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- Verified Buyer
I got this game for my daughter one Christmas when she was about 3 1/2 years old. At the time, she had a little bit of trouble with it and needed a lot of help, but she's almost 4 now and she does great with me or by herself.The game starts with a brief set-up, set of instructions, and then asks you to pick a cat, dog, lizard or pony.Once you do so, you start playing games immediately. You only start with a few games and features unlocked for free play, but as you play these games and participate in talent shows (a chain of 5 ranked games, only can be done once per day) you earn gems which you use to unlock new free-play games or pet patterns.Some of the games include but are not limited to: ball fetch (and my favorite variant, where you throw the ball at stacks of boxes and the pet knocks them down whilst fetching), bubble pop, pinata smash, run/jump, run/sit, wash, feed, and pose. The games range from very little physical activity to some where you have to run in place for a good 30 seconds or so and then jump as high as you can. There's also a game where it projects your image onto the TV and you have to move around to avoid bubbles that shoot from on-screen bubble cannons. One of my daughter's favorite games is where you feed the pet, and you have to pick foods that you think they will like based on what type of pet they are. Pets will even respond to voice commands during certain game sequences.There's even a little bit of learning involved when you use gems to send your "Uncle" to locations around the world (some real, some fake like the lost city of Atlantis), the process by which you unlock unique pet body types and special patterns. You pick a location like one of the seven continents and it will show you what pattern or special pet you would unlock by sending him there.As you play, unlock, and earn gems, your trainer rank increases and you earn the ability to use another pet type. At any time, you can switch from one pet to another, so if your kiddo starts with a lizard then decides they want a cat, they can get one without starting a new game profile. When you want to customize your pet, you can add things like wings and horns, and change pattern colors, hair colors, eye type/color, foot color, tail color, and that sort of thing. My daughter loved this, since she was able to make her pet look like one of her favorite My Little Pony characters. I would think this game would be great for boys too, since there are unique pets like a "robot dog" and a "spooky steed".All in all, it's a very gender-neutral game and is a win-win in my book. Since I love video games but hate the sitting-on-your-bum aspect of them, this is the perfect game for my daughter. Almost every time she plays, she goes for a good long while and quits because she's tuckered out, not because she's bored. Blitz Games did a great job with this title and with the price being under 20 bucks, should be worth a try for anyone looking for a great Kinect game for their kids.Oh, and if you have concerns about the Kinect responding properly to movements, don't blame this game. I've found that if you give the Kinect sensor ideal conditions as outlined in your Kinect setup guide, this game responds very well. Just be informed that the Kinect prefers certain lighting conditions and mounting height.My 10 year old son wanted to buy this after finishing the original kinect animals game we bought for his 5 year old sister, that he ended up monopolizing. He plays by himself and with his sister and they both love to make new animals and unlock all the extras to have even more options. The activities (on xbox 360 kinect) are wonderful and keep the kids moving and burning off energy at a great pace. The way the camera shows the players in your home interacting with the pet is also pretty cool and the kids love to see the pics of themselves on the TV after they finish a level. A good game for 4 up, non violent with lots of good exercise for a rainy day or anytime, and it doesn't need a lot of parental supervision even for the youngest players. Only negative is the dogs all look the same, they need more breeds to customize, otherwise it would be a 5 star all around.This is a take off of Kinectimals and is reasonably priced. It permits the child to pick from one of 5 types of animals (cat, dog, lizard, ponies and 1 more I think). Then the child can customize the animal by color of eyes, feet, type of skin/fur, wings, tails, personalities, etc. They can also come back and modify their pet or pick another animal later on if they wish; then there are tricks that they can teach their pet by voice or motion commands. We haven't gotten that far yet because the kids are too busy building 'new' looking pets. Kids are aged 7-10 seem to enjoy it. Only complaint is as each new child starts the game you have to listen to the tutorial drag on and on again - wish there was a way to skip it and get to the meat of the game if he/she has alreay seen the beginning introduction to the game.I am writing this review from two points of view. My 6yr old daughter just loves this game. She handles the kinect thing pretty well and this game fills her love for having pets of all kinds. There are a few times she might get frustrated but overall she loves playing it and most little ones probably will.I have not played it but watching her play it I have some issues with it. The game is a little flaky when it comes to controlling it. If I were playing it, it would drive me nuts. The graphics are pretty good but the in game voices and sounds can get annoying and repetitive. Since I do not play it, and it really is not a game intended for me, or someone my age, I rated it according to what I think my little girl would give it.If you have kids who love pets, get this game. They will love it and will save you the trouble of having to buy them real pets. It is also easy enough so that you do not have to play it for them while they sit and watch trying to figure it out. Just get some headphones and a good book while they play!I got this for my 9 and 6yr old girls and they love it. We also have kinectimals and they love that to. But this game is quite different on some levels it puts you in the game with your pet and you see your pet by your side on screen. Interact with multiple pets simultaneously with a friend and be on screen at the same timeTalk to your pets and teach them tricks with voice commands as you develop nurturing and playful relationships have as many pets as you want 1 or 2 players and customize them however you want. Participate in talent shows. The game was highly interactive and my kids love being able to use the game and have their pets move as they were moving in your living room on screen really cool easy to control and very responsive. You can download the free demo on xbox live to try out. Kids of all ages will love it.Discover the unique personalities, lifelike reactions and behaviors of each of your petsPlay mini games with your pets, including fetch, pet wash, bubble popping, dressage, dodge, teaching tricks, grooming and moreMy daughter loves it! Fast shipping, no issues.My step daughter loved it.
