I've been disillusioned to the word of video games for a LONG time now and, while I try not to run on auto-negativity-pilot I find that getting your hopes up for something special generally ends in disappointment where games are concerned. I could list all my personal disappointments here right now but I don't have enough ink in my keyboard; what I really want to talk about is my most recent and, maybe, longest serving misplaced hopes... the Holy Grail... Atlantis... Shambala...
...A good core Kinect game!
This is the part where you take this as just another Kinect hate blog and skip to the bottom to leave your overly defensive emotion fueled comment, well, off you go then...
...are they gone? Good. Now for those of you who stuck around here's the reason for my hope's dirge.
It started with Fighters Uncaged, while the media had little hope for this title, MS had no problem marketing it as a 'core' Kinect game. I can't say I was ever truly looking forward to this game personally but it served as the first disappointment to any core gamer that was, a reviewer from Joystiq went as far as to say:
"I'm not giving it a score because I think scoring a game after a half hour sets a bad precedent, and I'd rather eat a rain-soaked box of poison buttholes than ever play Fighters Uncaged again."
Harsh but funny.
The second great hope came from Rise of Nightmares, it had everything that should appeal to your average 'core' gamer: Blood, gore, zombies, chainsaws etc but ended up playing more like a kids game despite how hard it was trying not to be. IGN said it first along with:
"Even if you like the novelty of chopping off undead heads longer than I did, a bad horror game is a bad horror game. And Rise of Nightmares is a monster.
My first personal Kinect disappointment but I wasn't to be dismayed, there was always Kinect Star Wars, right?
Wrong, so, so wrong. I don't mind admitting that I actually feel incredibly foolish for thinking this was going to be good but the hype was strong with this one. It's just silly now when I think I expected this:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
but ended up getting:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Cringe. Currently sitting at a generous 55 on metacritic this definitely wasn't the droid, er, game I was looking for. I felt a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of gamers cried out in frustration then were suddenly disappoint.
What was left of my hopes rested on my titular game, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armour, which having not played any of the previous games helped open my mind to a Kinect version. The fact that this game was being made for a buttonless peripheral after being known for having a controller with LOADS of buttons was just too ironic to ignore. In fact I bet if this game was a person it'd sell its hair to get money for a comb.
Anyway, while I have yet to play Steel Battalion, the reviews poured in recently and it's looking very bleak indeed.
IGN gave it a 3/10
http://n4g.com/news/1021133...
Gamespot a 3.5/10
http://n4g.com/news/1022133...
GiantBomb 1/10 o_0
http://n4g.com/news/1021801...
There were a few 7/10s out there at the time of writing this, mostly from official Xbox sources, but it hasn't seemed to help the metacritic, which is hovering around the 40/100 mark. All in all it's looking like another failure to create the worlds first successful 'core' Kinect game and what could be the last straw for gamers who after all the disappointment were still holding feverishly onto their hopes.
BUT WAIT! There's always RYSE right? RIGHT??
* * * DISCLAIMER * * *
I realise negative opinions will offend some of the more sensitive readers out there in N4G land but just remember this is a personal blog about my own experiences and opinions. Just because I feel let down by the lack of a killer 'core' app on Kinect does not mean I am "hating". I still enjoy the other aspects of Kinect, i.e when it's pinned onto a third party game with voice controls or the interface controls or something. If there's anyone wondering why I was even expecting 'core' games to appear on Kinect you need only read past articles like:
http://n4g.com/news/876180/...
or
http://www.vg247.com/2011/0...
or
http://www.oxm.co.uk/35402/...
or
http://www.destructoid.com/...
Whether MS meant the core games that were 'better with kinect' or not doesn't matter, they didn't specify. Also Move has been criticized for a lack of core games built from the ground up with Move in mind so why not Kinect? Also one final point I'd like to make in case someone mentions Child of Eden. Yes it was a good game, yes it used Kinect but it was also on Move, which some critics ironically found to be 'better with Move' also it is not built from the ground up with just Kinect in mind as it can be played with a pad. Phew, think that's it.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading and let us know in the comments if you're still expecting a great 'core' game for Kinect or if you think any I've mentioned above are great in your opinion and why.
------It seems N4G is having technical difficulties and I can no longer reply to any comments or agree/disagree, will answer any questions when this is rectified------
Some Helldivers 2 players are frustrated with some content still being broken, so read this article to see what that is all about.
Some?? Try all. Mechs are bugged, many weapons are useless including the newly renewed ones, stratagems are bugged or weak, we still get stuck in the terrain with no way out, and the list goes on. Good game but they need to fix the issues before doing anything else.
Activision and Raven Software's 2006 action role-playing game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, has found its way to the Xbox Store.
Used to love this one, but X-Men Legends 1 and 2 will always be my favorites, especially Rise of Apocalypse. Would pay some good money to play it today with online multiplayer, back then I had no way to get a modem
I remember buying them dirt cheap on the PS4 and then a few days later I read they were delisted. I was wondering why the bundle was price so low and got my answer when that happened.
Sad to say this is one game franchise next to the Xmen that needs a sequel. I use to play the hell out of Xmen Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Was great when my cousin had the OG Xbox play with four other people and then playing online. Great games glad to see it reappear even though I own the discs love the mechanics of this game.
If you’re hyped for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, then you can play the first entry of the RPG series on PS4 and PS5 now for a very low price.
Just Bought it Thank you after checking reviews alot people enjoyed it Worth Picking up for that Price.
I don't own Kinect, nor do I know how one would develop a good hardcore game for it, but I do have an opinion. To develop a game for Kinect, one literally has to think so far out of the box that it scares most publishers, imo. So far, the attempts at making Kinect games are like taking a normal hardcore game concept and making it work, minus a few major features, by moving your body. Evidently, this doesn't work.
People have said before that they have to develop a game from the ground up with Kinect in mind, and this is true. But even more true is that they have to create the game concept from the ground up with Kinect in mind. What works with Kinect stays, what doesn't goes, now make a game that utilizes the best aspects of Kinect.
LOL, the IGN review even pushes the reviewer to pretty much say "screw Kinect for gaming application". Ouch.
+1 Disclaimer
David Dennis said the negative reaction from many gamers was "as we expected." Nevertheless, he believes, "Stuff like Rise of Nightmares and Ryse...are certainly going to appeal to the core."
-Gameinformer
"Bu-bu-but Kinect isn't meant for YOU!"
lol
The Gunstringer is the only game (I can think of) closely resembling what 'core' gamers may be interested in that's missing from the list; however, it's fair to point out the development history, or the fact that each one is bundled with a Kinect arcade game, to have a good argument for that game to not be counted (I'm guessing you wanted to limit the blog to 'core' Kinect titles that were always intended for retail?). Regardless of its final determined category, it still looked like a fun game.
I personally think the final straw with most 'core' gamers was the idea of paying $149.99. You can come up with all the ambitious ideas you like, but most core gamers will hold tightly to that money for 2+ new games with a controller input that's become so familiar to them.
Quick Note: Title should be "Steel Battalion: . . ."
Alot of Kinect games suck, mostly because they don't work they way they say it does or as good as they say it.
I think Kinect Sports/Adventure is about the only one that seems to work pretty well with Kinect, yes theirs times when you stand their your character starts jerking all over the place. But it is at least good at picking up most of the movements with no problem.
But truth is, this just shows how good using a cam is for motion base games. Most games need a controller or you get Joy Ride (Meaning you lack brakes). I have played most games with Kinect and I would say Kinect Sports/Adventure is about the only good ones.