Kinect Star Wars, Forza Coming Next Christmas

[Tom Goldman]

Kinect Star Wars, Forza Coming Next Christmas


Microsoft has revealed that the holiday season of 2011 will bring lightsabers and realistic racing to Kinect.

One of the biggest titles announced for Kinect at E3 this year was an unnamed Star Wars game. Demonstration footage showed off a Jedi swatting Stormtroopers and deflecting laser blasts before going up against Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel. According to Microsoft Kinect director Kudo Tsunoda, that game won't be out until the holiday season of 2011.

Tsunoda spoke to the BBC about Kinect and its future titles in tandem with today's launch of the device in the UK. Though he says his favorite Kinect game is Forza [http://www.amazon.com/Kinectimals-Xbox-360/dp/B002I0J8RQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289401246&sr=8-1] games.

"We have a Kinect Star Wars game coming out for next holiday [Christmas 2011]," Tsunoda told the BBC. "I think you could just easily imagine being a Jedi and using Kinect to make you feel you're part of a Star Wars experience, building yourself up into a Jedi. I've seen a bunch of the game and it's super compelling."

Tsunoda also revealed that a Kinect Forza game, Microsoft's popular racing series, will be released around the same time. Kinect's first trailer showed a family playing a driving game with their hands around an invisible wheel and their feet pushing invisible pedals, so this may become a reality once the holiday season of 2011 comes around.

The early footage of Star Wars Kinect looks very active, so I have a feeling that you'll want to clear the area if someone is playing. I have confidence that Star Wars would work well for Kinect, but I have doubts about a racing title branded with the Forza name. Forza has been about an accurate racing experience in the past, so unless Kinect can replicate the quick feedback of a controller I'm not sure an invisible steering wheel would work very well. Time will tell, but at least we know that Microsoft has new motion gaming experiences in development that go beyond bowling and dancing.

Source: BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11720937]

Permalink

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Microsoft seems to be kinda...weak in support at the moment when it comes to the Kinect. Pretty much universal response from what I've seen is that it's a fine piece of equipment, but the lineup isn't a huge crowd-pleaser. Not the best sign that the other ones revealed early on are a year away; the next holiday season even.

As for the games themselves, I reserve judgement for later.

 

[Floppertje]

it looks like a rail... slasher? well i guess that solves the problem of how you're supposed to move your character with kineckt, i mean... jogging on the spot seems a bit weird...
also, what's up with vulture droids and AAT's? what are stormtroopers doing with CIS equipment? they've got their own tanks...

could be cool though. but i guess i'll never know, seeing as how i don't own an xbox anymore. a working one, that is.

 

[Moriarty70]

Microsoft seems to be kinda...weak in support at the moment when it comes to the Kinect. Pretty much universal response from what I've seen is that it's a fine piece of equipment, but the lineup isn't a huge crowd-pleaser. Not the best sign that the other ones revealed early on are a year away; the next holiday season even.

As for the games themselves, I reserve judgement for later.

I'm holding out hope for next year when SEGA drops their horror game.

 

[The Last Nomad]

I don't really think either of those games will work out to well. Like the OP said, the forza game might not work too well with people holding invisible steering wheels. I think the same goes for a star wars game, I don't think pretending too hold a lightsaber would work too well either. Thats why I think the move is better. And i'm not just saying that because I have a PS3. I don't actually plan on getting any sort of motion controls.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Everything in that trailer looked heavy and clumsy. And I guess it's on rails right? I don't know, I've pretty much already decided Kinect isn't for me anyway.

 

[Danpascooch]

Note to all motion control developers:

MAKE GOOD GAMES BEFORE YOU RELEASE THE HARDWARE!

 

[icyneesan]

Worlds most retarded Storm troopers THE GAME!!1!

I really hope it isn't as easy as it looks

 

[KEM10]

You would think this would hit the Move first. You have the glowing ball already, why not set it up to be a light saber. Ooooo, then you could release a DLC for dual wielding.

 

[MR T3D]

the only thing I'd want kinect doing in forza is reading my head and swivelling view accordingly.
the I'd want that.

with the SW game, I think that it won't be like that video, seeing as that was Proof of concept /tech demo.

 

[Numachuka]

That looks horrible. The

Everything in that trailer looked heavy and clumsy. And I guess it's on rails right? I don't know, I've pretty much already decided Kinect isn't for me anyway.

An on rails Star Wars... They obviously saw the success of the only good star wars games, the Battlefront series, and completely ignored it.

