When Kinect launches later this year it is set to be supported with a 15 game line up. As the Kinect is a controller free motion tracking device we are expecting “sports” and “Dancing” style party games to be the main stay of the initial market.
We have seen a number of trailer videos so far that leave a lot to be explained so what exactly can we expect come release day.
Kinect Adventures by Microsoft : This received the most exposure at E3 this year. What you will get is a number of party games set in different locations. “Roaring Rapids” involves floating down a river in a raft controlling it by moving left or right or jumping to dodge rocks and obstacles. You also get two other locations a mountain top obstacle course and underwater deep sea observatory each with their own series of mini games.
Kinect Joy ride by Microsoft : This one interests us the most, it is a fun Kart style racer. Kinect tracks your body so you don’t need any buttons just sit up, hold your hands up as if you have an imaginary steering wheel and pedals in front of you and away you go. It is a wild and colourful game which really shows of just what Kinect is capable of.
Game Party in Motion by Warner Brothers : This is the popular Wii mini game series ported onto Xbox360. Don’t expect much from this one. It wasn’t great on the Wii.
Sonic Free Riders by Sega : The popular hover board spin off of the Sonic the Hedgehog series will be able to be played with the Kinect.
Kinectimals by Microsoft : Very similar to the hugely successful Nintendogs series Kinectimals invites you to interact with exotic animals such as Bengal tiger cubs. Teach your pet tricks and commands as the voice recognition and camera tracking allows you to interact with your pet on screen.
Dance central by Harmonix : This is the first of many dance games we are expecting, coming from Harmonix the guys behind the successful Rock Band series this has a good pedigree. For budding dance stars too people with two left feet Dance central will aim to teach you over 600 moves with a feature called “break it down”. Including more than 90 dance routines from professional choreographers. Dance Central will feature tracks from pop artists such as Lady Gaga, No Doubt, M.I.A., Bell Biv Devoe and more.
Dance Masters by Konami : Set to compete with the Harmonix release with similar dance routines and pop tracks.
Motion Sports by Ubisoft : This is far more advances than the other sports based games giving you the chance to take the role of a number of professional sports positions such as an American football quarter back. Where you need to move, dodge and spin oncoming opponents and pick out the wide receiver with a perfect pass.