Remember that device that sits above your Xbox One or TV and is used most of the time to pick up you shouting commands at Cortana to watch TV or record some amazing feat you had done, well that device is called Kinect. It was a concept first introduced back in the days of the Xbox 360 to challenge the very fabric of gaming with hands free motion and voice detection without the need of a controller of sorts in your hand. Its early adoption was great as led to titles such as Kinect Sport, Dance Central 2 and of course my personal favourite Zumba Fitness. However with the introduction of Xbox One the Kinect excitement soon fell away and to be honest I thought we had buried it. However like a phoenix from the ashes Kung-Fu for Kinect has kicked its way through our front door.

Released exclusively for the Xbox One by Virtual Air Guitar, Kung-Fu for Kinect might be recognisable to old 360 Kinect fans as a title originally released on the Xbox 360 back in 2011 under the name Kinect Kung-Fu High Impact. However for all you Kinect novices out there the basic concept of the game is that you fight, kick and punch your way through levels of bad guys by flailing your arms and legs in a sort of Bruce Lee manner until they are all defeated.

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Movement is also controlled by your kicking and flailing arms and depending on what direction you face, allowing you to jump and slide across the screen. However you’re not just limited to kicking and punching and as you progress through the levels you uncover new moves like a ground or double punch. Combine these with character upgrades that you earn as you progress through the game and you start feeling like the next Bruce Lee. Now where’s the one inch punch option?

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When you finally clear a level after defeating several waves of bad guys you are then asked to pose for a few photos, fame at last. The next level then starts with the story being told through a comic book style feature and low and behold there you are super imposed into the story. I have to say I do like this feature as it makes the game more personal and brings backs memories of playing one of my favorite games with the kids “You’re in the Movies” on the Xbox 360. The game then flings you back into the fighting in a sort of Groundhog Day scenario but with a different background but hey this doesn’t really matter as I was too embroiled in kicking bad guys Kung-Fu style.

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The Campaign comes with 22 levels to keep you happy and if that’s not enough the game also offers you 8 replayable challenges and a one shot mode for staging your own finishing moves. The graphics are sharp, crisp and detailed, and even though they won’t win any awards they keep to style and comic book feel of the game really well. The core concept from the original game has been ported across and there is nothing wrong with that as on the 360 I have to say Kinect Kung-Fu High Impact was one of the best games out there for Kinect but that’s where it ends. The whole game has had a facelift and been reprogrammed using Unity Software bringing little extra’s like rag doll physics to the game and because of this the new motion detection is really noticeable. Gone are the days when you needed a small tennis court in your lounge to use Kinect and I was really surprised with just how little space was needed and how clear the movement detection was.

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I have to take my hat off to Virtual Air Guitar as they seem to have the Kinect market cornered and even though the games aren’t cutting edge, all the ones that have been released are well polished and more importantly Fun. Kung-Fu for Kinect fits into this category and even though I won’t be seeing myself playing it over and over again, the kids loved it. I other thing I also like about this game is even though the kids are playing video games they have no idea they are also keeping fit at the same time. (Win, win, on them rainy days).

If you are one of the few that still has Kinect on your Xbox One and you’re looking for a get up and go game or a replacement for Xbox Fitness then look no further. What could be better than kicking, punching and jumping your way through a game and getting fit at the same time without even realising?

Thanks to Virtual Air Guitar & Xbox for supporting TiX