Microsoft Announcing Hardcore Kinect Titles Next Year

[John Funk]

Microsoft Announcing Hardcore Kinect Titles Next Year

Microsoft's initial Kinect offerings were squarely aimed at casual gamers, but it's hoping to reach out to core gamers starting next year.

You'd be forgiven if you'd assumed that Microsoft's newly-launched Kinect peripheral was targeted at people other than the core gamers who are all currently playing Black Ops [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105149-One-Million-Playing-Black-Ops-on-Xbox-Live-This-Morning], because it really, really was. Your average Mass Effect lover isn't going to be booting up Kinectimals anytime soon, right?

Speaking with CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=264925] at a Kinect launch event in the UK, UK marketing boss Stephen McGill said that Microsoft was planning to shift its focus back to the hardcore gamers feeling left out by the whole shebang next year. "Back in September at the Tokyo Game Show we announced a whole range of incredible games really targeted to core gamers that are going to be dedicated to Kinect - adventure games, horror games etc," said McGill.

"We'll start showing more of those in 2011. 2011 is going to be an amazing year for gamers both on Kinect and normal controller-based games for Xbox 360," he continued. "I think there's something for everyone."

The games in question would be things like Codename D [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGtcXYCQmY&feature=player_embedded]. It does seem like a clever developer could make good use of the Kinect's body-tracking cameras in a horror title - but it would have to be a very clever developer indeed. The technology is there, it's just a question of software.

Hardcore gamers have been lukewarm on Kinect thus far because of a lack of quality software. If Microsoft makes it, will they really come?

(G4TV [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=264925])

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[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Well my brother will be unboxing his at christmas and I'll be pushing him out the way to try it out.

Those 'hardcore' titles do actually sound quite good... and I'll definitely keep an eye on anymore announcements they make.

So far I've heard good things from the few people I know who bought Kinect and aren't waiting for christmas.

 

[therandombear]

Still won't make me buy kinect...unless my xbox dies completely and I can buy a slim with kinect while there is some sort of sales campaign

I'll be honest though, Suda making a kinect game does sound promising

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

I would really rather you announced them now.

Because I don't believe a single thing you say about Kinect, Microsoft.

 

[FinalDream]

Can't see the appeal, unless it's augmented with the controller I won't be playing any of the games.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

Hmmmmm.

I'm still immensely skeptical of Kinect.

I refuse to be suckered in until I have a good reason to believe that these game will utilise the technology in a new and exciting manner and end up being a worthwhile purchase for the "hardcore" demographic. I learnt my lesson with the Wii, I wanna try before I waste my money this time.

 

[Buizel91]

Well my brother will be unboxing his at christmas and I'll be pushing him out the way to try it out.

Those 'hardcore' titles do actually sound quite good... and I'll definitely keep an eye on anymore announcements they make.

So far I've heard good things from the few people I know who bought Kinect and aren't waiting for christmas.

I like the sound of Project Draco, who doesn't want their own virtual pet dragon!

 

[Woodsey]

Well then you'll be waiting for my purchase of it until next year at least, if at all.

 

[Buizel91]

Can't see the appeal, unless it's augmented with the controller I won't be playing any of the games.

Microsoft stated that alot of games will be hybrid games, both for controller and Motion.

I can see that being for Steel Battalion.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

They should focus less on games being hardcore next year, and more on them being good.

 

[TheRealGoochman]

I won't lie, I bought and like Kinect (although I avoid the kinect games like they have the plague (not a cool zombie plague, but a you are going to be sick and have boils on your face plague))......the only flaws I see are A: my room was too small to calibrate and I had to strike a captain morgan pose on my bed to get it to calibrate and ID me. B: Netflix does not do Kinect (or did they add it yet) and C: a bit pricey, but not complaining about that too much. But overall I feel so cool in the minority report feel and commanding my movie by telling it to pause.

Now hardcore games a wee bit skeptical about.....but I am interested in seeing what they decide to/are going to do. They obviously have to be creative and dedicated to appeal to the "hardcore" gamers and above all they have to make their first releases decent to good to be taken seriously about future titles. But to be honest, I have faith.

Now apps for Kinect...that is something I want to see......bring on the apps!!!!

 

[KEM10]

Hmmmmm.

I'm still immensely skeptical of Kinect.

I refuse to be suckered in until I have a good reason to believe that these game will utilise the technology in a new and exciting manner and end up being a worthwhile purchase for the "hardcore" demographic. I learnt my lesson with the Wii, I wanna try before I waste my money this time.

I believe that the producer being Suda 51 is a fairly good hint that it will be good. Even their flop of a game No More Heroes was good.

 

[Nerf Ninja]

In my opinion if they actually want Kinect to succeed they should have targeted it at their core audience which already exists first, rather than at a possible audience of "casual" gamers that exists only in potentia.

They really seem to be going about this whole thing backwards. All it would take now is for Sony to shift a lot of "hardcore" move titles quickly and they'll have a large head start with an audience already feeling betrayed by Microsoft.

 

[Uzbekistan]

Eh, I'm not really into this whole 'move your body so you look like a dork!' thing. I'm much more with the PS2, and unless I can find a backward-compatible PS3 cheaper than $200 USD, I'm not getting any new consoles (However, I want my DSLite back. Its broken.)

 

[Spencer Petersen]

It seems odd that Steel Battalion is on their A list for their simplified control peripheral, considering the first Steel Battalion had a special controller with around 40 buttons on it, and considering that precise and complex controls are one of the few things that made it stand out, controlling a mech with Kinect will be a nightmare.

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

I could see Kinect being alright for RTS games and such. But if you want to get the hardcore COD or Halo fan to buy it... that will be one tough job if at all possible.

 

[Korey Von Doom]

I'm going to say it right, now, they won't be hardcore, they won't work right, and they will probably be played in conjunction with the xbox controller, thus negating the whole point of the kinect. Fuck you I know its a run on sentence.

 

[killamanhunter]

So they will target the core audience a year after it is released?

Bravo Microsoft!

 

[Worgen]

I can see it now, BLOODWATER EXTREME!!!!
its a game about throwing waterballons full of blood at people

 

[Gigaguy64]

>Hardcore Games
>Kinect
Pick one.

In all seriousness i really don't believe Microsoft, so i guess ill haft to wait till next year.