I Just Can't Kinect...

Now that Microsoft has finally unveiled its final version of its motion controller, I am still not convinced that it can do anything but casual or "get fit" type gaming, and I still think that Microsoft is not really using this technology in the right way.

The major problem I see with Kinect is that there is no way to make a character independently walk or run. If you go back and look at all of the demos they showed, the on-screen characters are either standing in one place with very little movement, or moving "on rails" like Virtua Cop. If you actually tried to make movement 1-1 using only the Kinect, you would start to walk out the house. Without some kind of controller, this basic function is just not possible. But since Microsoft has been nailing in this concept of no controllers and no buttons to learn, I dont think that they will ever add some sort of a controller.

Force feedback, or rumble, is also a big issue. You are just flailing your arms around in empty space and not feeling any kind of reaction?

Microsoft needs to consider using the XBox 360 controller along side with Kinect as an additional control mechanism, rather than just completely tossing away the controller. They could do some interesting things with that. Like an FPS game where you can use the controller for basic movement and shooting and use Kinect to raise your hand and throw grenades or direct other troops. Or how about an RPG where you can actually talk to NPCs.

The subsequent issue is that they are not able to use the technology with any of their most popular titles, like Halo, Gears, Fable, Mass Effect, etc. I think the only way you will convice the "hardcore" (I hate using that term) audience that Kinect is worth getting is to incorporate it with these franchises. If all it can work with is Forza, then why not just get a wheel controller?

Nintendo was able to use thier Wii controller with their franchise titles like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Mario Kart, etc. Even Sony, regardless of whether its a blatant Wii rip-off or not, they were able to use the Move with SOCOM 4, Dead Space 2, Resident Evil 5, etc. and even showed a new game called Sorcery, where you are walking around in 3D. Microsoft did NOT show Halo, Gears, Fable, etc with Kintect because it simply does NOT WORK without a controller.

Without a controller, the Kinect is limited to "get fit" games, on-rails shooters, boxing games, and casual family titles. Speaking of boxing, why didn't they show their take on Punch-Out!! That would have been a perfect match.

Right now it just looks like Microsoft simply bought this technology just to have it on their platform and market it as the controller with no buttons. It still looks like an unfinished, experimental project. The technology is THERE, but the innovation and creativity isn't. It just landed in the wrong hands. If Nintendo had their hands on this technology, they could really do something magical with it.

If all Microsoft wants to do with Kinect is to appeal to casual gamers, then that would be a huge shame.

Finally...

Before E3 2010, I was feeling really frustrated with the current state of gaming. I felt that there were too many sequels, too many "gun-toting, sci-fi, military comic book heroes in space suits shooting a crowd of alien zombies in a dark, post-apocalyptic war zone" type games, and not enough of the types of games I used to play when I was in high school and college.

The first day of E3 was pretty lame. Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft had pretty boring shows. I have never been too interested in any of their games to begin with. Other than Metal Gear Solid: Rising's trailer, everything was pretty predictable and lack-luster. Natal, (or Kintect or whatever) was pretty wack. Just a bunch of casual "get fit" stuff, and things we saw on the Wii (and even PS2) years ago. Bulletstorm was OK, but FPS is not really my thing.

But all that changed the second day...

Nintendo came out swinging with announcements, dominating this years show with a load of new stuff on the Wii. Zelda, Epic Mickey, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Golden Eye all looked amazing. Not only that, they debuted the Nintendo 3DS with the return of Kid Icarus, and a truck load of other stuff. Its like they didn't have enough time to go into any detail. Its like everythings coming back. Finally, games that I liked when I was little. And there's COLOR!!

Sony topped it off with a good show as well, with Portal 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, and the long overdue Twisted Metal. And after seeing the Move motion controller in action, I was finally convinced that it was worth it. I am glad they didn't show some lame "get fit" or bowling games. They showed GAMER's games. I didn't care that it was a Wii rip-off because it was a damn good one. It seemed alot more accurate that the Wii's.

After seeing the line up of titles coming soon, I am as excited about games as I was as a kid again. My list of interesting upcoming games increased from just 4 to well over 20!

Wii:

• Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Metriod: Other M
• Epic Mickey
• Kirby Epic Yarn
• Donkey Kong Country Returns
• Sonic Colors
• Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

Nintendo 3DS:

• Kid Icarus Uprising
• Star Fox
• Mario Kart !!!!!!

Playstation 3:

• Portal 2
• Metal Gear Solid: Rising
• Vanquish
• Mortal Kombat
• Twisted Metal !!!!!!!
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4
• KungFu Riders
• Marvel vs Capcom 3
• Hard Cops: Uprising
  

PSP:

• Valkyria Chronicles II

and so much more..

