Kinect has stirred from its post-launch slumber. Approaching one year since release, its ultimate destination still remains a mystery wrapped in potential. To get a better idea of where the technology is heading, we look ahead to some of the most promising new motion-controlled titles.
A double dose of Double Dig ’Em
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Harmonix Evolves From: Dance Central
Our Take: The only Kinect game yet to wash away our fears of dancing in public is back and, predictably, we’re already grooving with the sequel.
Sure, the feel of Dance Central 2 is almost exactly the same as last year’s best seller, but is that a bad thing? Expected minor tweaks have been made, though: in multiplayer, menus are neatly color-coded for each player so that you’ll always know who’s controlling the screen; during a song, the onscreen feedback will now tell you when you just missed nailing something. And the big one: two-player simultaneous drop-in/drop-out dancing!
Still, we have concerns. Given the limited play space most people have, will it be inevitable that someone gets clotheslined? Will the choreography be influenced (and thus suffer) from that mindfulness of space? And what about the new Break It Down mode? Project lead Kasson Crooker told us that Break It Down will now address the exact troubles you’re having, letting you skip over stuff you already know, but how will it actually work out? (And will it help us finally nail “Just Dance” at 100%?)
We’re not sure what to expect from Dance Central 2 besides some banging new songs (over 50 at launch). But if there’s anything music-DNA’d developer Harmonix has earned over the years, it’s our trust. And with the ability to import all the songs from the first game, we’re enthused to bust a move in our living rooms once again.
Release Date: Holiday 2011
Taking greater shape
Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Evolves From: Your Shape: Fitness Evolved
Our Take: Kudos, Ubisoft — Your Shape: Fitness Evolved did exactly what its title said, providing a unique visual interface to see your body onscreen and delivering workouts that truly utilized Kinect. A year after the original game’s release, the fitness-crazed developer is evolving again to provide more ways to slim you down.
The foremost addition to Your Shape 2012 is the integration of floor-based exercises. Even though most Kinect fitness buffs may have been too sore to notice, last year’s Your Shape kept players standing upright throughout their workouts. This time around, the Your Shape team has discovered a way to incorporate moves like sit-ups and push-ups without recognition troubles or workout interruptions. Beyond the new suite of low-down activities, the game also includes a handful of other much-appreciated improvements, including better onscreen body representations and a running activity that takes you through some world-famous landmarks. Our heart’s racing already.
Release Date: Holiday 2011
Come one, come all
Publisher: Warner Bros. Developer: Double Fine Evolves From: Kinectimals (sort of…)
Our Take: Consider us charmed by this Sesame Street–themed, storybook-style cutie aimed at giving families an incredibly accessible cooperative jaunt through a familiar universe. Told in book-like chapters, you’ll join up with another player to make the world a more adorable place by doing everything from partaking in a sunflower-filled choir to mimicking a gentle giant’s “scary” moves. The responsiveness of Monster’s gesture controls also scale on the fly to accommodate even the most wee-sized player.
Subtly embedded within the game’s different activities are lessons about environmentalism (throw that garbage away!), not judging a book by its cover (monsters are people too!), and other warm, fuzzy messages that promise to make this one of the most seemingly un-cynical, visually rich, family-friendly offerings on Kinect. And with the studio behind such quirky, fan-favorite XBLA fare as Stacking and Costume Quest at the helm, we’re betting on it being one of the more delightful to boot.
Release Date: October 2011
You can practically smell the churros
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Frontier Evolves From: Kinect Adventures
Our Take: Talk about a game right up Kinect’s alley! Kinect Disneyland Adventures seems like the perfect example of an experience ingeniously suited to the motion-tracking camera.
When you can’t spend a week’s vacation (and a month’s pay) visiting the park in person, KDA lets you freely roam a detailed digital re-creation of the Happiest Place on Earth. Every single “land” is included, and a dozen attractions will be playable too. You won’t be “riding” them as they are in real-life, however. Instead, you’ll play Kinect Adventures–style mini-games inspired by the ride’s theme.
