Topic: Next Wave of Games for Kinect

Okay, so now that the initial launch games are out, next week (in the states) we are seeing round 2 of games coming out for it.

- Harry Potter 7, pt 1
- Zumba Fitness
- EA Sports Active 2
- Deca Sports Freedom
- Game Party in Motion

I'm somewhat interested in both 'Game Party In Motion' and 'Deca Sports Freedom'.  My worry is that those series were basically "shovelware" on the Wii.  I hope the motion tracking is at least adequate, it looks like they'll offer some more interesting mini-game distractions until we get a more "core" game out of Microsoft or perhaps the stuff shown at Tokyo Game Show which I wasn't really stoked about anyway.

Anyone else have any thoughts or have seen any more info on these outside of the sparse info on their official sites?

I am curious to see what they do with EA Sports Active 2.

Since EA Sports Active 2 is going to be "multiplatform" I have my doubts that it will be better than Your Shape: FE.  Which happens to be a very good workout program and a good representation of what you can do with Kinect.

*Yawn* if those the the "second wave" it's gonna take until June before there's finally something for me to play.(Not playing Free Riders and Child of Eden I'm playing with a standard controller)

Im afraid with Kinect and Move it will be mostly like the Wii, a few slow years and then tons of games dropping after that. Don't do like I did with Wii and get ticked off and Ebay your stuff :lol: As you will end up rebuying it all in the future!

I'm not sure about that.  I think Kinect suffers in the public eye from lack of imagination from the public.  Everyone is so jaded - there is no reason to believe at this point it will end up like the Wii.  And honestly, the Wii has sold 45 million units, so I'll bet Microsoft would love for it to end up like it.  But the rumblings of support by developers I'm hearing gives me hope that this will deliver on it's unique premise.

I agree, especially with Kinect.  Move is similar enough to the Wii in how it works that it's easy for devs to build on existing game concepts.  Kinect is very different, so I think it'll be a while before it really comes into its own.

The first slew of launch titles hasn't really set the world on fire for Kinect but then Wii's launch line-up, save Twilight Princess and Red Steel (which I liked) wasn't brimming with classics. We'll see how good it is in a year's time I suppose

Harry Potter fans will be unhappy with Deathly Hallows. The Kinect mini games aren't very fun. They could have easily added them to the main game - perhaps when you have to cure Ron when he's attacked - or when you strike one of the Hallows with the sword of Gryffindor or when you mix potions. You get none of that and none of the enjoyment. And the main game is pretty bad. Go back and get Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 instead. It's far more cheerful.

Zumba Fitness came with my copy of Kinect (as a bundle deal) and within two hours I knew I wanted to get rid of it. The game is awful. If you are really interested in Kinect Fitness there are better titles. If you're really into Zumba, get one of the exercise videos or join a Zumba class.

EA Sports Active 2 seems like the most fulfilled Kinect title. It definitely delivers in both looks and gameplay. It's also expensive and not that much a big leap over the much cheaper Biggest Loser and Your Shape titles. It's a good game but I think for the sequel we'll see it get a lot better.

Deca Sports Freedom (called Sports Island Freedom in Europe) is just awful. If you're looking for a sports game - Kinect Sports is it. If you're after mini-games, Kinect Adventures is good. This title is just awful.

Game Party: In Motion. The same as above could be said. The series was pretty bad on the Wii - but its worse on Xbox 360. The graphics are terrible, the gameplay yawn-worthy and even worse, there just isn't enough games. Go with Kinect Adventures of Kinect Sports instead.

Any sign of what the next, new wave is? And let me say that I haven't the slightest idea of what Child of Eden is, so I'm not expecting much, especially since it apparently supports Kinect as an option, not as an integral requirement. The trailer was completely meaningless which is not a good sign. Is there any gameplay footage out there, or at least an explanation of what the heck it is?

There's a video on ign with a bit more gameplay.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/112/1123596p1.html

I wasn't aware kinect was an option with this game.
I'm actually expecting a lot from this game, I think it's gonna be one of the best kinect games available.

Child of Eden is essentially a spiritual successor to Rez. It's a light gun shooter title using Kinect as a means of fighting viruses and the like. The game employs stellar but minimal graphics which work in union with the music to create a aural and gameplay experience which is very different from the norm. If you're unsure about the gameplay, a demo of Rex HD can be found on Xbox Live Arcade. Give it a try and then imagine playing the game with better graphics and Kinect.

I'm excited for Child of Eden (have it reserved already at Gamestop). Just as excited am I for Dr. Kawashima's Body and Brain Exercise. I've been yearning for a more interactive approach to mind games (I used to play Big Brain Academy on DS and Brain Challenge on Wii) so something that incorporates the Kinect seems really fun and stimulating for the mind.

I WILL wait for reviews first from here and IGN (since I trust IGN the most) to see if I should get it. I'm also interested in that Draco game (forgot the actual title). Too bad we have to wait 2-4 months before these titles come out Time to start SAVING! XD

you guys have to realize how little time the first gen games had for incubation.  Harmonix just had an interview where they said it was crazy making Dance Central because the hardware wasn't done and was just separate parts pieced together.  not only wasn't the hardware done, MS kept sending new updates for all their software libraries.

