Kung-Fu Live

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 30
  3. Negative: 13 out of 30
  1. NZGamer
    Jan 2, 2011
    70
    Still, the game is kind of brilliant. More importantly, and I can't emphasize this enough, when you first play it, or see someone you know play it, it is the funniest thing you will see in your life.
  2. Joystiq
    Dec 20, 2010
    70
    Fans of Kung fu pulp or those who want to sample motion-controlled gaming without breaking the bank should find enough stupid fun in KFL to warrant the $14.99 download. Just don't blame me if you can't lift your arms in the morning.
  3. GamePro
    Dec 14, 2010
    70
    Sure, it has some control foibles, and it can tire out your gamer's cardiovascular system in a New York minute, but Kung Fu Live is a surprisingly successful motion-controlled beat-em-up that will entertain you (and anyone who happens to be watching you) for quite a few hours.
  5. Gaming Age
    Dec 20, 2010
    67
    As a PS Eye game goes it stands out as a winner in the eyes of this reviewer, even if only for the technical prowess. Kung Fu LIVE ...for the most part...works.
  6. TotalPlayStation
    Jan 1, 2011
    65
    It's great fun for anyone who comes to visit, and it will definitely give you a workout.
  7. PSM3 Magazine UK
    Jan 31, 2011
    63
    PS Eye functions add novelty to this otherwise solid PSN game. [Feb 2011, p.100]
    All this publication's reviews
  8. Cheat Code Central
    Dec 22, 2010
    62
    There's a lot of fun to be had here, and younger players should get plenty of fun out of this product. For discerning adults, the allure may wear off pretty quickly, but not before a few hearty laughs.
  9. ZTGD
    Dec 20, 2010
    60
    If you can make it past the inaccurate controls, Kung-Fu Live is actually fun.
  10. D+PAD Magazine
    Dec 16, 2010
    60
    As a game, Kung Fu LIVE is by no means a great one…in fact, it's barely even a good one –the technical demands and lack of immediacy in the controls can be frustrating, and underneath the technical showboating is a fighting game of the most rudimentary kind.
  11. PlayStation Universe
    Dec 27, 2010
    55
    Meet the strict criteria for set-up and calibration and you might enjoy the novelty of seeing yourself kicking ass on screen, but you'll still have to battle with the controls just as much as you will against the bad guys.
  12. PSFocus
    Dec 21, 2010
    51
    The idea of Kung-Fu Live is that you are fighting with your own body kung-fu style like with the PlayStation Eye. It's a great concept, but the way the gameplay works isn't great and it's pretty tiring.
  13. TheSixthAxis
    Dec 20, 2010
    50
    If played in small doses then Kung-Fu LIVE delivers what you would expect; a bit of a laugh with the "oooh look I'm on screen" factor. Ultimately it is shallow though, and repetition soon sets in.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 4 out of 11
  1. jedbeetle
    Dec 16, 2010
    9
    I'm going to say this first, since it's the most important thing: People have been talking about calibration issues with this game and I canI'm going to say this first, since it's the most important thing: People have been talking about calibration issues with this game and I can tell they're running into the same problem I figured out early on. If you make changes to your environment during the game, it will confuse the heck out of it. You have to reset the game and make any changes during the very first initial setup screen!! If you make any changes after that, it will just make things worse, since the game bases all image detection on that first moment of calibration. Trust me, if you understand how to make this game work, it works great. And it does NOT require an hour or more of calibration. Took me 10 minutes to work it out the first time, and now it's a 5 minute setup tops for me. Easily the most fun I've had playing a motion-based game. That it uses only the camera and not the move peripheral makes me wonder at all the recent hullabaloo regarding the new motion tech. This can't be considered a full review, since I have only played a little of the game. Due to the aerobic nature of this title, it'll be awhile before I get all the way through it. What's fun about it: *Jumping around, kicking, swinging arms, jump attacks, even swinging an object around the room is how you fight in this game. If you can jump in the air and do the splits, then you can kick 2 enemies on either side of you. As hard and as fast as you can swing is as strong as you will be in the game. And it works, even in less than ideal conditions. *Super moves work very well. Gesture based actions work if you pull of the gesture, and they are satisfying. Learning how to do a backflip onto your enemy and strike as you land on them is pretty satisfying. *Challenging. Flailing your arms around wildly will not get you through the game. You need to learn to dodge, duck, jump, and time your attacks. *Comic book involves you. It's really funny actually. You pose for the camera, and the game sticks pictures of