One thing I noticed with this years E3 is that everyone is going back to the old-school, which is great. Mortal Kombat, Golden Eye, Donkey Kong, even Sonic! This is a dream come true. Yes, not one, but two Sonic games that look, dare I say it, good!

And finally we can see some color in games again. For a while, all we were getting was games where the only colors were grey, dark grey, black, dark black, grey black, and crimson red.

And finally we are not overflowed with games where all you see is a gun on the lower part of the screen or dark depressing war-torn environments.

I hope this trend continues. Yay for gaming.

Overused Themes in Video Games

Whenever I go online to look up the latest video game buzz, I notice that there are certain themes that are taking over the market. Whenever I see that a game carries one of these themes, no matter how good the game might be, I seem to automatically overlook it. I am not saying that I don't like particular games that fall into these themes, Its just they don't seem to catch my eye immediately when I'm browsing through video game news and I never notice them until they have been out for a few months already.


SCI-FI / SPACE
If it takes place outer-space, galactic armies in space suits with laser weapons, aliens taking over the world, space ships, etc., I immediately loose interest. Mass Effect, Half-Life, Doom, Lost Planet, any Star Wars game, and of course Halo. (If there is one game series I simply don't give a damn about, it's Halo.) The only sci-fi themed game that can keep me interested is Metriod, but that's because of nostalgia and the fact that Metriod games tend not to have so much dialogue, which I like. Maybe it has something to do with the character design in many sci-fi games, they look so boring. When I look at the characters in Mass Effect, they seem so bland and uninspired, and Master Chief is just some guy in a space suit. And the whole outer space thing is tiresome. Blasting into space in a space ship shooting space aliens with your space lasers. And whenever you're in some hi tech building or vessel and activate something or hit a switch, you get that female computer voice that says, "Opening Door", or "Initiating Sequence", or "Access Granted". Its so ANNOYING and BORING. Make it stop!


MEDIEVAL / MIDDLE AGES
Knights, ogres, wizards, elves, dragon slayers. Games in this category include Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Assassin's Creed, and World of Warcraft. All of these games look the same to me. The armor, the monsters, the weapons and the environments all look as if they were watching too much Lord of the Rings. Even to some extent, Zelda fits in this theme, but at least there is much more creativity put it to it. Its a shame, because I hear Assassin's Creed is a pretty good game, but I just can't get over how boring the setting looks.


ZOMBIE / UNDEAD
Resident Evil, Left4Dead, Dead Space, Dead Rising, House of the Dead. Please kill me already! I know some of these games a good, but I don't think I can get hyped for another game where you take down a bunch of flesh-eating zombies, even if it looks decent. How about a game where you play AS the zombie? You could eat brains for health. You could take body parts from your victims as upgrades. Mix it up a bit.


POST-APOCALYPTIC
The plot usually goes like this: There was some huge war or some nuclear accident, and the whole world is in ruins, and its up to a large football player with a big gun, a scar on his eye, and a dark past to save it. Gears of War, Darksiders, the new Bionic Commando, inFamous, Resistance, and Fallout come to mind. These games always look dark and gray with no variance in color. The box art always consists of the main character with a weapon in his hand and the smoky ruins of a big city in the background. I feel like once I have played one game with this theme, I have played them all. Its just so boring. The characters are so depressing, they have no life or personality to them. They always have a frown on there face. Lighten up, will ya. Its just a game!


COMIC BOOK
X-men, Spider-man, Batman, you name it. The thing about these games is that they are too predictable and there is too much dialogue. You already know the powers, who you will fight, all the secret outfits, etc. I have already played this game 10 years ago. Leave me alone! For example, even though I know Batman: Arkham Asylum is a good game, I just don't feel the need to play it. I know the plot, I've played other Batman games, I've seen the movies, I've watched the cartoons. I've had enough. Same with Spider-man and X-men. If I want to get into Batman, I'll just watch a Batman movie. If you want to get me interested in another Batman game, make it based on the 1960's TV series with Adam West. Now that would catch my eye.


MOVIE BASED
These games never surprise me. Obviously trying to make money off of a recently released movie. They are never polished, always rushed to the shelves. Boring and predictable. Transformers: THE GAME, Ironman 2: THE GAME, Avatar: THE GAME, etc. Whether its a game based on a good movie, or a game based on a bad movie, the game always turns out to be crap.


MILITARY / ARMY
These games tend to be too realistic to me. The whole purpose of video games is to escape from reality. Any Call of Duty game, Battlefield, Metal of Honor, SOCOM, etc. Also, they tend to revolve around World War II. All of these games are the same. Same weapons, same vehicles, same environments. Pistol, sniper rifle, grenade launcher, machine gun, shot gun, etc. I can never get excited for these types of games. Whenever I watch someone play them, I start to fall asleep. Old and predictable. Next...