Peter Molyneux, creator of Lionhead studios and the brain behind games such as Black and White and Fable, recently left Lionhead and Microsoft to start his own studio. Now that he has left Microsoft he’s been talking with the press about his experience there, and the reasons why he left. In a recent interview with develop he talks a bit about Kinect and Project Milo…and it seems that the truth about this cancelled project is finally out.
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Plus, how are they gonna market Kinect on the premise of innovation, and then say a piece of software for Kinect is too innovative for gamers to handle. Doesn't make any sense to me... kinda insulting when you think about it.
However this breaths light into why this generation is so lackluster in other genres. Why make a super creative platformer than breaks boundries? We have a shooter idea similar to everyone else that will sell millions because it has a gun in it! .....
but with a little boy, so.... yeah....
Who wants to bet that this is just a lie? ;)
It doesn't seem like it would've worked in real time anyway.
Does anyone really see it being more than a tech demo?
Do we REALLY want it?
I mean, what the heck kind of gameplay is this?!
You have to bare in mind that Microsoft would have to put more money into it for advertising, shipping, general costs to get it on shelves. As it says in the article
"The game (Milo) did work, it really did. But I think that the world – whether that world is retail or marketing executives – wasn’t quite ready for Milo."
Doesn't matter the game is nearly complete. Obviously someone at Microsoft saw that there is little to no market for this type of game and so why have added costs. Who is realistically going to buy this game. It doesn't have the cuteness of kinectimals to appeal to a younger audience nor did it have anything really to appeal to a more mature audience.
And even if it is done its still a game that most likely is too heady for either the COD crowd or kids.
Surprise surprise!
He's such a pretentious douche. I don't believe for a second that this game was close to completion. This was just another opportunity for him to play the victim like he has been for the past decade.
I don't see why you/we should care much about this game/tech demo in the first place.
Do we REALLY want it?
Milo on the other hand is a completely unfulfilled promise (Like BC before it). It started out with tons of hype but then was completely buried without even seeing the light of day and letting the gamers decide if it's actually worthwhile or yet another casual kinect crap.
At least it wasn't a complete waste of time - while I never really cared for the premise, their mega meshes engine was simply stunning and will hopefully be put to good use in future games:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Im sorry I acted like a douche... but after kinect star wars, and the fact dance central is the kinects best reviewed game... I keep viewing the kinect as an accessory for dance games rather than what was advertised.
Granted, it is kind of cool with core games like ME3 and Ghost recon using the kinect, but I would much rather use a controller to quickly select a conversation option, rather than say it. But the vocal hotkeys are a cool idea, but I could never see myself yelling FUS RO DAH or LIARA SINGULARITY! in my living room... it would make me feel really stupid, since Im yelling at home.
Despite what you say all other kinect games are completely on rails and require simple gestures. If this game worked so well people would begin expecting this from all kinect games which would mean longer dev times, probably what microsoft don't want.
As for the comment on how this would look against shooters etc, just look what heavy rain achieved for something some people called a QTE movie.
Although i'm still unsure if this is 100% working/real, look at the angle and how fast she put the paper up the sensor and it was scanned in, less than 1 second at an angle and it was perfect, hmm..
Anyway if it's real he should release it online as a free download :P
The most impressive thing on that demo is boy's AI and recognition technology, but the gameplay doesn't look interesting at all. I think only some forever-alone-retards would want play a game where you talk to a virtual guy and touch virtual water.
Want proof? There's no way MS would have pumped millions into this game and not released it. He blames it on its type and genre? There's games worse out there like Disneyland Kinect etc that sit fine on shelves. Plus MS were damn happy to show off this tech and if it had worked would have sold MILLIONS. There is no way a company who wants to make money like MS would have not put this in shops.
:P
That, a few "friends" to act it out with - *shivers*
I was waiting a real Tech Demo of Milo, looks like is not gonna happen at all.
***"It’s just that… what was so hard for some people to imagine is what Milo would look like on the shelves, sitting alongside these murderous shooter games."***
That is a piss poor excuse.
I can't imagine how Just Dance looks on the shelves next to those murderous shooter games. /s
Milo was a great concept and shows the great potential kinect has when it's all said and done. I really hope future kinect games will implement some of the great elements that Milo was able to produce.
I can. Crap comes to mind!
Seriously though, Milo, while a great tech demo, just wouldn't have a place on store shelves. I mean, who would it's target audience be? What would be it's USP?
MS should have included it with kinect adventures and kinect or just put it on live to download for free. There was no way they could charge for it.
Prove me wrong MS.
Virtual-reality boy sounds a bit hard to market, tought unique products like this should come out, just for the sake it's something different, it's a shame it didn't :/
nice try, molyneux.
If it would be SW title where you follow Han Solo, or any character, or ME themed game where you follow Miranda's ass instead little cheezy boy called Milo, it would see the day of light, and would definitelly sell, and publishers/retailers/what ever would have no problem selling the product
Who really expected SW:Kinect to be great, it's ok in what it does, but it's still a license game, and brand sells, sad but true. HAs nothing to do with the quality of the product..
I don't think it's the market, but rather the technology that isn't ready.
You really think they can make a VI that responds to everything in a human, nonsynthetic voice?
I don't get that. Asking a virtual boy if he did his homework is not gameplay.
It wasn't cancelled because the world isn't ready for Milo. It was cancelled because it was just dumb.
Peter Molyneux is a great guy, but sometimes he can be a bit much.
From the footage perspective, Milo is looking at the woman. From the woman's perspective, Milo would be looking to her right the whole time.
Thus the footage is fake. If Milo looked at the screen and at the woman, Milo would be looking at the person watching the footage as well(and everyone in the room)
Milo and Kinect Star Wars were the biggest sellings points for the device. How ironic was the perception that Star Wars would be the "hardcore" title for the Kinect? The Milo project was, in my opinion, doomed from the get-go. How does Milo learn and grow? What if he's neglected? Is he like a tamagochi that you can't take with you? etc. Conceptually ambitious, but like most of Molyneux's work managed to be crushed by the weight of ideas.
I won't even get started on the Move, but Sorcery has come far too late in the cycle to make any sort of impact.
seriously, how few friends do you have to have to go out and buy a child sized peter molyneux as an interactive friend? what it looked like is tickle me elmo for xbox.
says the same stupid things over and over while you sit there and punch him in the face trying to get him to say anything else