Well, i have seen the ravenous ire of the self-professed "hard core gamer" coming out of E3. Yes, i get it, some of you would never accept Kinect if it had the best game ever released. Yes, the early going has been somewhat rough, but here is why i don't agree with the doubters.
i do have a Kinect that i haven't played in a while (outside the recent Kinect Fun Lab stuff). One of the reasons is the game selection. A bigger reason may be that it makes me sore in some way every time i use it. Now for some random points. i do believe that Kinect should see a $25-$50 price cut at TGS or PAX Prime (ahead of the holiday rush).
1) Lag: lag in some games is more noticeable than others. i really don't notice it that much in the 5 games i currently have. There is some kind of lag already in every video game ever released. A big part of the problem with apparent Kinect lag is that one of the biggest potential lags here is the player. A game like Kinect Adventures (or Kinect Sports) may appear to some to have a greater lag, because it has to prompt players a little earlier for certain events.
2) No Controller: this is a paradigm that some people can't get their heads around. Basically, the controller itself is an abstraction. You have various buttons perform in game actions. The Kinect is basically using a punch instead of the B-button. So, it really isn't that different (in theory) from a regular controller. Yes, there are numerous potential ways to actually move without a thumb stick.
My favorite potential method would be having a center base region with no movement - a step forward past a line of demarcation would be equivalent to moving the thumb stick forward. i don't see why you couldn't just stay moving forward as long as you are forward of the center mark (holding the stick if you will). In other words just standing forward of the line would be constant movement. The same could be done with backward motion. i guess the problem with this scenario is that people tend to shift around a lot while playing.
3) The Games are Too "Kiddie": the simplified game (like mini-game collections) are one of the best ways for companies to get acquainted with the new technology. Eventually, you will see companies expand and improve what they can do (it may take several waves of game to do so). We're not there yet motion controls are still a relatively young paradigm. The Kinect method is younger still and less abstract than the Move or Wii (basically, those two have less demands on them). There are a lot of cool things that can and will be done with Kinect in the future. i would love a Too Human Kinect or RPG game, or even a decent platformer. There are ways to play "hard core" games with this type of control mechanism. Ironically, i think i might be able to target enemies in shooters better if i didn't have to use the thumbstick to do it.
4) The Software Will Improve: there is a difference of opinion among some on how much the Kinect can actually be improved over time. This may deal with a greater emphasis on "guessing" movements (to reduce lag), increased functionalities (like finger tracking), even may reducing distance needed. i believe there will eventually be a better responding Kinect 2, but the current model can be improved (regardless of real specifications). There are real limitations (but there is for everything else too).
5) Video Games Are Getting Stale: for me this is one of the factors why i was interested in Kinect. Basically, the video game market seems to be devolving into Hollywood - where everything feels like a rehashed sequel (well in Hollywood, almost everything is). How many shooters can they release in a year? Kinect is a place where developers can experiment a little with new mechanics, newer ("non-blockbuster") story lines, etc. Couple Kinect with XBLA and Indie games and you could see some really interesting stuff - it won't sell millions, but it will be a value added proposition for the console as a whole.
6) Voice Recognition: this was one of the things i liked about Kinect. The ability (expanding) to navigate the console with voice commands. The Bing search is a big plus in that direction. i also like the idea of using voice commands to help play the game. If it can reduce button presses maybe the controllers will last longer.
7) Hybrid Games: using certain Kinect functionality with a controller is an ineteresting concept. However, this will likely be utilized mostly for moving the camera and voice commands. i, for one, hope that this potential camera implementation will be better than the disappointing camera schemes i have seen so many of this generation. Basically moving camera up to 120°. It would be kind of nice to limit the dual thumbstick movement.
8) Misc.: No Virginia, Kinect games do not have to be on-rails. However, i would like to see more games that are. Revisiting lost genres and mechanics is also one of the potential benefits to Kinect. i could really go for a Spyro-ish (the Insomniac version) platformer for Kinect. There needs to be at least one "lightgun" style game released for this. i know i am getting kind of tired of the sandbox for sandbox sake games. Sure Oblivion was "huge" and there was a lot to see, but most of it was pretty worthless (virtually identical caves with little real purpose). i would much rather have a game on-rails with a better story than a sandbox game (with a weak story). Come on MSFT give me a100 hour turn based RPG for Kinect.
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