Why So Blu?

D23 Expo: Kinect Disneyland Adventures

Kinect: Disneyland Adventures allows you to experience a place where two magical worlds unite: Kinect for Xbox 360 invites you to take a journey where stories come to life and dreams come true, right in your living room! Explore Disneyland park — from Main Street U.S.A. to Critter Country — join Peter Pan to battle Captain Hook, high-five Mickey Mouse or hug Snow White.  Harnessing the controller-free magic of Kinect for Xbox 360, Kinect: Disneyland Adventures allows children, families and Disney fans of all ages to explore Disneyland park, step into adventures based on attractions, engage in challenging quests and interact with beloved Disney characters using their full bodies and voices, no controller required. Kinect: Disneyland Adventures is your portal to a magical world of Disneyland park adventures through Kinect and I got to see it early at Disney’s D23 Expo!

My three year old son Nathan had just spent two days at Disneyland before entering the big extravaganza at the D23 Expo.  For the previous 48 hours, Nathan had been waiting in very long lines at the parks, but had gotten used to the idea that you wait and wait and then go on a fun ride.  After waiting in line to pick up his ticket, Nathan was wondering where the ride was.  It was hard for his three year old brain to understand that we were there to look at things.  Upon entering the show floor, Nathan’s realized that this place was pretty cool and both lightning McQueen and Mater were waiting there to greet him.  While I wanted to look at the Dharma van from LOST but I was quickly overruled.

Nathan approached Lightning McQueen expecting his friend to respond to him and the following conversation followed:

Nathan: Hi, I’m Nathan

Lightning McQueen: Silence

Nathan: This is my mom, her name is Jami.

Lightning McQueen: Silence

Nathan: I came here.

Lightning McQueen: Silence

Nathan: Why are you here?

Lightning McQueen: Silence

Nathan: WHY AREN’T YOU TALKING TO ME!?!?!

At that point, Nathan decided he was done looking at things and it was time to do something.  Luckily, it was time for our appointment to check out the new game for the Kinect for the XBox 360, Disneyland Adventures.

Disneyland Adventures lets you explore the Disneyland park.  I immediately wished we had this before visiting Disneyland.  For anyone who loves Disneyland, they would love exploring their favorite areas of the park.  For us, with a preschooler, it would have assisted a lot in explaining what we were planning to do.  We could have showed Nathan what the park looks like and how we are going to go to each ride, and wait in line.

Whether we want him to or not, when we are playing our Kinect games, Nathan wants to play too.  Inevitably we will ask if he wants to play, he will say no and then see us doing it and want to jump in.  I was happy to see that Disneyland Adventures allows cooperative play, and allows you to jump in or out of game play without disturbing the other player.  Having two players with different skill levels is also not a problem.  I shouldn’t have been surprised that Disney would create a game for both adults and little kids can play together.  The game has a bunch of  fun mini-games based on following rides in the park:

• Alice in Wonderland
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Jungle Cruise

Disneyland Adventures also allows you to play adventures based on popular Disneyland rides.  Nathan tested out the Peter Pan adventure.  He enjoyed flying through the air, and seemed to understand which character he was controlling (that doesn’t always happen).

One of the reasons our family enjoys the Kinect is because its fun to play and to watch.  The D23  Kinect Demonstration area was basically like a people aquarium.  It was a great advertisement for the game since people could see in to the room and watch you have fun and look a little silly while you are playing the various adventures.

Disneyland Adventures, published by Microsoft Corporation, is scheduled to be released this November.  It’s definitely a game for the whole family that I plan to add to our collection.  I can’t wait to have Nathan try battling Captain Hook.  I will also use the game to introduce Nathan to the concept of collecting autographs from the Disney characters.  The game offers quite a bit of things to do including the ability to:

• Create memories. Whether it’s your first time or hundredth time exploring Disneyland park, relive your fondest memories or embark on a new adventure.
• Discover Disneyland park. Whether you want to go on an adventure in your favorite attraction or explore the entire park, “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures” allows you to play at your own pace and customize your own Disneyland park experiences right from your living room, whenever you want.
• Explore attractions. Experience your favorite Disneyland park attractions as immersive adventures — explore Neverland at Peter Pan’s side and take up your sword to fight Captain Hook; battle your way to the island in Pirates of the Caribbean; or partner with a friend to enjoy the fascinating world of Alice in Wonderland.
• Meet the characters. Share magical moments with your favorite Disney characters — hug a princess, high-five Mickey Mouse, collect autographs and accept quests.
• Collect and unlock. Collect Disney-themed items, rewards and Xbox 360 Achievements as you make your way through the park to discover new game experiences, including themed parades and firework displays.
• Cooperative play. Partner with a friend or family member to explore Disneyland park; have him or her jump in to lend a hand on difficult challenges and help you earn rewards. Designed to adjust difficulty based on skill, “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures” ensures that everyone is having fun and playing together.

This game is a lot of fun to play for both kids and adults and it’s perfect for families that love Disneyland!  Look for it to come out exclusively for the XBOX 360 this November!

Pre-order your copy today!