I got a rare opportunity to sit down with the good people at Half Brick to check out what is upcoming for them and they showed off Fruit Ninja for Kinect and Fruit Ninja Frenzy on Facebook. First off, I will start with Fruit Ninja Frenzy on Facebook, I am not typically the type of person to spend a long time on Facebook playing games while I could be off slaying zombies or getting in some headshots on Halo. However, in my spare time I could definitely see myself logging onto Facebook and slicing up some fruit to beat all my friends!
The only problem I could find with the game would be the mouse requirements. To get into the intense action you can not have just a typical $15 Microsoft mouse and still do well unless you have 2 feet of surface area to move the mouse around. The game features a lot of neat features, such as the ability to buy upgrades in game so you can do special things such as: not be affected by bombs or get double the fruit when you get the frenzy banana, which in the free version you can only have 1 upgrade at a time and very slowly unlock new ones after days or weeks of work. The nominal fee they charge for the 2 extra slots and upgrades will ensure you are always #1 among your friends. Currently, you will be unable to play against your friends real time although it is something they are looking to add after the game is out of beta testing.
Now for Fruit Ninja Kinect, I have never been an advocate for motion controlled games and prefer the traditional mouse and keyboard–this game is no different. Although, the ability to play many different modes and with your friends is always a good time. The response to my movements doesn’t really feel right for me as you are required to move your arms fast in order for it to be counted as a slice making bomb avoidance a chore. That is not to say the game isn’t fun, I am sure after half an hour to an hour with the game I would get used to the feel and enjoy it more but for the initial use I will leave it at it needs work. The developers are aware of this but they are unable to fix the problems until Kinect gets an update.
Lastly, we have been given the opportunity to give out beta keys for the Facebook release and if you think you would be interested in receiving one please comment below or contact us!
