Tag Archives: demonstration

Hands-on: Kinect Adventures! & Kinect Sports

Games: Kinect Adventures! & Kinect Sports

Developers: Microsoft & Rare

Release date: Fall 2010

Let’s start with Kinect Adventures!, shall we?  This Kinect game includes a bunch of mini-games, and I got to step into two of them.  “River Rush” puts you and a second player inside a raft that you must navigate through heavy rapids.  Controls are simple: lean left and right to guide the raft and watch out for obstacles like big rocks; lean forward to make the raft go faster; leap into the air with your partner to make the raft jump off ramps to collect tokens for extra points.  During the demonstration, the Microsoft rep instructed us to side-step left and right to steer the raft; I’m told it can be navigated either way.  The second “adventure” I played was a mine cart obstacle course.  While you’re traveling at a steady speed atop a mine cart you must jump (for speed), duck, and side-step to watch out for obstacles like metal padded bars.  Collect tokens along the way by configuring your body into various positions.

Kinect Adventures! also includes a “camera moments” that pop up a number of times during the mini-games.  A small camera icon alerts you when the game is ready to snap a photo of you in action.  At the end of each game you are shown a quick montage of your jumping and spinning motions during peak moments of gameplay.  They come complete with captions that relate to the action; if it catches a big jump it might say “impressive air”.  Think of it like the pictures that are taken at theme parks during big drops on a coaster.  Once the photos are saved, you have the option to share them with friends via email or Facebook.  That’s right–now you can embarrass yourself in new ways!

Next up is Kinect Sports.  This game is a Wii Sports knockoff for sure, but is it a worthy contender?  It packs six sports in total–bowling, ping pong, volleyball, boxing, soccer, and track & field.  Within the track & field section I did some running-and-hurdling.  Ready for the controls?  Run in place to make your avatar go and jump to avoid the obstacle beams.  The fast your run in place, the faster your avatar will run on-screen.  It’s like using the NES Power Pad but without the pad!  This mini-game was a lot of fun, though it was frustrating at times.  I had some trouble leaping over the obstacles; it’s all about the timing and I just didn’t catch on.  My partner, on the other hand, managed to make almost every jump.  Guess I need some practice.  Besides that minor issue, I was whole-heartedly satisfied with my experience because it resulted in a great workout!  By the end of the race my partner and I were almost out of breath and on the verge of sweating (it was hot in the Microsoft cube!).  The results screen shows you a sped up video replay of your running and jumping action and then shows your avatars too with some Chariots of Fire playing in the background.  Since I only got to the play a track-and-field game it would not be appropriate to say Kinect Sports is better or worse than Wii Sports.  The verdict will have to wait until we all get our hands on the game this fall.

Hands-on: Joy Ride

Game: Joy Ride

Developer: BigPark

Release date: Fall 2010

Joy Ride is a simplistic racing game made specifically for Kinect.  Setup is easy: Stand up and hold your arms out like your holding a steering wheel.  That’s it.  You don’t ever have to worry about gas and breaking, the game controls that for you.  To steer your car left and right, simply use your hands to steer an invisible wheel in front of you.  This might sound kinda lame to you Gran Turismo and Need for Speed hardcore games, but it’s actually a decent amount of fun.  Obviously Microsoft is going after the casual set of gamers and late adopters to the modern video game craze with Joy Ride, but with motion maneuvering via Kinect this game will likely get all types of gamers off the couch at least a couple times.  Virtual steering works surprisingly well.  Beyond just steering around a racetrack, Joy Ride comes complete with speed boosts and in-air tricks.  For an extra boost, bring your arms to your chest (still in steering wheel configuration) and quickly thrust them back out to standard position.  To perform a stunt, move and turn your body in different ways after you fly your car into the air off a ramp.  The car will mimic your body movements; for example, if you lean forward the car will do a front flip and if you spin around the car will spin.  You can combine all these different moves to gain bonus points.  The game has two modes that both support up to two players: racing and Stunt Mode.  In the latter mode, you and another player steer your cars on a half-pipe to pull off as many tricks as possible to collect points.  Again, this game is tailor-made for people who rarely play traditional video games, but casual and even hardcore gamers will want to get in on the fun at some point, trust me.

Hands-on: Kinectimals

Game: Kinectimals

Developer: Frontier Developments

Release date: Fall 2010

Oh this might just the cutest game I have ever put my hands on.  And thanks to the Kinect for Xbox 360 requirement, you can take that statement quite literally.  Once the game boots up you are prompted to select from over 40 different virtual animals to interact with.  I selected a cheetah pre-named Skittles.  I’m told that players will have the option to personalize their pets with a name by speaking into Kinect’s built-in mic.  After selecting the cheetah I called out “Skittles!” to bring it on-screen.  By tapping my knees and calling out its name, Skittles recognized my presence, ran up to me, and left breath marks on the screen.  I was able to use simple hand motions to wipe the foggy spots off the screen.  If you hold your hands out towards the screen your pet comes closer to you for a scratching session.  This part was particularly stimulating; it actually feels like you’re reaching out and petting an animal.  Virtual hands appear on-screen to show the motions in real-time.

