About the game
Kinect Joy Ride is a racing game for Xbox 360 and a launch title for the Kinect hardware in 2010. It was developed by BigPark and published by Microsoft Game Studios.
You play as your Xbox Avatar and steer by holding your arms out as if you were gripping an invisible wheel. Pushing your hips forward makes you drift, and pulling the wheel towards you and pushing it forward gives a chargeable turbo boost. In the air you can perform tricks such as twists and spins for extra points. As you progress you earn fans, which unlock content such as new tracks and game modes. Modes include Races, Battles, Stunt and Trick, among others.
Two players can race locally, or up to eight can play online over Xbox Live. Two free downloadable packs added stylized versions of the Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze, Corvette and Volt.
The game was first known as Joyride. It was announced at E3 2009 as a free Xbox Live Arcade title for later that year, then moved to 2010 and became a full retail game for the Kinect launch.
Reviews were mixed. IGN gave it 6 out of 10 and criticized the loose controls and inconsistent boost. Most reviewers found it light fun but forgettable next to the other launch titles, and several said it would have worked better with a regular controller.
The text above is adapted from Wikipedia and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What critics said
Metacritic 52 out of 100 (Xbox 360). Individual reviews: IGN 6/10, GameSpot 6.5/10, Game Informer 7/10, Eurogamer 5/10, GamesRadar 4/10, GameTrailers 5.4/10, Official Xbox Magazine 4/10.
Extra content
Two free downloadable packs added stylized Chevrolet cars. They were announced in December 2010.
- Free Chevrolet packs (two): Stylized versions of the Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze, Corvette and Volt.
Good to know
- It started life as Joyride, a free Xbox Live Arcade game announced at E3 2009, before becoming a boxed Kinect launch game.
- A Kinect sensor is required. The game cannot be played with a normal controller.
- The achievement list has 45 entries worth 1000 gamerscore. Most of them ask for a count of plays in a single activity, so they take hours rather than skill.
- Many of the achievements say offline play. Only one needs Xbox Live, for playing an online race.
