The Xbox 360 Kinect is a camera peripheral with the chance to revolutionize gameplay. Its hands-off gameplay removes the controller and gives players the chance to interact with their games directly. Players interested in race car driving could control their car by turning their hands in front of the Kinect sensor. Good thing the crashes on Kinect do not affect your car insurance rates. Here is a list of the five most anticipated Kinect games of 2012:
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor is an upcoming first person war game from Capcom. It is a sequel to their 2002 game Steel Battalion. Players are put into direct control of a tank and large, fully armored mechs. I say that again: you will get to drive a fully sized, armored and weaponed mech. In real time. Has that sunk in yet? Good.
The buzz around this game focuses on the realism involved in driving your tank and your mechs. Although players can use the controller to play the game if they like, the huge draw for this game is the chance to use the Kinect. Players get the chance to directly interact with the tank control system. They push buttons and pull levers on this screen by waving their hands in front of the Kinect.
The Kinect controls are often used in very intriguing and interesting ways throughout Steel Battalion Heavy Armor. The player is often put into difficult moments, such as reaching out to grab a teammate seconds before they fall to death. Integrating actions like this into the game has helped build the hype to a near fever pitch.
Binary Domain
Yakuza Studio is developing a third-person shooter game for the Kinect. It is sent in Japan in the 2080’s. Toshihiro Nagoshi, the man behind the Yakuza game series is the mastermind of this game. A PS3 and Kinect version wil be released at the same time, giving Binary Domain access to a wide range of gamers.
Players will be in control of a squad of soldiers in Japan, trying to keep them alive and defeat the enemies by issuing careful and strategic commands. The game can be controlled via the Xbox 360 game controller or by using a combination of Kinect and headset based commands.
And you have to make the right decisions or else your squad will begin to distrust you. The “Consequence” system weighs the results of your decisions and changes your squad’s trust and opinion of you constantly throughout the game.
Diabolical Pitch
Diabolical Pitch is a baseball game designed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda 51. It is a sports game designed to appeal to both sports fans and horror games fans.
No, that’s not a typo: this game will feature baseball and zombies in a groundbreaking mixture of sports realism and survival horror. Players will control the in-game action by miming throwing a ball, swinging a bat and running the bases.
Players must then defend themselves against zombies by throwing fire-charged baseballs, hitting zombies with bats and even punching and kicking them. “Grasshopper Manufacture” has kept a tight lid on much of the game play elements of this game.
Fable: The Journey
Peter Molyneux’s highly successful Fable RPG series gets a Kinect update with this latest release. In spite of a poorly received demonstration at E3, this game is highly anticipated amongst fans of the gaming series.
Players will have the chance to manipulate magical spells and weapons directly on the screen to attack their enemies. Hand gestures allow players to draw the items and use them as spells, including shields, swords and other items. Non-weapon items can also be created, including fishing rods and telescopes. Mini-games are also available to play.
Kinect Star Wars
As if any other game would get this high: the buzz around Kinect Star Wars is becoming nearly impossible to resist. The Star Wars fan base is already huge and the demand for new, high quality games is almost constant. This game promises to throw players into the world of Star Wars in a huge and immersive environment.
Players can use telekinetic “force” based moves to throw objects, grab enemies, choke them, throw them against the wall or even move large objects. Players also get a chance to utilize the light saber and use real life movements to take down enemies.
Scenes from each of the movies will be integrated into the game to create a well told story that flows logically from one scene to the next. Players that have always wanted to throw down like a Jedi can now get the chance.
