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Kinectimals Unleashed supplies puppy hijinks to Windows 8
If you own a Windows 8 device and love adorable, fuzzy critters, your day just got a whole lot better, as Microsoft has launched the "free-to-download" Kinectimals Unleashed. A semi-sequel to 2010's Kinect peripheral showcase Kinectimals, this new release includes a total menagerie of 85 animals. This includes the baby tigers and tiny bears of the original Kinectimals, but also adds 15 new breeds of puppy, all of whom would be delighted to play virtual fetch. Kinectimals Unleashed also adds new activities and customization options to those found in its predecessor, allowing players such pet owner joys as grooming, feeding and training an ambulatory bundle of fluff. The catch, as you probably gathered from that "free-to-download" bit above, is that Kinectimals Unleashed features a host of microtransactions. Don't be surprised if your ocelot's cuddly shenanigans are interrupted by a request that you spend real-world cash on virtual currency. [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft brings Xbox Live rewards to Android with Wordament game
Microsoft's plan to supercharge Xbox as an entertainment brand means that, no matter which ecosystem you live in, you'll have access to some of the company's first-party titles. In the same way that Kinectimals came to Android and iOS, today's free-to-play launch of Wordament sees another proprietary feature opening up: Xbox Live Achievements. Anyone with at least an Android 4.0 handset and a few friends should now be able to add up to 50G to their Gamerscore. Meanwhile, Windows Phone users should be happy to see that their version of the app has been re-written for WP8, banishing those odd letterboxing issues forever.
Microsoft brings Kinectimals to Android, is both warm and fuzzy
Catching up with its fellow iOS and Windows Phone platforms, Kinectimals has arrived on Android. It'll set you back three bucks, but for that you'll get the chance to play with five different balls of exotic fluff -- if you tie it into your Xbox 360 version. Like the other versions, you can to pet them, play with them and generally gaze enraptured at their squishy paws. The integration to Xbox 360 isn't the deepest we've seen, but we're never going to say no to a bit of inter-platform love. The download's waiting below.
Daily Update for December 13, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Kinectimals for iPhone and iPad available
One of the first things I bought last holiday season after receiving a Kinect as a gift was Kinectimals. My kids loved it, but we found it can get a little tedious after a while. There it sits on the shelf of unplayed games... But perhaps when my kids get little iPod touches this holiday they'll revisit the game now that it is on iOS. Yep, Microsoft has released Kinectimals for the iPhone and iPad, or an iPod touch -- provided you have a front-facing camera, of course. Actually the app is compatible with the 3GS as well, but that seems like a recipe for frustrating gameplay (considering the point is visual feedback between you and your pet). Perhaps it is a trust exercise on the 3GS. The app weighs in at 178 MB, and currently costs US$2.99. This isn't the first app to use the camera as an input device, and no doubt we'll see more, but it's cool to see a Kinect game migrate to iOS nonetheless.
Microsoft's Kinectimals lands on the App Store, breaks on through to the other side
Hell's apparently frozen over, pigs are indeed flying and, yes, the gods must be crazy because Microsoft Studios has just released Kinectimals, its Tamagotchi-like "mobile experience" with tiger cubs, to the App Store. The $2.99 app brings the isle of Lemuria directly to your iOS device of choice, letting you nurture these fledgling digital felines, in addition to unlocking a handful of them on a companion Xbox 360 title of the same name. It's not the first time Redmond's made its app wares available to Apple, as both OneNote and My Xbox Live have already hit earlier this month, but it certainly does signal a growing change for MS' attitude towards its mobile competition. If only Steve could see this now.
Kinectimals, now with Build-a-Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop is teaming up with Microsoft on a Kinectimals Now with Bears build-and-scan promotion. Beginning October 11, Build-A-Bear Workshops and buildabear.com will have four bears (pictured) that you can take home starting at $18.00 (and you don't even have to buy them drinks first). They all include "Microsoft Tag technology," which allows you to scan the cuddly cubs with Kinect and unlock a matching furball in the game. Beginning October 11, the two companies are also using their muscle on a sweepstakes promotion, in which 100 winners receive a prize pack that includes an Xbox 360 4GB console, a Kinect sensor, Kinectimals Now with Bears and a $100 gift card to Build-A-Bear Workshop. More details will be available on the Build-A-Bear site.
