If my life was more like a video game...

One of the greatest things about video games today are the achievements (on the Xbox 360 console; for PS3 owners, the technical term is "Trophies", but it's basically the same thing). For those who are very familiar with the concept, achievements are essentially a check list of your progress throughout a game; they can be obtained through the milestones of the storyline you play, they can be earned by completing high scores and conquering pivotal feats, they can even be entirely random objectives that have nothing to do the game other than to serve as a "wink to the camera" from the game developers. Nearly all achievements have a score assigned to them; the more you earn, the higher your total Gamerscore accumulates. A quick glance at a gamer's achievement list will help you determine which games they liked and which ones they spent the most time with (based on the number of achievements they have earned.) Therefore, your Gamerscore and the achievements are fundamentally a good reference for most gamer's habits (or as a good friend of mine jokes, "I long list of 'dork points' for bragging rights.")

And he's right.

Achievements are a list of shiny gold stars. They say things like "You managed to complete this game on Insane Nightmare Punch-your-Grandma Mode with out snapping your controller in half" or "You got a perfect score dodging every explosive weasel thrown at you" or even "You figured out how to save the world. Twice." And why not be a little proud now and then? You earned it, and you have the proof right there in your achievements history. Yes, achievements can be a small reminder that not only you enjoyed that grand adventure you went on, but also that you were pretty damn good at it too!

With that in mind, I thought to myself "Wouldn't it be cool if you could earn video game-like achievements in real life? And if so, what would they be like?". That's when I came up this neat little poster that I designed. I was happy with the final result and thought I'd share it with you:

Click on the image to embiggen it.

Review: Fruit Ninja (Xbox 360 - Kinect)

Category: Arcade
Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Released: August 10, 2011
Platform: Xbox 360 (Kinect only)
Price: 800 msp ($9.99)
Also on: iOS, Android

The pain in my arms and shoulders make me feel like I was hit by a bus yesterday, and I don't regret it hardly at all (well, maybe just a little bit). This past weekend, I had some friends visiting, and we decided to make the impulsive Xbox Live purchase of Fruit Ninja for a quick dose of lazy entertainment but lazy is about as far from the truth as you can get.

If you own an iPhone or an Android phone, you've probably already played or at least heard of Fruit Ninja since it was an app in those respective app stores long before the Kinect version was released last year. For those of you who haven't tried Fruit Ninja on the Kinect before, here is the general break down: You face your television while an array of fruits are thrown up onto the screen. The goal is to flail your arms about in an attempt to slice as many fruits as possible; the more fruits you cut in one slice the better your combo and score. There are also bombs that detract from your score, and there are multipliers along with a few other bonuses that can be obtained to further your high score. You slice by waving your hands as if you are making Karate chops (and you'll find you do this naturally, even without meaning to). Matches run about a minute at a time, depending on the mode you are playing. If your Kung Fu is strong, you will earn a high score. It sounds simple, and it is, and it is definitely one the most fun party games I've ever played.

Fruit Ninja's graphic style is simple and colorful. It's very easy to pick up and play. There are a few different modes besides the classic style including challenge mode and two player co-op and versus modes. Those can get dangerous if you don't watch out; I nearly took out my pal more than once since my living room is, at best, an average size (not a lot of flailing room). Even better the developers decided to add little extras that you can unlock such as different "blades" that show up when you slice (the fire hands are my favorite), different backgrounds, and different player outlines. Also, the achievements are always appreciated, and the avatar awards are cute (free costumes and gear for your avatar characters). My avatar is currently wearing a full Kung Fu outfit like a true Sensei.

You can slice your fruit like a true warrior now.

As mentioned before, you will get tired and possibly sore if you play a lot at first. I played enough this weekend that I woke up Monday morning feeling like I had done a full upper body workout at the gym, so there is potential there to play as a supplement to a regular workout routine (if you're interested in that). On the downside, the navigating the menus can be annoying since you can't use the controller; I had quite a few accidental replays due to rogue hand motions that the Kinect sensor picked up. Also, I would have loved to have some background music, but you get so caught up the in game (and each match only lasts a minute or so) that you never really notice the quiet anyways. All minor complaints especially for a $10 game.

It's nice to find a game that really takes motion controls and makes something special and fun. As I pointed out in my previous Anti-Review of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, motion-controls can sometimes make or break a game, but Fruit Ninja takes a simple concept and makes something both easy to play and challenging at the same time. Some will be a bit put off by this title because you can buy this game on your smartphone for less than a fifth of the price on Xbox Live, but at $10, it really is a great game to own for parties (or even work outs). Plus, on the Kinect, the experience is completely different than the app and can be appreciated in a different way. I also should point out that if you decide to purchase the Kinect title Gunstringer, you get Fruit Ninja for free. So there are many different ways to pick up this fun title.

If you own a Kinect, you really should own this fun little game, just make sure you have an heating pad for first few days, but if you are unsure, I recommend trying out the free demo first. You can get the demo to Fruit Ninja here.

My Recommendation: Very High