Do you like Angry Birds? If your answer is yes, then you may definitely want to check out this review for the upcoming XBLA title, Wreckateer. This new destruction style game resembles Angry Birds in one big way and that’s your ultimate goal is to create as much destruction as you can for the maximum point total and medal awards. The one big difference is that this title is Kinect enabled so you’ll be using your body to cause havoc on the poor little goblins.

Wreckateer is developed by Iron Galaxy and published by Microsoft Studios. Its developed solely for use with Kinect on XBLA and is the second title in the Summer of Arcade series which kick off with Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD. Wreckateer takes you on a destruction spree across the Kingdom that has been overrun with goblins. Yes, goblin infested towns and castles are you target of choice in this one. Think of the goblins as the pigs in Angry Birds.

You’ll team up with Wreck and Tinker who will provide you with new weapons and plenty of firepower to launch from your catapult. As with Angry Birds, you’ll launch your ammunition into the buildings in order to cause the most destruction you can with each well placed shot. Some ammunition will explode on impact, some will have a bullet speed that pierces through multiple buildings and others you’ll be able to control through hand motions and flight. There are other types of ammunition that will open up to you as you progress through the 60+ castle levels.

Before I get into the gameplay I want to discuss the new Avatar Famestar feature. Wreckateer is the first game for the new feature to find a home and this allows you to basically create fame and win rewards for you Xbox Live Avatar. You’ll complete different tasks, challenges and objectives and new objectives will be added weekly. As you complete tasks, you’ll earn points which eventually turn into rewards such as avatar gear and goodies. Full House Poker and A World of Keflings are getting updates to include the new Famestar feature as well. Future games that you can look forward to the program include Avatar Motorcross Madness, Firepro Wrestling and Homerun Stars. It’s a pretty cool feature to compete with friends to gain the most fame for your Xbox Live avatar.

So let’s get into the game and why I think this is one you should definitely check out if you have a Kinect system. I really enjoyed the visuals and sounds in the game as they felt very “Disney” like if you will. It will definitely appeal to families and younger gamers for sure. The characters are funny, comical and quite witty. Even the goblins have some appeal to them, especially the ones that are wearing costumes. The music is light hearted and whimsical and I think this is where I tend to get the “Disney” feeling. I especially like the crude humor and the Top Gun one liners that you will hear throughout. Talk to me Goose!

The game plays very well. The Kinect recognition seems to be spot on from moving your body to different spots in the playing area to the actual firing of the ammunition and the guidance of flying ammunition. The menu system can be a bit quirky as the option don’t really lock into place when you are moving the selector up and down. So there were a few times when I selected the wrong option. I also had a little difficulty trying to figure out how to quit out of a level and then find other menus but realized that I had to swipe with my left hand to get the Back option. The game controls though work great. Stepping forward and loading the shot, as well as aiming and releasing your shot work great and I thoroughly enjoyed myself why playing this game. The only frustration I experienced was when I made stupid shots.

There are various levels throughout the game each posing a different strategy. You’ll have targets that you can aim at as well as satchels filled with explosives on some levels to create the ultimate destruction. One of the cool things is that when you line up your targets they will actually glimmer if lined up properly so you do not have to worry about being way off in a shot. The flying shot will actually allow you to guide the projectile through icons and into specific areas or objects. One of my favorite things to do is to hit the goblin hanging from a hot air balloon. He ends up tagging along for the ride.

You’ll collect icons for accomplishing certain tasks like hitting a goblin in the face or perhaps causing ultimate destruction. You can also grab score icons that increase your score by a few thousand dependent on the value of the target you hit. Ricocheting the projectile will also result in a bank shot bonus so be sure to use the environment to your advantage. There are all sorts of icons to obtain, shots to make and bonuses to be had. Just experiment with all sorts of things and you’ll see the icons popping up quickly.

You’ll have the standard campaign mode where you roll through 60+ stages of causing total destruction. There are also individual challenges for each region located in the campaign that are unlocked as you obtain gold medals in all the levels located within a region. These challenges can be quite challenging and definitely live up to their name. You’ll have to really think about each level and how to approach it with the arsenal given to you. Of course everyone will have a different solution that will result in points but really only one true way will net you the maximum points.

Not only is there a single player option but you’ll also have a multiplayer option that allows you and a friend to wreak havoc on the land taking turns to outscore the other. With the inclusion of a fairly long single player campaign, local multiplayer and the Avatar Famestar there is plenty of replay value in this title. Not to mention the leaderboards that will have you trying to outscore your friends.This is by far one of the better Kinect games out there and we all know that Kinect is in dire need of good games and not just shovelware.

At first glance some folks may look at this game as just a kids game. That assumption is way off the mark in this case. This is for anyone looking for something different that works well with Kinect. And if you enjoy Angry Birds then you’ll should definitely enjoy this title. It allows you to get creative, get stuff for your avatar and have fun with the whole family. My friends, this is an excellent choice in an XBLA title and a Kinect title at that. My hat goes off to Iron Galaxy on a job well done. Definitely check this title out when it hits XBLA on Wednesday July 25th. For $10 I would say it’s worth it.