Kinect Sports: Season 2, Kinectimals Now With Bears dated
Halloween gatherings are about to get a lot scarier. Kinect owners will be able to inject their world of furry friends with pure ursine terror when Kinectimals Now With Bears! launches on October 11, both as a standalone disc and DLC. What's that? You don't think bears are terrifying? We can only presume then that you've never seen a shaved bear.* Things get even hairier on Oct. 25 when Kinect Sports: Season Two: Now With Beards sprints its way to store shelves. And no, it's not really called that, we assume it has, you know, the regular number of beards in it. But we can dream, can't we? *If you were thinking of doing a Google Image Search for "shaved bears" with SafeSearch turned off ... well, maybe just don't do that, OK? Promise us.
Kinectimals go Kinect-less on Windows Phone 7 this fall
Microsoft now forces us to ponder a philosophical question: Is a Kinectimal still a Kinectimal if you don't use a Kinect to interact with it? At a GamesCom event, Microsoft announced plans to release a Windows Phone 7 version of Kinectimals. "Players can care for and bond with their favorite pet cat or bear cub," the fact sheet notes, "using touch screen controls to feed, pet, play and nurture them on-the-go from their Windows Phone while also enjoying Xbox LIVE integration of Achievements and Leaderboards." Yes, this version is with bears as well. And it'll be out this fall.%Gallery-130753%
Run for your lives: 'Kinectimals Now With Bears!' due this fall
Just when we think we're out, they snuggle us back in. Bears are coming to Kinectmals this fall in the "Bear Island" DLC -- a name that we'd like to point out would be terrifying in practically any other context. In addition to five unique poohs, you'll also get a specially crafted adventure hosted by a new guide, Bumblina. (Because when we go to a place called Bear Island, we want the person responsible for bringing us back alive to have "bumble" right in her name.) You'll be able to pick up the DLC for $14.99 or buy it alongside the full game in a new retail package that's called ... wait for it ... Kinectimals Now With Bears! An amazing name, to be sure, but it's perhaps even more special because it lead us to the revelation that every game title can be made better if you add "Now With Bears!" Bear witness: Batman Arkham City Now With Bears! (Bears aren't a cowardly lot, but they're way superstitious.) Dance Central Now With Bears! (Imagine that and don't smile.) Dino Crisis Now With Bears! (Warning to the faint-hearted ... they've mated.) Go on, try it yourselves!%Gallery-129163%
Kinectimals demo plays nice with Xbox Live
Sure, Kinectimals may be a blast for your 10-year-old sister-in-law, but what about your 12-year-old nephew? What about your friend's 8-year-old son? What about your very immature sister? Now there's a 1.52GB demo on Xbox Live Marketplace, available for download to all Gold subscribers, to help you decide. And if you happen to enjoy it as an adult ... well, we won't tell a soul.
Buy any Windows Phone 7 model, get a free Xbox 360 game
Anyone who picks up a Windows Phone 7 starting today on through the rest of the month can snag a free Xbox 360 game on Microsoft. The contest page lists four eligible games as part of this deal, two of which can only be played with Kinect: Fable 3, Halo: Reach, Kinectimals and Kinect Joy Ride. It's hardly incentive enough to yank anybody down off the fence, but it's a good deal if you were going to get a WP7 handset this month anyway.
Kinectimals plush toys coming in Spring 2011
We know, we know -- Fur Town is getting kind of lonely these days. All your Kinectimals have been petted and played with so many times and, well, you're getting kinda bored of them. Thankfully, according to an announcement from Jakks Pacific this morning, Microsoft has plans to release "five unique plush animals" in the first wave of Kinectimals stuffed animals coming out in Spring 2011. Like the King Cheetah and Maltese Tiger included in the game's collector's editions, the plush animals can be scanned into Fur Town and be played with in-game to heart's content. No pricing was given in the announcement -- but can you even put a price on cuteness?
