Kinect: Better with Child of Eden?

Written by Ryan Johnson (RyanDJ) Thursday, 01 September 2011 08:00

A few games are coming out these days labeled "Better with Kinect." Child of Eden is one of those games. Playable with a controller, but also with Kinect.  By and large it received great review scores, yet few bought it. Great IP, with small amounts of support. Now for a limited time it comes bundled with Kinect. Should this push you over the top to finally buy one?

First, there are a few odd things about Child of Eden being in a bundle. You still get Kinect Adventures. It's not like you are choosing between; this is a full on bonus. The game is controller compatible: I find it amazing that Microsoft is promoting the Kinect along with a game that doesn't require it. Says something about the end result of the Kinect controls and user response. It isn't an exclusive: This game is getting a PS3/Move release. Kinda like if a Madden Edition console bundle would come out with no specialized designs on the system. It is offering a cool game, but a cool game you can get through another system. Lastly, it is a download. No resells here. Those who criticised the game said it was too short and said it feels like a downloadable title, and now it is. Hopefully, this will naturally result in the game being available to those already owning a Kinect via digital download.

If you've clicked in looking directly for a review of Child of Eden, it is a satisfying game that truly makes you feel like the Kinect is a worthwhile purchase. This and Dance Central make up the bulk of the time when my son isn't playing Kinectimals. :) It gives a strong sense of control not felt before in many Kinect games, and has a decent storyline to follow that's more than "HI HERE ARE SOME SPORTZ TO PLAY!!" If you want more, click on in to Mike D's review from when the game originally came out.

So is it a game changer for those on the fence on buying a Kinect? Microsoft seems to think so. While a free game is a free game, this game does need to be experienced by more. I applaud Microsoft for taking a non-exclusive, non forced Kinect control game and promoting it simply because it is a good representation of the system's capabilities. The game is short, but it is designed to be experienced multiple times. Microsoft doesn't want to go the way of Nintendo and have the Kinect seen as solely for "waggle games." While Kinect Adventures is fun for me and my son, it definitely falls into that category. Microsoft is taking this opportunity to show the public that "better with Kinect" is something worth checking out as they integrate it into all of their major IPs, and this is the game to do it. So if you've been wondering about Kinect, head on over to Amazon and preorder the Kinect bundle with Child of Eden. The limited time package releases September 6th. Definitely a game not to miss if you want to see where the Kinect could go from here, and it is the perfect time to get in on the Kinect.