With this year’s E3 presentations from Microsoft and others, it’s clear that the goal of more than doubling the Kinect offerings by the end of this year will easily be attained. Coming to that roster is first person horror survival game Rise of Nightmares, a full body motion control title that I tested out while visiting Sega’s booth at E3 2011.

I took more interest in Rise of Nightmares because of the horror theme than I did the Kinect controls, but I was more than willing to give it a try. So how does it hold up?

While the horror fan in me wants to like this game, it needs a lot of work. Mainly in the control scheme. The idea initially seems appealing; slashing and punching during combat is fun, undoubtedly. But add in the mechanisms for walking and turning and it becomes a huge mess. Stepping forward or backward or turning your shoulders left or right seems workable in theory, but when for it was an exhausting mess. If the forward motion were automatically propelled, like on House of the Dead: Overkill (which I played at the Sony party), the flow of the game would be simple enough to keep the player engaged. As it was, I was too busy overcompensating for every turn, trying to get the character to move forward, and spewing out expletive deleteds to concern myself with Rise of Nightmare‘s innards.

Speaking of them. They’re not exactly inspired. The level designs, down to having to physically throw open dungeon doors, reminded me of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but oddly without the charm of a quality, well defined art style. Amnesia, an indie PC game, also looks better visually. Players of Amnesia‘s DLC chapter Justine will also find the “I’ve woken up in a dungeon and OMG TORTURER” plot to be very familiar (though Justine of course only debuted recently, thus limiting any real influence it might have on this game). Had I not been awkwardly chopping my way through tired hordes of zombies and struggling to perform even basic tasks like collecting items, I might have been more interested in the back story, that of a German mad man culling torture victims from the wreckage of a recent train crash. It’s entirely possible that beyond the first twenty minutes the game becomes interesting. Until the control response improves, I won’t find the physical or mental energy to care. Even the game’s help system (which propels you forward to the next section of the game, with varying success) could not save it. The controls hinder the immersion process, and thus, any feelings of terror or fear.

Rise of Nightmares is slated for a Kinect release in late 2011. And if I were a betting woman, I’d say around Halloween. Check out the live action trailer above, and a batch of screen shots (which look suspiciously better than the real thing, but whatever) below.

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While not a huge overhaul of changes have come to Harmonix hit Dance Central (though really, few needed to be made), Dance Central 2 still looks like a must-have. They’ve improved the two player so that you can now battle it out on the same screen, instead of having to switch and take turns during competition. Of course, there will be all new songs but you’ll also be able to import the songs from your first Dance Central copy to the second, so no switching back and forth between discs if you just have to play a certain song.

I tried out “Bulletproof” by LaRoux at E3 2011, accompanied by one of Dance Central‘s choreographers. Those who are addicted to the first will be pleased to know that at least some moves from the original will still be used in the sequel.

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This one was almost a surprise, and you could tell by the time they showed it at Microsoft’s media briefing, the air had been let out of the balloon. Nonetheless, it was nice to see Master Chief back on the screen at E3!

Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release in 2012.

The teaser trailer doesn’t reveal a ton, but you can look forward to more from 343 Industries, to whom the Halo baton has been passed.

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9:05 AM: The energy is low so far, as no one really knows what to expect. We here at the Tanooki only started hearing rumors about Halo 4 and the Halo 1 remake while standing in line for this press conference, and I think we’re all hoping it’s true, if only to punch up what might be an otherwise uneventful presentation. Xbox Live Diamond surely will be among the topics discussed, as well as Dance Central 2. I wonder if we’ll be hearing more about the slew of Kinect games due out by the end of the year?

9:31 AM: Lights be flashing! Here we go!

9:33 AM: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 has entered the building…and it is awesome. You’ll want to catch this footage on our feed. There seems to have a bit of an underwater theme in this clip, as the mission depicts the main player attaching a bomb to a massive sub. Oooh pretty explosions. Our lead and the sub reach the surface, revealing an entire city aflame. The action continues inside the sub, and it looks intense. The water looks fantastic, whoever did that deserves a helluva raise.

9:38 AM: The water battle I am now witnessing is in a word mindblowing. I have never personally played a scene that intense. I just became a Call of Duty fan, folks.

9:40 AM: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 due November 8, 2011.

9:41 AM: Don Mattrick has taken the stage to start the presentation.