you in the story comic. And it works pretty well. you can even retake the pictures to try out variations on the pose and different outfits. Story doesn't seem amazing, but it doesn't seem too painful, and the fact that it's me up there makes it all the more entertaining. *Makes you sweat. Easily the most exhausting game I've ever played. I had to stop between fights to rest. I got sweaty. Since my exercise generally comprises picking up my kid and setting up my classroom, this is a great option for a workout. Need to stretch before and after. What I wish worked better: *I need a different colored couch. Having a dark green couch and a light-colored wall confused the game a little. Before I changed my pants to be less green, my "avatar" sank into the ground here and there. Suffice to say, the game works best if you have a solid background to play against and clothes that contrast that background. Also, ample, even lighting. The game will still work in less than ideal conditions, but it works all the better if you prepare yourself and your space. *I can't reach that far!! The length of my arms limits my attack range. And I have long arms. I spent some time swinging wildly at nothing before I learned how to quickly move across the screen, since some enemies apparently figured out that the best way to avoid my wild monkey swings is to go somewhere else. *ouch, my foot. I hurt my foot kicking at a badguy where a chair was. You need a lot of space - about 6'x6' - to play this game, and it will not work very well otherwise. I do have enough space, but I had to clear some stuff out of the way. I also knocked over our poinsettia when I was experimenting with using a staff as a weapon - which seemed to actually work, however dangerous it was to me and my living room. Staff aside, I was jumping, kicking, and flailing my arms all over the room, possibly endangering myself and several inanimate objects, and some cats. *I don't like that guy's voice. I wish I could record my own voice, or have several voice options for the voice over of my character. The actor isn't too bad, but I hear something else in my head when I see my picture, and I'd love to have the option to change it. All in all, a successfully innovative and hilariously fun treatment of the old 2d beat-em-up. It's a gem in the hit-or-miss motion controlled genre, and it stands out for using only the old, original motion-based gaming device: The Playstation Eye. Not perfect, but rarely anything like this is.… Full Review »
  2. Jenova1212
    Dec 16, 2010
    4
    Ok so when I heard about this game, and Saw the amazing trailer I simply could not wait to download and play this game, so I did and gotOk so when I heard about this game, and Saw the amazing trailer I simply could not wait to download and play this game, so I did and got straight in, then I was hit with what seemed a diamond tipped sledge hammer, it doesn't work, or I can't get it to work should I say, I believe the concept is great, however the setup is beyond a catastrophe, I tried for an hour and that's no lie, an hour of painfull adjustments that made no difference at all, the outcome remains the same, you never get told you need ammassive amount of space to play, allot of lighting, and a pro setup. Some people seem to be fine with this, however the majority will be left angered, and displeased to say the least. Concept 10/10. Workability = 3… Full Review »
  3. porkfat
    Dec 10, 2010
    7
    To Hades with the nay-sayers! IGN strikes again by slamming a really fun game! (They did the same thing with The Fight, and you see how wrongTo Hades with the nay-sayers! IGN strikes again by slamming a really fun game! (They did the same thing with The Fight, and you see how wrong most of the critics are about that game.)
    This game is wicked sweet! Totally worth the $15 and that's judging from the last 10 minutes of a quick play game. The game told me my room was very dark (yay CFLs, I still need a cheap incandescent lamp) but it picked up EVERYTHING I was doing. Holy crap, what a work out and VERY FUN!

    Granted, my living room is pretty big (the game recommends a 7x9 room) and you need to stand far enough away for your body to be fully seen, but this **** is fun as hell! I just did a back flip, a ground pound and a van dam style split kick to hit dudes on either side of me. What did you do today? Get this game today! Actually, it's more like a really fun tech demo than a game, which makes the low price easy to understand. There are visual artifacts which are to be expected with this kind of early product and maybe 100% of my strikes don't hit, but enough of them do to not detract from the fun.

    Look at the critic's environment in the IGN review. I tiny office or a dark projector room? Come on and review it in a decent room with lighting and stop trying to pump your so called "martial arts experience" you did when you were 8. Take it for what it is, play it, and have a hell of a time beating up guys as you become a part of the game!    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »