Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure

Game Info

Meh, motion-controlled games… they suck.  All they have done is remove us further away from the imaginary worlds we adore in gaming. This however is a surprising exception. Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure has enough fun moments to have you and your kids (or parents or friends) leave skid marks on the carpet. Literally. Not those sorts of skid marks, stop laughing.

What we have here are five classic Pixar movies bundled onto one disc: Cars, Up, Toy Story, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Before starting up you’ll be asked to create an in-game character by scanning yourself into the game. Once done you’re introduced to Pixar Park. The park is made up of five different areas taken from the above-mentioned titles and has AI characters randomly strolling about giving the park a lively feel. It’s also where you’re introduced to the first set of motion controls. Swinging your arms in a fast jogging motion will have your character move forward and twisting your shoulders left or right will see you turn in the intended direction. Making your way over to a waypoint in any of the five games starts the magic happening.

The presentation is absolutely astonishing and so are the animated visuals. When entering an event a designated character explains the situation in the next scenario that you’re finding yourself in and the viewpoint gradually slips from the character you’re talking to to the in-game Woody, Dash, Lightning McQueen or any of the narrators in the game. It feels as if you’re truly in the game. Basic actions such as running, jumping climbing and driving copies your exact motions via the Kinect camera by literally running, jumping or using your arms to climb or steer.

For example, there is a Toy Story level called ‘Day Care Rush’. You play as Robot alongside Woody, who assists you and drops hints as the level progresses. Your aim is to get Mr Pricklepants to Bonnie’s house before her aunt’s car arrives there and they realise he’s nowhere in sight. Making your way through a garden is no simple task as you need to run, jump and climb your way past obstacles to find batteries to open gates.

On locating a battery you literally reach out to pick it up and thrust both arms in a throwing motion to throw the battery in place. Another dash brings you to a zipline that requires you to jump up and keep your hands stretched up above your head and letting go in time to land on a slide. Move your arms in a thrusting motion (like you once did when sitting on a skateboard) and your character gains speed. The momentum shoots the two characters upwards and lands them on RC cars.

Bring your arms up in from of you and you’re now suddenly a driver! Twisting your arms left or right will steer Mr Pricklepants to safety. Job well done! You’ll be sweating, you’ll be exhausted… you’ll be smiling. Rush is not just a general motion-controlled game. It’s genuinely fun and stacked with adventure. The games are all by and large the same but some surprises are in store such as canoe paddling and sky diving.

The Kinect hardware is precise and picks up all your movements but the adventure feels a bit short. Each title hosts 15 missions that last about five to ten minutes each. If you have a parent or friend to join for some co-op goodness you can just about double the time spent in this fantasy world. Kids will adore this and those of us who are man enough to own-up to it will admit that anyone can fall in love with its charm. Just like you did with the movies.