21.9.2011

Rise of Nightmares is a horror game controlled entirely with Kinect.You play as Josh- an alcoholic- on holiday with his wife as a last ditch attempt to save his marriage.Whilst travelling through Eastern Europe the train is attacked and de-railed, and his wife kidnapped, leaving him and the other survivors stranded in a dark forest. They seek refuge in an ominous looking castle..........GAMEPLAY & CONTROLSThe most important thing to consider is whether or not you'd feel comfortable with the control scheme, as it does require some degree of co-ordination on your part.From a standing (neutral) position, by placing either foot forward - your character (in game) moves forward,similarly by placing a foot backwards you move backwards.Turning is achieved by twisting your shoulders (to the left/right).To interact - just hold one hand out, to fight - put both hands up like a boxer.The controls felt awkward at first, but became more instinctive after a few hours play. It's responsive and Kinect picks up movements well.The `auto walk' option (activated by raising your right hand) helps if you're struggling, (although I rarely used it).It also helps to point you in the right direction if ever you're unsure where to go next. But it can't be used in certain rooms (those with traps.)Head-tracking works in cutscenes and side-stepping during boss-fights only.When fighting, you automatically lock on to the nearest enemy, health recovers gradually, you can defend (by crossing your arms), and can only hold one main weapon at a time - which can degrade and break.There's a variety of one/two handed and projectile weapons (axes, chainsaws, explosives etc) and a few other `special surprises'! You can target an enemy's limbs with melee weapons, and use your feet to kick them back (useful when surrounded.)One handed weapons can be held in either left or right hands, and you can always use your `kick' attack - even when defending.The variety of enemies give combat an element of strategy, e.g zombies - some spew acid, have weapons, armour, can self destruct etc, which effects how you approach each situation.There are creepy clown dolls, banshee's that can deafen you with screams (cover your ears - no really - Kinect can detect it,) and a Frankenstein-like giant who has poor sight and detects you by movement and sound (so you have to stay perfectly still/quiet when he's close!)A few rooms require you to dodge mechanical traps, they look daunting - but are easy to get past if you think about what you're doing.The game also features context based events and some simple puzzles - which use Kinect in a number of interesting ways. They mimic real-life movements and add a lot of variety to the combat heavy game play.The game has an arcade-like feel, the combat has depth, but the adventure elements are fairly simple, although there is a good variety to them, and always something new to see and do just around the corner.GRAPHICSThe graphics, whilst not the best are suitably atmospheric. The character models/monsters are detailed, lip synching and animation is fine. There is no screen tearing or slowdown.Some locations feel `empty', (early on), but the environments become larger, and the art style more fantastical the further into the game you go.SOUNDThe in game music fits the setting. Character voices are a little cheesy and the script OTT, but it fits the b-movie, tongue-in-cheek style.There is one irritating part in the graveyard when one character keeps repeating the same line of dialogue whenever you walk past, but apart from that it's fine.FEATURESIt's a single player game, has multiple difficulty settings and is rated +18 for a reason (excessive gore / bad language.)The story mode has nine chapters (providing approx 10 - 12hrs play time), plus three 'challenge levels'.The presentation is good - and the menus are easy to navigate.The environments are open to exploration, but story progression is linear. There are collectibles - detective tapes, tarot cards, and secret events, plus there's a chapter select option.OVERALLI found Rise of Nightmares to be a refreshing, unique and immersive experience that uses Kinect in a number of innovative ways.In turns scary, tense, goofy and funny, it's a little rough in places but overall a worthwhile and memorable experience.But, I stress, the whole experience depends upon whether you can feel comfortable with the control scheme and the level of co-ordination required.RECOMMENDEDIf you like B-Movie horrorIf you like The House of the Dead, Splatterhouse or older Resident Evil games.If you bought Kinect for new game experiences.AVOIDIf you feel the control system sounds too odd or complicated.If you're expecting AAA blockbuster quality.If you're expecting a serious in depth adventure game.

