Kinect logo spotted on upcoming Need for Speed – Video Games Update
The leaked cover of the upcoming Need for Speed: Most Wanted game suggests that the title will have some sort of Kinect functionality which has not been revealed yet.
Core gamers were apprehensive when Microsoft announced the Kinect Add-on for the Xbox 360 as it was already clear to gamers that motion controls can’t replace the core gaming experience of the traditional gamepad since there were little to no core games
available on Nintendo Wii.
Fans were even more dismayed when Microsoft finally demoed the device at their Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Press conference in 2010 as the device had horrible feedback and it seemed that it was purely designed for casual gamers. Gamers were hoping
that the add-on would fail when it came to the market in fall 2010 but they were disappointed as Kinect became the bestselling console add-on to date. Kinect has sold over 18 million units since launch during the holidays in 2010.
Even though the hardware limitations of Kinect prevent it from being used in core games, Microsoft continues to push the device by adding extra Kinect only features in many core titles. Mass Effect 3 for the Xbox 360 had exclusive Kinect voice recognition
through which the player could just give squad commands by speaking them out aloud.
Kinect voice recognition was also integrated into last years’ Game of the Year (GOTY) role playing game (RPG) Skyrim where gamers could cast ‘Dragon Shouts’ by shouting out aloud instead of pressing any buttons on the gamepad. Halo Anniversary had more advanced
features where gamers could scan the environment using the Kinect camera and get detailed information about the enemies and items in the game which could be viewed later.
All these features, although cool, seemed to be forced on to the game just so fans will feel justified for purchasing Kinect. It seems that Criterion has also incorporated Kinect into their upcoming racer as the leaked box-art of the game has a ‘Better with
Kinect’ logo on the top.
Gamers know from experience that Racers don’t work well with Kinect because of the downloadable title Joy Ride which was a Kinect based racer. The game was poorly reviewed and gamers and critics agreed that Kinect is not suitable as a replacement for a regular
gamepad.
Microsoft and Criterion have not revealed what the Kinect features will be but every gamer is hoping that the feature be optional and not have anything to do with how the game plays.
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