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Kinectimals

By far the cutest of the launch games, Kinectimals' target demographic is obvious.

Essential a sandbox experience for children between 3 and 7 years old, it's the type of adventure you always dreamed of as a young child. Set in Lemuria, a magical island populated by the most adorable little man-eaters ever depicted in a videogame, gameplay revolves around you adopting one of 30 available wild kitty cats.

A room with a zoo

All the famous wild cats are present, from lions and cheetahs to tigers and panthers. And each has its own personality and facial expressions. Once adopted, you can teach the little furball tricks and accompany him on adventures around the island.

An open-world game, Kinectimals has plenty to keep your own little critter entertained, with loads of challenges and minigames, and an overarching story about lost pirate treasure. The game makes excellent use of voice and gesticular commands, especially when teaching your cat tricks. Commands such as lie down, play dead and spin around can be spoken or acted out physically, with the cat replicating your every move.

Earn your stripes

It's a system that really draws children into the game, eliciting genuine empathy. But as a game, Kinectimals has too many mechanical flaws. For a while they might go unnoticed by children, who are generally more forgiving than us oldies, but unwieldy, repetitious menus and suspect motion controls in some of Kinectimal's minigames eventually break the magic.

Reg Rating 65%
Price £40
More Info Microsoft's official Kinectimals website

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