Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Q Entertainment
MSRP: $39.99
by: Nick "bapenguin" Puleo
Child of Eden, when revealed, was supposed to be the game that sold the Kinect to the core audience. Now after having played the Rez successor with the Kinect I can say...well I say just play it with a controller.
Sure the Kinect works just fine for the game - but it doesn't really add anything to the gameplay. Perhaps the speed at which you do things is slightly faster, but they are also slightly more inaccurate. It's a trade off and one I'm not willing to make.
Gameplay wise there's nothing here that will surprise you - this game is a Rez successor through and through. Graphically you won't be blown away, but Child of Eden does take some advantage of the hardware and certain levels do stand out above the others, just like the original. The biggest difference in Eden is your 
need to constantly switch betwee two attack types depending on the enemy color attacking you. The goal is still to build up the highest multiplier possible by locking on up to 8 enemies at a time without being hit, but beyond this anyone who has played Rez will be right at home.
Musically the game stands up with the rest, with your gameplay becoming the soundtrack itself at times. You simply get lost in the series of beats and pulses.
All is not well though, Eden is incredibly short. Easily beaten in under 3 hours if not less. Whether that's worth the $40 to you or not, well, that's up to you. But there is replayability and bonuses to unlock for further play and scoring.
Is Child of Eden better than Rez? In a way, yes. But it still doesn't capture that magic you had the first time playing Rez.
Score: 