Okay, I admit it. I was pretty amped to see Project Natal at E3, on Xbox Live videos, and on various late night talk shows. Finally, a motion controller in the truest sense. This is not a little toy that I could aimlessly waggle through the air. This is true voice and facial recognition. This is full body scan type material! I was really excited to see it integrated with an existing title (Burnout) that was not some party game thrown together specifically for this new gadget to battle Wii Sports. I immediately had visions of playing a motion controlled Fallout 3, rummaging dumpsters for caps and shooting my dartgun at Radscorpions. I thought about fighting waves of bandits as my Fable 2 hero. I thought about chucking a plasma grenade at a passing Warthog. Wait a minute...do I really want to do that? Am I going to need mass amounts of energy drinks for COD4 sessions? Will Natal even integrate with these so-called "hardcore" games? Is this new contraption meant for a regular avid gamer like me? Do I even want this control scheme in my favorite games?
Sure, Natal looks like a blast for party type games, but I am not sure how it will work outside of that genre. I remind myself that I was quite excited for the Wii as well. Now the dust gets blown off the Wii only when my daughter wants to play Barbie Island Princess or Hannah Montana.
Let's face it...in stereotypical terms, we gamers are a slothful lot. The thought of having to jump around my cleared out man cave to play a video game does not necessarily appeal to me on a daily basis. For me, exercise is limited to the gym or outdoors. That said, I think it is very important that Natal be kept separate from or very carefully integrated with the current controller. Who knows, the Burnout demo might have just been for demo hype purposes. Microsoft might not have any plans for Natal for games outside of those created specifically for the platform and this is all moot.
But if it is not a moot point, Microsoft has a lot of questions to answer. Will Natal work with only single player games? If Natal is going to be included in the multiplayer fray, how would it function against players using a traditional controller? I would have to imagine that a player using a controller would have a distinct advantage over a Natal user (in a quick twitch FPS). Will there need to be Natal specific lobbies in multiplayer games? In order to win over the hardcore, Natal integration will need to be seamless with the beloved titles. If not, many a gamer will leave it by the gaming wayside.
I have no doubt that Microsoft will address these issues and others in due time. The way Natal is marketed will probably be the best indication of the intended audience. If the commercials contain Master Chief or Marcus Fenix, there is hope for the "hardcore". I am confident that Microsoft will not shove Natal into the favorites if it is not done right. On the other hand, if the TV spots include a cheesy forced family overly enjoying themselves in a living room playing virtual lawn jarts as their avatars, well...we know who the intended audience really is.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that Microsoft will include games for their core user base instead of going the way of Nintendo. On the flipside... picture if you will, four pre-teens hopped up on Game Fuel, flailing wildly, screeching into their mics during a multiplayer Halo match **shudder**.
Sure, Natal looks like a blast for party type games, but I am not sure how it will work outside of that genre. I remind myself that I was quite excited for the Wii as well. Now the dust gets blown off the Wii only when my daughter wants to play Barbie Island Princess or Hannah Montana.
Let's face it...in stereotypical terms, we gamers are a slothful lot. The thought of having to jump around my cleared out man cave to play a video game does not necessarily appeal to me on a daily basis. For me, exercise is limited to the gym or outdoors. That said, I think it is very important that Natal be kept separate from or very carefully integrated with the current controller. Who knows, the Burnout demo might have just been for demo hype purposes. Microsoft might not have any plans for Natal for games outside of those created specifically for the platform and this is all moot.
But if it is not a moot point, Microsoft has a lot of questions to answer. Will Natal work with only single player games? If Natal is going to be included in the multiplayer fray, how would it function against players using a traditional controller? I would have to imagine that a player using a controller would have a distinct advantage over a Natal user (in a quick twitch FPS). Will there need to be Natal specific lobbies in multiplayer games? In order to win over the hardcore, Natal integration will need to be seamless with the beloved titles. If not, many a gamer will leave it by the gaming wayside.
I have no doubt that Microsoft will address these issues and others in due time. The way Natal is marketed will probably be the best indication of the intended audience. If the commercials contain Master Chief or Marcus Fenix, there is hope for the "hardcore". I am confident that Microsoft will not shove Natal into the favorites if it is not done right. On the other hand, if the TV spots include a cheesy forced family overly enjoying themselves in a living room playing virtual lawn jarts as their avatars, well...we know who the intended audience really is.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that Microsoft will include games for their core user base instead of going the way of Nintendo. On the flipside... picture if you will, four pre-teens hopped up on Game Fuel, flailing wildly, screeching into their mics during a multiplayer Halo match **shudder**.
