This Xbox Live Arcade game is outstanding and well worth the 800 Microsoft points ($9.99) it cost to download! If you have children, a significant other, or have company over on occasion you now have a game that anyone can play, enjoy, and compete in with the easiest controls on the planet. I must admit that I had my reservations when I heard that the concept of Fruit Ninja was being “ported” to the Microsoft’s Kinect. I played the game on my godson’s IPod touch for maybe 15 minutes and quickly lost interest a couple of weeks ago. However, the guys and gals over at Halfbrick did an excellent job at taking their App (6 million sold and still counting) and turning it into one incredible addictive game Microsoft’s motion control peripheral.
Gameplay
Fruit Ninja Kinect is very simplistic in design and addictive as hell! You use your hands and sometimes feet like swords to chop various fruit as it is lobbed across the screen while avoiding the bombs that are launched in front of you as well. On the Kinect you have the added help of having your silhouette in the background to help orientate your slices. There are several game types to keep individuals as well as groups preoccupied for a while. The game types included are your standard affair. There is a classic mode similar to what you played if you purchased its smart phone counterpart. In this mode if you miss three pieces of fruit or hit a bomb its game over. There is an arcade mode where the clock counts down from 60 sec’s and you have to slice as much fruit as you can in that time frame (This is the mode shown in the video). There are also 2-player competitive type modes that have 2-players competing against one another for points and using power-ups. Also a Challenge mode is included that tasks players with chopping so much fruit or obtaining a high score to unlock “swag”. Swag includes new backgrounds and effects like butterfly’s that trail your knives.
Controls
Controls are spot on! With the added help of having your silhouette in the background chopping motions are performed with laser-like precision. Calibration happens often while switching between game types and when at the main menu. What surprised me was how “apartment friendly” the Kinect was in this game. Because of a central air unit in my living room I only sit 8ft or so away from the screen so I have to move the couch and still barely stand back far enough for the Kinect to see my feet. Since Fruit Ninja only cares about my top half I’m always in range and no major calibration occurs until I switch out with one of kids. Immediately after the swap the camera recognizes this and adjusts to the new miniature gamer almost immediately.
Graphics & Sound
Graphics are what you would expect. The brightly colored fruit “pops” in HD. Your silhouette appears in a shadowy mist when you step in front of the camera and disappears when you either walk out of the frame or someone steps in between you and the camera for longer than a few seconds. New backgrounds and different effects for your swipes can be earned. Sliced fruit spatters on the background as well. The sound is of the same caliber. The distinction between fruit and bomb cues comes across quite naturally with a swoosh noise when waving your knife hands around. All-in-all there are no complaints to be found in sound or graphic design. You get everything you would expect graphic and sound wise from a game whose objectives have you slicing fruit.
GamerFitnation had a chance to chat with James Schultz, about Age of Zombies arrival to the PS Vita, its process to develop for the handheld, what lies with Halfbrick's future on other consoles, plus more.
This is such a worthy cause please have a read and check out the great work that Special Effect do they use technology to enhance the quality of life of people with all kinds of needs, including stroke and road traffic accident patients, individuals with life-limiting conditions and injured soldiers returning from overseas.
This works for most consoles from a handheld controller to help play Fifa using 2 buttons to playing Fruit Ninja with your eyes. A great idea to reach out to people that normally cannot play games.
Today marks the tenth anniversary of Xbox LIVE, the online infrastructure that changed the face of gaming in the modern era. Setting the benchmark for all other networks to attempt to outdo, Xbox LIVE’s tenth year is being celebrated with special discounts on the Xbox LIVEArcadechannel and also an entirely free videogame.
... but it's a Kinect-only game (The Wreckateer), so completely useless to a large portion of the Xbox 360 gamers.
Weird choice by MS. Why not offer a game that everyone could enjoy!?
It may be because Wreckateer, although a very fun game, didn't sell anywhere near as much as they had hoped.
i thought the idea of the game was great, but from the E3 demo I was turned off.
I'll definitely check it out for free though!
They did it to possibly fuel small kenect sales boost?
Either way paying for peer to peer xbox live is stupid, they dont even let you use netflix without paying M$ for live.
lol!!!
Yeah having to have Gold just to use Netflix or other video apps is messed up, really. And having to pay to play online is messed up. haha
Even Steam is free to play online, and it's better than XBL and PSN.
