At a Glance - Kinect Workout Game Round-up

The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout

Pros

• Good variety of exercises
• Tailored routines
• Includes water breaks
• Trainer is encouraging, more forgiving of errors and dropping out of difficult activities
• Offers diet suggestions
• Challenge modes

Cons

• Hard to play in minimal amount of space (8 feet from sensor)

Dance Central

Pros:

• Fun party play (Dance Battles)
• Nice selection of music
• Good body tracking
• No failing out
• Unlockables encourage continued play
• Works in minimal amount of space (about 8 feet from sensor)

Cons:

• Workout mode is hard to find (buried in individual song options)
• Each song burns only minimal calories
• No playlists, so you have to take a break between each song (not ideal for aerobics)
• Menus tricky for left-handed players to navigate

Dance Masters

Pros:

• Solo or two player dance modes
• Dance anyway you like and match poses and steps at key points for scoring
• Your photo realistic on-screen representation can be entertaining
• Menus easy to navigate

Cons:

• No workout mode
• Possible to fail out
• Music choices limited, not as mainstream as Dance Central
• Doesn't track and rate all of your movements (except in Stealth mode, which has to be unlocked)

EA Sports Active 2

Pros:

• Includes heart rate sensor
• Most but not all exercises work in minimal amount of space (about 8 feet from sensor)
• Tailored routines
• Some fun activities (kicking soccer balls, 'riding' a mountain bike)
• Trainer is encouraging
• Offers diet suggestions
• Two-player workout mode

Cons:

• Menus hard to navigate
• Some activities are unforgiving
• No yoga or relaxation exercises

Kinect Adventures

Pros:

• Fun activities to get you moving and, depending on the exercise, your heart rate up
• Unlockables encourage continued play
• Two player modes encourage cooperation (but require more space)

Cons:

• More of a game than a workout program
• Does not work in minimal amount of space (need more than 8 feet from sensor)

Kinectimals

Pros:

• Fun activities to get you moving and, depending on the exercise, your heart rate up
• Some mini-games just right for aerobic workout (can go on for many minutes depending on your skill)
• Exploration and unlockables encourage continued play
• Works in minimal amount of space (about 8 feet from sensor)

Cons:

• More of a game than a workout program
• No easy-to-access party mode for multiplayer (some activities do let you swap players)

Kinect Sports

Pros:

• Good variety of fun activities (soccer, volleyball, boxing, bowling, table tennis, track and field events)
• Multiplayer support (up to 4 sequential players, some 2-player splitscreen modes)
• Some mini-games just right for aerobic workout (can go on for many minutes depending on your skill)
• Works in minimal amount of space (about 8 feet from sensor)

Cons:

• More of a game than a workout program

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved

Pros:

• Most but not all excerises work in minimal amount of space (about 8 feet from sensor)
• Tailored routines
• Tracks daily progress
• Yoga
• Fun mini-games

Cons:

• Trainer not very encouraging
• Menus hard to navigate, include DLC you may not have purchased
• Some color scheme choices make play unintentionally difficult (avoid avatars that are the color of blocks you need to hit)

Zumba Fitness

Pros:

• Solid 20-minute workout, can be doubled to 40 minutes
• Works in minimal amount of space (about 8 feet from sensor)
• Includes water breaks
• Trainer is encouraging
• Unlockables encourage continued play

Cons:

• Difficulty ramps sharply between beginner and intermediate level
• Only a good workout if you're comfortable dancing for an extended period of time