Here Are Some Kinect Games That Actually Look Good

I don't own a Kinect, I don't want to own a Kinect, and I really do think the Kinect is stupid. But over the last few days, I've seen trailers for some upcoming Kinect games that actually have me interested. And no, dancing Storm Troopers isn't what I'm talking about. Below are gameplay trailers for three Japanese developed Kinect games that were announced at Tokyo Game Show a couple of years ago. And while they were easy to dismiss when they were just concepts, seeing actual gameplay has made me sad I will not be able to play them. Or rather, it has made me sad that Microsoft has fooled these talented developers into developing games for a platform where the audience only cares about dancing.

The first trailer below is for the game I was least interested in after its announcement. I was expecting Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor for Kinect to be a simplified rail shooter nowhere near the complexity of the original mech sim. And while this may still be somewhat true, I was surprised to see some genuinely inspired mechanics on display in the trailer. Saluting, shaking hands, giving and taking items, and even punching (and hopefully hugging!) are a few of the ways players can use Kinect to interact with their teammates. These actions may seem corny at first, but if my recent completion of Binary Domain has taught me anything, it's that the little details go a long way in making me care about a game's characters.

In case you were unawares, Yukio Futsasugi was the brilliant mind the criminally underplayed Phantom Dust. And I guess some people know him has the creator of Panzer Dragoon. Well, he is bringing Panzer Dragoon back. Except that is isn't Panzer Dragoon. Except that it totally IS Panzer Dragoon. The formally titled Project Draco is now called Crimson Dragon and, well, it's a Panzer Dragoon game for Kinect. Don't believe me? Watch the trailer below. This is as blatant of a "not really a sequel, but totally a sequel" sequel as Dark Souls was to Demon's Souls.

Aside from dancing games, the only other games have proven to actually work really well on Kinect have been rail shooters. The Gunstringer and Child of Eden were perfect examples of how to develop within the limitation of Kinect's functionality. And while Child of Eden could be played with a controller, it has been confirmed repeatedly that Crimson Dragon game will have no controller support. Yikes, start your petitions now people.

Apparently the trailer for Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture's Diabolical Pitch has been out for awhile; but having just caught up with it, I can confirm that it is appropriately insane. The Dragon Ball Z inspired fusion pitch is what sold me on this one. This trailer is the best ever.