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What is it?
Hey, I see you rolling your eyes at me. OK, so Kinect Disneyland Adventures is another motion-based mini-game collection, but it's the best one I've ever played. Besides, how can a Disney nerd resist a game set in Disneyland?
Why is it cool?
Because it takes place in a fully recreated, virtual freaking Disneyland! You can walk down Main Street, U.S.A., through Sleeping Beauty Castle, and then venture inside Fantasyland. Going inside an attraction allows you and a friend to choose from a few surprisingly fun mini-games, like sword fighting Captain Hook in Peter Pan’s Flight or pumping a hand car through a rollercoaster track on Big Thunder Mountain.
Just wandering around Disneyland was actually my favorite experience of the game. I was able to go right up to Mickey Mouse and give him a big hug, as well as pull out a magic wand and swing it at random objects in the park, triggering different outcomes.
The moment I wished I had a real controller.
The game does have issues though, the biggest of which is actually navigating the park. You control your avatar with your arm, pointing it in the direction you want to walk, which felt incredibly awkward. I found it almost impossible to move left or right while standing still, and the experience really left me wishing for an old fashioned analog stick.
Still, I can see myself and many other Disney nerds taking delight in this virtual Disneyland. If nothing else, I’ll finally be able to hug Mickey without spending the hundreds of dollars it takes to go to a Disneypark.