24.9.2011

The controls for this can sound daunting but in truth I got used to them within the first 15-30 minutes of play. At the beginning you are rather concious of the 'lag' from when you perform an action to when the game carries it out, however within the first 45-60 minutes I found that I no longer noticed a lag... I reckon it's so small that you can begin to unconsciously predict it and time your moves accordingly.Surprisingly for me at least, I found the story better than I had first expected, the game takes the time to set the scene and guides you through with decent cut-scenes. The graphics are in a sort of 'House of the Dead' style in which the gritty style seems well suited to the game.There is a wide variety of weapons which is good,and the game is pretty good at getting the targeting of individual limbs correct which proves helpful if your foe has a particular fleshy part you want to target - usually the head is a good bet :)In addition to the storyline you can find 'tapes' left by a detective who was here before you and your group, and these were pleasantly interesting to listen to. I found myself scouring every area to make sure I didn't miss one because they always left me wanting to know what happened next.The variety of enemies is good and some well thought out variations require some thought before you tackle them. For example if you find a banshee (who's screams making you have to cover your ears - a great touch as Kinect recognises this) you will be vulnerable to non-banshee enemies who will attack you undeterred by the screaming while you are still covering your ears. Other enemies who use some kind of projectile vomit can cover a lot of your screen with green-stuff, a good tactic is to try and lure an enemy between you and your ranged foe and wait your moment.When I got this game I brought the Kinect up from the family room (unlike most Kinect titles this is NOT a family game). However I originally found the game unresponsive even after tweaking with the Kinect calibration and trying to exaggerate my movements. Then I came to a realisation... I was wearing black Jeans while using Kinect on a dark blue carpet (as opposed to the shiny wooden flooring of the family room). I quickly swapped into a pair of cream shorts which, to my immense satisfaction, solved the problem entirely - they are now my dedicated Rise Of Nightmares shorts :)Over all I think this game is a very promising start to full-on Kinect games, apart from having some bad points such as the inability to look up and down, I would say this game is a definite buy for anyone who wants to see how Kinect can handle a full game rather than only mini-games. It certainly surprised me with how well it copes. It is exciting to think that developers are still fiddling with Kinect and hence future games should improve quite a lot further from this. The one thing this game requires is patience and for you to try and immerse yourself in the game and it's controls. Also, never forget the golden rule of Kinect - close the curtains (or someone might see you)

15.4.2012

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the controls, gameplay and such because other people have already covered that in detail and said all that needs to be said.I confess I bought this game because it was cheap and I was curious to see how well the Kinect controls were implemented, and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised. I work in the video games industry and have worked on a number of Kinect enabled titles and have a professional interest as well as a personal interest as a gamer, and this is by far the best implementation of the Kinect I've seen to date - it may be partially down to the fact that the game was made specifically for the Kinect, but that's not all of it,

14.9.2011

.......it's alot of fun once you get the hang of the control mechanic. I did wonder if I'd made the right choice in buying this game this evening but the assistant at my local Asda store said he'd refund me if I didn't like it, unusual but I took him up on his offer and purchased the game.Initially I made sure the Kinect was properly calibrated, takes a few minutes but is well worth doing. Once the game starts take your time and learn the onscreen prompts for the movement etc, it doesn't take long , although having said that, my initial reaction was that the graphics were pretty good but how am I gonna learn and remember the various moves.....shouldn't have worried as once the story starts you

25.1.2012

quality game play, tracks your every move, excellent graphics and detail. I'm old enough to remember the original video game consoles, 2 straight lines and your square ball, I used too think things like this were science fiction, but not now, I love this game, it is so good to play such an interactive game that responds so well to the game players own actions. I just wish all kinect games were this good. I'm not the best game player in the world so I'm going too have hours and hours of fun playing this.There are some reviews that say this is not compatible for the kinect, they must be doing something wrong and are bigger idiots than me cause this is so good and is so compatible with the kinect.It is a game for the older teenager and up,

17.1.2012

I must be honest, I didnt expect much from this game... I cant quite put my finger on why though... Maybe the controls, maybe the premise...? Either way, I'm happy to report I was wrong. Very wrong in fact! This game, more than any other I have played, really shows what Kinect is capable of. It was quite ambitious and some might say a gamble to place a full body controlled game this early in Kinect's lifespan. It could have backfired in a big way if it didnt work, but happily it does! While there are certainly plenty of examples of moments when you are required to perform a certain movement for no other reason than a "Cool" moment, on the whole it all feels very natural. Fighting, moving,

16.9.2011

I bought this game yesterday and have just finished it (although a further Act has been unlocked but you can only play it on the hard setting which i'll leave til i'm feeling abit braver). Overall this is a really decent game, good graphics, a great selection of weapons and decent voice acting. Storyline wise its silly and knowingly absurd. Think arcade game stupid and OTT. Still, the whole point of this game is to take the kinect to another level and the game truly succeeds. You duck, step back, run and even strike a pose. Its all bloody good fun. I admit i was frustrated on occasion as afew times my character started walking backwards rather than forwards but overall i do feel like this game really showed the potential of kinnect and for that it should be praised.

