Sofa Sucker-punch, Dorito Dunk and Wheezing Wallop. These are just a small sampling of devastating moves taught through centuries of rigorous martial arts training, which you too will undertake when wanting to dispatch those nimble ninjas and putrid pirates. Mainly ninjas though. Actually, always ninjas.
And dogs.
See, for the past week I’ve been getting to (death)grips with Kung-Fu Live, a game like no other on the PlayStation Network. Rather than a combinations of O’s and X’s, you’re tasked with throwing punches and flinging kicks across you’re living room like a re-embodiment of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or Daniel Larusso…
The allure of motion control is the soul of this game and of course, it’s one of the most tiring things you’ll perform in this year. Those ‘martial arts’ moves I mentioned earlier are the ones I self-taught from the comfort of my sofa because frankly, even though I’m not particularly out of shape, within only a few minutes of regular moves I was huffing, puffing and sweating enough to warrant a shower or a sit down on the sofa. It’s the regular fare in regards to the motion controls with punches, kicks, leg sweeps and head-butts with extra points awarded for dodging enemy moves. You can even add a little extra flair to your moves with surprisingly simple movements. Want to do a backflip? Easy! Simply stand with your side facing the PSeye and fling your arms above your head for an easy yet elegant backflip perfect for catching out your foes. Need more flair? Just do the ‘Y’ from the YMCA and you’ll slow down time allowing for a frenzy of punches or better yet, pose like the praying mantis and you can shoot electricity from your palms like the infamous Cole MacGrath.
The beauty of the controls lies in the simplicity. Getting to that point however, is the only complexity of the entire game. Like other motion controlled games, finding the space to perform adequately is the biggest difficulty of the game. It was tricky trying to get the camera at an angle that allowed me to leap around as needed but after shifting a sofa into the kitchen and leaning the other against the wall it wasn’t long until the framing was perfect.
This small niggle aside, the game itself is nothing short of fantastic. When you’re jumping around, it’s your goal to get through each round which consists of various ninjas or Inklings/scary ink dogs. After 4 or 5 rounds have passed, it’s onwards with the story and with that, the comic pages pull into view with you in the starring role. With the game tasking you to pull various poses, you soon see yourself assuming the position - be that balancing on your head whilst being taught ‘the ancient ways’ or sliding down a hillside. It’s these bits that really bring out the laughs. Something of an innocent pose soon turns into a death-defying stunt – with a rather bemused look on your face to boot.
Great graphics, eloquent controls, clean, crisp sound and up to four person multiplayer can be found in Kung-Fu Live but its shining grace really is the enjoyment you get from lunging around like a maniac. Even when I’d finished a twenty minute round I still wanted to continue and that alone speaks volumes for what many may perceive as just another motion controlled game. Do yourself (and three of your friends) a favour, and give this game a try. It’s really ruddy excellent!
If you're after any more information, then be sure to follow the Virtual Air Guitar Co. folks on Facebook! HIYARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!
Nice review Bear 
For those that are interested, there is also an Interview with Teemu Mäki-Patola, CEO of Virtual Air Guitar Company in regards to Kung Fu Live on the blog. Check it out here
THATMATTKID wrote:
Great review dude!
I was wondering though, did the camera have much trouble cutting the background out of the picture? my room is a cluttered mess so I'm worried about that ruining the game slightly!
The only problem I really had with clutter was a mirror in the background. On the other hand, thanks to the reflection of myself, I kicked twice as much ninja bum! 
Moved:
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