Hey out there people, it’s been awhile since I posted but I’m doing my share to cover E3 this year. What you may already know is that I am strictly a Sony and PS3 guy, but the Xbox 360 project Natal caught my attention. Now appropriately named Kinect, the hands free interface and gaming device look and sound pretty sleek. During the presentation for the future of Xbox this year it was shown to not only allow you to control the Xbox through motion and body movement, but with your voice as well. By addressing the Xbox and saying a following command you can do a variety of different actions such as: pausing and playing music, answering trivia, and even chatting with Windows users and Xbox users via video chat. The Kinect even showed that it could adjust the camera to track a person as they attempt to move out of the shot. Of course, something with this much control over entertainment, it must have games. The Kinect features 15 games available at launch, seven of which have been displayed for our observation. First off is Kinectimals. Essentially the game focuses on interacting with a virtual animal that responds to your voice and movement. It was even shown to react when you leave the room. Next is Kinect sports. Much like Wii sports, connect sports features a variety of games to keep your movement up and your reflexes sharp (its slightly concerning how ridiculously similar to Wii Sports). Third is Kinect Adventures. Much like a reaction and reflex games, Kinect Adventures has you move to dodge objects, jump to collect coins, and even takes real world pictures and will automatically upload them to Facebook for you. Fourth is Kinect Joy Ride. To put it simply, the game is an average kart racer that can be controlled with just your hands. Fifth is titled Dance Central. A dance game where you actually dance? No way?! Yes, Dance Central by Harmonix is a dancing game where you match on screen commands to physically copy the moves to music. As semi-difficult as it sounds for the majority of the geek community who are just a little hesitant, they have a mode called “Break it Down” where moves are practiced and explained. Next Forza Motorsport. With stunning HD along with controller free driving, it looks fun. Also you are able to physically walk around your car and observe the various stats and car parts and even open the door and sit in the car. Finally, there is Your Shape by Ubisoft. Essentially a work out and fitness game, Your Shape is designed to follow your entire body and get you moving with ease. Now with all these games and all of this insane ability, my question is how much will it cost? Well either way it may be the deciding factor of whether or not I finally get an Xbox. Lets fatten our wallets and be ready and willing for this next gaming season.
~Lu-kun