As with any card game, Forgotten Wars comes with its own set of rules and systems, thankfully starting with an immediate tutorial. Although somewhat short and hands off in its approach to actually teaching the game to new players, it introduces an interesting twist from what we’ve played in other card games like Magic the Gathering, and it was just enough of a change to really get us into the game.

That’s not to say the dual-stick setup doesn’t have its problem, however, as there were plenty of times when what was happening on screen and what I was trying to do with the controller wouldn’t mesh, so I would make mistakes due to thinking the character on the left of the screen was controlled by the left stick, when in reality it was the other way around.

With no tutorial, it’s a veritable trial by fire, and although you’ll probably be quick to work the controls out yourself, it’s still a slight annoyance. Movement speed is also a problem — more than likely made slower to make sprinting more appeasing, but even sprinting could use just a little more boost. Rolling, although nice to watch, is far too slow to be useful to dodge most enemy attacks, and you’ll find yourself falling back onto the basic backpedal and shoot strategy for most areas.

Of course, what would a stuntman be without tricks? Flips, manuals and endos are handled easily with the left stick, while all manner of other showboating oddities are pegged to the left and right bumpers. Tricking isn’t just for show either, as big stunts reward the player with boost and, honestly, who doesn’t want more of that? With so much at his disposal, you’d think Joe might stumble, but the setup is handled expertly, letting anyone get in on the action at a moment’s notice.

It’s not a perfect fit, however, as context-specific actions (like picking up weapons or reviving teammates) takes an inordinate amount of time to get started. And when you factor in the constant gunfire you’ll be taking throughout the game, this just isn’t acceptable, as trying to help out teammates will inadvertently lead to your doom as well.

Controls are a defining factor for any Kinect game; without a good setup you might as well turn off the TV and wave your arms around until you’re satisfied with what you’ve accomplished. On screen your character is set up behind a ballista, standing in a half circle segmented into two areas. Walking up and holding out your hands grabs the ballista and walking back primes it at full power, allowing you to then aim by moving left and right or affect its pitch in much the same manner. To fire just put your arms out to the sides. During flight you can spin your shots by swatting at the projectile, changing directions and adding or reducing lift. Different ammunition for your ballista has special properties that can be used mid-flight to help the destruction along, activated by raising your arms in a “V” position.