Microsoft @ E3 Wrap Up

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Kartanym (12418) on 6/7/2011 3:06 PM · Permalink · Report

Here's some of the key notes to take out of Microsoft's announcements at this years E3 so far:

Halo is back in a big way. The original Combat Evolved will be re-released this year in HD (subtitled 'Anniversary') and will include a number of updated multiplayer maps and online co-op. Microsoft also confirmed Halo 4 with a teaser trailer at the end of their presentation, which is expected to land in 2012. No gameplay footage though, no doubt that will be next year's big ticket.

No new gaming hardware was announced, as the focus was largely on the controller free Kinect system that has had reasonable success so far. The motion system will get an upgrade shortly, and the emphasis has shifted to big name, high budget titles. Star Wars, Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon will all get the motion (and speech) control systems, Fruit Ninja will also be one of the first Xbox Live Arcade title to feature Kinect support, and Crytek confirmed their new title (not a Crysis spin-off, mind) as a motion controlled exclusive for Xbox.

Fable has a fourth title in the series on the way. Subtitled 'The Journey', it's shaping up as more of motion controlled on-rails adventure than the open world types of the previous games in the series.

In one other interesting surprise, the game that hasn't officially been released but continues to dominate PC's, Minecraft, will be upgraded to Xbox 360 with Kinect support in tow, for later this year.

A number of other titles were confirmed, such as Kinect Sports 2 and Dance Central 2, and a new free to air TV system that turns the 360 into something of a PVR (personal video recorder, for those of you playing at home.)

So, impressed by Microsoft? Underwhelmed? Anyone still agree with me that 'Kinect' is a dumb name? Sound off in the comments! More on E3, including Sony and Nintendo, coming up.

Indra was here (20752) on 6/7/2011 5:29 PM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Kartanym wrote--]Fable has a fourth title in the series on the way. Subtitled 'The Journey', it's shaping up as more of motion controlled on-rails adventure than the open world types of the previous games in the series. [/Q --end Kartanym wrote--] ...and none of them except the first are ported to windows.

cries

Patrick Bregger (302548) on 6/7/2011 5:42 PM · Permalink · Report

The third was released on the same day as The Witcher 2.

Lain Crowley (6629) on 6/7/2011 6:22 PM · Permalink · Report

You're missing nothing.

Daniel Saner (3503) on 6/7/2011 6:47 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Kartanym wrote--]high budget titles. Star Wars, Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon will all get the motion (and speech) control systems[/Q --end Kartanym wrote--]

I think it's a dumb idea. In all likelihood, it means that Mass Effect 3 will be even more shallow, on the PC you'll probably be restricted to dragging around your character's limbs with the mouse in order to emulate Kinect controls, because that's the only interaction with the game that'll be left.

It will take a while for the hype to wane and developers/manufacturers to realise that, just like 3DTV, motion control is not the "next big thing to end all things", but just a "next thing" with cool and interesting but very specific applications, while making no sense at all for others. In the meantime we will probably see a lot of horribly butchered games that were forcefully made to fit motion control, but could have been a lot better if the interaction was determined by the game itself.

Rola (8483) on 6/8/2011 5:04 AM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Daniel Saner wrote--] It will take a while for the hype to wane and developers/manufacturers to realise that, just like 3DTV, motion control is not the "next big thing to end all things", but just a "next thing" with cool and interesting but very specific applications, while making no sense at all for others. In the meantime we will probably see a lot of horribly butchered games that were forcefully made to fit motion control, but could have been a lot better if the interaction was determined by the game itself. [/Q --end Daniel Saner wrote--] /me browses his 1990s magazine collection... "Wait, where's my VR Headset? I thought everyone will be owning HMDs in XXI century to play 3D games, as advertised!"

Starbuck the Third (22602) on 6/8/2011 9:10 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

Microsoft also confirmed Halo 4 with a teaser trailer at the end of their presentation, which is expected to land in 2012. No gameplay footage though, no doubt that will be next year's big ticket.

Anyone who hasn't been expecting this/seen it coming deserves a slap. Honestly, no more Master Chief? Nah, MS stands to make soooo much money, it was to be expected.

