Kinect Joy Ride Walkthrough

3. Story walkthrough

Whilst you may look at the achievement list and think you can just sit through 30 of each activity without any effort and gain many achievements, you will not have gained enough 'xp' by doing this so you would have to play through many races again. It is far more efficient to play the game normally and do your best in order to gain enough xp to unlock all the cars and tracks. This way you should have unlocked everything by the time you finish your 150 races. 150 races is less than 5hrs actual race time.

Whilst there are 6 activities you only have to play 5 of them as you only have to play pro or battle race. Pro race is recommended until you have the required 10 wins, but you can mix it up if you wish, battle race, like the majority of this game is quite fun!

There are a few achievements tied to each activity, I will make you aware of them when you race each activity. It may take a few attempts to gain them.

Always check you are signed in at the bottom left of the screen. If you aren't, then sign your avatar in. The kinect sometimes signs you out, and the last thing we want is to play through levels blindly trying to find what we have missed.

Get used to using cars immediately after they are available. There are around 40 to use, so although it takes longer to navigate through the menus rather than playing a level again, if you use only one car in the game, you will have to play an extra 40 levels with menu time if you don't follow this rule, and end up wasting more time in the long run.

Also use all the tracks as they are available on each activity.

Okay, let's get started, first things first is the tutorial. Best to watch what you need to do, all the info you need is here for how to navigate your car in the game. After you have completed it you get your first achievement.

Learner’s License11 (10)

Complete the tutorial

• Unlocked by 6,088 tracked gamers (85% - TA Ratio = 1.09) 7,186

Now we are going to play each activity 10 times. The order is up to you, but for arguments sake we'll save the hardest till last, when you have a good grasp of the controls. So go ahead and choose the dash activity and the first track. The objective is to just miss the obstacles. The computer sorts your speed so all you have to do is turn left or right on your 'wheel'. Whilst you get more xp for finishing the race as fast as possible by boosting, to start with just try and avoid the obstacles. If you do so, after a couple of attempts you will unlock:

Clean Run54 (25)

Race a clean run in the Dash activity

• Unlocked by 1,552 tracked gamers (22% - TA Ratio = 2.15) 7,186

Once you have finished the race, go to 'next' before 'play again', this is so we keep tabs on what cars we are unlocking (after every 750xp). Once you unlock a car, instead of playing again, quit to the main menu, and choose the unlocked car to race with. Unlocked cars that haven't been raced with have a set of keys by them.

You can choose other tracks whilst playing this set of 10, or just play the first track 10 times. We will play all tracks later anyway. The tracks you have unlocked but not raced also have a set of keys on the screen. After you have finished 10 goes on this track you will unlock:

Rookie Dasher62 (25)

Play the Dash activity 10 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 1,187 tracked gamers (17% - TA Ratio = 2.46) 7,186

Okay that was pretty easy, so now to another set of activities. You need to race 10 of pro or battle race. Pro is easier but for now choose battle race. You need to win a race without using any items, so keep your hands on the wheel, keep an eye out for shortcuts and after a go or two you will unlock:

Pacifist Champion13 (5)

Win a Battle without using an item in offline play

• Unlocked by 997 tracked gamers (14% - TA Ratio = 2.68) 7,186

Now you can choose pro race, of which winning is more in your own hands (sorry) than battle race. Remember to keep choosing new cars as you progress. Now two achievements to bear in mind whilst doing the pro races are winning 10 races, and doing 500 air stunts. Both should come before you finish your 30 races. To do an air stunt you lean left, right, forward or back but if you turn your wheel and lean your body to the side, you barrel roll, and that counts as 2 air stunts instead of one. Personally I just leant left and turned the wheel left on every jump. Keep an eye out for shortcuts, as there are jumps to be found on each pro race stage and therefore more chances to do air stunts. After you have finished 10 races you will unlock:

Rookie Racer56 (25)

