Is Kinect Good for Hardcore? (07/2011)

This year at E3, the Microsoft Press Conferences chose to make Kinect their main focus. Now, like it or not, the Kinect is extending the life cycle of the Xbox 360. But at what cost? Microsoft has been pushing Kinect with a half a billion dollar campaign. That’s a lot for a motion device, but has the Kinect proven itself to the hardcore yet?

Much like the Wii, the majority of Kinect games thus far have been for the casual audience. But at E3 the Microsoft showed that Xbox exclusives that are integrating Kinect in some shape or form. The question must be asked: is this a good thing for hardcore games? And, more importantly, is this integration a novelty to sell Kinect, or is it going to add functionality that truly extends the gaming experience?

Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3, god I want to play you so bad, you have no idea. Mass Effect 2 ended on such a cliffhanger that it made me immediately crave Mass Effect 3. I played all the Mass Effect 2 DLC and I still had that craving. So seeing the first bit of Mass Effect 3 gameplay at this year’s E3 made me jump for joy.

During the Microsoft Press Conference, Bioware off showed voice command capabilities for Mass Effect 3. The demo featured a scene with Commander Shepard and Mordin Solis as they are searching for a Krogan Queen. During the demo you can use the Kinect to issue commands to your squads, such as “move up” to get your team in position for a tactical advantage. The game’s dialogue tree was also showed using the Kinect. The device allows you to say your conversation choice instead selecting it via the controller. I think it’s a nice way to immerse you into the game and make you feel like Commander Shepard, and I can see myself using it quite a lot.

Mass Effect 3 comes out March 3.

Ghost Recon

Ghost Recon where have you gone? It’s been four years since we last saw a new Tom Clancy game. It’s hard to imagine such a layoff from the series that was once among the major first person shooters on the Xbox 360. Why the break? Did it simply not make money? No, it's just been laying low. The franchise was doing quite well in terms of sales but had to take a break to avoid being overexposed (something I wish EA would do with Madden).

Ghost Recon Future Solider was announced in 2009 and there have been numerours tech demos showing that the game was on track to hit it’s 2011 release date, but the game has been delayed for various reasons. At this year's Ubisoft press conference, Ghost Recon displayed several Kinect applications and I was rather impressed. Using the Kinect you will be able to pick your weapon attachments by simply using your arms. You can also fire your gun using the Kinect. Of course, these are just optional, but they could add a new level of depth to the experience.

The demo shown at the Ubisoft Press Conference displayed a group of Ghosts charging a remote village and recovering a VIP. Much like the last year's E3 Demo, the Ghosts used a personal camouflage system and a small drone that scouts the battlefield. One of things I was impressed with was the new squad mechanic where your fellow Ghosts will react to enemy movement and make wise decisions. I have been following this series for a while and was bummed out that it was delayed for Kinect. However, I see the advantages of Kinect in Future Soldier and I like the spin they’re putting on the military shooter genre.

Ghost Recon Future Solider comes out 2012.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

One of my biggest disappointments from this year’s E3 was the no show of Metal Gear Solid: Rising. I have been a big Metal Gear Solid fan and I was very surprised to see Hideo Kojima walk onto the stage during Microsoft’s big reveal of the Kinect last E3. Hideo Kojima showed off a trailer for the game that had Raiden slicing away the PMC army with his katana, showing the emphasis of Kinect in the new Metal Gear Solid.

Unlike most Metal Gear games, Matsuyama stated that Rising “will put a greater emphasis on gameplay while having a less complicated story”. That may be a welcome change for many people, but I have always appreciated the franchise because all the games were connected and each one offered an in-depth story. That being said, I can’t wait for MGS: Rising. While there is little information on how Kinect will be used in-game, if the device is integral to the experience, Metal Gear Solid: Rising could be the first game that helps show that the Kinect isn’t just for the causal audience in a significant way.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising comes out 2012.

Overview

Kinect could bring a lot of positives to the 360. If major publishers get behind Kinect and make AAA games with it then Microsoft might have something more than a HD Wii on it's hands, but it's still to early to say. However, these three titles alone have a lot of potential and could bring hardcore gamers to the motion detection party. If this happens, more developers may follow suit and we may see even more involving uses of Kinect in our AAA titles.