 

[The Lunatic]

It's kinda sad really, all it's going to amount to is mini-games and small bit-parts in actual games.

 

[Last Valiance]

They should make it so you can control your movement holding a controller in one hand and do all the rest with the rest of your body.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

"I think you could just easily imagine being a Jedi and using Kinect to make you feel you're part of a Star Wars experience, building yourself up into a Jedi. I've seen a bunch of the game and it's super compelling."

Yes, I can imagine that. Will MS actually be able to do that? Seriously? Does anyone believe that like "a realistic racing game", it will be what they say it is?

And that's without having the ten foot square to be able to use it.

I can see it selling like hotcakes, and then being returned just as fast.

 

[Crimsane]

The game... looks terrible. It's slow, it's clunky, the AI's horrible (probably to do with how hard it probably is to accurately deflect blaster shots by waving your hands around), and it just doesn't look all that fun.

 

[bojac6]

That looks horrible. The

Everything in that trailer looked heavy and clumsy. And I guess it's on rails right? I don't know, I've pretty much already decided Kinect isn't for me anyway.

An on rails Star Wars... They obviously saw the success of the only good star wars games, the Battlefront series, and completely ignored it.

Uhhh what? All the Jedi Knight games, the X-wing/Tie Fighter series, the Rogue Squadron series and Shadow of the Empire were all way better than Battlefront, which, while fun, was not that great by Star Wars game standards of the time. I mean, if you compare it to Force Unleashed, sure, but let's not forget all the truly great Star Wars games. And that's just straight up ignoring KOTOR, which I know is a bit controversial with some people.

 

[airrazor7]

I'm curious to know how the tech demo was actually performed (controlled). They say it is an upcoming kinect game but was the demo played with a version already using kinect as the control or was the demo simply "this is how we intend for it to look once we figure out how to make it work with kinect"? Also, developers should know by now, if you want an immersive driving simulator, the player needs a steering wheel in their hands. When it comes to a racing sim, it isn't the graphics that make it seem real in an uncanny sense, it's all about how close to reality do the controls feel. Some of the most immersive racing games I have played have been in an arcade. Although it is hard to bring the experience of an arcade home to a console, this is the kind of thing that devs of racing sims need to consider. To quote Ariadne from 'Inception', "I thought the [...] would be all about the visual, but it's more about the feeling."

 

[Numachuka]

That looks horrible. The

Everything in that trailer looked heavy and clumsy. And I guess it's on rails right? I don't know, I've pretty much already decided Kinect isn't for me anyway.

An on rails Star Wars... They obviously saw the success of the only good star wars games, the Battlefront series, and completely ignored it.

Uhhh what? All the Jedi Knight games, the X-wing/Tie Fighter series, the Rogue Squadron series and Shadow of the Empire were all way better than Battlefront, which, while fun, was not that great by Star Wars game standards of the time. I mean, if you compare it to Force Unleashed, sure, but let's not forget all the truly great Star Wars games. And that's just straight up ignoring KOTOR, which I know is a bit controversial with some people.

I am sorry. I've played quite a few star wars games but never come across them. I must be a bit stupid.

 

[bojac6]

I'm sorry everyone. I

That looks horrible. The

Everything in that trailer looked heavy and clumsy. And I guess it's on rails right? I don't know, I've pretty much already decided Kinect isn't for me anyway.

An on rails Star Wars... They obviously saw the success of the only good star wars games, the Battlefront series, and completely ignored it.

Uhhh what? All the Jedi Knight games, the X-wing/Tie Fighter series, the Rogue Squadron series and Shadow of the Empire were all way better than Battlefront, which, while fun, was not that great by Star Wars game standards of the time. I mean, if you compare it to Force Unleashed, sure, but let's not forget all the truly great Star Wars games. And that's just straight up ignoring KOTOR, which I know is a bit controversial with some people.

I am sorry. I've played quite a few star wars games but never come across them. I must be a bit stupid.

No need, I just am angry that after such a long line of really fun and well made games, LucasArts is now pumping out so many bad or mediocre Star Wars titles. I get sensitive. I miss Kyle Katarn and Wedge Antilles. I miss flying around and having fun while doing it. I miss being able to use Force Powers and move at the same time. I miss games where you are a Jedi and the bad guys are just Stormtroopers, as opposed to you being a whiny emo guy and the bad guys are mostly immune to the Force for reasons not clearly explained.