EA Sports Active 2 - Kinect Compatible (Xbox 360)

No disk!! Arrived today but there wasn't a disk in the box so now it can't be used. Disappointed!!

excellent for an all round workout with plenty of choices to vary your routine and create a workout suited to your individual needs

The software takes a bit of getting used to and the graphics are quite bright - almost harsh - although it does seem to track movement OK. There is a lot in the software and users are encouraged to share on-line experiences/records. Some of the ways of finding material are a bit obscure; its not necessarily intuitive.The work outs are quite good but the main problem for me is that the software requires the use of both the normal hand-held controller and the Kinetic remote. This means that the software will quite frequently lock out and decide that it no longer recognises you. That then requires a quite lengthy delay while you reconnect to the systems and get it to recognise you. So there you are in a sprint running against five other avatars and all of a sudden 50 meters from the line the whole screen freezes. You curse and reconnect/identify yourself to the software. It comes back into focus and you're standing in the middle of the track already cooling down because you have been messing around for so long only to find every competitor charging past you. It's really frustrating.

I have actually found this to be a perfectly good exercise program. It isn't a lot of fun, which is why I probably gave up eventually, and I can't save a lot of my data anymore, because EA have turned off the servers, which appeared to be intended as an integral part of this product.The kinect works well, apart from floor exercises, where it is more akin to an exercise video. You are on your honour to do it correctly, though in this case you really are only cheating yourself if you don't try.Ultimately, I got bored of it, but I did put in quite a lot of hours, and I believe that I became a fair bit fitter. I could at least do some of these exercises more easily.This is available in a lot of shops for much less than the Amazon price, though I'm sure that will occasionally drop.

Now I've used both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of this game (but only recently got the Xbox 360 version), and I must say, this is possibly one of the best fitness games that I have ever used (although it does have its flaws).Unlike the majority of games on the market, a heart rate monitor is included, so the calorie count (while being an average) is more realistic. I've never found an issue with either the Wii or Xbox monitors (which are both different by the way).Unlike the Wii and PS3 versions of the game, which use strap-on motion sensors to detect movement, the Xbox 360 version relies on the Kinect. Having used the Wii version, there are some big differences between these versions (I'll talk about and compare the two versions in this review, for those who may be considering what platform to purchase it on).The game should contain the following:-- Game box/disc- Resistance band and handles- (PS3/Wii only) USB receiver- (PS3/Wii only) Strap-on Motion Sensor for leg- Heart Rate MonitorThe motion sensing through Kinect is a bit of a mixed bag. There are times where it picks up motion brilliantly, but then there are also times where it struggles to follow your movements, even if you are following the instructions being given by your coach. When it works though, it can be a lot more reliable than the Wii version. Having said that, the Wii version doesn't require a large amount of space, just enough room to workout, so the Wii does have its positives too. The Wii version also has compatibility with the Wii balance board for some activities, such as Step Aerobics.The virtual coach seems to give useful feedback during excerises too, such as if you are doing an exercise slightly wrong for example, which I've found really useful. It may just be me, but I've found that the "coaches" in the Xbox version seem to be a lot more useful than in the Wii version.Workouts are timed, but the time doesn't reflect tutorials being shown during workout, or loading times between activities, so you should always take into account these if you are trying to play within a set time limit. You can create your own workouts using the activities used in-game, if you find that you don't like the preset workouts that they give you, and no matter what workouts you choose, you can select the intensity of the workout, making it ideal for those who are starting out with this.This definitely isn't a "fun" game, due to its (naturally) heavy focus on fitness, and the removal of online features may mean that you may get bored, but if you are really serious about your fitness/health, this game is definitely for you. Workouts have been well structured, with warm-ups and cool-down activities included, so you are getting a decent workout with this.One addition on the Xbox version (that I absolutely love!) is the ability to play your own music playlists during workouts. Unfortunately, adding music to an Xbox 360 and creating playlists manually is a real nightmare if you don't have the resources, and is real time consuming (but you can't blame EA for that...). This feature wasn't even included in the Wii version, so it was a lovely surprise to find out about this, and it makes working out a lot more enjoyable.Unfortunately, the game does have some issues (covering all platforms unfortunately)- One of the big selling points about this game at release was its online features. While it would be expected now, EA shut the games servers just after about a year of it being on sale (which is a really short amount of time considering).- (Xbox) As mentioned previously, the Kinect doesn't always pick up motion correctly, which can cause some serious problems since progression relies on it. I've even had the game randomly pause on a few occasions in the middle of a workout... You also need a large amount of room to play it. I have to keep moving my sofa to the other side of the room just to play this, and even then it doesn't always work...- (Xbox) Voice commands is a bit of a pain. It works at times, but then it takes longer to navigate the menus since you have to say all of these unneccesary commands... Trying to navigate the menus with Kinect is also difficult at times, as the menus clearly were not designed for use with Kinect, so a controller is recommended for navigating menus.- (Wii) Speaking of controllers, your workout will pause if your Wii controller switches itself off (something which cannot be avoided unfortunately), and it can be so annoying when it happens in the middle of a workout. Luckily, this isn't an issue with the Xbox version.- While understandable due to the consoles themselves, the features and control functions vary between platform, which I have to admit is a little dissappointing.If you're looking for a well designed fitness game (and of course, are really serious about using it, not just for "fun"), I would happily recommend this (provided the price is right...). Even though more games keep getting released for kinect, and the fact that this does have a few flaws, this is still possibly one of the best fitness games available right now, and for the price, is much better value than newer fitness games.

the game kept pausing for that reason i did not get to do the exercise so poor quality prefered nike plus training

Had this for the wii but bought an Xbox and thought I'd try it for the kinnect. Better as you dont need all the controls to get tangles yo with. It comes with a heart monitor that you sinc with the kinnect and shows how many calories you burn. Fantastic