Hello everyone,
I’d like to take a minute to thank all of you for reading Xbox Kinect Fans. Since we re-launched the site in January we’ve grown in leaps and bounds to become one of the premier sources of Xbox Kinect news on the internet. Without all of you, that wouldn’t have been possible.
So it is with sadness in our hearts that we announce that Xbox Kinect Fans is going on hold indefinitely. Kinect is great for a lot of things – dance games, exercise games, arcade games – but those types of games simply don’t lend themselves to providing us with a source of consistent, interesting news and features. At this point we feel that until Kinect 2 details begin coming out we’ve already covered the best of what Kinect has to offer over and over again.
Although we here at Xbox Kinect Fans are signing off, the Involved Fans network is stronger than ever. XBLA Fans, PSN Fans, Game Music Fans, and Windows Phone Fans are still pumping out the high quality news you have come to expect from our sites, and discussions are raging over on our recently launched forums. Who knows, maybe an exciting new site will be launching soon 
Thank you all so much for being part of our incredible journey.
Nick DePetris
Managing Editor
Microsoft is looking to move beyond the living room to fulfill your media center needs. According to Polygon, the upcoming Xbox Music service will be rolling out on October 26 alongside Windows 8. Xbox Music will offer Spotify-esque free, ad-supported streaming in addition to a subscription package. What really sets the service apart is its integration with the rest of the Microsoft suite of products, including Windows Phone 8, Windows 8, and Microsoft SkyDrive, which will allow users to upload songs and playlists to the cloud for playback across all devices. Look for a console update towards the end of the month with the new feature present.
Source: Polygon
Good news, sportsfans! If football is your game of choice, you’ll be able to get your hands on an early demo of Madden NFL 13 starting tomorrow, August 14. The demo includes a look at the revamped pregame section and a chance to try out the new game engine in one of two matchups – New York Giants vs the San Francisco 49ers or the Washington Redskins vs the Seattle Seahawks. Best of all, you’ll get a chance to try out some of the Kinect functionality, including pre-play audibles and on-the-fly adjustments.
In addition to the official game info, there are some details about how to win a copy of the game by playing the demo. According to EA, “For a chance to win, complete a Madden NFL 13 demo game and share the results (from the end of game menu) across Twitter with the hashtag #Madden13Demo.” Whether or not you’re interested in the prize, you can download the demo tomorrow – well ahead of its August 28 release date.
We’ll update this post with the link to the demo when it’s available.
Source: EA Sports
Majesco has revealed part of the track list for the next iteration in the popular Zumba Fitness series, Zumba Fitness Core, which is expected to release in October. Featuring such hits as a Samba version of Dancing with Myself and Enrique Inglesias’s Bailamos, Zumba Fitness Core aims to keep fitness fun when it releases this fall. Check out the new trailer, then take a look at 23 of the 40 songs from the game after the break.
Major Nelson has announced the release dates and pricing for some of the more interesting titles of Kinect’s fall lineup, Kinect Sesame Street TV, Kinect Nat Geo TV, and Nike+ Kinect Training. Kinect Sesame Street TV and Kinect Nat Geo TV will run you $29.99 USD and are heading to stores on September 18th. Each game comes with eight half hour episodes, which will also be available individually via Xbox Live for 400 MSP each. This is interesting pricing, and we’ll have to wait until closer release day to see exactly what it means for the games. On the other hand, Nike+ Kinect Training will cost the more standard price of $49.99 USD and will hit stores on October 30th.
Wreckateer was developed by Iron Galaxy Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on July 25, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Wreckateer has been on everyone’s minds since the first gameplay videos surfaced, and even more so since it was announced as part of this year’s Summer of Arcade. We’ve already previewed the game twice (here and here), and came away pretty impressed both times. But can the final version stack up against last year’s runaway Summer of Arcade hit Fruit Ninja Kinect?
In Wreckateer, your Xbox Live avatar is placed on a medieval wrecking crew in charge of destroying a bunch of goblin-infested castles. Similar to Angry Birds, on each level you’re given a preset number of shots with various special attributes, such as the maneuverable flying shot or the explosive bomb shot. Your goal is to use what you’ve been given to deal as much damage as possible, using your thinking cap to figure out how to rack up a massive score. And similar to Angry Birds, the result is an addictive, fun, and surprisingly strategic game.
When Polygon first revealed Kinect PlayFit with the promise of universal fitness tracking and a heart rate monitor, I was intrigued. As a Chicagoan with an aversion to gyms, there are large parts of the year when Kinect is my main method of injecting a little fitness into my life. Naturally, I was excited when Kinect PlayFit suddenly dropped in the middle of last week, but this quickly gave way to disappointment as my wish list of potential features came face-to-face with the uninspired reality.
What we are playing is a weekly column published every Sunday. Various members of the team let the world know which games have had them hooked over the past week and which they’re looking forward to.
Seán Prideaux – Not a whole lot of anything apart from Civ V earlier in the week. Started Dungeon Fighter Live and Men of War: Condemned Heroes though. Haven’t been able to get at the room for Kinect this week but I’m quite eager to play Mini Ninjas Adventures; hopefully I’ll be able to get at it this week.
Nick DePetris – With the Steam Summer Sale going on I’ve been in game heaven, trying to clear out my backlog a little to make room for the new stuff. I finished off the masterful FPS Far Cry and Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 1, and have been slowly puzzling my way through Machinarium and The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. On the Kinect side of things I’ve finally made it to face off against the Glitterati in Dance Central 2, and I expect I’ll be playing a lot more of that trying to unlock all the achievements in Kinect PlayFit.
Scott Waldyn – I went back to Dawnguard this week to finish the main quest line. One thing I can say about this add-on is that it’s rather lengthy, and it is absolutely beautiful. The new areas on the map are phenomenal and awe-inspiring to gawk at in wonder. Way to go, Bethesda.
Now that you know what we are playing, we want to hear what YOU are playing! Leave us a comment below and tell us.
Much to the chagrin of Kinectercisers everywhere, the rumored announcement of an all-in-one tracking system never materialized at E3. Microsoft evidently didn’t want to spoil the surprise, because it launched today with no warning at all. Major Nelson has all the details of Kinect PlayFit on his blog, but the general idea is to have a place that gathers data from all of your favorite exercise games so you don’t have to switch between them to see how you’ve been doing.
In addition to tracking other games, Kinect Fit Play has its own achievements, gamerscore, and avatar awards. If you’re in the US, Kinect PlayFit should be available now (although some of our staffers haven’t been able to get it yet). For everyone else, the new fitness tracker will be rolling out later this week. What do you all think about this new addition to the Kinect exercise family?
Check out the press release after the break.
Everyone loves deals, a message which Microsoft seems to be taking to heart of late. In addition to launching their new Sales & Specials + app, The Big M is following up on their Haunt giveaway by offering another deal through Kinect Central – 50% off Hole in the Wall! To take advantage of this special offer you’ll have to open up the Kinect Central section of the Xbox Dashboard, which can be found in the Games Marketplace and sometimes on the home tab. Whether or not you are interested in this deal it’s heartening to see that Microsoft is lining up some deals just for us Kinect fans.
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