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Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect Launch Games
We rate the first six titles
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved

OK, I admit I'm one of those gym bores who thinks health and fitness games are useless psychological palliatives for overweight housewives who want to get fit without breaking into a sweat. A few hours of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved might not have completely convinced me otherwise, but it has at least opened my eyes to their potential.

Size of relief
My incredulity was softened somewhat by Fitness Evolved's aesthetics. Clean and mature, they offer a welcome break from the cartoon-esque visuals of most other Kinect launch titles. Anyone who trains hard appreciates how much environment affects mood, especially in these dark winter months, and so by transforming my living room into a pleasurable, bright, workout area, Fitness Evolved really pulled me into the experience.
With three broad categories: personal training, gym games and fitness, Fitness Evolved has plenty of variety to maintain interest. And its online element, Your Shape Centre, allows you to test your improved fitness against friends with specific calorie burning goals.
The routines and exercises are geared towards absolute beginners, but the progression system works for even regular exercisers. But I'd recommended anyone interested in improving fitness with Fitness Evolved first invests in some dumbbells, as practically all of the exercises benefit from resistance. And I personally feel the exercises still favour the fairer sex, as some of the more impactful men's exercises, such as push-ups and sit-ups are absent owing to Kinect's limitations.

Kill a calorie
Overall, Fitness Evolved feels more like a good first attempt at a Kinect fitness game. Player feedback isn't always as instant and accurate as Ubisoft claims, which is especially off-putting when trying to improve posture during moves. And despite a wide range of exercises, even after just a couple of hours play, exercises felt a little on the repetitive side.
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