We’re not totally sold on the control scheme, which asks you to point in the direction you want to go, but we only had a few minutes to try it out so far. With Kinectimals developer Frontier at the helm, expect Disneyland to glow with an appropriate amount of cuteness and charm. Best of all? No Fast Pass needed! Yay!
Release Date: Holiday 2011
But where’s the Jedi Mind Trick hand wave?
Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Terminal Reality Evolves From: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Our Take: After the flood of disappointment that was E3 2010’s casual-heavy Kinect reveal, the debut of Kinect Star Wars looked as if it could be a motion-controlled savior for hardcore gamers — A New Hope, if you will. The Kinect’s unique ability to track the movement of a player’s entire body seemed like it would be the trick to finally create the ultimate controller-free Jedi-combat experience. Between lightsaber wielding, Force pushing, and nimble movement, any Kinect owner could re-create the superhuman moves of Yoda & Co.
Fast-forward a year later, and the Force is not as strong with Kinect Star Wars now that we’ve been able to play it. Sure, it’s fun to simulate ’saber strikes and throw around droids like ragdolls. And make no mistake, the game looks like it will replicate the Jedi experience better than Harry Potter’s wand-waving wizard simulation. But the on-rails progression, plus lag between our movements and seeing them translated on the screen has us feeling a bit more Phantom Menace than Empire Strikes Back…for now, anyway.
Release Date: Holiday 2011
Taking the road less traveled
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Lionhead Studios Evolves From: Child of Eden
Our Take: Fable creator Peter Molyneux wants to prove that it’s possible not only for a Kinect game to be aimed at and enjoyed by so-called “core” gamers, but that it can be done entirely from a sitting position.
Yes, Fable: The Journey is an almost literal title about you as an unknown hero crossing Albion in a horse-drawn carriage carrying a distressed Theresa (remember her from Fables past?) in the back as a mysterious evil continually nips at your heels. The first-person gameplay takes two primary forms: in the carriage (“If you’re sat down,” Molyneux reasons, “What mode of transport makes sense?”) and on-foot. For the former, you’ll lift your arms to hold the horse’s reins, raising one or the other higher to turn, and whipping them up and then down to hasten the steed’s pace. He’s essentially like your dog in Fable II, Molyneux admits, and as such he can grow to love or hate you depending on how you treat him.
On foot, you’ll battle Hobbes and other Albion beasts, crafting and unleashing your own spells by clasping, twirling, and moving your hands in unique ways. These sections are on-rails (the carriage sections aren’t; it’s entirely possible to plunge your horse and carriage off a cliff and die), with the focus being on the spell creation. Hope you have AAA coverage!
Release Date: 2012
Finally, a way to explore!
Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega Evolves from: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Our Take: Rise of Nightmares is more than just “Survival Horror on Kinect.” Sega’s upcoming first-person action-adventure game could be the breakthrough in creating open-world games that can be explored without a controller. While Harry Potter and Kinect Star Wars reduce their action to on-rails shooting galleries, Nightmares may just allow unfettered exploration.
Sega found an ingenious alternative to walking in place that still feels natural. Take a single step forward and your character will walk straight ahead until you move your feet back in line with each other (it even determines the pace by how far ahead you place your foot!). You can change direction by rotating your torso, and if you tire of walking altogether, there’s a hand motion to jump on rails for a while. Of course, there are plenty of insane weapons (chainsaws, electricity-infused brass knuckles) and gratuitous violence to celebrate too, but the tech is exciting in a more subtle way.
Release Date: September 2011
Turning schmoes into pros, again
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Rare/Big Park Games Evolves From: Kinect Sports, of course
Our Take: This sequel to one of Kinect’s strongest launch titles boasts a promising in-game lineup, with football, golf, baseball, skiing, tennis, and darts. While we’ve sampled only the first two in multiplayer, we already like how they feel.
