Kinect: The Second Wave

Yet for those taking the chance exchanging cash for the add-on on launch, they might be left wondering when the next wave of entertainment is inbound. At Microsoft's Christmas Showcase last week, the company answered: very, very soon.

In an expansive area that looked more Ikea showrooms than game demonstrations, multiple titles from the second big Kinect wave were on display for hands-on. We took a look.

RISE OF NIGHTMARES

Sega's horror-themed auctioneer is the logical extension of its House of the Dead light-gun franchise, tossing you into a mansion filled with freaks and forcing you to fight your way out with fists and whatever else you can get your hands on, while exploring the vast labyrinth of corridors and rooms, all coated in a mitre of dirt, slime and blood, to find an escape route.

The FPS exploration takes some getting used to at first; you put one foot forward to advance, put it behind you to walk backwards, and turn your shoulders to turn your character left or right. The turning circle ratio is currently too generous, but we'd imagine there's options to tone it down its sensitivity in the final game. Developer AM1 has built in an automatic walk that'll take you straight to the next waypoint - hold your fist up in the air and to the side to initiate it.

Combat is the principle gameplay however, and in this the game seems certain to offer a hefty dose of stress release - and will be cheaper than a punch bag. The network of areas are crawling with attackers - garish nurses, seemingly-zombified workers, all turned into killers by the usual crackpot scientist plot. You thrust left or right hand out to jab, swing for a stronger hook, raise both fists up to block. If you kick out, you'll bury a foot into their mid-riff and stagger your opponent back a few feet for breathing room - much needed, as many times you'll find yourself surrounded.

Locking on was an issue. It looks to be automatic - positioning you once you're within punching distance, but in the frantic melees we found ourselves disengaging the lock by accident and walked off, leaving the enemy punching thin air.

Better was the weapon pick-ups and object interactions. Get close enough and they'll become highlighted, an icon to which you can put your hand over, and your character will head straight towards it to either pick it up or activate it. The latter proving useful when powering a series of floor-to-ceiling blades that track across one room, letting trick the shambling hordes into walking into.

Weapons are melee-based as well. From wooden planks, to pliers and eventually a chainsaw - each follow a similar motion to use (one swing for the first, both hands thrust out to start snapping with the second, and move both hands slowly to swing the third to dismember flesh) and all are equally satisfying to use.

With the splattering blood with each swing, the game definitely earns its top-tier age rating, as well when the house shows its tricked out as well; a fellow escapee is chopped in half by a corridor-wide guillotine, before trying to drag his upper body a few feet before dying. It suggests that between the fighting there'll be puzzles of the cutting variety to avoid through swift movements.

The demo played was fairly short, and we do have questions about the game's length and variety (a problem with the House of Dead titles too) but we won't have long to wait and find out; the game is due out in September.

KINECT STAR WARS

Set between Episodes II and III, thus putting slap-bang in the middle of the Clone Wars, the galaxy-spanning conflict that has fuelled the franchise through cartoon series and an offshoot movie these post-cinematic days, Kinect Star Wars is eager to fulfil the desire of anyone who put down "Jedi" in the Religion section of consensus forms.

The game will jump between recognisable locales from all six films; the demo we play taking place on Cloud City, first appearing in Empire Strikes Back, and is the same code as what was shown at E3.

While some have been dismissive of the title, its true to say that concerns are negated, at least temporally, when you play for the first time. The game's very much on rails, your Jedi character locking on to the next threat immediately, and offering you the choice of either dashing in for melee attacks or stick to long range and use Force powers. Both are enjoyable in use, building on thirty years (or less) of acting out the moves from the films.

The demo takes you from jumping onto a landing platform, and onwards through a set of doors and a corridor within. You jump up to leap off your ship, a move used again to jump behind opponents - important when combating the larger droids carrying front shields that are impenetrable. You lean forward to dash to the next target, and swing your arm to fire up your lightsaber and start lopping attack droids in half. There's little lag to be had here, and snapping your saber in front of you to deflect laser fire is every bit as fast as you'd want.