Kinectimals review: Meet Dave
As we divided up the Kinect reviews, Kinectimals just sort of laid there, like the black jelly bean no one wants to take out of the dish. Soon though, it occurred to me that I wouldn't necessarily have to live with the shame of being a grown man who played with a pretend tiger. I snatched up Kinectimals, remembering that I have a Rileigh. Rileigh is my 10-year-old sister-in-law, but that's not important. The important thing is that she loves the crap out of Kinectimals, and I'm betting your Rileigh will too. %Gallery-95782%
GameStop calling early Kinectimals purchasers about XBL lock-up
In response to yesterday's news about early copies of Kinect games locking users out of Xbox Live, GameStop has begun calling up customers to warn them of the issue. Amazon.com forum user Sam Beckett and a Joystiq tipster both reported calls warning them not to play the games before their intended release date; all reports indicate Kinectimals is the only game that's been shipped out early thus far. Additionally, GameStop customer support is said to not have offered any compensation for the mistake, resulting in at least a week of Xbox Live downtime until the public release of the Xbox 360 fall Dashboard update (read: by November 4) for those affected. We can only hope the potentially affected folks now receiving warning calls from GameStop are also avid Joystiq readers -- for their own safety, of course. [Thanks Justin!]
PSA: Got a Kinect game early? Don't stick it in!
Perhaps you've received Kinect and an early copy of Kinectimals? "Lucky me!" you might say to yourself, thinking of all the tiger petting you're about to get into. You plug in the Kinect, pop in the game tape, and the Xbox prompts you with an update. "Of course!" you say. "For this crazy camera thing I just got!" Without thinking, you hit "Continue" -- and that's where everything goes wrong. You see, the update it pulls down isn't the most recent. After updating and upon signing into Xbox Live, your newly updated system will tell you that it needs to be updated again, but here's the catch: That update will fail (see above pic). Without that update, you won't be able to sign onto Xbox Live. Since Kinect (nor its games) isn't officially available until next week, the latest Microsoft could publicly release the Kinect Dashboard update is November 4. This means you're stuck with an early version of the new Dashboard -- without Xbox Live functionality, not to mention Kinect -- until the update becomes available in the next week or so. Hopefully you like couch co-op! Update: Microsoft sent over this statement regarding the situation: "Due to a retailer error, a very small number of customers were shipped copies of a Kinect game ahead of launch. Since Kinect does not launch until Nov. 4 in the United States, customers who insert the game into their console before then will be temporarily unable to access Xbox LIVE. The retailer is contacting affected individuals directly to warn them of this situation."%Gallery-106201%[Thanks Ken!]
North American Kinect launch window games rounded up
When you get your shiny new Kinect, what games will you get with it? Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has provided a handy guide to the full Kinect launch lineup -- including launch day games and those arriving soon after. If you wagered there would be four sports minigame collections (Kinect Sports, Deca Sports Freedom, Game Party In Motion and MotionSports), you win! The seventeen-game lineup also includes three dancing games (Dance Central, Zumba Fitness, and DanceMasters), four exercise games (Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout, EA Sports Active 2.0, and the aforementioned Zumba Fitness), and two 'boarding games (Adrenalin Misfits and Sonic Free Riders). See the full list after the break. Major Nelson notes that the Xbox 360 launched in North America with 18 games, just one more than Kinect is launching with -- bearing out Shane Kim's comment that Microsoft would treat the Kinect launch like a new system. Or, it would, if this list didn't count the Kinect games coming out weeks after the Kinect release date as "launch games" vs. the 360's 18-game launch day. In any case, the Kinect has a lot of choices, even if they're all within a few categories.
Kinect demo returns to NYC Macy's through October 17
Macy's is bringing the Kinect demo "experience" back to its New York Herald's Square store through October 17, with four titles to test drive. The historic department store will also sell the Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle via its online store beginning November 4. Just don't tell Gimbel's about it.
Kinectimals limited edition listed with stuffed animals
Retailers are beginning to list limited edition Kinectimals bundles, which include a stuffed animal and a $60 price tag. Noted by Dtoid, Toys R Us has an exclusive "King Cheetah" stuffed kinectimal, while GameStop has the blue "Maltese Tiger" as its exclusive. Neither box comes with a small, adorable child to play the game, so you'll have to obtain one of those through other means. If the quality of the stuffed animals in the retail box is anything like those given away at the "'Project Natal Experience" during E3, trust that it will not replace Mr. Snuzzlemuffin at bedtime. However, they will look awesome next to that Noble Six statue.
Kinect Experience tour is coming to your town
Okay, so the "Kinect Experience" tour is coming to your town -- or at least within a reasonable driving distance. That said, from July on through the end of October, the Kinect Experience mobile demo tour will stop off in major metropolitan areas across the country, giving gamers an early taste of Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, Kinect Joy Ride, Kinect Adventures and Dance Central -- ahead of the device's November 4 launch. There are a total of 32 stops on the tour. For the full list of cities and dates, hit the break.
