Sonic Free Riders - Xbox 360

I decided to give this game a shot in spite of it's horrible reviews. It was the very first game I played on my Kinect. My sister and I jumped in and had fun for the first couple of matches, until we began having problems with recognition. However those problems were quickly resolved once we set up our own individual Kinect ID's. I created a new box screen name for her to have her Kinect ID under, and I configured my Kinect ID. Now when we go to play, the sensor quickly realizes who it is looking at and registers our movements flawlessly.Registering movement problem solved.There is a learning curve for this game so I wouldn't recommend it for the younger set unless they aren't easily distracted. But it really is a great game. Just be sure to configure your own Kinect ID and take the time to learn, because it isn't a casual game.

Está bien!

Best game ever

If you are a core gamer in decent shape trying to decide between Sonic Free Riders and Joy Ride.... get this instead of Joy Ride.I was very nervous when getting this game that it would not control properly, but it is working perfectly. I have very precise control and I am flying through the game, coming in first place in all of my online multiplayer matches. I'm almost convinced everyone who is complaining about controls in Kinect games either have their kinect setup wrong or they have a broken Kinect. Mount your Kinect high people(just above eye level) and use the smiley card to make sure you have proper lighting and focus.Sonic Free Riders is a lot of fun and has a lot of depth. You have tons of characters to choose from each with special powers related to speed, flight, and power. Characters with strength like Knuckles can break down obstacles or walls and find shortcuts, characters with flight like Tails can fly through boost rings in the air. During the race you build up boost by jumping off of ramps. I usually get an A or S ranking on my jumps. Boosting is accomplished by swinging your leg like you are on a skateboard. As you race you collect rings to purchase hoverboard upgrades and additional power-ups that give you the ability to grind rails (shortcuts), boost faster, catch more air, collect more rings, turn faster or help you get better scores on your jumps. You can equip your boards with 2 power-ups which can then be activated based upon which foot you place forward. This means you need to switch your stance during a race when you need a certain power-up. Like most kart racers there are also weapons on each track like missiles, bowling balls, and ink to blind racers behind you. There are many different modes to play outside of the main story mode both in online and offline multiplayer. The game has depth, it's not a brain dead kart racer.Sonic Free Riders is challenging and you need to be in good shape to play this game. The game requires a lot of jumping and bending. I found that sticking your arms out in the direction you want to go helps you to turn faster.There are some concerns worth mentioning here:-The cutscenes and storyline are unnecessary and irritating, but you can skip them all quickly by just holding your hand out.-The calibration before each race seems unnecessary, but it is short. If you can't get through the traffic cone test before each race then your Kinect is not setup right.-Activating weapons can sometimes be tricky. They could have done a better job of explaining what you're supposed to do for each weapon.-Voice control is a nice feature, but the game doesn't do a good job of letting you know what voice commands are possible in the menus.-There's no quick way to pause so keep an Xbox 360 remote nearby to hit the guide button.

Let me introduce Sonic, master of the most grueling thigh workout on the Kinect. You probably thought you'd need to buy an exercise title featuring a screaming trainer to get a good workout. Well, it turns out this little racer will bring you to your knees as you use your whole body to twist, turn and jump your hoverboard through 16 tracks.You can upgrade your board gear temporarily with energy pickups like a soda rocket or fully to extreme gear, which is available in both board and bike formats. The hoverboard reacts like a snowboard on steroids. Maneuvering requires your whole body:* Cornering involves bending your body forward at the waist or backwards to steer;* Jumping is self-explanatory but power jumping requires you to crouch down for a few seconds before leaping into the air;* A kick dash is completed using a kick gesture using your back foot with a good follow-through;* Braking requires squaring your shoulders toward the screen; and* Your hands are kept busy to catch rings, grab horizontal bars, wipe away foggy screens and to cling to the bottom of trains (?!).The game provides an extensive tutorial along with a host named Omochao, who also serves as the game commentator. I highly recommend casual gamers take the time to go through the tutorials. This isn't a bowling game you can simply step up and play.I completed two racetracks and slumped into the couch. A trickle of sweat ran along my spine, my legs trembling. Brain synapse fired in all directions and soon I was hearing Robert Klein wailing on the harmonica and singing "I can't stop my leg."The gameplay is not as extensive as the granddaddy of kart racers, Mario Kart DS. However, what Sonic Free Riders lacks in depth is more than made up with by the physical racing experience that comes from using the Kinect system. Even my 8-year old son stopped after competing in four consecutive races to catch his breath and get a drink of water.So, what are the negatives?* The controls are not perfect. Don't let early frustration turn you away. The game doesn't respond as smoothly as it would if we were gripping steering wheels. We found it helped to recalibrate the Kinect for this game and widen our playing area a couple feet to allow side-by-side racing.* The menus are maddening. I'm tired of sweeping options left and right. Game designers need to hold back their Kinect zeal. Keep the menus basic, like a simple drop-down menu format, and save the wild moves for the game itself.* The online features aren't that attractive. Fortunately for us, with four in our family, there's plenty of competition at home.In summary, if you are willing to invest practice time, this is a fun, family game that also delivers a good full-body workout, too. With the initial library of Kinect games including dogs like Game Party: In Motion, "Sonic Free Riders" is a good value, especially for kids. Rating: Four stars.Hey, look. My leg stopped.

The game is great and easy to learn (I do not think the tutorials are grueling; I was able to finish all in a 1 hour session)...the trick in being able to maneuver easily during the races is to "minimize" your movements (leaning) when the kinect actually measures your body movements.It takes practice and is a fantastic, fun workout.