It probably won't be until the fall of 2011 before you see the application of the newly learned knowledge of the first go-around.  It was just like when the 360 was launched and developers didn't even have a proper 360 developer's kit until 3 months before launch (before that, it was using Apple computers to simulate the 360 hardware).

just look at all the demos by the hackers.  the davinci demo shows how awesome a kinect version of scribblenauts could be.  most of those demos are people thinking outside the box rather than making another wii-like game.  i bet the ones most scrutinizing the demos are game developers looking for ideas on what to do.

@dirtyvu

This doesn't compute - as MS was very clear at E3 2009 that development kits were already sent out. If that's the case, developers had at the very least 15 months with the software. Hackers have had 1 month.

Its not so much about developers not having all the information - it was about them worrying about their bottom line and trying to make a fast buck. Which is why the majority of third party games are crap.

Now that Kinect can be seen as a success, developers will have to step up their game. They have far more tools than hackers do and far more resources. They can make compelling games for the device but are more interested in cashing in.

of course, development kits were sent out early.  but they weren't full-fledged kits because the hardware was still in development.  the hardware and software libraries were growing with the developers.  this is the exact same thing that happened with the 360 launch.  "developer kits" were in the hands of developers as early as possible but they were basically apple g5 computers since the final developer machine wasn't done yet as they were debugging the units.  the g5 machines were dual core and clocked lower than the 360 triple core (the 360 version of the PPC was also a newer version).

the Rare guys said that the transition from the PC side to the 360 for Kinect took some time and they didn't really get going until April of 2009.  Don't forget that E3 2009, Project Natal was just a bunch of simulated demos, Sony-style.  they only showed some tech demos to the press in a controlled setting in their own hotel event (the ricochet demo which became rallyball in kinect adventures, burnout paradise with kinect controls).

the hackers had a finished product to work with.  not the first gen developers of kinect games.  they had work-in-progress units. 

heck, the version of kinect guide that comes with kinect sports is an older version than the kinect guide that comes with dance central.  compare the two.  the Kinect Guide in Kinect Sports is dead.  It doesn't have live tiles like the version in Dance Central.  It also doesn't have your avatar image and the control is different.

read the harmonix interview and the wired pieces.

here's a snippet from the harmonix interview:
"Dance Central was another puzzle. It was being made for the Kinect, a new piece of Microsoft hardware that wasn't going to be done until far into the development of the game. Harmonix had early Kinect prototypes in 2009. The early ones were kind of "band-aided together," LoPiccolo said. At least it functioned.
"In the winter [2009] the game was just barely getting out of its tech-demo stages. "There was a lot of struggle around getting the choreography authored and getting the filtering system such that, if you were doing poorly, it would know that - and if you were doing well, it would know that. There was a long period where you would play it and get a lot of false positives and you'd get a lot of false negatives. It wasn't really clear the game had any idea what you were doing." That came together as well early in the year [2010].
"Dance Central had its own problems. A manageable game in scope and ambition, it suddenly was was a marathon that had to be finished in the time of a sprint. Harmonix had received clearances for many of the game's key songs late and, with three weeks to go before finishing the game, had to re-tune the whole thing, testing over 600 moves across all the tracks. "We were recruiting people from all departments to just dance, dance, dance," LoPiccolo said. "Our [game testers] were just wrecked because they had to dance for 12 hours a day."

@dirtyvu

I don't doubt that the development of the completed Kinect device was concurrent with the games that launched alongside it. What I doubt is that developers weren't given enough time with the device. As you said yourself, internal studios received the first versions of the device 18 months before its eventual release, and Rare studios have stated that Kinect Sports was a full 2 years in production. Harmonix, a key developer, naturally put in the effort, and it shows - which is why I stated that the majority of third party developers were looking to cash in. And while they were working while the device was still in production phases, they are one of the key developers who have worked under such pressures before and continue to do so. This is par for the course in the gaming industry - as you stated, the Xbox 360 design and architecture weren't final while games were being worked on. I'm certain the same will be true for the next generation Xbox when that releases. But I don't back down on my belief that developers had a chance to make more compelling titles and decided not to. They chose to make HD versions of Wii knockoffs in an attempt to capitalise on a new market with little competition. With Kinect, few titles launched beside it and those eager to play were given poor first choices. I wouldn't expect less from the gaming industry - which like all industries lets entertainment be secondary to making money.

That said, and like I stated, now that Kinect can be seen as a success - and now that developers have final kits (and should have done so for at least a few months) and realising they have a potential new market and a potential possibility to create something new, compelling and original, they may just do so.

I think Kinect is brimming with possibilities. And I think only now, developers and publishers are starting to realise that they have an opportunity. Not just to make money but to realise a more creative game. I certainly hope so. I'm sure they're looking at the Kinect hacks for ideas.