Overview: PowerUp Heroes is a Kincet-Only title that features one-on-one battles between super-powered heroes and villians. While there's not a ton of depth, the Kinect implementation makes the gameplay fun and exciting.
The good news is that PowerUp Heroes is way better than the simple premise and kinect only controls might indicate. You use gestures to active your special powers, of which each super-suit has three. As early as the second stage you gain the ability to use two suits, and switch between them on the fly.
Throwing these powers around is the real highlight of the game. The gestures make sense, and are really well implemented by kinect. I never felt like the game was failing to read my movements, which is a big complement for kinect. The commands are clearly shown on the HUD, so anyone can jump right in and play.
Each suit has a theme such as fire, lightning, cyborg, phychic, undead, etc. Attacks can be chained together if performed in certain combinations. Regardless of which suit is worn, a basic projectile can be thrown or a close-combat mini-game entered by raising a knee.
Unfortunately, while what's there is great, there's not a ton of content available. The campaign is fairly short, with a battle against a handful of enemies, and then a second leg against harder versions of the same enemies. A story about an alien invasion is the framework, but it only pops up a few times and can be safely ignored. The single-player game can probably be completed in as little as 3 - 5 hours. Which leads us to...
Local and Xbox Live multiplayer: Multiplayer is available locally via split screen, and offers one-on-one or a 3 or 4 person tournament mode. This can really be lot of fun if you can get a few like-minded people in the same living room.
Unfortunately, I can't comment on Live, as I've been unable to find any players at all in either the quick match or the ranked match.
Graphics: The characters are built using Xbox Avatars, with the player's Avatar appearing in a themed super-suit. The special effects are solid enough, with some screen filling effects an a solid sense of wht's happening. Backgrounds are detailed, and the whole experience is colorful.
Unlockables: As you play through single-player you'll unlock more and more suits. This is really the main hook for the single-player game. There's a few awesome bonus suits (a Rabbid suit and Ezio Auditore) as well as others through Uplay.
Additionally you gain experience as you play, and each new level gives yo access to a single mod. You can equip one mod at a time, which gives some sort of buff or bonus. However, the XP rewards are far too low for this game. I only managed level four after a single-player playthrough and a good amount of multiplayer. XP caps at level 10, but I doubt most players will ever get anywhere near it.
Achievements: Oddly, there are only 13 achievements in the game. They are decently split between performing a few feats, beating the game, and experiencing all of the suits and powers, as well as a few for local / online multiplayer.
The only really killer achievement is to hit level 10 in experience, which will be a very "grind-y" experience.
Pros:Great Kinect Implementation
Fun Powers and Gestures
Tons of Unlockable Costumes / Powers
Cons:Way too short for a full retail title
Multiplayer Community is Dead
XP System poorly implemeted
Summary:PowerUp Heroes is a great title you'll have a lot of fun with, but be aware that it's a bright flame that burns quickly. This would have been an awesome XBLA title, but I can't recommend it at full retail price. However, if you spot it as a rental or a bargain bin title, by all means grab it, and expect a few short hours of great fun.
4 out of 5 stars, if you can find it for cheap or rent.
4.0