Either way, it's nice of them to give a free game, no matter what game it is.
You think needing gold for netflix was bad, you should try to use internet explorer with a silver account....
Download it anyway. You can always delete it afterwards if you're concerned about hard drive space, but at least that way, if you ever do get a Kinect, you can go back and re-download it at no cost.
I'll never ever ever ever get Kinect. I believe the best game for that device is still Dance Central, and I'm not really into that.
I'm not interested in motion-gaming at all. Not in Wii-Mote, not in Move, and not in Kinect.
If other people love it, then that's fine, but it's just not for me.
Front page: "Xbox LIVE 10th Anniversary Celebrated with Free Xbox"
:O
*Clicks article*
-_-
So it's more like...a free invitation to buy a Kinect for a game that was probably selling iffy anyway.
I'm a gamer. I'd don't have MS stock. I don't really care how much people buy a Kinect. I only care about the quality of games. Regardless of platform or input-device or whatever.
How many of these Kinect games are so great that we'll remember them with love and admiration 10 years from now!?
I know in 10 years time I'll think back to Super Meat Boy, and Trials Evolution, and Mark of the Ninja, and ilomilo with great great love. All brilliant games which have given me countless of fantastic gaming hours.
I don't believe Kinect has such a game yet.
This is a weak free one - they should go with something such as Halo 2 or something tied to the success of Xbox Lives past
Halo 2 isn't even on their games on demand only the first is and that is pointless when you can get the Anniversary and have better graphics.
A different arcade game sure but a free game is still a free game.
I severely doubt they would give away a game like Halo 2. They killed the original Xbox live for a reason, they want people to move onto to the future hence why they gave away a little something from their future. And unfortunately their future is very Kinect centric
Many people are still playing it using a connection to their PC and routing software to other gamers emulating the direct Xbox connection.
I saw on reddit that some people were getting free 360 Slims.
I got a free Avatar prop :-P
Well at least you dont have to keep paying to keep playing. Once you Download the game its yours even after you stop paying for XBL. Too bad you cant say the same about that other service. Sad really
I can't belive there are 6 other idiots out there that agree with you. So wetnoodle have fun playing your little kinect game. What they did was fine but probably should have gave a better free game. Live wether you like it or not is a huge success for them. And they should have returned the favor with a quality title. But for you to compare a crap game that you get to keep over paying 50 bucks for a year to play games that are AAA and not just one but many to go along with loads of other quality games is ridiculas. You need to look at plus like a rental service that you don't have to return *your games* unless you are not a member. Not to mention all the discounts you get.
Just be a happy gamer. I know that is just so hard to ask these days. Frankly I don't have an xbox but have nothing against it. I just choose PS3 this gen. Nothing more nothing less. Just have some fun.
* edit
your comparing PS+ which lets you play actually good games for free with a $50 a year subscription atleast you can still use netflix and play online without paying that $50 . Too bad you cant say the same about that other service. Sad really
@WetN00dle69,
Sony have given away free games like LBP and Ratchet and Clank which you could keep even after your subscription expired.
On top of that all game expansions are free to keep as well, along with avatars, dynamic themes, etc All exceed the life of the subscription.
and those free units will count as shipped on the next NPD sales report
*facepalm
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
that is M$ for you
You do not get to keep the games if you stop paying for PSN+ you also can't party chat.
@WetNoodle
LOL, You are forced to pay MS money if you want to do 90% of anything online and they give a free game that no one really wanted. That is what is hilarious. It's cheaper to pay for PS+ and still have all those online bonuses you pay for LIVE but completely free. BTW, PS+ treats their Vita fans with free Uncharted, Gravity Rush, WipeOut, and FF Tactics.
For some hardcore gamers on 360 who probably don't own Kinect but have played online with Live for 10 years now, over $500 for some gone into a forced service and this is the best MS can do? Should of given away Halo ODST or maybe Gears 3 online mode or something like that. Something actually cool.
Free game that I'm sure i'll play once, and then never again.
Thanks Microsoft! :P
Good job.
Thanks it is my first review!
really good for a first review. I totally agree with your score!
Thanks manumit. My kids and I really enjoyed playing the game so that says a lot. Really worth the $9.99