In today’s world of dazzling high resolution graphics, the line between a great video game and a terrible one is often measured by the sheer ambition of the product. This trend of bigger and better happens so often in the HD era of games that it’s easy to forget the power of restraint. Some of my fondest video games experiences came from limitations. Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil are all examples of games built around this philosophy during early days of polygonal video games. While the correlation between present day Microsoft Kinect games and early PlayStation titles may appear blasphemous to some, understanding the advantages of working within restraints and its impact can go a long way.
Kinect Star Wars misses this point completely, resulting in a collection of mini games that alternate between fun and frustrating, despite its charming attempts to enamor you with the loving characters of the Star Wars universe. A bulk of Kinect Star Wars’ issues present themselves in the Jedi campaign, a mode that pits players into the role of a young Jedi in training, but every mode seems to suffer from a lack of visualizing the big picture and understanding that a Star Wars family game needs to appeal to all ages, yet be simple and engaging enough for anyone to play.