9:43 AM: The new Tomb Raider! I can’t wait to see where this is going, I love where they’ve taken Lara Croft. Tomb Raider opens with Lara bound and trapped after crashing on a desert island. The footage so far is beautiful, richly textured. This will be a great visual experience. I’m already impressed with the footage, which looks to be the opening sequence of the game; they’ve got me hooked from the get go as Lara is struggling through ruins, limping from her wounds and making her way through rubble and debri. Lara seems to talk to herself a lot, but I think it adds a bit to the puzzle solving process. The visuals, the action: it actually reminds me a bit of Uncharted 2, with less climbing. More on this later!

9:49 AM: Moving to EA Sports! FOUR titles will be Kinect supported in the coming year, including one yet to be announced. Casually mentioned was more Kinect compatibility with other EA titles, for instance voice control in the Sims 3 Pets expansion.

9:51 AM: Mass Effect 3! It has just been confirmed, as previously rumored, that Mass Effect 3 will have Kinect support. With the Kinect compatibility, you’ll be able to actually converse with the characters using voice control. Instead of choosing a dialogue option with your controller, you’ll simply be able to speak whatever dialogue path you wish. Certain combat aspects are controlled by voice as well, like positioning team members.

9:56 AM: On to Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier. The footage is good, but not as good as Modern Warfare 3, in my opinion. Looks like this one will be Kinect supported too, with body tracking and voice. The Kinect-enabled weapons modification system (called Gunsmith) is now being detailed, showing how you can customize all the way down to every single last component from optics to paint, creating 20 million combinations. Voice commands will build custom weapons for you, based on your specifications (or even use “random”).

All future Tom Clancy titles will have this Kinect functionality.

10:02 AM: The voice functionality for navigating the Xbox main menu is now being demonstrated. Those who use this currently for Netflix will be somewhat familiar with this improved system, which will now apply to a wider range of entertainment media on your Xbox. They promise to increase their partnerships to provide better content, starting with YouTube. Bing is also coming, enabling voice search for related content and media available through your Xbox.

10:06 AM: Live television is officially announced for Xbox. Xbox Live Diamond was not mentioned.

10:08 AM: UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship is coming to Xbox 360, with online interactions including fight outcome predictions.

10:11 AM: Gears of War 3 has taken the stage. AND SO HAS ICE-T. They’re now showing some mission footage (as the ship is being attacked by a Leviathan, who by the way somehow manages to redefine both terror and beauty in one fell swoop), and boy is it purrty.

Ice T mentioned his rock band Body Count will reunite to create a song for one of the game’s modes.

10:18 AM: Trailer for Ryse, a full body controller action title that engages the player in full combat. Seems to be set in the Roman era.

10:19 AM: Is this it? The Halo 1 remake? YES! Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, coming November 15, 2011.

10:21 AM: Watching some in game footage of Forza Motorsport 4,/Kinect voice command and head tracking and monthly expansions are among the features mentioned. Available October 11, 2011.

10:24 AM: Fable: The Journey. I had no idea this was coming. Hopefully we’ll have the trailer later. You’ll find it fairly typical of the Fable trailer style. Still looks interesting. Kinect compatibility demonstrated so far includes driving your own stage carriage and using arm movements for casting magic.

Due 2012.

10: 27 AM: Here’s a surprise: Minecraft is making it’s exclusive console debut on Xbox 360 and Kinect.

10: 28 AM: Kinect Disneyland Adventures is being shown on screen, revealing a perfect replica of Disneyland itself, which you can navigate through with your Kinect. One Kinect compatible adventure includes flying with Peter Pan, using your arms to navigate as your character flies through the air. Not gonna lie, the kids demoing this one are a-freaking-dorable. And here’s what’s cinching my purchase of this game: a level where you can free float through the Rabbit Hole in Alice in Wonderland, followed by an Alice themed obstacle course. I love it! Available this holiday season.

10:33 AM: OK, this Kinect Star Wars game? Looks like it could shape up to be the best ever made. You can voice command your lightsaber to equip, and use full body motion to control weaponry, accelerate your character, or move items with the Force. Of the Star Wars games I’ve played, I never felt like I was actually in one, but between the controls and the perfectly rendered atmospheres, it will be difficult to NOT feel like I’m actually in the game.

10:38 AM: The Kinect compatible Sesame Street Once Upon A Monster is on-screen. This is my cue to take a slight breather. Move over Nintendo. Microsoft is making it clear they’re turning Xbox into a family console, too.

10:42 AM: Kinect Fun Labs is being detailed by Kudo Tsunoda. Kinect Me will use your video image to create an Xbox Live avatar that looks just like you. Kinect Sparkler will use finger tracking to draw in 3D on screen. Kinect Googly Eyes will use object capture to put any item you choose on screen. Available NOW for free to XBL members!

