Microsoft's has just launched two games under the Playful Learning initiative: the co-op Kinect Nat Geo TV and single-player Kinect Sesame Street TV. These games aim to both educate and entertain, much like the long-forgotten edutainment titles of yore. Is the combination of live-action footage and motion-controlled minigame interaction a good way to learn? Yes, but with a few caveats.
Kinect Nat Geo TV consists of eight interactive episodes that last about an hour each. Each one revolves around a particular wildlife theme, such as black bears or owls. They are hosted by a true nature lover, as he apparently married an actual bear. Or maybe the bear attended his wedding, I forget. The primary episodic content is entertaining and informative, though it skews a bit younger than traditional National Geographic episodes.
At three points throughout each episode, large and easily noticeable animal prints appear on screen. That’s the cue for players to yell out “Tracks!” and embark on a ‘side track’ from the main episode’s content. It works much like the Picture-in-Picture special features seen in many Blu Ray movies. Only here, every side track asks players a couple of questions to keep them involved. When playing in co-op, one player answers for the group. You have to make educated guesses at the answers as the host doesn’t necessarily tell you everything in advance. For me, the questions are a bit on the tough side, but I suppose the quiz element is fun enough.
Every episode also has breaks for three minigames themed around that episode’s subject. For example, in the Bears episode you’ll dig through rocks for moths to eat or swat at attacking hornets. The display makes use of augmented reality, placing animal heads and arms on top of the player’s own and decorating the Kinect’s video feed with outdoor elements. It’s quite amusing to watch.
The actual quality of the minigames is something of a mixed bag. Some, like the one in which you play as owls protecting their nests from invading birds and snakes, successfully capture the show’s theme in a fun way. I also loved catching river fish as a bear. You just maneuver your body to where the fish are going and your digital bear head chomps them down, gaining precious Omega-3 acids in the process.
Truly the stuff of nightmares
Unfortunately, several ill-conceived minigames revolve around rapid flailing of your arms. These might cast players as bears digging through rocks, or rams fighting each other with their hooves. Flapping your arms madly and repeatedly at nothing is actually pretty bad for them, not to mention overly exhausting. My first episode left me sore for a couple of days – and not the good kind of sore, like when you’re sore because you beat up a guy who was trying to steal your car.
Some of that muscle pain can also be attributed to having to replay the minigames several times in order to get the best rating. The score goals are so strict, if you make even one mistake you’re likely to fail the level. Considering that the game is aimed at kids and the inherent lack of precision in Kinect controls, the stringent score requirements feel much out of place. That said, if you’re not concerned with Achievements, you can make do with a lower rating and still complete the episode.
Just like videogames, learning with a friend is often more fun than doing it alone. Thankfully the entire game, from main episodes to side tracks to minigames, allows both players to earn Achievements. As long as your partner is signed in, he or she will get credit for the non-minigame portions without needing to actually drop in or out. When a minigame comes up, the second player can choose to join in or sit out.
Playing the minigames along with a friend enhances the silliness quotient, but not necessarily the gameplay. Both players earn points for their actions, which then contribute to the total score and star rating. So far so good. But a second player doesn’t make things easier at all. It’s actually harder to reach the 3-star goal because two players have play flawlessly instead of just one. I eventually asked my partner to sit out because she was only holding me back.
Kinect Nat Geo TV also includes a Party mode for people who want to hop directly into the minigames without watching the episodes. You can’t pick which minigame to play; they just cycle endlessly. Party mode is a nice option, but I wish they’d provided a way to choose specific games or turn off the games you don’t like.
On the non-interactive side, Kinect Nat Geo TV provides one year of access to a host of 45-minute TV episodes. You’ll find more than 25 episodes broken down into a handful of categories like sharks and. These are legitimate television episodes and thus not aimed specifically at kids (unlike the main game’s interactive episodes), so I enjoy them a bit more. If you enjoy learning about animals, sharks, bugs, and whatnot, these certainly should hit the mark. The episodes, like the rest of the game’s menus, can be browsed with a controller or voice commands on top of motion controls – very nice.
Pictured: an actual Alabaman living room
As someone who very nearly became a teacher (even aced the certification exams, woot!), I love the idea of games that actually educate the player. Mixing in the fitness aspect and you have a winning concept. Still, Kinect Nat Geo TV drops the ball slightly in that area since the minigames produce more fatigue and less fun than most other Kinect titles I’ve played. The strict scoring also mars the game’s cooperative potential – we shouldn’t have to play alone in order to do well. Overall, Kinect Nat Geo TV is a good start for the Playful Learning concept, but future titles should focus on getting the gameplay up to the standards of the videos.
Like Kinect Sesame Street TV, this game is available via either a retail disc priced at $29.99 or a downloadable, episodic version for 2400 Microsoft Points in total. The disc is the better deal because it comes with full access to the downloadable game, which has separate and stackable Achievements. That means you can get 2000 GamerScore from a single purchase, assuming your arms don’t fall off somewhere along the way.
The Co-Optimus review of Kinect Nat Geo TV is based on the downloadable version of the game, which was provided by the publisher.