Kinect Sports: Season Two
Encyclopedia
Kinect Sports: Season Two, also known as Kinect Sports 2, is a sequel to Kinect Sports
co-developed by Rare and BigPark
, and published by Microsoft Studios. It was unveiled at E3 2011
's Microsoft Conference for Kinect and released in October 2011. The game adds six new sports and voice control. As with the previous game, it requires the Kinect sensor.
, darts
, baseball
, skiing
, tennis
, and American football
. The games are controlled through Microsoft's Kinect device, which allows players to control the game through gestures and speech recognition
without the need of any physical game controller
. The player controls the sports by mimicking how the sports are played in real life without the equipment that usually is associated with them; for example, swinging one's arms as if they were holding a golf club
or kicking to score a field goal in American football. The Kinect's voice command technology is utilized more frequently than in the game's predecessor, Kinect Sports
, with the game containing over 300 voice commands.
Rare has shown the American football game's two player gameplay, where one user controls the quarterback
and another the receiver
during a game. The player mimes throwing a football
towards the receiver, where the other person mimics catching it. A field goal trial was demonstrated during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which allowed the user to attempt to kick a field goal by completing a kicking motion. In golf, the player can use voice commands to switch clubs without having to move to a menu, and swing their hands as if holding a club. The game features Xbox Live
competition, and allows players to challenge each other in multiplayer modes.
. Reaction from demos for golf were positive; Tom Hoggins of The Daily Telegraph
called the golf game "excellent fun" and stated that the game overall felt like "a highly refined, more complete version of the first game". The American football demonstration was subject to more mixed reaction. IGN
's Peter Eykemans complimented the Kinect's sensitivity toward his missed field goal kick, noting that as he accidentally kicked the floor in real life, his avatar likewise failed to hit the football properly in the game. GameSpot
's Tom McShea voiced concerns from the E3 demonstration of American football, noticing how the demonstrator's attempts to throw to the receiver in the multiplayer game for the most part failed to work properly.
Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports is a sports video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game utilises the Kinect motion-sensing peripheral and was released in North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan in November 2010 as a launch title for Kinect.The game is a...
co-developed by Rare and BigPark
BigPark
BigPark is a Canadian video game developer owned by Microsoft Studios.-History:Microsoft acquired BigPark in 2009, a few months prior to the announcement of the Kinect sensor . Their first project was to be Joy Ride, a casual racing title which incorporated Xbox Live Avatars...
, and published by Microsoft Studios. It was unveiled at E3 2011
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, commonly known as E3 2011, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . The event took place June 7–9, 2011 at the Los Angeles...
's Microsoft Conference for Kinect and released in October 2011. The game adds six new sports and voice control. As with the previous game, it requires the Kinect sensor.
Gameplay
Kinect Sports: Season Two consists of six sports which can be accessed from the main menu: golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. The games are controlled through Microsoft's Kinect device, which allows players to control the game through gestures and speech recognition
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
without the need of any physical game controller
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
. The player controls the sports by mimicking how the sports are played in real life without the equipment that usually is associated with them; for example, swinging one's arms as if they were holding a golf club
Golf club
A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
or kicking to score a field goal in American football. The Kinect's voice command technology is utilized more frequently than in the game's predecessor, Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports is a sports video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game utilises the Kinect motion-sensing peripheral and was released in North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan in November 2010 as a launch title for Kinect.The game is a...
, with the game containing over 300 voice commands.
Rare has shown the American football game's two player gameplay, where one user controls the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and another the receiver
Receiver
-Technology:* The listening device part of a telephone** The handset that sometimes contains the above device** The headset that can also contain the above device.* Audio-Visual receiver* Digital media receiver...
during a game. The player mimes throwing a football
Football (ball)
A football is an inflated ball used to play one of the various sports known as football.The first balls were made of natural materials, such as an inflated pig bladder, sometimes inside a leather cover...
towards the receiver, where the other person mimics catching it. A field goal trial was demonstrated during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which allowed the user to attempt to kick a field goal by completing a kicking motion. In golf, the player can use voice commands to switch clubs without having to move to a menu, and swing their hands as if holding a club. The game features Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
competition, and allows players to challenge each other in multiplayer modes.
Reception
Microsoft demonstrated golf and American football at E3 2011Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, commonly known as E3 2011, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . The event took place June 7–9, 2011 at the Los Angeles...
. Reaction from demos for golf were positive; Tom Hoggins of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
called the golf game "excellent fun" and stated that the game overall felt like "a highly refined, more complete version of the first game". The American football demonstration was subject to more mixed reaction. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Peter Eykemans complimented the Kinect's sensitivity toward his missed field goal kick, noting that as he accidentally kicked the floor in real life, his avatar likewise failed to hit the football properly in the game. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Tom McShea voiced concerns from the E3 demonstration of American football, noticing how the demonstrator's attempts to throw to the receiver in the multiplayer game for the most part failed to work properly.