I got burned out on Angry Birds at some point partway through Seasons on my iPhone, so no interest in a $40 console version, or really any price but free.

Here's my full Kinect Nat Geo TV review. I find several of the minigames to be terrible, but kinda like it overall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ya7C3TPGzk

I was watching the new trailer for Avengers game and the graphics are different than the demo build they just released! The trailer graphics have the characters looking like the movie version rather than the comic book versions shown previously.

Like in the demo, you see Thor wearing his helmet and having different armor. Captain America has the traditional outfit in the demo but the movie outfit in the trailer. Or are there multiple outfits per character?

So are the newer graphics in the trailer merely for cutscenes or have the retail build graphics been updated?

here's the graphics from the newly released demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lilm7nBHyLA

Interesting that The Avengers might have different skins for each character. That would be nice.

I received a review copy of NBA Baller Beats today, which I'm quite happy about. But man, dribbling on a carpet is tough. And the game in general is very tough, though it's well-made and I like what they were going for. The stage demos at E3 and other places all had a screen at floor level for players to view, and I think that would make it easier as well. Watching the physical ball and the screen simultaneously ain't easy. But it is fun and I recommend playing it if you like the physical game of basketball.

You're not supposed to be looking at the ball when dribbling. You're only supposed to be looking at your opponents and the hoop. That's one of things you're supposed to know. :p

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NBA Baller Beats sounds fun, but completely ridiculous. I'm not going to play the game in my house and even if I had a garage, I wouldn't put a TV and Xbox in there just for this game.

someone posted a bunch of videos early for Dragon Ball Z Kinect!

check out his page (a couple of samples):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22hyKFHi1w0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gTKDIsJjLQ

Fable: The Journey review copies are finally going out, so I should get to play it soon. Could've tried it at a few previous events, but I was busy with other stuff. Also, Microsoft is taking their sweet time sending out Dance Central 3. Last year I got part 2 a whopping 3 weeks early! Either they have lower expectations for part 2, or it just took longer to go gold.

Originally Posted by crunchewy NBA Baller Beats sounds fun, but completely ridiculous. I'm not going to play the game in my house and even if I had a garage, I wouldn't put a TV and Xbox in there just for this game.

If you're concerned about the ball damaging stuff, we made sure to keep our drinks farther away than usual and such. I already have a sizable space cleared for Kinect gameplay anyway. The game itself doesn't need more than that typical space, but the ball getting away from you is a possibility.

I just picked up fable. My expectations are in check, but this is fable so I had to get it.

Update: Now that I've played through the first chapter or two, I can say that I really, really like it! The carriage controls are spot-on! I already care about the horse. The story is very fable, too. So far I'm happy with the purchase.

I've only played the demo. But I will say this. Make sure you calibrate it to exactly how you want it to target. Meaning, I put my hand to exactly cover the enemy. That's how I know where the end result of my hand will be. The better you calibrate, the easier it is to hit what you intend. When i first ran the calibration, and it said to aim toward the left target, I exaggerated the motion. And then when it came time to hit an actual left target, I didn't know exactly where to aim because I had exaggerated it.

It is kind of weird to actually cover up the target (meaning I can't see the target because my hand is blocking the view), but now it's pretty accurate where my shot is going to go.

Any thoughts on Just Dance 4? Heard the menu was awful.

at first I hated the menu for Just Dance 4 because it's so different. especially if you're used to the side swipe of games like Dance Central or the cursor hover of other kinect games.

but once you realize how it works, it works really well! The trick is not to track any type of hand cursor. I used to move my hand to try to put the cursor over the box and then jab which of course would miss the box. Ignore the hand cursor! When you move your hand around the screen, the box will light up when your real hand is over it. That's when you know it's selected and then you just do a quick jab at the screen. Really a nice system actually.

and the Just Dance TV is pretty addicting! like watching Youtube videos.

http://playxbla.com/trick-or-treat-w...-october-24th/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y97sqhmKzM#

!

more Fruit Ninja DLC for Halloween!!!

I think the Just Dance TV has been underrated and underreported. It's some good fun in Just Dance 4...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycroWn1qSdU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0IgQedj4rk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0AKBYm4nIQ

the thing I hated about Just Dance on the Wii was that the scoring seemed nearly random. Not sure if it's better on Kinect, but I got the impression that was sort of by design. I.e. "just dance" - don't worry about scoring. Which obviously works for many, but it drove me crazy the little bit I played it.

Just Dance 4 is getting that uber popular Gangnam Style or whatever it is, as DLC. I forget when, but sometimes in the semi-near future. I wouldn't mind seeing that on DC3.

DC3 is great so far, but by "so far" I mean, after having played 2 songs in story mode. The story mode is amusing. Very silly.

You do get away with a lot more in Just Dance. But it's not random scoring on the Kinect, and it's much better than the Wii (I have JD1 and JD2 for the Wii). The big problem I had with the Wii was that you had to hold the Wiimote but not only that, you had to keep it in the same hand. And after awhile your arm wants to fall off. They don't let you switch the Wiimote to different hands midsong because your right and left hands sometimes do different motions.

For Just Dance 3 and 4 on the Kinect, it's not as tight in motion detection as the Dance Central series. On the other hand, there's no tutorial and the motions are more organic. So until you do the motions a few times, I think Just Dance is harder. But there's no booing. There's no real penalty besides a "missed" symbol. And Just Dance has 4 player choreography where each player has specific moves, not just everyone dancing the same steps in sync.

I'm not advocating Just Dance over Dance Central. I have DC1 and DC2 and a ton of DLC (marathon pack 1, lady gaga pack, rihanna pack, etc.). And I plan on getting DC3 down the line (it's just that so many games are coming up that some things have to take a back seat). But I think dancers need to squeeze in Just Dance. It's also easier for people to in a party to goof around. DC seems a lot more intimidating to people.

I did pick up Just Dance 4. The menu system is ok.
But I wish they would bring back the controller controlled menu... More for my kids.
Its a good game. But just menu needs tweaking.

Originally Posted by dirtyvu I'm not advocating Just Dance over Dance Central. I have DC1 and DC2 and a ton of DLC (marathon pack 1, lady gaga pack, rihanna pack, etc.). And I plan on getting DC3 down the line (it's just that so many games are coming up that some things have to take a back seat). But I think dancers need to squeeze in Just Dance. It's also easier for people to in a party to goof around. DC seems a lot more intimidating to people.

Dance Central 3 adds a Beginner difficulty as well as a party mode, which should increase its accessibility. The Beginner difficulty is a great addition, but I'm not sold on party mode yet. The navigation and song selection (skipping) seems confusing. Will need to mess with it more soon.

Also, I would have bought or reviewed Just Dance 4, but the lack of controller support was enough for me to stick with DC3 and its wonderful menus.

you use a controller to control the menus?

Originally Posted by dirtyvu you use a controller to control the menus?

Yes. While Dance Central's motion-controlled menus are good, nothing is as natural (or fast) as using a controller. Kinect Sesame Street TV and Nat Geo TV also support the option - I wish every Kinect title would.