Willie. That was so awesome. Hey Mickey, can I can I hug you, Mickey?

You might think, given my tendency for snark, that I’m making fun. I’m teasing the kids

who get excited about meeting some guy in a costume. But l wasn’t always so jaded.

In fact, that was a word-for-word recreation of my reaction to meeting Mickey in this game.

I talked to him out loud, I jumped at the chance to give him a high five. In fact, TJ

even came in the room just to see what the hell I was doing. And I’m pretty sure he

was prepared to laugh at me.

He ended up watching, smiling and talking about Disneyland with me, instead.

That’s how special this game is. It can turn a couple of guys in their late twenties

into kids again. It took TJ back to Disneyland. It took me back to watching Ichabod and Mr.

Toad with my sister. And though it’s for a younger audience than the Dance Centrals

and the Gunstringers, it stands with them as one of the best Kinect games to date.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures is, above all else, appropriately titled. This game is a

massive interactive recreation of Disneyland, and in it, you have adventures. But the thing

that’s most impressive is just how accurate this virtual Disneyland is. Rides are exactly

where they should be. You hear the same music you do walking around the park. Even the slightest

details were added, and the results are fantastic. Simply walking down Main Street USA is enough

to blow you away.

And fortunately, much of the game is designed around that very premise. You’re a child

visiting the park, and as you meet Disney characters, you end up taking odd jobs and

helping them with certain tasks. Early on, Mickey asks you to get pictures with his friends

so he can finish a scrapbook. Later, you have to find Donald’s hat, which he understandably

lost on

the Matterhorn.

There is a massive amount of stuff to do, and it seems like you can interact with almost

everything you see. The park just feels real, and Kinect helps bring it to life.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Disneyland if there weren’t rides, and so the game abides.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures turns rides like the Matterhorn and Space Mountain into little

minigames, but actually, this is the weakest part of the game. The minigames are too basic

to really enjoy, and controlling them with fluky motion doesn’t really help.

Another problem is these rides take you out of the park, and the park itself is the attraction.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures is most magical when you’re just wandering through the park,

bumping into your favorite characters and interacting with them.

Don’t worry, Ariel. I’ll get you a dinglehopper.

Oh, sorry. This is a family game. It’s just I’ve actually come to appreciate Ariel even

more as I’ve gotten older, but in truth, I can say that about a lot of Disney stuff.

I am a huge Disney nerd, and obviously, being one is a prerequisite to enjoying the game.

But if you are a Disney fan or a parent looking for a great Kinect game for your kids, you

won’t find a better one than Kinect Disneyland Adventures.

So, Ariel...what do you say you and I go get a little ginger-active behind Space Mountain?

I like you.