Tag: xbox

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Harry Potter Xbox 360 Review – On Kinect

After a disaster where our Kinect seemed to have vanished into thin air, we had to wait on a new one arriving to be able to use any of our Kinect games.

Warner Bros. had sent us a Harry Potter Xbox 360 promotional copy, and my boys were itching to get their fingers on it and play in a new world.

The day came that the new Kinect finally came and Harry Potter has seen a fair few outings in the lounge with boys fighting by using their wands to cast spells and find new things to unlock.

Here are a few words from the littlest controller:

“It’s fun, challenging and it gets you to like Harry Potter.   I have to cast spells, hit pixies and look for fairies while I look for a key pixie, which is a key with wings.”

To play the game, new players have to learn how to cast their spells in Professor Flitwicks Class and take lessons.  The wingardium leviosa is the first one they have to learn, and teaches them how to levitate.   The arm and hand motions mean that kids can identify with how they have grown up with wizards in their lives.

Players need to wait until their wand chooses them, just like in the films and then they are sorted into which house they will be in.

Using the Kinect means that there is much more involvement with the game, and players can really feel part of the experience with hand and foot movements.    Once they can cast spells they are ready to try getting into the full game.

I’d definitely say it helps to have watched a few of the films to play this game and it might be difficult for some to follow the story otherwise, but as a stand alone, the segments are easily playable whether you know the films or not.

Would I have paid for this, yes, I would.   The Kinect is great for winter and getting couch potato Xbox fans up onto their feet and doing a little interaction.   It can be played with 2 players which is always a boost with Xbox games.

 

 

 

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Why the X-Box is in a Locked Cupboard

As with many other households in the UK today, we have an abundance of electronic gadgets that have built up over the years for birthdays and christmases.  These gadgets are usually treated with some respect at the beginning of their lives.

Sadly, the respect seems to slowly wane, but while the gadgets are popular, they tend to get used as a means to instill better behaviour.  Most of you will know what I am talking about.

It goes something like this:

“If you don’t get ready for school by the time I could to 5, you’re grounded, and you won’t get your x-box until tomorrow.”

Now we have a dilemma.  If by the time I count to 5, man child has not got himself ready for school, should I take it further?

I hear myself say:

“Right, that’s it, I am going to count again, and if you are not ready to go out the door by time I have counted to 5, it will be away until the end of the week.”

Man-child is now getting very annoyed with his Scottish Mum, and decides that he is going to stick it out as he can cope with no x-box for a night, and thinking I will forget about it by the next day and laughs.

“Right, that’s it, the x-box is going away until after christmas.”  I hear myself saying that sentence in total horror.  I’ve said it now, and I have to follow it through as my boys would just walk all over me the next time I decide to give an ultimatum.

The only problem now is that I have punished me as my boys x-box time is usually when I am making the evening meal.  Now that it’s dark outside by supper time, it keeps them amused while I am busy.

The x-box is now locked away in a cupboard, there to stay until December 26th.

Me and my big mouth.

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Update:  The x-box is still regularly put away in the cupboard, but over the last couple of years, I’ve found that it now gets locked away less and less often, which can only be a good thing for the family.