We’ve said before, we’re not big fans of doing long series of reps. Squats? We’d rather pathetically wheeze our way up flights of stairs, thanks. But we came away from the impressively polished Nike+ Kinect Training decidedly unrevved up for a different reason: its greatest selling point — that the game dynamically adjusts to your performance — is hobbled by Kinect’s inability to deliver on it.
In theory, Nike+ should have made us hurt so good: its sessions reminded us exactly of our time with a personal trainer. Burpees, mountain climbers, push-ups, endless variations on lunges and squats — they, along with other torturous exercises, come fast and furious no matter what kind of workout you’re doing (cardio, strength, or weight training) or how long you go for. You even have an onscreen coach who’ll correct your positioning and urge you on if you start to slow down or break form, as well as the option to do a workout with a friend over Xbox Live.
In practice, however, Nike+ falls a bit short of its mark, due to how it assumes that what Kinect sees is 100% accurate and thus scales everything — be it how often the game gives you resting periods or whether you get credit for a move — accordingly. Whereas the best Kinect titles minimize the motion sensor’s inherent margin of error (Dance Central 3) or embrace it by making precision a non-factor (Zumba Fitness Rush), this game makes no allowances for it, thus leaving you always unclear on when you’re actually doing an exercise correctly. This issue also introduces unnecessary delays into co-op workouts (as you have to wait for your partner before moving on to the next drill), which only slows down your momentum and gives you too much time to rest.
As a result, you’ll gain muscle tone and lose some weight by playing Nike+, but mostly due to just doing your best to complete the onscreen exercises, as they are indeed extensive and challenging. If you’re hoping to truly break into the higher tiers of fitness, as exemplified by the pro athletes who make video cameos during the game, you should seek real-life options instead. This one’s best suited for NikeFuel addicts and people who just need motivation to work out.
PUBLISHER: Microsoft • DEVELOPER: Sumo Digital • ESRB: Everyone • MULTIPLAYER: 2 over Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Full of joint pain • COST: $50 • RELEASE DATE: October 30, 2012
+ Game adjusts sessions in real time based on how well you perform exercises, and tailors feedback based on earlier moves.
+ Same types of exercises found in personal training sessions.
– Game trusts Kinect’s (sometimes inaccurate) feedback too much; instructions can be too vague.
? Will Kinect ever replace trainers?
