The happiest place on earth is about to go virtual.
In case you missed our coverage of the pre-E3 Xbox 360 press conference in Los Angeles, one of the Kinect 2.0 games designed for kids — and kids at heart — will let you experience Disneyland — from the comfort of your family room.
As you’d expect from a video game called Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, you can walk around an accurately modeled Disneyland park — all 85 acres, in fact — as well as interact with Disney characters (with authentic voices) and engage in games based on attractions and Disney flicks.
In a 30-minute demo of the game in a Kinect “pod,” we got a good sense of where the designers at UK-based Frontier Developments (of Kinectimals fame) are going with this title.
Naturally, because it’s a Kinect game, there is no controller needed to play. To walk around the park, simply lift your hand slightly to walk forward and adjust your shoulders to turn in a given direction. While not demonstrated because of the noise level at the Xbox 360 booth, you can also use your voice to navigate the grounds.
Unlike the first-person Kinectimals, Disneyland Adventures is third-person, so you’ll always see your avatar, which you’ll customize at the start of the game.
When you walk up to one of the 40-odd Disney characters — such as Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Goofy or Donald Duck — kids can outstretch their arms to give them a hug, hold up their hand to request a photo (which you can share online) or have them sign your autograph book. Each character will have a unique move or two, too, such as a dance, high-five, and so on.
All eight areas of Disneyland are modeled in the game, as well as Main Street, shops and the castle itself (yes, even with fireworks). You can collect coins and Disney-themed items (such as Mickey ears or a sweatshirt), have a friend or sibling walk the park beside you in co-op play and watch parades march by. Wave a magic wand at objects in the world and they’ll come alive – be it a vintage car that starts and honks or a Dumbo-shaped bush that will raise its trunk and roar.
Where’s the game, you ask? Kinect: Disneyland Adventures will have more than a dozen games you can play by yourself or with a friend. Frontier is only revealing four games at this point in time — based on Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland and Big Thunder Mountain — each of which with a story arc, multiple levels and bonus challenges.
We tried Peter Pan and opened our arms to soar around London’s Big Ben, over the river Thames and between parliament buildings. Frontier says these are “no fail” games, so you can’t lose, but competitive types can try to earn more stars and achievements for performing well. Similar to Kinect Adventures, you’ll see photos of yourself in front of your television, just like a real theme park ride.
Depending on the game you’re playing, you can expect sword fights and virtual roller coasters, as well as racing, platforming and puzzle game elements, too.
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures will be published by Microsoft Studios and available this holiday season.
See photos of: Disneyland
Article source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/06/e3-2011-fly-like-peter-pan-in-kinect-disneyland-adventures/1
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