Kinectimals

Kinectimals is adorable, cute and endearing all in one neat package. Despite a repetitive selection of mini-games, it remains the most efficient use of Kinect technology in crafting a game for children and casual gamers, who are the main demographic for Kinect at this stage.

While there is a lot to like about Kinectimals how much you can enjoy it depends on how much difficulty you have with the motion controls.

What it lacks in exactness it more than makes up for in whimsy and, indeed, the decision to focus on Kinect more as an aid to deepen an immersive, tactile experience than to promote competition with friends is commendable. [Issue#104, p.116]

Clearly aimed at youngsters and families Kinectimals isn't going to appeal to the masses. But kids will most definitely love the on-screen pets and with the mini-games and amount of variety, Kinectimals has something for everyone.

Kinectimals is a great experience for every child with an Xbox 360, but a more mature audience will notice some gameplay problems. Every pet is as cute and beautiful as the gorgeous landscape but the difficulty of some of the mini-games, due to some hardware problems, ruins the final experience.

The puppies are just great, the setting is rich and full of secrets. If your babies have Kinect, this is the game. A shame for the sometimes malfunctioning controls and slow menus.

The game's intended target audience is likely to respond to the beautifully animated pets with squeaks of delight, though exposure to the Edge test family did result in two children vying for the attention of a camera that would one accept one of the little terrors at a time. [Christmas 2010]

Kinectimals is one of the games that uses kinect.

The most open-minded adult will likely only find a few hours of amusement here. But for a child with an active imagination (and a soft spot for all things cute and fuzzy), Kinectimals goes a long way in making Kinect "a must have" this holiday.

Those little baby animals are really cute. Little girls will love to play with these virtual pets. There is nothing challenging in playing with the little tigers. So core gamers won't be satisfied with Kinectimals.

The concept is clearly not going to appeal to anyone with an age in double digits but the game makes much better and more varied use of Kinect than almost any other title so far released.

An ideal game for kids to enjoy themselves at home when they cannot get out.

It's a Kinect game that is probably worth picking up if you've got youngsters, but it's not the immersive family experience it should have been.

Of all the Kinect launch titles, this is perhaps the one with the most actual substance. Hopefully it's but a hint of things to come.

Bottom line, Kinectimals is adorable. It might not be a game for the core audience or anyone above the age of 10. However, for everyone else, Kinectimals has the ability to suck you in with its cutesy aesthetics and adorable charm.

A lot of it is repetitive, but there's a decent amount of gameplay here. There are many things to do, and it will take many hours to fully explore the island.

I think Kinectimals, as cute as it is and how it's occasionally really neat when it comes to voice commands and certain motion interactions, is ultimately a shallow and repetitive game. But I keep it around for moments such as seeing my daughter toss a fedora at a panther cub, and hearing her laugh and joyously point out how silly it is that a cat is now wearing a hat.

While the cute factor is off the charts, Kinectimals never really offers the addicting gameplay and depth of a game like Viva Pinata.

It's cute, cozy and joyful. But as an adult, it's hard to oversee its limitations. For starters, it's repetetive. It doesn't have enough variety in the minigames to keep it interesting in the long run. But it's still surprisingly well-made, and an excellent game for kids.