I'll be the first to admit I really didn't like the initial idea behind Project Natal when it was announced. I originally wanted Wii HD w/ wireless nunchuk & not require any kind of sensor bar or camera. But after some time I realized what I wanted was just some new, interesting & different motion-type gameplay on my 360. Something similar to Wii, but without having to invest in a different platform. After my experience I think I got that & I think Microsoft got it right by going controller-less.
Kinect is innovative & I think a game changer. However, after reading some of the reviews launch night I had a few lingering doubts, but after playing it & watching all my family(wife, son, sisters/brohter-in-law & their kids) play it too I no longer have those doubts.
Is everything perfect? Hell no. There are a lot of things that need work. Something that I fully believe Microsoft can do with software updates. One of the biggest problems is with the logging in & out of users. The Kinect ID is excellent... when it works which it does most of the time. But sometimes it has problems. It's still worth going through the setup because it makes it really nice for playing with lots of folks. One thing that's a pain in the ass is when you're trying to log out. You usually end up having to go to the original dashboard to do that. I think that's the one thing that needs the biggest amount of work. Casuals are not going to put up with it, especially if I'm having issues with it.
What about lag or the gesture recognition issues? Lag is not really an issue. Never once experienced it. Was too busy having fun to notice. Gesture recognition isn't always accurate, but I think it will get better with software updates. It wasn't such a problem that it ruined gameplay. Most of the time you would see it & just retry or keep going. If you run Kinect Tuner like it suggests at different times of day it helps. But I think a lot of hard core gamers will let the little quirks bother them too much instead of just having fun. They need to realize that Kinect is designed for all new gameplay, it's not meant for the games they already play. This is something new & exciting. Forget about those other games & get off the couch!
The good stuff? No-controller gaming is a better & different experience than waggle. But that also comes from somebody that doesn't own a Wii or played very many games on that system. But I think being able to stand there in front of your TV & see you control your on screen avatar with your body movements is freaking cool. I also think Microsoft picked the right pack-in too. Kinect Adventures is wonderful! Yes, they are mini-games, but that's exactly what's needed for your first time doing full cardio gaming. Don't kid yourself because you will exercise like you never have before in your own home. I haven't sweated like that in a long time. My whole body is really sore from all the activities yesterday. Anyway, the smaller games are great for little spurts of gaming & is perfect for parties. Adventures is probably THE family game. Fun for all. There were 5 adults(35+) and 7 kids(4-15) playing it yesterday and everybody had a blast. River Rush & Rally Ball were probably the fan favorites. We didn't even really get to Kinectimals or the other demos because we were all having too much fun. Microsoft made a great choice including that game. They also made a great choice by including a demo of Dance Central on the disc. Although there were only 2 songs, the adults & older kids got a kick out of it. I even "danced" a song. It was more fun watching bad dancing than anything. LOL It will most likely be our next Kinect purchase. Don't get me wrong I think there's more to Kinect than just Adventures & Dance Central. Kinectimals is way cute. It's my wife's game & she loved it. It has the Webkinz collectible plushy thing going. She had to have the stuffed animal and she'll get all the Burger King toys too. That's why I'm expecting it to be a big game for kids(& kids at heart) this holiday.
What about non-game uses? No Kinect support in the regular dash is a downer. Was hoping to at least use voice there. The effectiveness of voice control in the hub & the few apps that support it worked surprisingly well. I hope the use gets expanded to the regular dashboard and other apps and a upgrade in vocabulary would be nice too. Would be great to use it for all videos, like Netflix and even those in the Video Library. BTW, it was interesting how Microsoft made simplified Kinect versions of Zune, last.fm & ESPN. If you use a controller it automatically changes to the regular version. Wave your hand again & your back to using the Kinect version. I was also able to use Kinect Hub and the other apps from the comfort of my recliner. Used it to check & reply to messages and look up Friends & achievements. It worked quite well. And I didn't even have to run the Kinect Tuner again when I moved my recliners back into the playspace. One oddity is using the microphones to record audio messages. It really picks up echoes. Not so bad that's it's annoying. Just different enough to notice & feel slightly odd. Like most of the other things, getting used to it doesn't take long. I also think I'm an old pro at navigating everything with the hand now. Unfortunately my right arm is really sore & tired. I had to switch to my left hand.
That about does it for my experience. I think it definitely works & works well. I also think that it will finally get me & my family finally active again. With my bad health it's sorely needed. I can stomach doing this kind of physical activity and I feel with enough playing I could really get a bit more healthier. Great job Microsoft & good luck this holiday.
Tommy "I Am The Controller!" McClain
