Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.
Reviewed On: Xbox 360 (Kinect required)
In a Nutshell: Play mini-games and teach tricks to virtual wild feline friends. You adopt a lion, tiger or other ferocious kitty spawn and then pet and play with it like you never could in real life. You can throw small balls and rubber chickens for it to pick up (ha, like any cat would "fetch"!), volley soccer balls for fun (and a stealth mini-workout!), drive remote control vehicles (including a Warthog and Ghost from the Halo series!) and even dig for buried treasure (the cat collects the chest for you and then pats it back into the ground after you've claimed its booty). There are also slightly longer RC vehicle races, obstacle courses, target shoots and other challenges that you can play alone or with friends to compete for high scores. Winning these earns you unlockable items and currency to purchase décor for your virtual home in the game.
Kinectimals unfolds with an overly long intro and lots of backstory about some captain who once cared for the kitties and how they've been craving attention since he left, and there are other parts of the island that have been forgotten. There's a flying lemur who introduces you to new areas and activities; if you can get past this over-the-top touch and rambly explanation, there's some great gameplay to be had. Typical play sessions tend to be longer than most Kinect games (30 minutes or so) since activities are easily strung together and your pet helpfully introduces new and existing items as play suggestions if you don't pick something to do quickly. Completing mini tasks (such as hitting targets with a frisbee or knocking down objects with an RC car) earns you points toward unlocking the next challenge or area of the island, which progresses the game and adds new cats and toys for you to play with.
Learning Curve: Some of the tricks you teach your critter can be tricky to pull off, but otherwise this is an easy game to pick up and play. It's arguably the best launch game to get you started with Kinect because it teaches you the mechanics of movement and control, plus it works better in tight spaces (less than 8 feet from the TV) than the pack-in game, Kinect Adventures.
The Save Game: Despite the warning that you may lose progress, the game saves your score and any unlocked items and locations when you quit and periodically as you complete activities and challenges. It won't save your exact place in the game, but it's easy to return to your kitty and select a challenge or toy box item to play with, so there's not much lost when you exit. Your pet is also infinitely patient, so you can leave the game running while you're doing your chores (like feeding your real-world cat, who probably isn't happy about all of the strange purrs and meows he's been hearing!) and your little virtual feline will entertain itself until you return.
Family Factor: The whole family will love it, from the toddlers to the grandfolks. The only exception may be teens and young adults, who may not want to admit how much fun Kinectimals is due to its overly cutesy veneer (mostly due to that talking, flying Lemur who narrates your adventure).
Tell them there are Halo unlockables and that they can play it with their favorite emo or death metal soundtrack (ripped to the hard drive), and they might just give it a try. I played with Green Day's "American Idiot" (when our 7-year-old wasn't home) and had a blast!
Buy, Rent or Skip? If you have a Kinect, this is a "must buy" - especially if you have small children. Even after you beat the game, there's fun to be had cavorting with your favorite feline and topping your high score in challenges. You might even get a little exercise playing. It makes a nice warm-up for the more intense workout programs on Kinect or your favorite cardio regimen. Teens will probably be too cool for this game, but adults who are secure in their identities can (and should!) love it.
On a Personal Note: I'm an adult male, and I love Kinectimals. I expected this game to win over GrrlGotGame and our 7-year-old son, Pikachu Fan, but I had no expectation that I would play this more than once or twice just to check it out. When I was younger, I railed against overly cute games - but now, perhaps due to the feline theme, the solid game mechanics, the wisdom of my years and the light runner's high I get after a game session - I play it more than they do!
My first cat was a black panther I named "Midnight," though I've unlocked several more cats - both through gameplay and reusable codes collected from Burger King promotions and stuffed animals included as pack-ins with some versions of the game. Scan cards can be found for free on the Internet; just print them and hold them up to the Kinect camera when visiting the Scan Stone at the circle where you pick your active pet. (Individual stuffed animals without the game are expected to hit retail in 2011, if your kids are wondering why Santa couldn't drop one in their stocking.)
If there's a knock against this game (besides the "cute factor"), it's that you can't quickly jump into multiplayer from the main menu. It takes hours of play to unlock the various challenges, and then you have to travel back to them using your map and switch off to another player (by holding your arm out to the upper right of the screen) to let them have a go at challenging your score. So it's not a great game for when you have a lot of kids vying for their turn - for that, I'd recommend the Kinect Sports mini-games or Kinect Adventures.
But other than the lack of quick play, it's a great game - I'd even say it's the best Kinect launch title.
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