Yoostar 2 for Kinect places you in scenes from popular movies and TV shows. The game tells you where to stand, and then delivers you lines karaoke-style for you to perform. When you’re finished, the game plays back your performance, with you neatly placed in the scene. It’s a great use of the Kinect camera technology and a game that is a blast to play with others.
The menus in Yoostar 2 are controlled by using your hands as the bright point of light, and hovering over certain circles for a second or two to make selections. The game gives you a quick tutorial right off the bat, and then you’re able to go right into Quick Play, in which you can select any of the game’s 80 scenes right off the bat. Nearly every scene can be performed by up to 2 players at a time, which makes it a great multiplayer experience.
The other main mode of gameplay is Yoostar 2’s Challenge mode, which is a single-player experience which takes you through different parts of LA, performing single-player scenes the game has selected in order to collect bonuses such as new backgrounds or Hollywood Sets to perform in front of.
As an example of the types of scenes that can be performed, consider the vast variety of source material you have to choose from. We’ve put a more complete list below, but selections include movies such as Forrest Gump, Beverly Hills Cop, The Hangover, The Wizard of Oz and Shaun of The Dead. TV shows range from Star Trek to Mad Men to CSI: Miami.
In a memorable scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, players can play the role of the teacher as he reads off roll call: “Bueller… Bueller… Bueller.. Bueller…” As a more difficult challenge of the same scene, another player can take on the role of the blonde student, who informs the class that she heard from “her cousin’s sister’s something-or-other that Ferris got sick at 31 Flavors, ya know?” Since the game is recording your action, you’re free to ad lib and freelance all you want, provided you get your lines in in the same amount of time. Improvisers will love being able to make their own tweaks to scenes.
Other scenes include players taking on the role of Kindergarten Cop, explaining to kids that “It’s not a toomah!” Dorothy meeting the scarecrow in the Wizard Oz, Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel-son to Wax On and Wax Off, and many many more. Clearly there’s a wide variety of material here, and there should be scenes that appeal to nearly anyone’s tastes.
Additionally, if your family is interested, you can buy additional scenes via Xbox Live or via the game's Yoostore.
It’s very easy to choose your roles in Yoostar 2, too. The game makes it easy to preview each scene, and then gives players the choice of which character to play by asking them to step into an outline on one side of the screen. It’s very easy and intuitive.
One of the other things we really like about Yoostar 2 is how certain scenes began with a preview noting that there was language or content that may not be appropriate for children. Because of this, even though the game is rated T, families with kids younger than that can enjoy this together, because you can avoid these questionable scenes. You just want to make sure not to let younger kids play this by themselves as there’s no way to lock those off.
Yoostar 2 offers a number of options for saving and sharing your scenes, from simply placing it on your Xbox 360 hard drive for later viewing, or sharing on Facebook via the Yoostar Playground application.
Although Yoostar 2 is great fun to play by yourself, it really shines as a game that can be played together. Even though it’s rated T, families can avoid scenes with the game’s warning system, and we easily recommend enjoying this one for kids as young as 5 or 6 as long as they are playing with grown-ups. Up to two players can perform on screen at a time, but even more will have just as much fun watching. Yoostar 2 is a phenomenal game for playing together, and is a must-have game for families with Kinect.
Movies and TV shows in Yoostar 2 include:
300
American Pie
Angels & Demons
Animal House
Apollo 13
Baby Mama
Beverly Hills Cop
The Blues Brothers
Casablanca
Coming to America
CS: Miami
Employee of the Month
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Forrest Gump
Gladiator
The Godfather
The Hangover
I Am Legend
The Italian Job
The karate Kid
Kick-Ass
Kindergarten Cop
King Kong
Mad Men
The Matrix
Meet the Fockers
Meet the Parents
Men in Black
The Nutty Professor
Rocky
Scarface
Shaun of the Dead
Star Trek: The next Generation
STar Trek: The Original Series
The Terminator
Topc Thunder
up in Smoke
The Wizard of Oz
ZoolanderINFORMATION FROM COMPANY FACT SHEET:
Yoostar 2 is the first truly immersive acting experience that allows you and your friends to star in real Hollywood Blockbusters. With 80 iconic scenes available at release and hundreds more available online, Yoostar 2 is the ultimate party game.
Quick Play - There's no particular objective besides having a godo time. Choose to play a scripted performance, ad-lib or liven up things with a party playlist, play a bunch of scenes back-to-back and compete with friends. Simply select your scene, select your role, and you're good to go!
Challenge Mode - Win prizes by completing and mastering challenges. Unolck bonus video backgrounds and areas to skyrocket your status from struggling actor to A-list celebrity. Each location contains a number of challenges, each one harder than the last.
Award Fame - Love a performance? View and rate others' performances, give awards in a host of categories, and become a fan of a particular yoostar 2 performer and earn fame points.
A Star is Born - Get scored on your overall performance, script delivery and movement on screen through the magic of Yoostar 2. Get instant feedback, encouraging performing tips and keep track of your best score.
Challenge Prizes - Earn up to 144 prizes as you progress through 50 challenges. There are 6 prize types to look out for, and each challenge can award more than one prize!
Community - Enter the Yoostar 2 social community where you can watch scenes posted by other players, view your online profile, see what your friends are posting and catch up on the latest freedback from players on scenes you have posted.