EA Sports Active 2

 Xbox 360
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
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  1. 1UP
    Nov 29, 2010
    91
    After a workout with the game, I always walk away feeling like I just went through the same intensive, full-body workout that I'd only get from hitting the gym five days a week. It's this feeling that sets EA Sports Active 2 apart from the rest of the exercise games on the market, and it's why, if you're serious about getting into shape (and you can deal with the hefty price tag), you should definitely try EA Sports Active 2.
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 29, 2010
    90
    The best fitness title on the Xbox 360.
  3. MondoXbox
    Jan 2, 2011
    88
    Kinect proves yet again to be the perfect environment for fitness games: EA Sports Active 2 offers us a complete and customizable training program, with the useful heart rate meter to monitor our efforts in real time.
  5. Gamer Limit
    Feb 23, 2011
    85
    EA Sports Active 2 stands as one of the better fitness games on the market and sets an example for future endeavors in this genre.
  6. Worth Playing
    Jan 10, 2011
    80
    With Kinect and the new wave of full-body motion-tracking exercise games, EA Sports Active 2 is starting to feel a bit left behind in the fitness genre.
  7. Eurogamer Italy
    Dec 29, 2010
    80
    EA Sports Active 2.0 is a nice evolution of the previous game. The cardio sensor is a nice addiction to grant deeper and more effective workout. The Xbox 360 version works better due to the lack of the thigh sensor.
  8. Joystiq
    Nov 18, 2010
    80
    The hands-free motion control with heart monitor alone is worth the price of admission. But fortunately there's more to this game than just a gimmick – it's a solid effort all-around and a surprisingly fun way to get fit.
  9. Meristation
    Nov 17, 2010
    80
    EA Sports expands the virtual fitness to the highest levels, bringing a great collection of activities in the hardest workout ever seen in a console.
  10. Planet Xbox 360
    Dec 12, 2010
    79
    This one will help you in all the right ways, and considering the Thanksgiving feast last week, that's not entirely a bad thing.
  11. Vandal
    Jan 3, 2011
    78
    It improves on the first installment, which was an interesting product, and enhances most of it, broadening the exercise list and making them more varied, improving the control system through its new accessories and allowing us to join groups to share our advances.
  12. Official Xbox Magazine
    Nov 16, 2010
    75
    Active 2 delivers a solid workout to anyone content with basic exercises. [Holiday 2010, p.59]
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  13. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jan 6, 2011
    70
    Bearing in mind that this isn't a game as we know them, EA Sports Active is surprisingly good fun. [Issue#67, p.89]
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  14. IGN
    Dec 2, 2010
    70
    EA Sports Active 2 requires a lot of patience to make work right, and even when you think it's perfect, you can expect occasional problems with the Kinect functionality. It's a shame that it's $100 like the other versions, as this feels overly expensive because it's the only version that also requires additional, non-included peripherals (it does include a heartbeat sensor, at least).
  15. GamingXP
    Dec 20, 2010
    62
    Workout at home? Who needs a video game to tell you when and how to make sit-ups and the like? In front of my TV I'll prefer staying on the couch.
  16. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    Dec 28, 2010
    60
    Impressively complete. [Jan 2011]
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  17. Level7.nu
    Nov 22, 2010
    60
    EA Sports Active 2.0 is out to make exercise fun. And it does, there's a lot of diffirent moves and exercises to do and it's easy to make training programs and schedules of your own. But the Kinect-controls aren't working properly and can interrupt some of your sessions. The two player-mode doesn't feel very well thought-out. It's a fun alternative for exercise even though the pricetag is pretty hefty.
  18. Video Game Talk
    Jan 5, 2011
    50
    I can't recommend the Xbox 360 version of EA Sports Active 2 to anyone. You are much better going with Your Shape: Fitness Evolved for a fitness game or even Dance Central to shake your booty's calories away if you pick up a Kinect this holiday season.
  19. Metro GameCentral
    Nov 29, 2010
    50
    A terrible disappointment given the Wii original, with some very sloppy use of Kinect and more bugs than Fallout: New Vegas.
