E3 2014: Ubisoft stands by Kinect with Shape Up

Ubisoft has revealed an interesting new take on the fitness genre and, in doing so, shown its continued support for Microsoft’s troubled Kinect device.

Shape Up, announced during the publisher’s E3 press conference, is an exercise game aimed at core gamers. By turning workouts into arcade-style games, the firm hopes to encourage core gamers to spend more time exercising.

The game is exclusive to Xbox One and uses the Kinect, which Microsoft has dropped from the standard Xbox One bundle.

Two example workouts were shown. One, a mini-game called Piano Step, essentially works as a hybrid of Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution with players stepping in time to match coloured symbols. Another saw players competing to do as many press-ups as they could, with the game projecting a banana onto their backs while on-screen.

The Kinect is also used to power an interesting replay feature. Players can record their workouts and then either compete against the video of themselves, or send to friends for them to challenge.

—

E3 2014 – Live! Breaking news and up-to-the-minute developments: HERE