Michael Phelps Push The Limit for Kinect is a swim-simulator in which you must crouch forward, pretend to dive, and flail your arms in a swimming motion to try and get the fastest time.  A good sense of rhythm and timing plays a surprisingly large role in this one, which can provide a fun competitive experience for families.

Families can jump right in and play Michael Phelps Push the Limit, competing in Quick Play events of any venue and stroke they choose.  But by playing through the game’s Career mode, they’ll be able to focus their skills and learn the nuances of swimming that can help shave fractions of seconds off their score, which can be the difference between first and last. 

With the Kinect controls, there’s no controller necessary to swim.  Players will just need to do a close representation of the stroke.  If doing a breast stroke, for example, you’ll need to put your arms out in front of you and extend them to the side as if you’re swimming.  Jumping in the pool and reaching for the wall are also important parts of the in-pool swimming.

But there’s another level of strategy to Michael Phelps Push the Limit that’s necessary to really win and succeed, especially in career mode.  Instead of swimming as fast as you can, players must find a good rhythm and work to not deplete their stamina meter.  As they get close to the end of the race, they’ll reach the “Push the Limit” area of the pool, where they can swim as fast as they can.  Depending on how you’ve performed up to the point impacts the size of the “Push the Limit” zone for your final push.

The game offers a few ways for families to play together.  In head-to-head mode, two players can race split screen to see who is the fastest.  But there’s also a relay mode which allows teams of up to 4 players to take turns swimming the race in a battle against the computer.

A game like Michael Phelps Push the Limit is perfect for Kinect.  We can’t imagine playing a swimming game using any other way to control the action then by simulating swimming with our bodies.  There are options to customize your race length and style, and with head-to-head and team-based multiplayer modes, it’s a great selection for families to play together.

INFORMATION FROM COMPANY FACTE SHEET:

In Michael Phelps: Push The Limit for Kinect, you play an up and coming swimmer, new to the exciting ‘invite only’ world of competitive racing held in some of the most breathtaking locations on the planet.

Features

•Learn from and be inspired by the greatest – Michael Phelps guides you step by step in the journey from unknown to legend. Customise your character and notice your physical shape change the more you race!
•Control and perfect every element of the race to find the split-seconds – hyping the crowd, start reaction, dive, stroke, turn and reach finish. Compete in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke races over short and long distances.
•Career Mode allows you to choose your path through the racing season, swerving or meeting rivals head on, and take part in the end of season Annual Games where glory and medals are up for grabs. Improve your character stats the more you race and compare your times against players around the world on the Xbox Live Leaderboard.
•Intelligent, intuitive and addictive Kinect gameplay. You are the controller – the moves you make in your front room are replicated on screen. Strategically deploy voice activated power ups during a race to gain the advantage over competitors.
•Stand out water effects bring the pool splashing into the front room. Compete in breathtaking locations – including an icy mountain range, within the Los Angeles city skyline, inside an architectural pyramid in Perth, an ornate Japanese dojo , inside a New York Skyscraper, and an 80000 seat outdoor sports arena.
•Go head to head with up to three other players from around the world in online multiplayer, 1 v 1 split-screen multiplayer, and local team Party Relay multiplayer for up to 8 players.