In a few weeks, we are taking our son for his first trip to Disneyland. To help get him excited about the trip, our family has been playing the XBox Kinect Disneyland Adventures game which is a perfect virtual reality replica of the theme park.
As a long time Disneyland fan, I was absolutely amazed at the level of detail in this game. So believe me when I say that Kinect Disneyland Adventures not only recreates Disneyland, but in some cases it even surpasses the theme park itself.
The XBox version of Disneyland was designed to be at scale, which means you feel just like you are walking through Disneyland when you stand in front of your TV. You can walk through every land in the park, from Main Street to Toontown and everywhere in between. It makes you feel like you are right there inside the happiest place on earth. They even have the background music playing when you walk through the various lands. It is just that authentic of an experience.
The Kinect controller for XBox is relatively new and works by tracking your body movements, as opposed to having you push buttons on a controller. Because of this, you walk in place to move around the park. When you go on an attraction, you experience a game version of the ride (check out the video below), during which you move in various ways to collect coins and complete your quest. The games are fun for the whole family, which means mom and dad will have fun playing along with their little ones.
Probably the best part is that Disneyland seems to be permanently in the off-season. There are plenty of families walking throughout the park (holding conversations that you can eavesdrop on), but the lines are short. You want to ride Splash Mountain? You don’t have to queue up behind tourists for over two hours, or get a FastPass to return at 10:30 pm. You just go.
As you walk through Disneyland, you’ll run into several Disney characters like Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Belle, Cinderella, Stitch, and Tigger. All of the characters give hugs, dance, high-five, sign autographs, and take photos with you. It’s just like a real trip to Disneyland, just without all the crowds.
As we mentioned earlier, the attractions are all mini-games and most of the major attractions are represented. Matterhorn turns into a bobsled race, Space Mountain is a shooter. My son loves playing hide and seek with Nemo! There are far more games in here than you might expect. It provides hours of fun.
We learned about the Kinect Disneyland Adventures game from another parent and have heard nothing but good things from anyone who plays it. The hands free experience of using Kinect is what makes this game, along with the amazing detail in the graphics. But best of all, the game itself is less expensive than a one day admission to the park, which makes this one of the easiest ways to visit Disneyland no matter where you live.
Image via Well Connected Mom
You’re right that this game is just like being there. I bought it for my kids and they love it. Bad part is that it isn’t so real that you can buy a churro. :)
I guess this would be one time where I wouldn’t mind if my daughter played video games too long. Hard to complain about Disneyland.
That’s so exciting that it will be your son’s first trip. I remember the first time we took my daughter. She was four and loved it. We have been back several times since then, but her first visit was extra special.