This year at E3, the Microsoft Press Conferences chose to make Kinect their main focus. Now, like it or not, the Kinect is extending the life cycle of the Xbox 360. But at what cost? Microsoft has been pushing Kinect with a half a billion dollar campaign. That’s a lot for a motion device, but has the Kinect proven itself to the hardcore yet?

Much like the Wii, the majority of Kinect games thus far have been for the casual audience. But at E3 the Microsoft showed that Xbox exclusives that are integrating Kinect in some shape or form. The question must be asked: is this a good thing for hardcore games? And, more importantly, is this integration a novelty to sell Kinect, or is it going to add functionality that truly extends the gaming experience?

Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3, god I want to play you so bad, you have no idea. Mass Effect 2 ended on such a cliffhanger that it made me immediately crave Mass Effect 3. I played all the Mass Effect 2 DLC and I still had that craving. So seeing the first bit of Mass Effect 3 gameplay at this year’s E3 made me jump for joy.

During the Microsoft Press Conference, Bioware off showed voice command capabilities for Mass Effect 3. The demo featured a scene with Commander Shepard and Mordin Solis as they are searching for a Krogan Queen. During the demo you can use the Kinect to issue commands to your squads, such as “move up” to get your team in position for a tactical advantage. The game’s dialogue tree was also showed using the Kinect. The device allows you to say your conversation choice instead selecting it via the controller. I think it’s a nice way to immerse you into the game and make you feel like Commander Shepard, and I can see myself using it quite a lot.

Mass Effect 3 comes out March 3.

Ghost Recon

Ghost Recon where have you gone? It’s been four years since we last saw a new Tom Clancy game. It’s hard to imagine such a layoff from the series that was once among the major first person shooters on the Xbox 360. Why the break? Did it simply not make money? No, it's just been laying low. The franchise was doing quite well in terms of sales but had to take a break to avoid being overexposed (something I wish EA would do with Madden).

Ghost Recon Future Solider was announced in 2009 and there have been numerours tech demos showing that the game was on track to hit it’s 2011 release date, but the game has been delayed for various reasons. At this year's Ubisoft press conference, Ghost Recon displayed several Kinect applications and I was rather impressed. Using the Kinect you will be able to pick your weapon attachments by simply using your arms. You can also fire your gun using the Kinect. Of course, these are just optional, but they could add a new level of depth to the experience.

The demo shown at the Ubisoft Press Conference displayed a group of Ghosts charging a remote village and recovering a VIP. Much like the last year's E3 Demo, the Ghosts used a personal camouflage system and a small drone that scouts the battlefield. One of things I was impressed with was the new squad mechanic where your fellow Ghosts will react to enemy movement and make wise decisions. I have been following this series for a while and was bummed out that it was delayed for Kinect. However, I see the advantages of Kinect in Future Soldier and I like the spin they’re putting on the military shooter genre.

Ghost Recon Future Solider comes out 2012.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

One of my biggest disappointments from this year’s E3 was the no show of Metal Gear Solid: Rising. I have been a big Metal Gear Solid fan and I was very surprised to see Hideo Kojima walk onto the stage during Microsoft’s big reveal of the Kinect last E3. Hideo Kojima showed off a trailer for the game that had Raiden slicing away the PMC army with his katana, showing the emphasis of Kinect in the new Metal Gear Solid.

Unlike most Metal Gear games, Matsuyama stated that Rising “will put a greater emphasis on gameplay while having a less complicated story”. That may be a welcome change for many people, but I have always appreciated the franchise because all the games were connected and each one offered an in-depth story. That being said, I can’t wait for MGS: Rising. While there is little information on how Kinect will be used in-game, if the device is integral to the experience, Metal Gear Solid: Rising could be the first game that helps show that the Kinect isn’t just for the causal audience in a significant way.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising comes out 2012.

Overview

Kinect could bring a lot of positives to the 360. If major publishers get behind Kinect and make AAA games with it then Microsoft might have something more than a HD Wii on it's hands, but it's still to early to say. However, these three titles alone have a lot of potential and could bring hardcore gamers to the motion detection party. If this happens, more developers may follow suit and we may see even more involving uses of Kinect in our AAA titles.

Dude, they cancelled Metal Gear Rising a month ago, where have you been? Now all we have is this Revengance Devil May Cry horseshit.

