Kinect Is Not For You

[MonsterZero74]

Children of Eden [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY1r9DXZCZU&feature=related]. That is all.

Looks like they took the concept play behind Elebits and made it make even less sense.

AND there was significant delay between his movements and the correlating movements on-screen. Not what an FPS fan wants to see.

Any casual gamer interested in motion games already has a Wii, they're not going to come out in droves to buy the 360/Kinect bundle. I think MS will be disappointed this holiday season.

 

[T-Bone24]

It's good technology implemented poorly. For the most part, what I've seen the device itself doing is neat, it's like the future where we control electronics with speech and the hover car is getting filled up with magic to go down to work at the space factory and... what?

Oh yeah, but the games for Kinect mostly seem on the low end of the thoughtful spectrum. Dance Central looks cool, it's a new idea that uses the technology as best it can, but that game alone, and Children of Eden, if you're into that sort of thing, can't carry an expensive purchase like that.

 

[wooty]

I couldnt figure out what was going on in Children of Eden, are you just supposed to wave endlessly at the screen and have a seisure?

On second thought, that could be an achievement for Children of Eden: "The ambulance arrived in under 10 minutes"

 

[Woe Is You]

Just about everyone gathered that the Natal/Kinect wasn't for us when they first saw it. But seeing the price and seeing and its alternatives, I'm not really sure whether it's for "casuals" either. It's priced way out of their range. As Farmville proves, your "casual" doesn't really care about premium experiences, just that there's something to spend 10 minutes with.

In fact, while they've been doing this badly planned stunt, they have been losing incentives for the core gamer to invest on a 360. A huge bunch of 360 exclusives have suddenly gone multiplatform this year.

I was actually hoping for some interesting applications for that thing but apparently they decided to go the route of copying Wii Play and Sports. Those things already exist so I have no idea why anybody would think cloning them for a peripheral that costs as much as a brand new Wii is wise. The Kinect, as it looks like, is another 32X.

Children of Eden is the only thing on it that interests me so far. They had a chance but they blew it.

I couldnt figure out what was going on in Children of Eden, are you just supposed to wave endlessly at the screen and have a seisure?

On second thought, that could be an achievement for Children of Eden: "The ambulance arrived in under 10 minutes"

It's a rail shooter; pretty much the spiritual sequel to Rez, which is one of the strangest titles of the last generation. Fun, though.

 

[Powerman88]

First off, very interesting article again. I, as a "core" gamer (I hate that term), have no real interest in Kinet and am more excited about Civilization 5 which will have way too much sophistication to be controlled by waving your arms about.

"People who play games" aka 90% of the playlist population in MW2. (RIP CoD)

When did you start playing games? When it became cool? Fuck off back to Farmville.

What does Xbox LIVE really need? Oh, I know, more children! Fuck that.

Women aged 25-40 say, "You are welcome, Microsoft, for our continued, relentless product loyalty over the past 9 years." ...wait a minute.

At least Sony hasn't sold out much....YET.

/rant

THIS is why everyone hates "core" gamers. Man, where to start on this.
Most casual players aren't playing MW2. The ones who are have decided, usually, that they want want to tr a core gaming experience, but are usually scared away by "core gamers" themselves who won't consider there are a lot of people who haven't grown up with fps and find their lack of skill unacceptable; thus alienating a new audience from enjoying a game.

If someone hasn't been playing videogames since 1986 (like me. fuck off) it doesn't mean they are relegated to farmville. Believe it or not the more people who play core games, the more fantastic core games get made. Videogames are a business, and the more money they make the more money get put into them. You don't need an economics degree to figure that out.

Okay, xbox live doesn't need more douchey kids. You got me there

How can you say Sony, a multi billion dollar international corporation hasn't sold out? I mean really?

These attitudes are the biggest problem with "core" gaming. Games, as the name would suggest, are fun and you can't be mad a people who want to try new things just because we've liked them longer. Its a horrible attitude and should not be socially acceptable.

 

[Xerosch]

Don't know about you guys, I am not interested in Kinetic at all. I'm not a ridulously fat person but the waggling of the WiiMote was a bit much for my taste.

I'll pass this thing because Kinetic uses fake emersion by jumping around in front of the TV. Just get a good plot and atmosphere and the normal controller will suffice for me.

 

[Danzaivar]

Speak for yourself. My girlfriend and I have every intention of getting Dance Central and making total tits of ourselves at home and when we throw parties.

