Wipeout In The Zone for Kinect is a much safer, much dryer and presumably less painful way to enjoy one of the most popular family shows on TV.

Featuring avatars of the show’s hosts John Henson, John Anderson and Jill Wagner.

The Kinect controls for Wipeout In The Zone are very intuitive.  Want to run?  Simply run in place.  Need to jump or duck?  All you need to do is jump or duck.  The only maneuver that isn’t necessarily a real-life translation is when you need to quickly stop.  To do that, you need to place both hands out in front of you.

The game is structured just as the real-life TV show is, with players needing to go through the Qualifier round, the Eliminator round and eventually the Wipeout Zone.  In all, there are nine different “episodes” featuring slightly different challenges in each round.

Games can be played by a single-player or by up to four family members.  The single-player game can move along pretty quickly, and can be completed in about 10 or 15 minutes.  When more players are added, games will take longer, with a four player game likely lasting closer to 25 minutes or a half an hour.

Wipeout In The Zone uses a side view to let you view all the obstacles that you’ll be encountering.  It works really well, and blends nicely with the game’s intuitive controls.

As with the TV show, the goal is to finish each level as quickly as possible.  As you’re running through the course, you can collect rings to try and shave seconds off your final time, but they often involve a bit of risk that could prove costly and cost you a time penalty.

The multiplayer aspects of Wipeout In The Zone are perfect for families, as even when characters aren’t running the course they still have a chance to interact and interfere with the onscreen action.  For example, if Player 1 is running through the Qualifier, any additional players can grab an Xbox controller and launch balls at them, which will affect their character’s balance.

The game features plenty of recognizable Wipeout favorites that families have seen on TV, along with some special creations created just for the game.  Big Balls, Sucker Punch, Sweeper Eliminator – they can all be found here, along with times when players will need to quickly match an on-screen pose or other actions.

Wipeout In The Zone is the perfect Kinect game at the perfect time for families.  It can be played and enjoyed by kids as young as five and six, and is the sort of game that keeps even non-playing onlookers love to watch.  The subject matter of the wildly popular TV show translates perfect to the Kinect format, and intuitive controls and great multiplayer options make this one we highly recommend.  Wipeout In The Zone is definitely our favorite family-friendly Kinect title released to date, and is a must-have for any family who enjoys playing videogames together.

INFORMATION FROM ANNOUNCEMENT PRESS RELEASE:































Based on the ABC hit show Wipeout, Wipeout In the Zone will be the latest release in this hit video game franchise and will have players running, ducking, dodging and wiping out using Kinect for Xbox 360’s full-motion capabilities right in their own living room.

Wipeout In the Zone features more than thirty outrageous obstacles that will test players’ limits in more ridiculous ways than ever. Players can try to run the entire course in one shot, conquering one challenge after another such as leaping over a pool of water using the infamous “Big Balls” and maneuvering their players to avoid being pummeled by the “Smack Wall Sweeper.” Once again featuring the talents and hilarious commentary of the show’s hosts, John Anderson, John Henson and co-host Jill Wagner, Wipeout In the Zone will bring hours upon hours of fun and laughter for the entire family.

Wipeout In The Zone will be Kinect ready for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and available on retail shelves this summer in conjunction with the premier of Wipeout’s summer season on ABC.

“Wipeout” executive producers are Matt Kunitz (“Fear Factor”) and Scott Larsen. Shye Sutherland, Kevin Wehrenberg, Trice Barto and J. Rupert Thompson are co-executive producers. The series is produced by Endemol USA. David Goldberg is the chairman of Endemol North America.