@MysteriousBob said:

Dude, they cancelled Metal Gear Rising a month ago, where have you been? Now all we have is this Revengance Devil May Cry horseshit.

It looked terrible anyways

@MysteriousBob said:

Dude, they cancelled Metal Gear Rising a month ago, where have you been? Now all we have is this Revengance Devil May Cry horseshit.

It's the same game. It was never cancelled.

@Hailinel said:

@MysteriousBob said:

Dude, they cancelled Metal Gear Rising a month ago, where have you been? Now all we have is this Revengance Devil May Cry horseshit.

It's the same game. It was never cancelled.

No, Rising was actually cancelled before its revival as Revengeance when Platinum came in.

@FluxWaveZ said:

@Hailinel said:

@MysteriousBob said:

Dude, they cancelled Metal Gear Rising a month ago, where have you been? Now all we have is this Revengance Devil May Cry horseshit.

It's the same game. It was never cancelled.

No, Rising was actually cancelled before its revival as Revengeance when Platinum came in.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/12/metal-gear-rising-was-secretly-canceled-before-platinum-took-it/

@EuanDewar said:

@FluxWaveZ said:

@Hailinel said:

@MysteriousBob said:

Dude, they cancelled Metal Gear Rising a month ago, where have you been? Now all we have is this Revengance Devil May Cry horseshit.

It's the same game. It was never cancelled.

No, Rising was actually cancelled before its revival as Revengeance when Platinum came in.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/12/metal-gear-rising-was-secretly-canceled-before-platinum-took-it/

I'll be darned. I stand corrected.

But I will say that it looks fun, unlike the horeshit comment that MysteriousBob used.

Please Note, This was written right after E3 and yes I do know about Metal Gear Rising.

I think whatever chance Microsoft had to sell the hardcore audience on Kinect was lost when they downgraded the hardware before release and gave up a lot of its technical capabilities. As it stands right now, the thing has movement fidelity similar to the Wii Remote pre-motion+. Essentially the device is relegated to a gimmick tool because it lacks the tracking precision and hardware power to do anything really crazy with it.
 
I mean, the one thing we see time and again with the Kinect is that is "Sort of" works. It can take a few tries to perform what you want to do, and hardcore gamers are especially sensitive to buggy, malfunctioning, or unresponsive technology. Not to mention that unless it can perform perfectly to our expectations, relying on the device for any kind of real and complicated videogame experience is just going to be extremely frustrating and terrible. 
 
Right now, there's no developers looking to develop a AAA title for the Kinect because there aren't many hardcore gamers that are looking for that kind of experience on the Kinect. I think that's mainly because of the hardware not being powerful and accurate enough to meet our expectations and be able to support a complicated game experience.
 
So my answer is unequivocally no.

Most of the kinect integration into "hardcore" games looks pretty dumb, but at least it means their inclusion doesn't intrude on your ability to play those games as normal. I picked one up last week though due to the fact it was significantly discounted along with Microsoft's cashback promotion (in Australia, at least), at the very least I look forward to playing Child of Eden with it (I haven't set it up yet).

My fucking God in heaven.

Nope, never liked motion controls. They will have to do something STELLAR to convince me otherwise.

i don't think so. i don't like motion controls all that much. they don't really add anything to the game in a good way. i don't want to be yelling at the game to move forward or anything like that.

Using voice controls while watching Netflix feels like the future.

Voice commands could theoretically be done by anything with a microphone, so I have no idea why people are blowing their short loads over something so trivial. The controls itself are abysmal in most respects, and only a few things are actually worth playing on the Kinect. It just doesn't work. There's not enough interaction between a player and the system to give them feedback other than a slightly delayed silhouette. As far as Ghost Recon the best thing I remember is them pulling apart the gun. That could be done with a controller with the same interface and graphical pops just by pressing a single button. As far as the gameplay, again, it looked clunky and just overall bad.

Now that's not to say that the technology doesn't have a place, but it has a place for other things, not games. And certainly not yet where navigating menus is an absolute chore that doesn't work properly half of the time. Think Minority Report, that's the application for it and where it needs to stay. Plain and simple. The hands free or waggle waggle wand bullshit needs to stop. Period.

Humm. What an interesting technique.

Mass effect seemed pretty dumb. You'd say the rough outline words at your tv only for your character onscreen to say something entirely different. That seems like it would just make that game less immersive.