10:48 AM: Kinect Sports Season 2 is showcased, revealing six new sports , and the addition of in-game voice and new full body gestures. Football, tennis, golf, and darts have all been added.

10:53 AM: Not only is Dance Central 2 coming, but you can also fully import all the songs from Dance Central. Looks like there will be new characters to dance with, and two player simultaneous dancing on screen is added–no more switching during battles. Damn it’s energizing just to watch the demo.

10:55 AM: Looks like they’re wrapping this up, and just in time–my Mac is almost dead!

10:57 AM: This is it. What we’ve all been waiting for. Halo 4 is a go people. The clip was short, but satisfying. This is promised to be the start of a new trilogy.

That’s it folks! Stay tuned for more this week!

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Diamonds are forever…or at least in this case, recurring. Back in 2005, Xbox rolled out Xbox Live Diamond, a short lived service that provided retail discounts at various retailers. Now the big rumor is that Diamond is back, but as a TV streaming tier of membership, said to be unveiled imminently at E3. Reports indicate that deals are still be worked out, so tomorrow’s Microsoft presentation may not include all the details of the Diamond service’s offerings. All the same, this news may rival some of E3′s biggest announcements.

GameInformer

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How did you celebrate the last day of your semester in college? A pat on the back? A much needed nap? A celebratory round of drinks with friends? How about shooting up the Xbox 360 that failed you so miserably? Ben Strauss tells their tale:

I was at the shooting range yesterday with my friends and my brothers. We had decided on taking our rifles out for a long needed range day when we happened upon a couple of students that were celebrating the end of the semester at a local college where I live.

Happens they had an Xbox 360 that decided to RROD on them during the semester, so they decided to make use of the hardware the best way they knew how. My buddies and I offered to help them solve their “problem.”

I’m sure there’s many of us who’ve felt like doing the same, or worse. Hey, maybe some of the new Kinect owners should get in on this, maybe blow off some steam. Me, I’ve had one RROD, which I fixed, but if it were to burn out right now, I’d totally pull an Office Space.

Kotaku

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Looks like the red scare is far from over. Several complaints have popped up on the Xbox Forums about a new wave of Xbox failures, seemingly connected to the Kinect. The Red Ring of Death, caused by overheating the Xbox 360, has loomed its ugly head again for many Kinect players, with unhappy users flooding the Xbox Forums to tale their tales of red ring woe. The problem generally seems to be with the older models, unsurprising as they are still the most prone to failure. Could the players enthusiasm for the Kinect be causing them to play their Xbox longer, finally kicking in that dreaded error of doom? Either way, looks like Microsoft has another bout of repairs coming their way.

Xbox Forums
via VGChartz

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You work hard, and play hard, but sometimes achievements just aren’t enough. And Microsoft agrees, which is why the company just launched a new Xbox Live Rewards program, set to give both Gold and Free members great benefits for staying loyal. Last year, the company tested out a rewards program, geared towards Gold members only.

Based on the new Rewards program, Microsoft Points can be earned by playing games, making purchases, renewing Xbox Live subscriptions, activating the Netflix application, or by taking surveys.

Available tasks and Microsoft Point amounts are shown in the chart above. For a bad deal at all.

XboxLive

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As solid proof of its wild popularity, Microsoft has released word (ha!) that the Kinect has sold one million units in only ten days. Said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft:

“We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than one million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360. This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than five million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”

That’s right, Microsoft predicts they’ll sell five million by the end of this year. Which means they better get to manufacturing these sweet puppies as fast as they can. I have more than a few friends currently bemoaning the Kinect’s sold-out status as it is!

Kinect Hits One-Million
Mark in Just 10 Days

Early customer demand for controller-free entertainment solidifies the biggest year in Xbox history.

Published November 15, 2010

REDMOND, Washington—Microsoft today announced it has sold one million Kinect for Xbox 360 units worldwide in 10 days and is on pace to hit five million by the end of the year. The announcement comes a week before the biggest selling day of the year, Black Friday, and in the wake of increasing momentum for Xbox 360, which led U.S. video game console sales for the past four months.*

“We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than one million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than five million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”

“There were lines of customers at our stores all over the country on the night of the Kinect launch, and thousands more are trying it for themselves in our stores every day.”
-Chris Homeister, Best Buy

Before the Kinect launch, Microsoft raised its worldwide sales forecast from three million to five million sensors sold by year-end. Kinect launched in North America on November 4, followed by Europe on November 10, and will land next in Asia (November 18) and Japan (November 20). By this holiday, controller-free games and entertainment will reach more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries with up to 17 Kinect games available.

