What do you get when you combine the Xbox Kinect with the "Happiest Place on Earth" and Kinectimals developer Frontier? You probably guessed a fantastic family game, and you'd be right. I had wondered, up until time to start playing the game, if Disneyland Adventures would be a fictional version of Disneyland theme park or a simulation of the park. It didn't take long to find out that the answer to this question as you are allowed to explore the huge gaming area, which I'm happy to say, is an accurate simulation of the park. Before we move on to the visuals, you begin the game by creating a child avatar which represents you in the game. To me, this is the only oversight in the entire game as it would have been nice to have had additional options for customizing your character. That being said, it's a very small issue. 

The park is beautifully detailed with all of your favorite Disneyland rides, shops and even Disney characters that will pose for pictures with you. The Disney rides are very well done and often are minigames that you can play as you make your way through the park. The movement with the Kinect is very easy as you can simply point at your screen to to begin moving and move your arm to the left or right to change direction. You can wave to interact with characters, but keep in mind that a slow adult wave won't get the attention that a quick and frantic child-like wave will. It's an interesting method of getting around and one that is easy to master. Another very nice feature, for when your arm gets tired, is the ability to skip around the park to various areas. Instead of walking from Frontierland to Tomorrowland (which you should do a few times just to enjoy the environment), you can use your map, which displays all of the Disney characters and ride locations, to be transported to any location you choose.

As I mentioned, walking around the park a few times just to enjoy the atmosphere and take a few pictures is a must. This includes visiting all of your favorite Disneyland attractions such as The Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, the Teacups and Space Mountain. In all, you can experience up to 20 attractions. When you get on an attraction, you will be playing a minigame. I won't give too many details on the minigames as I'll leave it for you to discover, but I will mention that our favorites are the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain. The minigames are just a small part of the game. You can get missions from any of the 40 Disney characters that will take you hours and hours to complete.

Along with the minor miss with the character design that I mentioned above, the movements in the minigames are the only other item I can find fault with. It's not that the movements are terrible, they are just difficult and can get a bit frustrating at times. As with all reviews, it's important to determine if you should spend your time and money on Kinect: Disneyland Adventures. After spending countless hours with my family, and still having things to complete, I'd say it's a definite yes.

Disneyland: Kinect Adventures Review in a Glance

Disneyland: Kinect Adventures is one of the best games we've ever played for the Kinect. Definitely Recommended. 4.5 / 5

Release Info:

Released November, 2011

Platforms: XBOX 360

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Developer: Frontier Developments, Ltd.

Rating: E10+ Mild Cartoon Violence

Price: $49.99 USD