Arguably the Force powers are more fun; limited here to lifting objects, they manage to embody the movie much more accurately, given the hand gestures are exactly as you've seen them on the big screen. Hold your hand out at one droid and see a blue glow appear around him - at which point you can either flick your hand left or right, firing him off the platform or into a group of enemies, or upwards to launch him. A larger partially-destroyed vehicle requires you to lift both hands up in the air and to the side to shift it, and interestingly you make the gesture with all the slow grandeur (and contort your face in mock concentration) of Luke trying to lift his X-Wing out a swamp with mind power alone. You might look a tit, but you'll have a smile on your face doing it.

You're joined on your adventure by another Jedi - the developer promises true drop-in, drop-out gameplay, the Kinect syncing up another player immediately when they step into the sensor's range. It's here that you feel Star Wars will gain its longevity; were the game suggests a fairly straightforward hack n slash title, playing it with a friend, or series-loving younger gamer, will make the enjoyment, and the immersion, all the greater.

DISNEYLAND ADVENTURES

It's such a brilliant idea, we don't know why anyone hasn't done it before.

This is the perfect title for gamers who now find themselves with families or relatives and their children coming to visit. The game offers a perfect recreation of the original Disneyland, complete with meet-and-greet characters and rides.

There's an argument here that this virtual version is truer to the vision Walt Disney had, and the 'real' version of his creations; when you meet Mickey Mouse here, you know it's not a guy in a suit. Characters have the same vibrancy and personality as their animated counterparts. When you find Pluto, he's on all fours sniffing the ground, while Peter Pan is bounding with energy. Likewise rides aren't contained to the physics of the real world, and can cannon off into flights of fancy that embody the movies they're based on far closer than any roller-coaster.

You hold your hand out to move your character forward, with the developer keen to point out you needn't have arm outstretched - understanding that kids would get tired from the position after a short while. Thus a hand out by waist level is still picked up. Turning involves you rotating your shoulders left or right. Because the resort's streets are so wide, and your character slides past other visitors to the park, there's little issue here with precision movements.

When you come across a character, you wave to signify to the Kinect you want to interact with them, at which point the the camera will pull in and you'll be given a range of options, from hugging (arms outstretched), high-fiving, to dancing. When you want to finish, just wave again.

Rides are dotted throughout the park, and there's a fast-travel option is you want to skip to them immediately, though the developer has seeded the park with numerous secrets (more along the collectable route than anything) to push players to explore. Each ride has multiple stages, breaking down that particular movie's story into gameplay chunks. Such as falling down the Rabbit Hole in Alice, which has you moving your body left and right to avoid debris as you fall and collect chains of gold emblems. Peter Pan follows a similar principle, as the game opens with the flight over London, and goes on to include a sword-fight with Captain Hook that's gentle enough for the young game fraternity to enjoy.

For the market the game's so clearly after, this looks to be a fantastic idea. We're eager to see however whether the other rides offer a diverse range of experiences, and exactly what else the park has to offer.

OTHER TITLES....

DANCE CENTRAL 2

Remember how this was the best reason to buy a Kinect last year? Harmonix's return to the dancing stage looks to be another. While visually the game looks very similar to its predecessor, the fact that the developer has addressed the biggest negative of the original - drop-in/drop-out two player - shows its eager to make this the definite version of the game. The ability to import all your tracks from the original is a great, if obvious, addition.

KINECT SPORTS SEASON 2

This is likely the franchise to note the improvements to Kinect in the last year, as well as what happens with a developer gets to grips with the hardware properly. While there's not a massive difference in visual quality, the improved accuracy and tracking is a massive boon to the series, as demoed by a quick game of golf, the game marking the smallest foot movements and positioning when a player is attempting to line up the perfect shot, while the inclusion of Darts has been promised to show off the Kinect's ability to track finger movements perfectly.

SESAME STREET: ONCE UPON A MONSTER

If you're still dismissive about the new wave of Kinect titles leaning too heavily towards the family-friendly end of the market, you might want to re-watch Tim Schafer's speech from the E3 conference this year. Double Fine's head explained the reasoning for having a crack at Sesame Street was to have one of his game's that he could actually play with his children.

We're now at a time were gamers are sharing their gameplay time with their own kids, or nephews. Once Upon a Monster ticks off both interactive storybook and mini-game title; something that can be shared and enjoyed with children, and get them into gaming. A range of simple mini-games - catching flying bugs and turning them around, matching a monster's movements - are good primers for hand/eye coordination, as well as that stack of Mario titles you plan to raise them on when they get old enough to handle a joypad.