Welcome to Kinect - your body has to match your brain - e.g. out-of-shape critics despair!
Fighter's Uncaged presents precisely this dilemma, and its low scores across the board indicate that it is useless, if not entirely broken as many critics have claimed.
Having played through the whole tutorial and successfully combated all the introductory fighters (with a flawless record no less), I feel it is time to set the record straight. There are a number of points about this game that must be heeded in order for it to be in any way entertaining or useful.
1) Kids beware – it isn't that the game is that terribly challenging (come on critics, really?) but the gestures required to perform maneuvers are precise. Thus, if you aren't precise and are prone to throwing your arms and legs out haphazardly trying to hit your opponent, you will be foiled. This game is simply not kid friendly as most kids (and over-weight critics) have a tendency to do just that – flail around to no avail.
2) It works… but do you? – I'm not in top condition by any means, but I am physically fit enough to know that out-of-shapers will simply be frustrated by this game. This game not only requires stamina but also precision, which if you are out of shape you simply will not have. The repeated whine from the critics has been "it doesn't work, wah*wah*wah". The reality is that it does work, just fine, but it doesn't work if you can't control your limbs enough to accurately perform the gestures. It's pretty much that simple: if you can't properly activate the Kinect with your movements, then it will have to try to guess what you are doing, and this can result in sporadic movements and lag. If, however, you properly learn the moves (on both sides of the body, which is necessary, not superfluous as the critic claims) and remember their motions accurately, then you will have no problem.
3) Fitness = Practice – This may come as a surprise to the gaming critic world, but if you want to continue reviewing Kinect games you are going to have to get in shape to do it. The fact is that games such as Fighters Uncaged require a minimum level of fitness in order for it to work correctly. Further, it seems that the expectation of many people, critics included, when appropriating this game is that it should play like Street Fighter or Mortal Combat, plug and play so to speak. The reality is that you have to be physically conditioned enough in order to actually perform the gestures necessary and have the reflexes necessary to keep up in combat. If you were actually going to become a professional fighter you wouldn't start by booking a fight, you would take time to prepare and train before booking your first fight. This game is no different. If you can't pass through the tutorials then you need to keep practicing until you can properly execute all the different techniques.
4) Is it for me? - For any of you out there that are worried by the overwhelming negative critic response to this game, so long as you take into account the above mentioned warnings, you should at least give it a try. If you are like me, you will find an entertaining game that after about two hours of training you can successfully plug away at and will in the process get a fantastic workout. The more you play (practice) the better you will get and the more fluid your motions will be.
Bottom Line: If you are 1) older youth to adult, 2) physically fit and wanting a challenge, and 3) at least moderately coordinated, then this game will be a great physical and mental challenge for you.