Having enjoyed the first Zumba games for the X-Box I awaited the release of this game with interest. It was billed as being bigger and better than the first outing and indeed in many ways it is. The graphics are more lifelike, the music and background environments more varied and interesting. There are also more instructors featured and in the classes, particularly the 45 and 1 hour classes they are all featured.
The game works in a similar way to the previous one, with the added benefit of voice control, having said that I have found that this feature is not very responsive, the hand signals do seem to be better in this game but even so it still take a fair amount of time to navigate through the various menus to the game itself, there is also a lengthly introduction video which if you miss the opportunity to skip holds you up for a couple of minutes.
The game itself can be played for 20, 45 or 60 minutes at low, medium or high intensity. You can get a sample of each class before you start. If you prefer to practice a single song or learn a step you can do that by following the appropriate link in the main menu.
As stated the graphics are very different from the original game, the classes take place in a variety of places including rooftops, clubs and swimming pool. The thing that takes some getting used to is the way the camera angles change even mid-move. Like many of the dance games a next move indicator appears just before you need to carry it and rather than the ‘encouraging’ comments from the instructor are gone and replaced by an image of you and your moves. Instead of the zumba double points you collect stars and if you get a big enough chain of moves correct you trigger zumba euphoria. This means that the screen seems to have a mist over it for a small amount of time. Once you get used to the odd camera angles and the euphoria mode you’ll find the graphics more detailed and useful than the previous version.
Included in this version is a calorie counter, however having played the game at different levels and for different lengths of time I have come to conclude that it isn’t very accurate. I also run a lot and 45 minutes running monitored with a GPS monitor burns approximately 450-500 calories depending on speed, according to the game 45 minutes of mid-intensity zumba burns over 900! Anyway that aside I think this game is an improvement on the previous one and suitable for all levels of ability. I would definitely recommend it a fun way to tone up and burn calories!
