Five Must Have Xbox Kinect Games for This Holiday Season

The Xbox Kinect is one of this year's most popular Xbox 360 accessories.  With great deals being offered by retailers for the popular motion-tracking sensor, the Kinect is selling like hotcakes.  So you've went out and bought the new accessory, but now what? 

Yes, it probably came bundled with a few games, but those are just the tip of the Xbox Kinect iceberg.  The fact is, the Kinect offers a variety of great games that will appeal to the different tastes of all gamers.

If you're looking to expand your Kinect game library, or looking to buy a loved one a new game for the Xbox Kinect, then you really can't go wrong with any of the games listed below.

Dance Central 2

dance central 2

Developed by Harmonix Music Systems for the Xbox Kinect, Dance Central 2 has you perform specific dance moves that are tracked by the Kinect.  It's simple: the more accurate you perform the moves, the more points you score.  Dance Central 2 includes voice control, simultaneous 2-player gameplay in both cooperative and competitive modes with drop in/drop out functionality, an improved fitness mode, and a more in-depth and customizable "Break it Down" mode.

As a sequel, Dance Central 2 takes what the original game does and makes it better.  WIth an impressive score of 86 on Metacritic, Dance Central 2 will have you fist pumping to popular songs like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", Justin Bieber's "Somebody to Love", Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It", and many more!

As far as dance games go on the Kinect, this is the best of the best and a must-have for any Kinect owner.  This game will get your blood pumping and give you boogy fever.

The Gunstringer

the gunstringer

The best thing about this game is that it came bundled with most Black Friday/Cyber Monday Xbox Kinect bundles.  For those of you who purchased an Xbox Kinect before this game was out, The Gunstringer is another must-have.  With a respectable 76 on Metacritic from critics, The Gunstringer boasts a favorable 8.3 from users, which lets you know fans are enjoying it!

Developed by the always-funny Twisted Pixel, The Gunstringer is a hilarious Kinect game that has you take control of a cowboy skeleton marionette on a quest for vengeance.  The twist is that the gunslinger is actually a puppet show performed on stage in the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas.  As we said in our preview of the game, The Gunstringer is visually and thematically charming.

The controls are simple.  You use your left hand to move left and right; up pulls him upward.  With your right hand, you can highlight enemies and shootable objects.  You yank your right hand up to shoot, similar to firing a pistol back in the wild west.  As Twisted Pixel's first Kinect game, this one is a definite success.  Even better, it comes packaged with Fruit Ninja Kinect!

Kinect Disneyland Adventures

Visiting Disneyland/Disney World is expensive, but thanks to Frontier Developments' Kinect Disneyland Adventures, you can visit the famed theme park for an affordable price!  And you avoid the lines and heat!

Kinect Disneyland Adventures puts you and a friend smack dab in the middle of the Disneyland theme park, with themed games in place of many of the famous rides.  Some attractions turned mini-games include Alice in Wonderland, Big THunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, It's a Small World, and the always popular Pirates of the Caribbean, plust many more fun rides!

The game is a light-hearted family game that's easy and fun to play.  This is an easy way for your kids to interact with the digital representations of their favorite Disney characters.  For Disney fans, this game is a must-have.  For those with kids, this is also a great game.

Child of Eden

child of eden

Another extremely popular game for the Kinect, Child of Eden received great scores, including a 8/10 in our review of the game!  Child of Eden is a rhythm-action game and the successor to popular game RezChild of Eden presents itself as an experiment on synesthesia, integrating sound, vision, and touch in one seamless experience.

The objective of the game is to save Project Lumi, which is near completion, from a virus attack.  If finished, Project Lumi would reproduce a human personality in Eden, the artificial intelligence inside which Rez took place.

Child of Eden combines action and music.  When shooting various objects on the screen, it produces musical effects.  The result is quite a spectacle.  Though you can use a controller, Child of Eden is also has Kinect functionality.  Your right arm controlls the lock-on weapon, while the left controls your rapid-fire gun.  Movement is done for you already so you just point and shoot, and admire the spectacle.

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

Wrapping up our list of Must-Have Xbox Kinect games, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is one of those rare games that's supposed to be kids-oriented, but actually has something to offer everyone.  Sesame Street scored an impressive 8/10 in our review of the game.  Using the Kinect funcitonality, you will control Muppet characters Cookie Monster, Elmo, and a new character, Marco, as they sing and dance.

The game is presented as a storybook divided into a number of chapters, each featuring a monster with some problem that needs to be solved by Cookie Monster and Elmo.  One chapter involves the new character Marco who was the only attendee at his own birthday party.  Within the chapters are mini-games that utilize the Kinect controller.

This game is great for all ages.  WIth no penalty for failing a challenge, your kids can enjoy and progress through the game without having to complete every minigame. Elmo and Cookie Monster’s voices are spot on with their Sesame Street counterparts, and the new monsters are equally likable.

 

Like I said, there are plenty more Xbox Kinect games that are a great purchase.  WIth that being said, every console has some must-have games, and these are the ones that are on our list. 

If you are looking to buy yourself or a loved one a different type of game, be sure to check out our Holiday Gift Guide of Must-Have Games!  There you will find the 2011 must-have games broken down by genre.