| Kinect Star Wars | |
|---|---|
 European cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Terminal Reality |
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts Microsoft Studios |
| Producer(s) | Craig Derrick |
| Composer(s) | Gordy Haab Kyle Newmaster |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360[1] |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Action[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Kinect Star Wars is aStar Wars video game developed byTerminal Reality and published byLucasArts andMicrosoft Studios for theXbox 360 that uses theKinect motionperipheral. The game features four game modes: "Jedi Destiny", the primary game mode;podracing; Rancor Rampage; and Galactic Dance-off. In Jedi Destiny, players assume the role models ofJedi Padawans as they wield theirlightsabers and usethe Force to attack enemies mostly from theprequel trilogy using gestures. Podracing is a race-based game mode, Rancor Rampage is a destruction-based game mode, and Galactic Dance-off is a dance-based game mode similar to theDance Central series.
Microsoft Studios had planned to make aStar Wars game that utilizes the Kinect since the early development of the motion-sensing system. The game was formally announced atE3 2011 and released worldwide on April 3, 2012. It was the last game to be published by LucasArts beforeThe Walt Disney Company halted all internal development at said company a year later. Craig Derrick served as lead producer on the game.Kinect Star Wars received generally mixed reviews.
Kinect Star Wars features four subgames. In its primary mode, known as Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, players take control of one of multipleJedi Padawans. Using the Kinect, the player uses their hands to wield alightsaber in combat. Players also can lift and throw objects withthe Force using specific gestures. The story takes place during theprequel trilogy timeline of theStar Wars universe, beginning shortly afterStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and concluding with the events ofStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Body movement to control vehicles in specific sections of this mode. A second Jedi-centric mode, Duels of Fate, allows players to experience one-on-one duels with characters from the Jedi Destiny campaign as well as famousStar Wars villains such asDarth Vader.[2]
The game'spodracing utilizes the Kinect to simulate the dual throttle controls on podracers. Players extend arms fully to operate at full speed, and retract their arm to throttle back on one or both engines. Multiple courses are offered. Rancor Rampage, the game's third mode, allows players to control one of multiple species of rancor which are let loose in variousStar Wars locales. Arm movements synchronize between the player and their rancor, and players can execute special attacks in this destruction-based game mode.[3]
The final game mode inKinect Star Wars is Galactic Dance-off. Here players control one of several famousStar Wars characters through the use of the Kinect. Gameplay is a combination ofDance Central series andJust Dance in which players must dance in synchronization with the on-screen character. Cues to upcoming dance moves are shown to the player to ensure they can stay in synchronization with the character. The song selection consists of parodies with title and lyrics rewritten in aStar Wars theme. For example,Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" is rewritten as "Hologram Girl", andVillage People's "Y.M.C.A." is rewritten as "Empire Today", whileJason Derulo's "Ridin' Solo" is rewritten as "I'm Han Solo". Dance locales are themed to the character and a particular moment for them in theStar Wars saga story; for example,Princess Leia's dance takes place in front ofJabba the Hutt, and Han Solo's dance takes place in the carbon-freezing chamber onBespin.[4]
Microsoft Studios had planned to develop aStar Wars game since early in the development of the Kinect system. Kudo Tsunoda, creative director for Kinect, said of this decision: "It's one of those things where you can see how the unique parts of Kinect can bring to life the fantasy of being a Jedi in a way no other game console or media can do."[2] The release of the game was formally announced at theElectronic Entertainment Expo on June 6, 2011, where the first gameplay trailer and portions of the game were shown.[1] Asocial media application was released foriOS,Android, andWindows Phone mobile devices. It combined Twitter and Facebook feeds on the game in the style of the Star Wars opening crawl.[5]
Craig Derrick was LucasArts' lead producer onKinect Star Wars. The visuals of the animation were augmented in such a way to make the Jedi fighting techniques appear realistic because according to Derrick "What we found early in development is that no one wants to look like 'Star Wars kid' in front of their friends."[2] It was the last game to be published by LucasArts.[6]
Five individual downloadable content pieces are available. The first, a podracer piloted by an adultAnakin Skywalker, is only available through a promotion withBrisk. Select bottles of iced tea feature a Microsoft M-Tag barcode which can be scanned by the Kinect to unlock the podracer.[7] The remaining four consist of playable characters in different modes: a Snow Rancor, a Korriban Rancor, bounty hunterAurra Sing and Jedi MasterKit Fisto.[8] It was released worldwide on April 3, 2012.[9] A limited-edition console bundle was launched alongside the game with the Xbox 360 S set designed to look likeR2-D2. The bundle included the console with a 320 GB hard drive, a white Kinect sensor and the gold controller modeled after C-3PO. The bundle was sold for a MRP of $449.99 in the United States and £349.99 in the United Kingdom[10] and is the first custom Xbox 360 bundle to be released.[11]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 55/100[12] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| G4 | 3/5[13] |
| GameSpot | 5/10[14] |
| GamesRadar+ |    [15] |
| Giant Bomb | [16] |
| IGN | 5.5/10[3] |
| Polygon | 4/10[17] |
| Digital Spy | [18] |
Kinect Star Wars received "mixed or average" reviews, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[12] It appeared on multiple lists of the worstStar Wars games ever developed.[4][20][21][22][23]
Anthony Gallegos ofIGN felt that the game was simply a collection ofminigames instead of the larger "Jedi epic fans are dying for."[3] Meanwhile, Liam Martin ofDigital Spy maintained that there was a strong sense of effort from the developer, and to simply "call Kinect Star Wars a mini-game compilation would be to do it a disservice." Martin praised the games setting, which is narrated by R2-D2 andC-3PO. He did concede, however, that certain elements of the game's controls were unresponsive at times, and that this could cause frustrations to players.[18] Jonathan Deesing ofG4 gave the game's Rancor Rampage and Galactic Dance-off modes high marks. He stated that some modes might feel tiresome to players, and noted that, during his time playing the podracing mode, he would sit in a chair to minimize fatigue and to feel further immersed. He, however, criticized the game's graphics for resembling that of aWii game.[13] In a more critical review Brad Shoemaker fromGiant Bomb stated, "It doesn't matter who you claimKinect Star Wars is for, it's a shoddy product on almost every level".[16]
Lorenzo Veloria ofGamesRadar praised the game for seldom having to repeat a move (e.g. a kick and a lightsaber slash) to make the action work and making one of the best uses of the Kinect in an action game.[15]Justin McElroy ofPolygon criticized the Jedi Destiny mode for imprecise blocking controls, the repetitive combat formula, and limited strategy.[17] Mark Walton ofGameSpot praised the Galactic Dance-off mode for being "silly" and "comical fun", but criticized the lightsaber duels for being slow-paced and the storyline for being a derivative of theoriginal trilogy.[14] The "I'm Han Solo" routine in the Galactic Dance-off mode was considered an absurd addition to the game.[24][25]
Kinect Star Wars debuted at number one on the UK All Formats Chart, making it the first Kinect-exclusive game to do so in the UK. It was also the firstStar Wars game to top the charts since 2008.[26]
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