Our taste of co-op football was fast-paced and fun. After player one (as quarterback) crouched down and shouted “Hike!” to get the ball, he hurled it to one of two receivers; at that point, player two assumed control — reaching out her hands to make the catch, then running in place to sprint toward the endzone, sidestepping as needed to dodge A.I. defenders. Touchdown!
Golf, meanwhile, is more laidback and tactical, just like the real sport. In our two-player competition, each of us used driver, then wedge, then putter to reach the hole; the game detects your golf-swing motions surprisingly well, and making minute adjustments to your stance definitely affects where you hit the ball. Hopefully, the other four games are this inviting.
Release Date: Holiday 2011
A challenger to the dance-game crown appears!
Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Paris Evolves From: DanceMasters
Our Take: If you’ve gotten your Cabbage Patch on in Dance Central but never had a chance to check out either of the two Just Dance games out on the Wii, it’d be wise not to expect a perfect crossover. Just Dance, unlike Dance Central, isn’t quite as choreograph-heavy in terms of getting your limbs in the perfect position to hit specific dance moves. Instead, in its standard gameplay mode, Just Dance is more about simply following along with silhouettes on the screen — much like Ubisoft’s own Michael Jackson: The Experience game on Kinect.
What we’re most interested in at this point? A “Shout Out” mode that lets you sing along with the song you’re dancing to, as well as four-player support. Are you prepared for an elbow to the face from a friend during Katy Perry’s “California Gurls”? It could happen, as the fight for the Kinect dance-game crown is officially on!
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Reality TV, here we come!
Publisher: Yoostar Entertainment Developer: Blitz Games Studios Evolves From: Yoostar 2
Our Take: Even though we weren’t huge fans of Yoostar 2, we still like the concept — a game that uses Kinect to insert you into various movie and TV scenes so you can act out a character’s performance. And as they showed us in a recent demo, the developers have already improved their green-screen tech in the months since the game’s release: players’ images now blend noticeably better with the scenes they’re placed in.
Moreover, its licensing deal gives Yoostar on MTV tons of opportunities for fun content. The game’s 80 new clips will include not only music videos, but also many of the network’s most popular reality shows, such as Jersey Shore, The Hills, The City, Laguna Beach, The Real World, and Road Rules. Yoostar reps couldn’t confirm it, but this summer’s Beavis and Butt-Head relaunch will almost certainly appear in the game, too. Finally, we’ll have a legitimate reason to imitate those Cornholios.
Release Date: Holiday 2011
Mind over matter
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment Developer: Artech Studios Evolves From: Body and Brain Connection
Our Take: You might not run off and join the circus after delving into Mind ’N Motion, but it could soothe any long-burning desire to become amazingly coordinated. Though this fall release’s goal is, as our Artech guide put it, to help you become ambidextrous, we actually found it a much more interesting spin on the whole “brain game” angle. Its 12 activities, which each have 10 levels of difficulty, will force your mind and your body to communicate as you do things like play hacky-sack, hopscotch, and juggle.
We caught a glimpse of some hacky-sack; having to keep track of which side of our body is responsible for which ball might just make us go cross-eyed, especially if it only gets harder from there. But if this game can eventually enable us to switch swords in mid-fight, à la Westley from Princess Bride, we’re all for it.
Release Date: October 2011
Microsoft has been busy teaching Kinect some new tricks. Here’s what it can now do and where you can experience it:
Finger Tracking
Kinect Sparkler: Sure, the glorified tech demo that is Sparkler is probably something you won’t spend much time with, but it proves Kinect is now capable of tracking individual fingers. More in-depth uses can’t be far behind.
Full-Body Avatars
Kinect Me: We tried it and it ended up looking kind of freaky and distorted, but we’ve seen convincing scans, too. How long until we can use this with full games?
Object Scanning
Build A Buddy: Remember that concept video from E3 2009’s Project Natal presentation, where the kid scanned his skateboard into the game? We’re now on the doorstep of this becoming a reality.
Head Tracking
Forza Motorsport 4: Turn your head slightly in either direction to get a better panoramic view from your car’s windows. Finally, the first controller/Kinect hybrid game!
