PowerUp Heroes

The tragedy of PowerUp Heroes is that it's actually a rather good game, but one that lacks any memorable characters. Ubisoft does toss in some references to their other properties, with suits based on the Rabbids and Assassin's Creed unlocked by defeating Malignance, but not being a publisher known for producing fighting games makes this a title likely to be overlooked.

By no means should PowerUp Heroes be considered a game just for kids. With the Versus and Tournament modes, this game is perfect for parties, and perfect for showing off what Kinect can do.

PowerUp Heroes is cute and likable, and the motion controls work surprisingly well.

Beyond unlocking the suits and leveling up your fighter to unlock "power ups" there's very little depth beyond its primary use as a brief distraction for the kids. [Christmas 2011, p.94]

PowerUp Heroes had the potential to be a great super-hero fighting game for Kinect. It winds up getting in its own way with aggressive repetition and motion controls that only work half the time.

It's one of the most frustrating kinds of games that a company can possibly release: The disappointing thing about PowerUp Heroes is how much I like playing it, and how very little there is to play.

A dream come true for the kids of the Ben 10 generation, which will be able to transform themselves into poweful super heroes. The game sports a good and satisfying control system and accurate Kinect recognition, but with a too short single player experience. Best if played with friends.

It's a fun, exciting template; hopefully it'll return in a bigger, smoother sequel. [Feb 2012, p.747]

If you want to work up a sweat pretending to be a superhero, you're probably better off dressing up and running around the local park saving endangered squirrels. Ubisoft's Kinect game means well, and will certainly appeal to younger gamers, but its execution is sadly what we've come to expect from Kinect titles - a bit too messy.

Broken, overly repetitive and frustrating to play. [Issue#78, p.89]

PowerUp Heroes is a game that I cannot recommend to be purchased at full price, but if you've got children who would really enjoy stepping into the shoes of a super hero this is something I can wholeheartedly recommend. I personally found it to get rather repetitive but I am much older than the target audience, so I can't say for sure how repetitive it may be – but just don't expect something super substantial.