Kinect sequels dated

Core gamers may be looking forward to the holiday season's high-profile Xbox 360 exclusives like Gears of War 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, but Microsoft isn't forgetting about its contingent of Kinect-loving casual players. The hardware maker today dated a trio of follow-ups to some of the biggest titles of last year's Kinect launch, specifically Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports Season Two, and Kinectimals: Now With Bears.

The Harmonix rhythm game Dance Central 2 is now set for release October 25 in North America, with European gamers getting their groove on October 21, and October 27 in Japan. In keeping with the Rock Band developer's tradition, all original Dance Central songs can be imported into Dance Central 2. Additionally, the game will sport a new campaign mode, as well as simultaneous multiplayer dancing.

For gamers who would rather hit the gridiron than the dance floor, Kinect Sports Season Two will also see a North American launch on October 27, with Asia and Australia following October 27 and Europe receiving the game October 28. The second Kinect Sports game will expand on the array of sports given the motion-sensing camera treatment with skiing, baseball, golf, darts, tennis, and football all included in the new game.

Finally, the Kinectimals: Now With Bears follow-up to last year's tiger-raising game will debut globally on October 11. Kinectimals: Now With Bears will be available as a $50 stand-alone retail game or a $15 downloadable add-on for the original game. As the name suggests, the expansion's big attraction is the ursine additions, including a black bear, a grizzly bear, a polar bear, a panda bear, and more. The game will also feature a new guide and a new plot in which the player and a cub explore Bear Island in the footsteps of a famous explorer in search of buried treasure.

For more on these games' predecessors, check out GameSpot's reviews of the original Dance Central, Kinect Sports, and Kinectimals.