Play the Pro or Battle activity 10 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 1,428 tracked gamers (20% - TA Ratio = 2.24) 7,186

Next we will do the trick activity, which in essence is just matching the pose on the screen. Now grab a pad for this one because there is a trick to get one of the achievements. When you match the first pose in a fast time you will get a flawless rating. When you do, pause the game with the guide button on the pad and quit to main menu. When you do you will receive:

Perfect Match!34 (10)

Get Flawless on all poses in the Trick activity

• Unlocked by 620 tracked gamers (9% - TA Ratio = 3.40) 7,186

Then we will play through this activity ten times. Bear in mind the 2 related achievements for this activity which are to match 100 poses, and gain 300,000pts cumulatively in this activity. If you do pretty well you will gain the 100 poses before your 10 goes on this activity are done, earning you:

Strike a Pose13 (5)

Match 100 poses in the Trick activity

• Unlocked by 1,146 tracked gamers (16% - TA Ratio = 2.50) 7,186

When you finish your tenth go you will receive:

Rookie Trickster63 (25)

Play the Trick activity 10 times

• Unlocked by 1,141 tracked gamers (16% - TA Ratio = 2.51) 7,186

That's the easier activities done with, so now we will do the last 2 harder activities. Don't worry they aren't too hard, they just take a little longer to get used to them. Go ahead and choose the stunt activity and play the first track. Then choose the second track which we will replay for the next few achievements.

The stunt activity is essentially a half pipe, of which you go up and down, and gain more height each time and a bigger multiplier by doing so. The trick to get big air, and big scores, is to go up the ramp and do tricks (lean left and turn the wheel left to do 2 tricks in one, as we learnt in the pro race activity). As we get to the bottom of the ramp we want to lean back to activate our boost bar, then when it's full, which will be halfway to the next ramp, push forward to boost. You also collect bonus items and extra time whilst doing tricks, so you want to aim slightly to the left or right every time you go up the ramp to maximize your item collecting. Before you know it you will have:

Head in the Clouds17 (10)

Get 300 seconds of total airtime in offline play

• Unlocked by 2,581 tracked gamers (36% - TA Ratio = 1.67) 7,186

Choose the second track and after a few tries you should get 2 achievements for getting 12 seconds of air time and a jump height of 110 metres, which will earn you:

High Jumper9 (5)

Get a jump height of 110 meters in the Stunt activity

• Unlocked by 2,014 tracked gamers (28% - TA Ratio = 1.89) 7,186

Airtime King16 (10)

Get 12 seconds of airtime in one go

• Unlocked by 2,846 tracked gamers (40% - TA Ratio = 1.59) 7,186

It is possible to get the achievement for 1.5 mill points on this track if you use the green side ramps to gain more time, but for now we will just finish our 10 attempts to get the next achievement:

Rookie Stunter58 (25)

Play the Stunt activity 10 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 1,323 tracked gamers (18% - TA Ratio = 2.33) 7,186

Next we move onto our final activity, the smash activity. The first time you play it you will unlock:

Experienced20 (10)

Play each activity once in solo offline play

• Unlocked by 1,778 tracked gamers (25% - TA Ratio = 2.01) 7,186

We can then pick up a few more achievements on this activity. The key is to keep drifting all the time. To drift you just lean your body left or right. You can then keep your wheel straight or turn it into the drift to head where you want to go. Keep leaning as you go around the track and you will unlock:

Drift King18 (10)

Drift for 200 meters in one go

• Unlocked by 2,333 tracked gamers (32% - TA Ratio = 1.75) 7,186

You should get this in the same drift:

Smashing Drift12 (5)

Destroy 100 mini-Statues in one drift in the Smash activity

• Unlocked by 1,172 tracked gamers (16% - TA Ratio = 2.48) 7,186

Replay the first level and forget drifting for a second, just take out the boss statues and head for the green ramp, if you are fast enough you will unlock:

Speedy Assassin13 (5)

