E3: Microsoft shows some love to Kinect
Of the 16 completely new games announced at Microsoft's press conference yesterday, including a batch of 5 smaller Xbox Live Arcade titles, 8 of them were either Kinect-required or Kinect-enabled. Of the 27 games that were either announced or receiving some sort of feature-unveiling, 11 involved Kinect in one way or another. So for those of you who dropped some hard-earned cash on the watchful little peripheral and were greeted with impressive but rather unfulfilling minigame compilations, breathe a sigh of relief that Microsoft seems to at least attempt to follow through on evolving how the technology integrates into games. I'll break down specific titles after the jump.
Police Raid Kinect Boxing Party
Alert citizens in Uddevalla, Sweden notified police that they had seen what looked like a brutal pummeling, as a silhouette in an apartment curtain seemed to punch another silhouette over and over again. Officers burst into the apartment to find five people huddled around Kinect Sports, playing the boxing game (Metro.co.uk via Hot Blooded Gaming). Explanations were in order and no arrests were made.
Motion gaming is a new thing, so I suppose the population hasn't been desensitized yet to catching sight of someone flailing their body about in weird and violent fashions. But I doubt most passers-by would bat an eye at the sound of screams and gunfire coming from a neighboring apartment, or at least they would hesitate before calling the police, wondering if it was just a movie or TV. Also, Kinect boxing is a pretty benign thing to be caught in the act of doing. Recall any gaming moments that would make the cops bursting through the door even more awful and awkward? I'm trying to think whether or not I would just make things worse by trying to explain to the cops that I was just curious to see what the dwarf prostitutes in Dragon Age would say when I picked them.
Microsoft to prioritize Kinect in 2011
Speaking to CVG about the 360's immediate plans, Microsoft's director of Xbox and Entertainment for the UK Stephen McGill promised that the software scheduled next year ensures that 2011 will "ultimately be all about Kinect. Kinect is going to blow people's minds. They're buying it, but we've got a line-up of Kinect games that will blow people away."
I suppose that boast comes as good news to only some of us, and others, not so much. Having finally had a crack at Kinect myself, I'm surprised to say I am very, very impressed with the technology. This is the first time motion gaming on consoles has actually made me get up and move in a way that was promised back when the Wii debuted. Although my athletic glory days are well behind me, I'm still a reasonably in-shape dude, but I had a bead of sweat or two after playing the soccer goalie minigame. I also may have accidentally punched through a ceiling panel while throwing an uppercut and shouting "SHORYUKEN!" during boxing.
Good times were had, but I can't shake the fact that I've yet to see a killer app for Kinect that takes it beyond (admittedly fun) minigame fare. McGill assures us the software lineup will deliver, so I want to see how it delivers a full-length, large-scale title for which getting up and moving my limbs improves my relationship to the game and how I control it. Kinect's technology has blown me away. Now give me an actual game that will do the same.
Kinect selling out nationwide
When a Microsoft rep tweeted expectations of 5 million Kinects sold by year's end, eyebrows were raised, eyes were rolled, and lips were curled in an assortment of skeptical sneers. Now it looks like they just might hit that mark. USA Today (via Nowgamer) reports that Kinect is sold out in stores across the country. Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop, Target's online store, and Walmart's online store are apparently completely out of the standalone Kinect sensor, although Amazon and GameStop still apparently have some of the Xbox 360 Kinect bundles ($300 to $400, depending on the bundle) left. Target might have some in stores, and Walmart has not yet reported a sellout.
Color me impressed. Despite my personal skepticism, I've been hearing some glowing praise for Kinect, and the consumers seem to be voting with their wallets. If you have your heart set on Kinect in time for the holidays, I don't think you need to be in panic mode just yet. All of the aforementioned retailers will be stocking Kinect as fast as they can be manufactured, and are taking backorders now. It is likely that ordering it online will result in a wait of several weeks, rather than several days. The availability of Kinect will be a story to keep our eye on as the holiday shopping season rears its head once again.
PlayStation Move-ing Off Store Shelves
Color me shocked. Destructoid reports that the PlayStation Move has sold 1.5 million units in Europe. That's in addition to the sales in America, where all three Move products (including the Sport Champions bundle) placed in the NPD top ten for accessories. I've been talking with game store managers in my area and they've all been surprised with the Move's success. An allocation of 20 units took about a day and a half to sell out according to my markedly unscientific data. This coupled with the pre orders for Kinect seems to be showing a general interest in the new wave of motion control.
TGS 2010: Kinect News Roundup
We've previously pointed out that the lineup of games expected for Kinect is heavily skewed toward the mini-game compilation titles à la Wii Sports. As if to answer the critics, Microsoft trotted out a bunch of Kinect-enabled titles at TGS that seem to make a pass at - dare I say - the hardcore crowd. Check out the roundup of new games for Kinect. Read all about them after the break.
TGS 2010: Michael Jackson: The Experience
Break.com has the newest trailer of Michael Jackson: The Experience, and I've come to the conclusion that the next big thing in gaming is going to be dancing. Out of the sheer number of dance games on the way, Michael Jackson: The Experience looks like it might be the top of the heap. I mean, learning to dance is one thing, but learning to dance like MJ is a whole new animal. No word on whether the game requires a single white glove to play. Micheal Jackson: The Experience comes out on November 23rd for Wii; the Kinect and Move versions come out early next year.
Motion Sports trailer reveals Ubisoft’s answer to Kinect Sports
Ubisoft looks to be following Microsoft's own Kinect launch example with Motion Sports, a sports minigame compilation title set to hit shelves alongside Kinect this November. The six minigames include dodging tacklers as a football player, horseback riding, downhill skiing, hang gliding, boxing, and soccer penalty kicks. At least some of these games include head-to-head multiplayer, but the trailer doesn't indicate whether or not they all do.
Wii Sports was probably the best proof-of-concept for the Wiimote technology, so it's fitting that approachable sports-themed minigame titles would be a major part of Kinect's holiday season honeymoon. Including Microsoft's in-house Kinect Sports game, which also offers six sports minigames, Kinect now has at least two launch titles of that flavor. It will be interesting to see how Kinect is received - especially if minigame compilation titles are the meat and potatoes of its offerings. Will there even be room in the market for two sport minigame titles at launch? Interestingly, Kinect Sports won't even be pack-in with the Kinect; that honor goes to Kinect Adventures, another minigame compilation.
The Future of Motion Control: How To Improve It
This short video on Sony's blog demonstrates where the PlayStation Move is at in terms of development. Now that the Wii is about to turn four, Sony and Microsoft are both poised to make wigglin' and wagglin' major features of their consoles as well. The Wii's motion controls have failed to deliver on the promise of a total game-changing console. Despite this, the Wii has some real gems but games which actually utilize the motion controls well are few and far between. Today, most gamers still use thumbsticks, shoulder triggers, and face buttons for a majority of their games. Here are a few ways motion controls could finally make games better.
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