7 Games That Would Be Awesome on Kinect

Will Kenny in Feature On August 8, 2010

Kinect is just around the corner, November to be precise, and people are getting excited. But what sort of games should Microsoft be looking towards making? Copying Nintendo and making people play table tennis in their front garden is only a novelty for so long…

7. Boxing

Doing this to your younger brother could be fun.

Let’s face it- the first few games to be squeezed out on Kinect will most likely be total rip-offs of whatever Wii games have been coming out since launch (Kinect Sports, Fitness Evolved, Kinect Adventures), but the recently name-changed Project Natal will offer much more than just waving a stick. The entire body movement, including the agility of the feet and the power of the punch could be calculated for a much more visceral fighting experience.

6. UFC

Doing this to your little brother however, could land you in prison. But it'd still be hilarious.

Actually, lets forget punching. How about full contact, no-holds barred UFC! In all honesty, aside from a few dedicated gamers who find some strange pleasure in it, no one really wants to learn complicated button combinations to pull off grapples and throws. Just let us act them out! It’s faster, easier, and provides many more opportunities for that beautiful Ming vase on your mantle to get broken.

5. Modern RTS

When I clap my hands, my tanks clap you.

While the general ‘user interface’ for Kinect won’t suite games like the Total War series, games such as R.U.S.E and Tom Clancy’s EndWar could certainly make a suitable transition to the no-hands style of Kinect gaming. You never know, maybe it would be like those sci-fi movies where characters just wave their hands about in the air and holographic images do their bidding. Maybe.

4. Splinter Cell

Whether you're Snake or Fisher, breaking bones has never been so satisfying.

Sam Fisher’s unique blend of creeping, crawling and cracking skulls could translate very interestingly to Kinect. Using body movements to snap into cover instead of cumbersome controller-based mechanics would make the experience much more engaging and streamlined.

3. Tactical squad shooters

If only rappelling in Kinect was this fun.

This entire sub-genre is just waiting to be blasted wide open by the Kinect release shotgun. Forget using button combinations to give commands- just raise a clenched fist to halt your squad, point at anything you want dead and watch the limbs fly.

2. Parkour

We're not sure exactly how the Ju-Jitsu would fit in though.

For those of you that don’t know, Parkour is the sport of ‘free running’- using everyday outside objects such as garden walls, roofs, fences and railings to make your very own obstacle course. Think Mirror’s Edge. They could even incorporate all the running into a feel-good exercize game if so inclined.

1. Bioware RPG’s

It'd be pretty fun to thrown your arms about and make your enemies vaporize too.

Bioware are undoubtedly one of the masters of the RPG, and as any good RPG should, they often involve a lot of speech. Kinect has the power the transform the way we view interactions in role playing games; imagine that instead of picking a set response from a drop down list, you could simply say anything, and have the NPC react accordingly.