Destroy the Boss Statue in fewer than 30 seconds in the Smash activity

• Unlocked by 1,063 tracked gamers (15% - TA Ratio = 2.60) 7,186

We then want to play the second smash level. Just drift all the time whilst hitting statues to unlock:

Drift the Distance24 (10)

Drift for a total of 5 kilometers in offline play

• Unlocked by 1,216 tracked gamers (17% - TA Ratio = 2.43) 7,186

Super Smasher72 (25)

Destroy a total of 2,000 mini-Statues in the Smash activity

• Unlocked by 861 tracked gamers (12% - TA Ratio = 2.89) 7,186

Once you have finished your 10 goes on this activity you will get:

Rookie Smasher65 (25)

Play the Smash activity 10 times

• Unlocked by 1,066 tracked gamers (15% - TA Ratio = 2.60) 7,186

Since this is the last activity you will unlock:

Can't Get Enough78 (25)

Play each activity 10 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 745 tracked gamers (10% - TA Ratio = 3.11) 7,186

That's all activities played 10 times and wasn't so bad was it? So have a rest before we tackle playing each activity anoher 20 times, whilst going for the last activity specific achievements. Keep using new cars and new tracks as before, but some achievements I will point out the best track to use. Once you have all the activity specific achievements for an activity, feel free to choose the shortest track to replay to save time, but remember to race properly to keep gaining that xp!

Okay so we will start with the trick activity. Keep playing till you unlock:

Tricky Points14 (5)

Get 300,000 cumulative points in the Trick activity

• Unlocked by 906 tracked gamers (13% - TA Ratio = 2.82) 7,186

Which will be before your 30 goes on this activity are up all being well. Once you have this achievement you can replay the level and take it easy till you get the achievement for playing this activity 30 times:

Veteran Trickster170 (50)

Play the Trick activity 30 times

• Unlocked by 622 tracked gamers (9% - TA Ratio = 3.40) 7,186

That's one activity down. Four to go. Next we will do the dash activity. You should have unlocked the second to last track 'Badlands Freeway' by now so choose that one. You don't need to use boost for the next 2 achievements. When racing you will come to a point where there are 2 speed boosts one on the left, one on the right. You want to miss these and stay in the centre, which sends you on the lower route. From there just hit speed boosts to unlock:

Speed Demon11 (5)

Get a top speed of 220 km/h in the Dash activity

• Unlocked by 1,465 tracked gamers (20% - TA Ratio = 2.21) 7,186

In a try or two when you can do the level without hitting any obstacles you will unlock:

Dashtardly Good37 (10)

Miss 40 obstacles in a row in the Dash activity

• Unlocked by 516 tracked gamers (7% - TA Ratio = 3.73) 7,186

Once these are done feel free to replay the shortest track over and over. If you haven't already done so you will unlock:

World Traveler22 (10)

Drive a total of 50 kilometers in offline play

• Unlocked by 1,483 tracked gamers (21% - TA Ratio = 2.20) 7,186

On your way to your 30 required plays of this activity:

Veteran Dasher169 (50)

Play the Dash activity 30 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 630 tracked gamers (9% - TA Ratio = 3.38) 7,186

Next we will do the pro races again. Remember to do those air stunts. When you have won 10 times you will unlock:

Race King30 (10)

Get 10 first-place finishes in the Pro or Battle activity in offline play

• Unlocked by 810 tracked gamers (11% - TA Ratio = 2.98) 7,186

Before your 30 races are up you will get:

Stunt Driver108 (25)

Perform 500 air stunts in the Pro or Battle activity in offline play

• Unlocked by 384 tracked gamers (5% - TA Ratio = 4.33) 7,186

Once you have these, again, make sure you have played all the pro race tracks then you can play the shortest track a few times, or have some fun on battle race, whatever you fancy. You will eventually unlock:

Veteran Racer175 (50)

Play the Pro or Battle activity 30 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 584 tracked gamers (8% - TA Ratio = 3.51) 7,186

