Game review: Nike+ Kinect Training

Gone are the days that a heavy board inaccurately estimates your size and weight just by standing on it, but first you have to worry about the gazillion batteries to get the thing to work.

Thanks to the Kinect for Xbox 360, fitness and weight control has evolved into a full on training experience with the recent release of Sumo Digital and Microsoft studios, Nike+ Kinect Training.

Now, there is no shortage of fitness focussed titles out there, but this game definitely takes top spot as the most innovative and accuracy is definitely one of its top qualities and it doesn’t even include dancing.

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Upon starting up the game, you choose a male of female instructor which is an on screen as a computer generated representation of a real life trainer featured in the many video clips spread throughout the game.

After choosing a trainer corresponding to what sex you are, the game then needs to figure out your body type and how fit you are.

Cleverly the Kinect is superbly accurate and the game makes you endure a 35 minute workout session just to see how fit you are and to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

My girlfriend and I both tried the game out separately to test its accuracy and we were both very impressed.

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After doing the initial workout, Nike+ Kinect Training tells you what you need to work towards and you are given a choice of many assorted regimes that will help you achieve your targets.

It asks if you want to lose weight, tone up or muscle up, each choice has a different kind of workout.

There are many fitness modes and games to keep things interesting and even adds a bit of fun in there to make things feel less of a chore and after 30 minutes I was exhausted and felt like I’d had a very cheap week at the gym.

To get an even more enhanced workout, I recommend you buy yourself some dumbbells as this makes each workout more vigorous and you will see more of a result.

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The biggest flaw with Nike+ Kinect Training is the immediately outlined fact that you need acres of space to place this game.

I had to move chairs and couches to play this game effectively so if you have a small room, you’re going to come across problems but what do you expect when you’re going to be doing exercises like push ups, running on the spot, squats and sit ups amongst others?

The Kinect does take into account any large furniture around you and identifies the space available which I thought was fantastic.

The game quickly reminds you that this is a game thanks to its bare bones visuals, the trainer is a computer generated version of a real trainer as mentioned before and the player is represented on screen as a colourless paper mache copy of the players’ full body.

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Movements are accurate and are picked up excellently and the game quickly informs you if you can’t be picked up or not. Pie charts and graphs act as visual representations of targets and fitness levels which are simple yet effective and the in game calendar shows you your whole regime and when you should have another workout which I thought was very clever.

Nike+ Kinect Training plus Weight Watchers meals plus proteins shakes makes one of the most effortless and effective training programmes I have ever came across and it is the ultimate method of weight control and toning in my opinion, I will be playing this game again and again.

Summary

Put away those dancing games and cancel those gym memberships because Sumo Digital and Microsoft Studios have created one of the best fitness games ever released. It puts your body to the test and leaves the choice of how you use the game to the player whether it’s for weight loss, strength or toning, the game compliments each style superbly with the assortment of modes and games playing differently but beware if you have a small room though as this game is most effective in a large room without any obstacles. This isn’t a game, it’s a full on fitness experience minus the extortionate gym fees.

Nike+ Kinect Training

Developer: Sumo Digital

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Xbox 360 (Kinect)

Genre: sports interactive

Release date: 2nd November 2012

Story – n/a

Graphics – 4/5

Gameplay = 5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

©theleet

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