At the time of writing, there isn’t really anything on the Xbox One to use the bundled Kinect device for, in terms of software at least. There are voice commands, which work most of the time, and it’s also a neat IR blaster, so it turns on the TV when you turn the Xbox on, but the attempts that have been made to release games that make use of Kinect have thus far have been disappointing.

Rare plans to change that, with the release of Kinect Sports Rivals, the latest installment in their Kinect Sports franchise, and the first one to release on the Xbox One. On the Xbox 360, the Kinect Sports series produced two of only a handful of decent Kinect-only games, but the question isn't so much is this another decent entry in the Kinect Sports series but rather will this be the killer app that Kinect sorely needs?

Before I begin, I want to make one thing clear (although this should probably be taken for granted by now): make sure you have lots of room; you'll need the space.

This time around, Kinect Sports does not use your avatar for your likeness. Instead, the game performs both a body and facial scan, and then creates a “digital athlete” from your likeness. In a few minutes I was scanned into the game and was pretty pleased with the results. After that, you are welcomed to the island, where you can play with family and friends, or complete some training missions, which teach you the basics of each of the six sports. The sports are: Wake Racing, Rock Climbing, Bowling, Target Shooting, Tennis, and Soccer. It is worth working through these tutorial missions, as they give you small tips and tricks that'll come in handy later on.

In terms of presentation, Kinect Sports Rivals gets the job done, but the graphics are nothing to write home about and not as impressive as I had expected. On the plus side it is technically sound; there are no visual blemishes, screen tearing, framerate drops or texture pop-in. Navigating menus is very easy, and there are multiple options for navigation. Not a fan of motion controls? Use your voice. Not a fan of either? Use the controller. The soundtrack consists of popular music tracks and remixed ones, so if that’s your bag you'll have no complaints.

My main concern with regards to the game's presentation is the narrative. The story revolves around three competing clans: The Viper Network, The Wolf Clan, and The Eagle Legion. The characters are all clichéd, with one particularly annoying character talking in nothing but internet memes. It feels tacked on, as it often does in mini-game compilations, and adds no value to the overall game. Eventually, you have to pick a team to side with, but that doesn’t actually have an impact on the game; there are no consequences or benefits to siding with a specific team.

Wake Racing is the most enjoyable out of all of the sports, with controls that feel both fluid and natural. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the movements Kinect was able to recognise. Small motions, such as closing and opening your hand to control the throttle, work very well. The learning curve is great as well - I quickly went from merely being able to finish a lap, to avoiding bombs and obstacles, and performing tricks with ease.

Rock Climbing is also fun most of the time. For this, you raise your arms and close your hands to grab handholds and work your way up the rock surface. These controls work properly most (but not all) of the time. However, problems start to arise when obstacles and other players are thrown into the mix. Some handholds are electrified, while others break after a certain amount of time. Players can also throw opponents off the cliff, by grabbing one of their legs and pulling them down. It becomes quite varied and challenging, but when technical issues do pop up it becomes frustrating.

Bowling and Tennis are the decent, but middling activities. Through there are some cool gameplay mechanics in each event - such as giving your ball spin in Bowling, or lobbing the ball over an opponent’s head in Tennis - these activities have been done before and lack originality.

The two sports that I wasn’t a fan of were Target Shooting and Soccer. Target Shooting has you, as the title suggests, shooting targets. The gameplay is uninspired, as all you have to do is point and the screen and move your arm around. You don’t even have to shoot; the game does that for you. There are special targets, such as ones with force fields that have to be shot, and ones that need to be hit in a particular sequence, but overall it's quite dull in comparison to the other activities. What’s worse is that your reticule occasionally jitters, making it difficult to aim.

Soccer is both uninspired and mostly broken. The game has you passing to individual players before eventually allowing you a shot at the goal. Each point is covered by an opponent, and you have to time your kicks so that they don’t block your pass. However, the Kinect tracking is not on par with the other games and there were several instances when I would pass to the center, but the ball would go to the left instead.

Kinect Sports Rivals has a decent amount of replay value. There are minor RPG elements, where your athlete has levels based on the number of fans they have, as well as levels for individual events. Raising your levels unlocks more gear, and gives you an edge against the competition. What adds to the replay value is the Kinect Sports Rivals Hub. The Hub lets do things such as upload photos of your athlete, but more importantly, it includes challenges and leaderboards. These challenges help you get fans, and will end up helping you climb up the leaderboards.

Is this Kinect’s killer app? No, but it feels like a small step in the right direction. Most of the games are enjoyable and work well. This is the best Kinect game on the market right now, and although that's not really saying much, hopefully Rare and other developers will use this as something to build off of. If you're looking for a way to put your Kinect to use with friends and family this is the go-to option at present. If, on the other hand, you're looking for Kinect’s killer app then you'll have to keep on waiting.