Now we will choose the stunt activity again. Keep racing all tracks till you have raced them all at least once, then we will play 'Crimson Gorge 3' for 3 achievements. You should be getting relatively good at the stunt activity by now, if you followed my tips on leaning left and turning the wheel left at the same time to do two tricks at once. On this track you want to hold the trick pose till the computer levels you out at the bottom of the ramp. Do not break your pose yourself. This is important. There is plenty of time when you hit the bottom of the ramp to pull your arms back and hold them for full boost before boosting up the other side when your boost is full. Remember to go up each side at a slightly different point so you collect more time and bonuses. If you didn't get it earlier you will soon enough get:

Superior Stunter22 (5)

Get a score of 1,500,000 points in one round of the Stunt activity

• Unlocked by 375 tracked gamers (5% - TA Ratio = 4.38) 7,186

Next we try for this achievement. You need to get 7 platinum stunt seals. If you followed my advice this shouldn't be a problem. A Platinum stunt seal is a seal at the bottom of your screen which has the name of your stunt, and 3 gold stars surrounded by a gold ring and then a platinum ring. You need a lot of air to achieve these seals, and you will get them at the bottom of the ramp which is why you should never break your pose yourself, wait for the computer to level you out. As long as you consistently use your boost and go up the ramp relatively straight it shouldn't be too hard after a few attampts. This will unlock:

Bonus Bounty73 (10)

Get seven stunt platinum seals in a round of the Stunt activity

• Unlocked by 135 tracked gamers (2% - TA Ratio = 7.30) 7,186

As you finish your 30 goes on this activity you will unlock:

Bonus Collector104 (25)

Hit a total of 5,000 bonus items in the Stunt activity

• Unlocked by 415 tracked gamers (6% - TA Ratio = 4.16) 7,186

Before you get:

Veteran Stunter160 (50)

Play the Stunt activity 30 times in offline play

• Unlocked by 701 tracked gamers (10% - TA Ratio = 3.20) 7,186

So now to our final activity, the smash activity. If you have played through all the tracks and cars as you unlock them you will unlock those respective achievements soon.

Once you play the last smash track you will get:

Been There, Done That324 (100)

Play on all tracks in offline play

• Unlocked by 683 tracked gamers (10% - TA Ratio = 3.24) 7,186

You should have enough xp about now for:

Test Driver412 (100)

Drive every vehicle style in offline play

• Unlocked by 424 tracked gamers (6% - TA Ratio = 4.12) 7,186

Which leaves us with our last activity specific achievement which is the one most people find the hardest. It isn't really that hard though once you remember this rule. The car drifts when you lean your body, it has nothing to do with your hands. Whilst it is tempting, and quite natural, to take your hands with you when you lean, don't! Leave your hands dead centre in the middle whilst you lean. Then when you go around the track turn your hands into the drift, whilst keeping your hands in front of you. Whilst unnatural, and awkward, this gives you full control to take your car where you want it.

Once you have mastered this then we can aim for the achievement of scoring 800,000 points in one round of the smash activity. You want to choose 'Cloud Temple 3' for this. You have to keep a constant drift going to keep your multiplier, so we want to drive down to the small ring in the middle and start our drift, knocking out all the small statues. With the tip I gave you about keeping your hands level, we want to then make our way further out, taking as many of the small statues in the middle ring as we can, then when we have at least a 5x multiplier (x8 is better but it is doable with less), go round in one big drift and knock all the big statues out. As you are drifting, try and hit the statues with the back of your car, as you are rewarded with exponentially more points for destroying statues with the back of your car, rather than the side and even less for the front.

