'D4' on Xbox One is a surreal adventure that finally makes the case for Kinect gaming

Microsoft’s decision to bundle its new Kinect sensor with every Xbox One may be a major factor in the console's $499 sticker price, but it does give developers the freedom to experiment safe in the knowledge that the peripheral’s adoption won’t be a problem. ..

From the demonstration given to me by Swery at TGS, D4 is best understood as an adventure game that exploits the increased fidelity of the new Kinect sensor for a unique control scheme. Players move their arm to point at objects on screen in a way that Xbox 360 Kinect users will be familiar with, but since the new Kinect can detect finer hand movements, it's possible to "grab" things of interest by closing a fist. Cursor movement in general seems much more responsive than anything I've seen on the original Kinect.

Action scenes are handled as quick-time events signaled by arrows on the screen, but they often have a more tangible connection to the character's movements than typically seen in other games. .. D4's physical element could make it much more involving despite both games' limited interaction. It's the difference between opening doors with your hand and making a similar movement on an analog stick.

.. the game's style is undeniably striking — the bold colors, flat shading, and thick outlines call to mind Richard Linklater’s rotoscoped thriller A Scanner Darkly. And, while the plot starts out reasonably rooted to the ground — your character is attempting to solve his wife’s murder with the letter "D" as his only clue — it quickly descends into comic book farce every bit as surreal as Deadly Premonition. One memorable scene in the demonstration saw the player fend off baseball attacks from a drug dealer using a fashion designer’s mannequin as a bat. Of course, this was all triggered by physically adopting the pose of a batter on the plate, which the Kinect recognized instantly.

The Verge: 'D4' on Xbox One is a surreal adventure that finally makes the case for Kinect gaming

I wanna see just how kooky this game could get. Have a topsy turvy view where everything is psychadelic that you have to unlock. You know, something new. Your the only one that sees these pink-elephant-ghosts, or something.