Microsoft have revealed the official moniker for their “Project Natal” motion device – Kinect. The showpiece of a dazzling pre-E3 event Sunday, Kinect is set for a confirmed November launch this year, with Microsoft also revealing a handful of launch titles to a somewhat subdued reception.
During the “Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience” in LA’s Galen Theatre last night, the US giants debuted six launch titles for the much-anticipated motion control sensor. No details on pricing or exact release dates were revealed, though such information is expected to be part of Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference Monday evening. The launch titles revealed were as follows:
Kinect Sports – Much like the Nintendo’s Wii launch title Wii Sports, Kinect Sports features six sporting activites – boxing, bowling, beach volleyball, football, track and field and table tennis. Graphics are simplified and require simple motions i.e. running on the spot during track and field.
Dance Central – In conjunction with MTV Games, Dance Central is a Just Dance-alike motion dance game for multiple players.
Kinect Adventures – A similar experience to Kinect Sports, Adventures brings more adventure-based recreational activities to the fore. An obstacle course and river-raft have been shown via video demonstration. Again, if we’re being truthful Adventures does look quite similar to Wii Sports Resort.
Joyride – A racing game where drivers will use their hands to hold an imaginary wheel and steer accordingly. Little was shown of Joyride and without user impressions it’s difficult to know if the lack of tactile feedback will harm or hurt the racer’s gameplay.
Kinect Animals – Here gamers interact with an on-screen virtual pet. Much like they do in Nintendogs.
Kinect Star Wars – Not the official title by any means, yet a Star Wars-themed title was shown at the event. Easily the highlight of the briefing by general consensus, the demo showcased controller-less Lightsaber duels and apparnetly an appearence from Darth Vader himself.
We’ve included a link to video footage provided from Microsoft of Kinect Sports, Kinect and Dance Central in action below. Make of it what you will.
We at JOE are going to wait until Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference to fully reserve judgement, though our first impressions of Kinect’s launch titles are uniformly of slight disappointment.
With the incredible capabilities of controller-free gaming, it’s a shame that Microsoft is producing such simplistic, derivative titles that look to deliberately ape the proven success Nintendo has had with Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Nintendogs and Mario Kart Wii. Even a Wii Fit-style Yoga game was shown but not detailed at the event. It was Peter Molyneux who wowed us at last year’s E3 with his Project Milo demonstration, fully demonstrating the astounding capabilities of Kinect yet this official software showcase looks comparatively a lot less ambitious.
Microsoft have clearly decided to full-on target the Wii demographic with their launch lineup, though it’s an odd decision to attempt this by providing the same experiences, albeit in HD and controller-free. Hopefully we can expect more hardcore-gamer targeted content during Microsoft’s E3 2010 appearences as our first impressions of the newly renamed Kinect software are all too familiar. Third-party content such as the Kinect Star Wars title may end up being the real attention-grabbers for the platform’s library at E3.
Look out for plenty of E3 coverage from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo in the coming hours and days here at JOE.