9.10.2011

I bought this game because of its promise of an ACTUAL game on kinect. The other games are lots of fun but are not challenging in the way games with controllers are. This game offers that. A full story.Although some people have stated the controls are difficult or clunky, I personally have to disagree; step forward to walk, push doors open with your hand, hit out to attack etc or if you don't get on with the walking controls, for much of the game there is an "auto" option which will help you along with that part. There's also literally no lag or I haven't noticed it.The graphics aren't fantastic but they do the job and are much better than some games and better than the avatar graphics a lot of the games offer.A usual kill the zombies game,

3.2.2013

i have had the kinect a while now but havent really bought many games for it, because every time i look a reviews the people are always saying that the games dont work, and the kinect cant pick them up. i read many reviews about this game that claimed this. all i can say in response to that is either they havent calibrated the kinect very well, or they just aren't good at the game. i bought the game after seeing pewdiepie play it on youtube, and realized that the game does work.This is a truely awsome kinect game and my favorite so far.story 8/10time to get used to controls 40 - 1h. but still fun in the process.value for money 9/10length of game. not yet complete but been playing it about 7 hours worth,

16.1.2012

This is one of the first Kinect role-playing games on the market and I love it. The graphics are great, the sound is great and the story line is great. The controls are great and make good use of the fact that you can use your whole body to control the game. What could of made this game perfect is the use of side-stepping to avoid you bumping into things such as the side wall. Instead you find that you have to twist your shoulders to move away from the wall. Apart from that, the game is great. A bit gory and I like the fact that you really can play in the dark (like it says) and the Kinect picks you up perfectly.

13.12.2011

When I jumped on the Kinect bandwagon from the word go I was disappointed with the lack of games (and still am). Rise of Nightmares however is the closest thing to what I had in mind when I got the Kinect. I love on rail zombie games like House of The Dead and the fact you can control each slash, each whack and every step in the game is great fun. It might not be the greatest game ever but it's fun and unique (control wise) to make it an essential buy. Admittedly the story is weak, and the cut scenes are shocking but that's part of the charm of games like this. If you love House of the Dead you'll love this.

3.7.2015

I ordered with the free trail of Prime, the expected delivery was next day but it came the day after, not really a complaint as I'm a patient person but it doesn't make me want to fork out the money for prime if the deliveries aren't even guaranteed next day. However the game is pretty great for the price. The controls are easy enough, although slightly frustrating, mainly with guiding your direction using your shoulders but it doesn't take long to adjust. I've experienced no lag with the kinect picking up my movements, as others have mentioned. I wouldn't say it's scary, but it's decent for a kinect game!

14.9.2011

We received this game yesterday and for the price its great value. It is an interactive game where you are one of the 'victims'. It is scary and gory and playing it makes you feel like you are doing a work out as you are moving around all the time.My arms were aching after i spent 2 hours playing it ! It is very similar to 'hostel' and 'saw' films. If you like horror and kicking and stabbing someone to bits then this is the game for you. The graphics are really good. The way you control yourself in the game takes a bit of getting use to but apart from that i can well recommend this

9.2.2012

I bought this game because it was reasonably cheap and had not had my kinect long so was looking for random games to buy. I was really surprised at how addictive this game is, it's a little hard to get used to moving your character but you get used to it. It sounds crazy but it really was like watching some sort of horror film, you almost don't want to go around corners in case a zombie is there lol. had my girlfriend n dad watching me for about an hour n a half, couldn't take their eyes off, was great fun!I would recommend this any day if you're into zombie/horror kind of things!

11.7.2014

Really good game. Unusual for SEGA to produce a horror game like this but they've done a good job. the controls with the Kinect can be a bit iffy at times but the plot, graphics and controls are generally very good.Fight your way out of an ancient castle where someone has been performing clandestine experiments on people. Punch, kick and run your way around the castle whilst trying to survive hordes of enemies. Pick up various weapons along the way to help you survive.....if you don't fall prey to the many deadly traps that await you.

Rise Of Nightmares (Xbox 360) - Reviews

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