If your hands are level you will find you have great control to do this. Once you have 720k points you head to the green ramp to the boss statue. Don't worry about time! Once you leave the green ramp the time stops, so as long as you hit it with about 5 seconds to spare you will be fine. If you have took all the boss statues out but are short of 720k points then hit some more small statues. This may take you a few times, but you will find yourself getting higher and higher scores till you do it. You only need 720k before you hit the boss because he bumps your score by 80k. Eventually you will do it and earn:

Smash High Score76 (10)

Get 800,000 points in one round of the Smash activity

• Unlocked by 126 tracked gamers (2% - TA Ratio = 7.55) 7,186

Hopefully this will be before you finish your 30 goes on this activity to gain:

Veteran Smasher179 (50)

Play the Smash activity 30 times

• Unlocked by 561 tracked gamers (8% - TA Ratio = 3.58) 7,186

Time for a well deserved breather before we do the multiplayer stuff.

There are 6 MP achievements and you can trick the kinect into thinking there's another player for them all except one. So grab a friend and tackle this one first. Same as before when we did the flawless trick on the trick activity. Both of you get a flawless rating on the first pose then pause the game with a pad and head to main menu to unlock:

Doubles Match!105 (25)

Get Flawless on all poses with both players in a two-player Trick activity

• Unlocked by 408 tracked gamers (6% - TA Ratio = 4.20) 7,186

Now if you have a nice friend you can quickly run through the rest of the achievements or if you don't have a nice friend you can trick the kinect into thinking there is another player present. At random times the kinect thought there was another player present as I played so I did these achievements when that happened. If not you can make a scarecrow out of objects, or even easier is to just grab a friend.

Choose the dash activity and play a level to unlock:

Double Dragrun10 (5)

Finish a run with a second player in the Dash activity

• Unlocked by 1,894 tracked gamers (26% - TA Ratio = 1.95) 7,186

Then choose pro or battle and choose the 2p symbol when asked. This will put you in a split-screen race and nab you:

Split Time7 (5)

Race in split screen in the Pro or Battle activity in offline play

• Unlocked by 4,174 tracked gamers (58% - TA Ratio = 1.31) 7,186

Quickly do a stunt race and smash race and you will get:

Constant Companion26 (10)

Play each activity with a second player in offline play

• Unlocked by 1,063 tracked gamers (15% - TA Ratio = 2.60) 7,186

Next you either need 2 gold accounts or a friend to play online with. You can do this over 1 xbox if you have 2 gold accounts, simply sign them in and it will put you both in a lobby, wait for the time to run out and it will start your race. Finish it to earn:

Get Connected24 (10)

Play an Xbox LIVE race

• Unlocked by 1,250 tracked gamers (17% - TA Ratio = 2.40) 7,186

If you don't have 2 gold accounts you will need to hope there is someone online at the time or make a boosting session here on TA.

Finally you need to sign in 4 gamer profiles. If you have them already, then simply 'add players' at the main menu. If you don't then you will need to make a few profiles till you have 4. When you are done you will unlock:

Four Times the Fun24 (10)

Sign in four gamer profiles

• Unlocked by 1,207 tracked gamers (17% - TA Ratio = 2.44) 7,186

And that's all the multiplayer done, congrats!

This should leave you with the play for 5 and play for 10 hour achievements. Unfortunately this is race time only so is a bit of a grind. You can either enjoy the game and play it at leisure till you have it done, or simply load up a pro race (I chose the last track) and sit down and relax, watch a movie on your laptop etc. Your car should stop from time to time, or get stuck on a wall, and time should get eaten up. When you finish the race simply play it again and do whatever till your 10 hrs have elapsed. Make sure you are signed in though, at all times. Eventually you will get:

Marathon116 (25)

Get behind the wheel for 5 hours in offline play

• Unlocked by 331 tracked gamers (5% - TA Ratio = 4.66) 7,186

Finally you will unlock:

Super Marathon315 (50)

Get behind the wheel for 10 hours in offline play

• Unlocked by 181 tracked gamers (3% - TA Ratio = 6.30) 7,186

Which will complete the game to 1000gs. You can give yourself a nice pat on the back and revel in the fact you have a nice TA score for this game which wasn't so hard, was it?