“We have seen tremendous excitement from customers for Kinect for Xbox 360,” said Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of the home entertainment group at Best Buy. “There were lines of customers at our stores all over the country on the night of the Kinect launch, and thousands more are trying it for themselves in our stores every day. It’s no surprise Microsoft has already surpassed one million units sold, and we expect Kinect to be one of the must-have gifts at Best Buy this holiday.”

For Xbox 360 consumers worldwide, Kinect provides a unique and exciting way to access and interact with entertainment. With just the wave of a hand or the sound of a voice, consumers can play games, stream music, watch HD movies and live ESPN sporting events, and engage in video chat.**

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A teardown of the Kinect recently carried out by UBM TechInsights reveals the true value of what’s inside Microsoft’s newly released motion control device. The total cost of the hardware was estimated at $56, around $17 of which can be attributed to its PrimeSense motion detection system, which includes microphones, cameras and processor.

It has been noted, of course, that this number does not figure in manufacturing or marketing costs (the latter of which could easily have taken up the rest of the list price), but it still leaves one to wonder how much of the total $150 Kinect price that Microsoft keeps in their pocket. What percentage of profit is considered acceptable? Given the marketing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were breaking even and hoping to make their profits on the games.

EETimes
via Joystiq

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While playing Kinect Adventures yesterday, I kicked my leg full-force into my coffee table, and it hurt about as bad as you can imagine. After a medley of expletives, I only felt slightly better. Now after watching the above video, I’m fully healed.

When Microsoft launched Kinect earlier this month, we knew the videos and war stories would start pouring in featuring Kinect-related injuries. After all, two people playing a game in a tight controlled space is a recipe for disaster.

Watch above in suspense as one of the two gets knocked out pretty hard. I won’t spoil who it is.

Destructoid

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The Wii Remote, the PlayStation Move, and now, Kinect.

Microsoft announced their answer to motion controls at E3 2009 when they debuted a unique motion sensor that could detect body movements (and voice commands) without the use of a controller. Today marks the launch of that device across North America, and later this month in the rest of the world. Kinect debuts for $149.99 bundled with the software title Kinect Adventures.

Are you planning on picking up the device? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Let us know!

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A mandatory dashboard update for the Xbox 360 is slated to arrive tomorrow for the console, in preparations of the upcoming launch of the Kinect motion sensor.

Detailed in an email sent by Microsoft, expected improvements include enhancements to “the interface, navigation and responsiveness.” Another new features include the implementation of both Zune Music and ESPN into the dashboard. And as you’ve probably noticed, Avatars are now elongated to be more Kinect friendly.

The expected changes should take less than 10 minutes to download, but prepare accordingly. I’d hate to see you postpone a scheduled Left4Dead2 friend match just because you forgot to update your console, silly zombie-killer!

Update: The dashboard update is now live.

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Xbox.com is about to undergo a visual overhaul. Around 5PM EST, the site will miraculously transform with quite a bit of newness, one of which is support for the Windows Phone 7.

Other notable features packed in the update include a browser based Avatar editor, enhanced viewing options for messages and user requests, support for playing Xbox LIVE web games online or on your Windows Phone 7, and more powerful search and filter options for the Marketplace.

Phew! I’m out of breath!

Naturally because of the maintenance, the Xbox forums will be offline until the site goes live. In the meantime, there’s a couple additional screens of the new update below the break. Otherwise, make sure to check out the new site later tonight.

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Sonic has officially taken over the fall gaming season with three games set to launch within a few short weeks of each other. Sonic’s 2D retro revival begins with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 this October, while Sonic Colors offers Wii and DS owners a  brand new 3D Sonic experience this November. But that’s not all! Sonic and pals are gearing up for their Kinect debut with Sonic Free Riders, launching November 4th.

The third game in the Riders series puts the player right in the character’s shoes using the Xbox 360 Kinect motion sensor. Players will have to navigate their rider through obstacle ridden terrain using their body to shift back on forth on their hoverboards. Gain a speed boast by pushing one leg against the ground like you would on a skateboard. In water sections, you’ll have to wave your arms frantically like you’re swimming towards the surface for air. In other words, it’s quite a workout.

Microsoft’s Kinect also launches on November 4th in the U.S. Check out some screen shots in our gallery below.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

12►

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