By holding your hand out for a prolonged period of time in the bottom right-hand side of the screen you can call up a menu.  Scroll through the menu Minority Report-style with swipe gestures.  Select an activity by holding your hand on an icon for about three seconds.  Next up I entered tricks mode where you can make your pet mimic your every move and perform dozens of tricks.  When I jumped three times in a row, Skittles jumped higher and higher; the third jump resulted in a Matrix slo-mo perspective sequence.  When I held my arms up and stood on one leg, Skittles copied my exact positioning.  Then when I fell to the ground Skittles played dead.  Very neat!

The last activity in the demo was an obstacle course that involved jumping, running, ducking, and balancing movements to get Skittles from one end to the other.  This section of the game plays out more like a workout if you ask me.  And of course, to get Skittles to run the course faster continually scream his name.

All in all, Kinectimals is the perfect game for little girls who always wanted a pet but could never have one for some reason or another.  With Kinect support, players will have a blast raising their own virtual pet by speaking its name and interacting with it by means of simplistic hand and body gestures.  Oh, and there’s this: At the Project Natal Experience, Microsoft reps gave out tiny stuffed animals with scannable codes attached.  Instructions reveal that players will be able to hold up their stuffed animals to the Kinect camera and transfer their tangible pet inside the game to play with it.  Again, little girls will go crazy over this game.  Look for Kinectimals to release alongside the Kinect this fall.

Interview + hands-on: Fable III

Game: Fable III

Developer: Lionhead Studios

Release date: October 26, 2010

Familiar, yet different.  That’s the best way to describe the next game in the Fable series.  Fable III take place 50 years after the events in the previous game.  In the single player campaign you play as either the son or daughter of the Fable II hero.  Your brother is the King of Albion and he is an evil tyrant who supports slave labor and as a result the people of the land are oppressed.  As the game starts you are finally at the ripe age to do something about this; the throne must be reclaimed.  In order to do this you must become a rebel and gain followers to your cause to take down your evil brother.  Eventually at some point you will defeat your brother and become the next king (or queen) of Albion.  And in Fable RPG style, it is up to you to decide (by your actions) if you want to rule the land as a terrible dictator like your brother or change things for the better by acting benevolent and kind.

The demo I played had two parts.  In the first, I was plopped into a foreign land called Aurora where I was teamed with my mentor Walter Beck.  Your mission is to gain followers to the cause.  This demonstration showed off some combat moves; you can wield a sword, gun, or use some magic spells to fend off enemies.  Discovering and controlling spells is a lot easier this time around thanks to a “spell gauntlet” that gives magic a physical representation.  Other new features: your sword can be customized based on your decisions in the game and you can complete finishing moves to defeat enemies.

In the second part of the demo I was introduced to the new villager interaction experience.  Now you can walk up to villagers and interact with them by shaking their hand, grabbing their hand and take them for a run, and even farting in their faces!  Yeah, that’s a bit much but it’s quite humorous.

So, although the game looks and feels very much like the past Fable games, this one is definitely enhanced and differentiates itself thanks to a tighter story and refined gameplay.  For the first time in a Fable game, characters are now more emotionally connected to the player thanks to voice acting.  Also, the main menu has done away with the mess of the past and gives players a 3D portal to access various game options.  There to greet you is a butler named Jasper voiced by none-other-than John Cleese.  Co-op play is coming, too; the second player can also play as a hero and you have the option to marry each other, have children, share funds, and complete the game together.  Have you been yearning for a more robust version of Fable?  Well your wish will certainly be granted come October the 26th.

Live demo: Halo: Reach (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Game: Halo: Reach

Developer: Bungie

Release date: September 22, 2010

OK, so if you’re reading this I’m sure you know all about the next game in the coveted Halo franchise.  Halo: Reach is a prequel that tells the story of the fall of planet Reach and it takes place before Halo: Combat Evolved and before the life and times of Master Chief.  You play as Noble Team and your enemy, as usual, is the devout alien tribe known as The Covenant.  Reach was not available to play at the Microsoft booth, however there were private screenings of live demonstrations of the single and multiplayer gameplay.  Not only did I attend one of these live demonstrations, I managed to record the entire live demo!

In Part 1 (see above), a Reach producer plays through a mission called “The Long Night of Solace” and it takes place about half-way through the game.  Watch as Noble Team kicks some Covenant ass.  Part 2 (look after the break) takes you deep into space for some combat in the sky, spaceship-style.  Part 3 (also after the break) features Firefight mode gameplay.  Three people in the crowd were asked to join the Bungie reps to help show how this multiplayer mode works in Reach.  Firefight mode is simple co-op fun; it’s just you and up to three other players joining forces to fight off Covenant attack.  And now this mode supports match-making; so if your friends are not available to play with you the game will find others with similar skill level to help you beat up some Covenant, no problem.  You will also be able to highly customize the gameplay in this mode.  For example, you can control the number of rounds, where enemies show up, how they are killed (head-shots only, for example), and what happens when they killed (they can explode into confetti!).  You can even save and upload your customized game rules to the Bungie servers so other Reach players can jump into your creation.  Lastly, another addition to Reach multiplayer is the ability to rack up credits and use them to purchase upgrades in the armory; these are used to customize your own Spartan avatar.