 

[smudgey]

Although I don't own a current generation console, I'm pretty sure the Wii has made it clear this sort of controllers doesn't work with "hardcore" games, silly remote or not. I really don't think anyone feels (or should feel) betrayed by this, especially with if it makes such real business sense.

Metroid Prime Trilogy, No More Heroes and Resident Evil 4: Wii edition prove otherwise; hardcore games CAN work with motion control. It's just a pity Microsoft are only using the technology to push a bunch of mini-games.

 

[Rack]

Nice article.

people keep bitching about it but if MS get richer it can only mean better games and software for everyone who owns MS products so you best hope it succeeds.

all you guys who own the xbox and feel "betrayed"...

it's not like they are going to stop making "core" games how can a company betray you by making more money which will inevitably lead to better, more numerous AAA games?

I think the reason I and other Xbox gamers feel "betrayed" is that MS already HAVE stopped making core games. If you look at the upcoming releases Sony have 5-6 times as many exclusive core titles as MS in 2010, go as far as 2011 and it's infinity times, MS have literally stopped making anything except for trashy minigame compilations and are making no efforts at all to secure third party titles. Even the bloody Wii has more core titles incoming in 2011 than the 360 has.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

How you market a thing that is expensive, have horrid input lag, unusable too close to screen and needs a really large free space in a room to people with functioning brain? You can't. It's like selling turd in a turd.

 

[PurpleSky]

I didn't know gamers "make up time in their day to play games" that sounds horrible,and not fun at all.

I play games because I like them,whenever I'm bored at home with nothing to do.

 

[CrashBang]

It's so obvious when watching promotional vids for the Kinect who their target audience are. If you watch a promo vid featuring a kid playing with a Kinectimal and 2 kids jumping up and down trying to steer the on-screen raft and then watch an old Wii promo vid of a woman (presumably a mother) flipping burgers in Cooking Mama and a young boy playing the drums in Wii Music, they are the exact same video. They both feature a family room with painfully bright white walls and families of mixed genders and races giggling and enjoying themselves while they jump and flail around. It's sad to see from the point of view of a 'gamer' but I can't fault Micro$oft from a business POV; they want the success with the casual market which Nintendo has snapped up so well

I personally never want the Kinect to replace the controller and, of course, it never will. As Yahtzee pointed out in Extra Punctuation, a gamer wants to sit motionless on his/her sofa and use as little energy as possible to control an on-screen character. When involved in a heated team deathmatch in BFBC2 on Xbox Live I do not want to have to hold my arms up as if holding a gun and then fling my arm forward as though lobbing a grenade because I have my controller. The buttons and thumbsticks are 1000x more immersive than flailing around in your living room and so the Kinect will never work as a core gaming peripheral, just a nice gimmick for mini-games and party games

/rant

 

[Ace of Spades]

This is why I'm glad I didn't buy a 360. Normal 360 games look like they're going to be neglected a bit in the future.

 

[Loonerinoes]

What I can't figure out about them is this - why did they then give conflicting messages? Why did they almost at the same time during E3 or slightly before it say both that this will be for the 'casual gamers' as well as the 'core gamers'? I mean...I understand them wanting to go for the casual market, but why in the hell give out such conflicting messages about it all?

It's reminiscent of a recent article of Steve Butts, where he notes how Microsoft frequently talks about supporting PC gaming, yet doing very little to actually do so. I get what it's aiming for and why it's aiming for it...but I seriously do not understand the rationale behind their PR unless they still believe that giving out conflicting messages in trying to dupe people into buying a product is prefferable than the public image it will wind up projecting of them in the end.

 

[Dhatz]

you know the contol gloves from Minority Report are gonna be real thing soon? after they get rid of the extra cameras the prototype is using now. ButI don't know if that's affiliated with M$ in any way.

 

[Senaro]

Children of Eden [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY1r9DXZCZU&feature=related]. That is all.

That's for reminding me of that garbage -_-

 

[DTWolfwood]

Meh we will see how well it does at the price point they are asking for. Their marketing is terribad. half the time i think its a Nintendo commercial. and as a gamer and i think its a nintendo commercial i can almost expect the layman will think so too.

Would love to know how many times a Gamestop employee have to say "Its not for the Nintendo Wii, and yes its $150, and yes you're gonna have to buy a Xbox360 for this to work." XD

 

[ziggy161]

Microsoft are copying Nintendo. What else is new? XD