Kinect, so far thought a casuals-only party toy/stupidity facilitator by the core gamer, may be getting a Gears of War game. And if the rumours are true, it could be confirmed very soon. But would such a thing improve Kinect, or would it ruin Gears?
It's a tricky one to answer at this point, given the unsubstantiated nature of the storyand the lack of details on how such a game would work. Word currently is that Microsoft and Epic are working on a GoW title for Kinect, and that said game will be revealed at the upcoming Spike TV Games Awards/Gratuitous Advertising Opportunity next month.
But how could it work? There are several options. First and most obvious is an on-rails cover-shooter like Time Crisis, in which you'd duck up and down (possibly behind furniture; we know how muchKinect loves making you rearrange a room) in order to hidefrom incoming gunfire. Given Kinect's emphasis on body gestures over button and stick control, a traditional Gars game would be friggin' impossible to impliment using Kinect alone, so a dedicated spin-off would probably be a better idea.
If a controller was used in addition though, the options would definitely open up. Obviously large body movements would be tricky toperform with both hands on a pad, but some manner of evasive ducking and weaving could work, as could some Uncharted-style motion-aimed grenade throwing. Then again, it could easily turn out to be a great festering nightmare.
Would a Gears game convert the core to Kinect? Would it tank like so many core games have on the casual-centric Wii? And would Microsoft have the balls to make Gears 3 or an existing entry Kinect-compatible? Or is a spin-off much more likely? Let me know what you think.