So what are you waiting for?  Watch the splitscreen mayhem unfold in the video embedded after the break!

Continue reading Live demo: Halo: Reach (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Hands-on: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Publisher: Nintendo

Release date: 2011

In terms of control, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a stellar improvement over the last Zelda game for Wii that was ported from GameCube, Twilight Princess.  The game requires the Wii MotionPlus add-on and true 1:1 motion is the result.  Though the short demo at E3 did not share details about the plot of the game it did help introduce how you will control Link for the better part of the game.  The Wii-mote is your sword and the nunchuck acts as the shield.  At all time you’re constantly whipping out your sword and shield to fight off enemies.  To bring them to the forefront it’s as simple as a quick forward moving shake of the controllers.  Most of the enemies came in the form of plants and the game makes it super easy to figure out how to kill them.  Plants open their mouths horizontally and vertically; so if a plant opens its mouth vertically you take out your sword and slice vertically to kill it.  Slice and dice is the name of the game here.  After learning how to kill the plants with your handy-dandy sword you quickly learn that you have a bunch more weapons at your disposal.  Hit a button on the Wii-mote and a menu pops up enabling you to select from weapons like a slingshot, bow-and-arrow, and a whip.  Many of the weapons, namely the sword and bow-and-arrow, work exactly like they do in Wii Sports Resort.  It’s pretty clear that Nintendo ported these 1:1 actions from that game to this one.  But that’s not an issue, really; I always enjoyed Swordsplay anyway.  Link can also throw bombs into the middle of growing baddies and boom they go.  With the aid of a map I was able to find my way through the plants and to a door with a wandering eye.  I was instructed to spin the Wii-mote (my sword) in a clockwise circular motion to confuse the eye to enter the door.  The demo concluded with an oversized scorpion boss.  To kill it the game hinted at slicing your sword at its pinchers.  I had very low health and ran out of potions so I died before I could kill the big baddie.

All in all Skyward Sword is definitely turning out to be a solid Wii title.  Before this year’s Nintendo press conference all we had was a teaser poster and now there’s a trailer and playable demo.  As a long-time Zelda fan there’s not much I can complain about.  The precise motion controls are a welcome addition to the franchise and a more cartoonish-looking Link and environment make the game feel less like Twilight Princess and more like uber-successful titles Ocarina of Time (my personal favorite) and Wind Waker.  There’s no cell shading here, but the graphics feel more friendly and colorful when compared to Link’s last outing.

Microsoft demos new pen & touch input on Surface

Microsoft Research is back with a new way to interact with their Surface multitouch table.

Manual Deskterity is a prototype digital drafting table that supports both pen and touch input. We explore a division of labor between pen and touch that flows from natural human skill and differentiation of roles of the hands. We also explore the simultaneous use of pen and touch to support novel compound gestures.

The combination of pen and touch input makes for a wide range of gestures like holding, tapping, dragging, and crossing that can be used in ways you likely have never seen before.  Check it out in the video demonstation above.  I smell a hint of Courier here.

[Via MyMicrosoftLife; Engadget]

Microsoft makes Surface “mobile”

Microsoft’s Surface table is fairly large and very expensive.  And those are two factors that don’t mesh well with the general consuming public.  Microsoft gets that, so they’ve gone ahead and created a prototype version of their multitouch table called Mobile Surface.  Like its older brethren, Mobile Surface uses a projector/camera combo that allows you to interact with on-screen images.  Difference here is that the image projection can be displayed on any surface (making it portable) and it allows for in-air manipulation.  For example, as seen in the video above, you can play the drums without physically touching the tabletop.  Mobile Surface links up to a secondary device, like a cell phone or laptop, to indicate what you’re interacting with.  Pretty neat if you ask me.  Currently Mobile Surface is a Microsoft Research project and Microsoft did not comment on a potential mainstream release.

[Via Pocketlint; Engadget]

Early demonstration of Samsung’s 3D TVs

Yeah it’s around seven minutes long, but if you are even slightly interested in 3D TVs and the forthcoming slew of them entering the market this year it’s worth a viewing.  In the video preview a Samsung rep details the Samsung C7000 LED TV, giving us an early peek into the brand new 3D tech that’s embedded inside.  There’s SD/HD modes, a 3D mode (duh), a 2D to 3D converter, a sleek remote, and the sporty 3D shades.  Man I wish I had a British accent.

[Via Which?; Engadget]

This video game requires you to SCREAM to advance

Created by Glen Forrester for Global Game Jam 2010, GNILLEY was originally intended to be a video game concerned with “pitch and color” but instead it became “all about yelling at everything.”  I’m going to save my breath and just have you watch the video demonstration for yourself.  It’s wild.  (Team Forrester ended up winning Most Original Game at the competition!)

[Via Engadget]