PowerUp Heroes

6/10

PowerUp Heroes Screenshots

Game Description

In this Kinect-only installment from Ubisoft, PowerUp Heroes plunges head-first into the fighting genre. It's an over-the-shoulder melee that whips you through different gangs and "level" bosses...all controlled (and restricted) by Kinect's body sensors.

For the first 10 minutes, we actually quite enjoyed PowerUp. It was easy to setup (you play as a souped up version of your Live Avatar) and mastering the uncomplicated moves was a breeze. As we encountered the local riff-raff, Kinect kept pace quite well during our flurry of power kicks and impromptu arm bars. It's a game targeted towards teenagers, but it had us 30-somethings going for a while.

Unfortunately, as you progress in the game, the simplicity in the controls mixed with the tougher competition slowly siphons most of the fun straight out of the game. You're left with a frustrating mix of undetected moves and awkward teamwork (if playing with a bud). In all, PowerUp Heroes has its moments and it's clear the fighting genre in Kinect HAS potential -- it's just not fully realized with this game, but hats off to Ubisoft for the intrepid attempt. As the Kinect improves its sensory map and noise filtering, bigger and more immersive fighting games are sure to follow.