My money says that kinect won't improve those games sales. Kinect is just too casual fir those games, and those games are too hardcore for Kinect.

Anyone still agree with me that 'Kinect' is a dumb name?

Hell yeah. Sounds too chavey. Like it was supposed to be connect, but was written by a complete idiot. I'm thinking someone like Opey from Family Guy. Project Natal. Now there is a decent name for it.

Zovni (10504) on 6/9/2011 12:02 AM · Permalink · Report

They had a video on kotaku of a guy demoing the Star wars kinect game. It was... pathethic. He would move his arm and the on-scren character would strike a full second later. There's this moment where the player jumps and the character doesn't play the jumping animation after he has completely landed :S

I realize this is actually the way kinect would have to work as it can't really predict what the hell you are going to do, and it has to somehow translate your spastic motions into cool lightsaber poses. But are all kinect games like this? Come to think of it, all the cool uses of the technology I've seen are the hacks done to it. No single game has come out as anything worth owning save for the dancing game.

vedder (70970) on 6/9/2011 7:06 AM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Zovni wrote--]I realize this is actually the way kinect would have to work as it can't really predict what the hell you are going to do, and it has to somehow translate your spastic motions into cool lightsaber poses. But are all kinect games like this? Come to think of it, all the cool uses of the technology I've seen are the hacks done to it. No single game has come out as anything worth owning save for the dancing game. [/Q --end Zovni wrote--]

Aside from the Kinect being a perfect fit for a dancing game, it also helps that the dancing game can in fact anticipate what the player is going to do (the right move) and thus can make up for the system's flaws. You can't do this in a sword-fighting game.

Zovni (10504) on 6/9/2011 12:18 PM · Permalink · Report

Good point.

Lain Crowley (6629) on 6/9/2011 6:20 PM · Permalink · Report

Well, you could if it was a bit more like Star Wars The Arcade Game, and the sword fighting was really just an elaborate QTE. There's a lot of stuff you could do to minimize the disconnect between player and avatar, chief among them making the game first person or making the avatar as see-through silhouette. This being a modern Lucas game, though, i imagine they think the game is just fine as-is.

Seriously you're going to make a game with a lightsaber and then you're just going to let blaster bolts harmlessly explode in my avatar's face? Do these people even understand the principle of why a lightsaber is cool?

Daniel Saner (3503) on 6/9/2011 9:32 PM · Permalink · Report

The way I read this, and I have no clue whatsoever about the games and the controller, is that this is just sloppy game programming. I could think of no technical reason why there would be a delay like that. Except of course, which I suspect is happening here, if you're not implementing actual motion control, but a system that triggers old-school predefined animations triggered by a human player's motion. That's half of why I hate these hypes. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon without the faintest understanding of what they're actually doing. Instead of designing for the new thing, they're just taking their templates, formulae, and finished blocks they already have, #include "kinect.h", and try to replace some of their input handling with auto-complete tutorial example Kinect code.

Kartanym (12418) on 6/10/2011 3:54 AM · Permalink · Report

Which is why the Wii is still the better motion control, especially watching videos of Skyward Sword. Having something in your hand makes a big difference in the console understanding what you want your character to do. I'd argue PS Move too, but there's nothing on that system that makes use of that control scheme in the same way.

Daniel Saner (3503) on 6/14/2011 2:05 AM · edited · Permalink · Report

This I just read on the website of German GameStar magazine (rough translation, original article here). On one hand it seems to be as bad as I cynically imagined, on the other hand I'm glad to see that apparently quite a number of people see this the same way:

"While Sony didn't particularly focus on the Move controller, Microsoft was consistently pushing Kinect. This makes some games offer us rather inept features, and leads to some unintentionally funny gymnastics in front of the screen. For now, PC gamers will be spared [...] Ghost Recon: Future Soldier had to serve as a demonstrative example for Kinect's possibilities at the Microsoft press conference. After the rather embarrassing fidgeting in front of the black camera box, we're relieved that we will be able to play the tactical shooter the conventional way on the PC. All Kinect features shown seemed unnecessary and were performed much more quickly with the controller, or a mouse and a keyboard."