  20. Eurogamer
    Nov 26, 2010
    50
    There's a solid, clever, comprehensive fitness game buried away in here that's fighting to get out. And I hope EA can at least issue a patch that resolves some of these problems.
  21. Gameplanet
    Nov 26, 2010
    45
    If EA plans to get a firm share of the Kinect exercise market they'll need to invest a bit more time in creating a more user-friendly experience.
  22. Cheat Code Central
    Nov 23, 2010
    40
    There are a decent number of workouts to choose from, and the workout programs are a nice touch, but you'll burn more calories struggling with the controls than you will actually playing the game.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 3 out of 11
  1. Anony
    Nov 21, 2010
    2
    I've been a loyal user of the EA Sports Active series. I've bought each of the previous games and would recommend them to others. BuyingI've been a loyal user of the EA Sports Active series. I've bought each of the previous games and would recommend them to others. Buying Active 2.0 for the Kinect without checking feedbacks was a mistake. The game is a disasterous collection of bugs that render it frequently unusable. Many exercise movements are undetected/undetectable by the game, especially floor exercises, even though Kinect can recognize the player's frame. The advertised speech recognition is a huge hindrance for many users, causing the game to perceive noise as a request to bring up the various functions, thus stopping users dead in their exercises. It can take minutes of attempts, sometimes restarts, just to arrive at the menu. Worst yet, some players can not start any exercise because the game awaits the EA server's response in vain. There are too many bugs to list, so please just google 'EA Sports Active Feedback and Support' for their forums and you will understand the situation. It was clearly distributed to market with little or no concern for quality assurance. This is not an acceptable consumer product. I am very dissapointed.… Full Review »
  2. prettythingscha
    Dec 9, 2010
    8
    I didn't play the first game but when I got a Kinect for my Xbox 360 I ancticipated the release of this game so I could work out in my home.I didn't play the first game but when I got a Kinect for my Xbox 360 I ancticipated the release of this game so I could work out in my home. Overall I'm pleased with this game and I find myself anxious to exercise to see what new exercise and workouts this game will throw at me. There are some glitches and annoyances with the Kinect Tuner that really need to be glossed over before the Active 3 or any add-ons are created for this game. If you can get passed the sensitive in-game menus and sometimes not being recognized by the Kinect then you will enjoy this game. As far as the gameplay this game is awesome, it's interactive and keeps you motivated. There are lots of different fun activies like dodgeball and a punching bag. It's a very cool game that really gets your heart rate up and you feel pretty accomplished afterwards. I give it an 8 because even though I love this game those glitches that come along with the Kinect tuner are sometimes very annoying.… Full Review »
  3. HappyKillmore
    Dec 6, 2010
    7
    I had really high hopes for this game. While it does take some patience and a few tweaks, the hopes were fairly close to fulfilled. Like youI had really high hopes for this game. While it does take some patience and a few tweaks, the hopes were fairly close to fulfilled. Like you have probably read, this game does have issues but the issues can be overcome by following a few steps:

    1. Turn off the voice control (this will keep the annoying tutorials from popping up mid-workout)
    2. Wait until the game instructs you to lay down on any floor moves (the camera always "sets" itself based on your standing position).

    Once I did these things, the game became much more playable and less frustrating. I have read EA is working on a patch but again, these things can be worked around.

    As for the workouts, you will get out of them what you put into them. If you really try and push yourself through the running segments, your heart rate will really get up there. If you really try and squat using good form during the squat segments, you will get great burn in your legs. I also used my own free weights to supplement the weight based segments.

    Is the game as terrible as some of these reviews would have you believe? No. Is it a great game that will sell systems? No. Will you end up with a decent workout? Yes.    … Full Review »
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