The media could not be loaded.
I'm a big fan of all the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games, although I am running out of space to store all the guitar controllers between my PS2 and Wii. For this reason I haven't even considered this type of game on Xbox. I'm also a big fan of the Kinect, which has spoiled me for games that require sitting on your butt pushing buttons mindlessly.
This game brings these two loves together. The concept is the same -- you hit cues on time to keep the music going. Only here you're the conductor rather than the musician. It also expands on the creativity by letting you change music styles within a song, as well as compose your own riff that becomes incorporated into the song (not nearly as difficult as it sounds).
Just like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, the joy of the game comes not from striving for the highest score but participating in the music itself. And there seems to be an eclectic enough choice to satisfy any taste (just like in RB/GH though, I find myself trying songs I don't even really like just because it's so much fun to play). I never had aspirations to be a conductor (have played in plenty of school bands though), but I'll admit there's something deeply fulfilling in raising your arms triumphantly during a swelling powerful crescendo.
It's also easy to see why the download is so huge -- the graphics are top notch and immersive, a real feast for the eyes as well as the ears.
The game reminds me a little of Child of Eden, my first and favorite Kinect game (although way too short), with the hand movements and gorgeous graphics and not trying to kill things.
The demo only gives you four songs to try (not even full songs -- they cut off just as the remixing possibilities start to get exciting), just a tantalizing taste. I immediately put this game at the top of my Christmas wishlist, highest priority.
As excited as I am for this game, reading reviews for it has put fear in my heart that we might be in the last days of Kinect (360, at least). It feels like they gave us Kinect, made a handful of good games (and a whole lot of mediocre/frustrating ones), and are now giving up on it like an ADD sufferer. I say this because on the Xbox site, the Xbox One version has several expansion packs available; the 360, none. Obviously this can change in the future, but only if the developer sees any kind of success in sales. For this reason, I had to write a review prematurely because I have real hopes for this game, and for Kinect in general. I sincerely hope they don't let it die in favor of Xbox One or, worse, to return to a world of sitting on our couches mindlessly mashing buttons.
UPDATE: I received the game for Christmas, and if I could add a star to my review I would. Even more fun than I hoped. I have to force myself to stop playing for fear of finishing it too quickly (also my shoulders were killing me after the first day -- unexpected exercise benefit!)
It seems that Microsoft has updated their website, as there are now expansion packs available for the 360. This is a little bittersweet, as they want two bucks a pop for new songs, a little rich for me. However there are three style packs that add new remix options to songs already in the game. I will probably try those, as the greatest appeal of the game is hearing old classics played in exciting contemporary versions (for instance, a dubstep version of Night on Bald Mountain).
The full version adds mini games which, honestly, are more appealing to younger players; but they are easily avoidable and not required to unlock other content.
Harmonix hit it out of the stratosphere with this one, and I hope there are more like this in the future. Hands down my new favorite Kinect game!
