons; “Smash”, a game mode that encourages you to destroy items to increase your score; “Stunt”, which ranks you based on the amount of tricks you pull off; “Dash”, a time-based race; and “Trick,” a Simon-says style where you need to imitate poses on screen.

Kinect Joy Ride
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The problem with Kinect Joy Ride is that steering without a wheel is tough enough without the added element of lag introduced by the Kinect’s hardware. It is a novelty, and one that wears off quickly. If this game had been included with the Kinect, it would have received a bit of a pass, but since it is a full retail game, it is shockingly light on content. A decent game for families, but one that most families might enjoy for an evening, if that.

Score: 4 out of 10

If you’re interested in the Kinect system then check out our Microsoft Kinect review.

(This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360 on a copy provided by Microsoft Studios)

Ryan Fleming
Former Gaming/Movies Editor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
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