A while back I reviewed Zumba Fitness World Party for the Xbox 360, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s easily the most polished of the Zumba Fitness series that dates back to November 2010 (and which got a less-than-stellar review from me here).
Zumba Fitness World Party for Xbox One was one of the launch titles for the Xbox One; Majesco is clearly banking on the hopes that the new Kinect 2.0 which is bundled into every Xbox One and titles like Xbox Fitness by Microsoft will usher in a new interest in exergaming on the Xbox.
Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot to add beyond my review for the same title on the Xbox 360. The gameplay and menu options are virtually the same; the biggest difference from what I can tell is that there are 4 additional tracks available on Xbox One that aren’t available on any other platform.
Unlike previous versions of Zumba Fitness which focused solely on Latino music and dances, Zumba Fitness World Party features music and dancing from Brazil, the Carribbean, Europe, Hawaii, India, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico. In creating the game they brought in the top Zumba trainers from each of these regions and had them lead classes with a number of other dancers on the screen. Unlike games like Dance Central and Just Dance, you see a real video image so you know exactly where your hands and feet go.
The graphics are definitely more detailed than the Xbox 360 and Wii versions. As you dance there’s lots of animation going on in the scene and the camera will slowly pan as you dance, which definitely helps bring a new level of engagement to the scene.
Motion controls, not surprisingly, are much improved over the Xbox 360 in that you don’t need to stand 10 feet from your TV anymore. That said, perhaps this is due to it being a launch title, but I get the sense that they didn’t really make as much use of the Kinect 2.0’s advanced capabilities as they could have. The game is very, very forgiving regardless of how accurately you dance.
Not surprisingly, trying to navigate the on-screen menus using your hands is near impossible, something I’ve mentioned a number of times with the Xbox 360 which seems to be history repeating itself with the Xbox One. Luckily, you can use voice commands, which work well.
Overall, I’ll give this game the same 4.5/5 stars I gave the 360 version. It’s a decent replacement for a real Zumba class; while you obviously lose a lot in the social aspect, you do have the luxury of being taught real Zumba dance moves by some of the best instructors in the world.