Deus Ex's Warren Spector Warns Against Going Overboard with Motion Controls

Motion controls for a tennis game makes sense. Motion controls on a anything, not so much. My best friend can play a shooter on a gamepad. Poor guy had a helluva time with Dead Space Extraction because the other controls, not the pointing and shooting, just aren't intuitive.

Well said. I've always believed that the gimmicks of systems such as the Wii and DS are great, but they don't HAVE to be used. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon on the Wii allowed players to use the Wii remote, but fighting game fans knew that executing special moves wasn't as important as executing combos, which were cumbersome to execute using the d-pad. So, Midway allowed the GameCube or classic controllers to be used, which provided a much more comfortable and familiar gameplay experience. New SMB Wii on the DS only used the touch screen for two functions: showing the player's progress on a horizontal bar, and accessing a stored item by touching its icon. Otherwise the player kept their hands right where they should be kept: on the d-pad and face buttons.

New SMB Wii is a modern example of pointless motion controls. For reasons I can't fathom, Nintendo insisted on mandating motion controls into functions such as tilting maneuverable boards, aiming lanterns, and gliding with the propeller cap. No option existed to use traditional controllers, forcing players to waggle the Wii remote when they didn't want to. There's no reason motion-less options for controllers such as the Classic Controller could have been implemented, as a standard controller would have made for a much more familiar and enjoyable gameplay experience. The game was still excellent, but mandating motion controls irked me, especially since Nintendo's two best-selling Wii titles of 2008, Mario Kart Wii and SSB Brawl, each featured a bevy of control options to ensure all types of players would find the game comfortable and accessible.

As someone who worked intimately with features tied to projects like Natal, I've always felt that concepts like Natal should *enhance* existing control mechanisms for some and for others, become the primary input for game interaction.

Let me explain...

As I've seen it in the past, the self defined Hardcore gamer, or even and informed one, has the ability and power to sway the opinion and vote of say, you're average joe non-gamer type. I'm sure we've all had our fair share of experiences swaying parents or acquaintances into buying a particular game or console for a friend or loved one.

Being that, it is very obvious that these newer control schemes tend to be more of a curiosity with most seasoned gamers and developers than a must have replacement for an old and familiar friend, the controller.

For these to succeed they need to reward the hardcore gamer with enhanced options to new aqnd existing game titles while capturing the attention of the casual semi-non gamer with games designed specifically for this kind of interaction.

We most certainly would not want to play Halo:Reach using a Rockband drum kit, that simply doesnt make sense...

For the seasoned hardcore gamer...

I would like to see enhancements to existing game or at least enhanced play concepts added to newer titles coming down the pipe. For instance say in Modern Warfare 3 (if it happens...) imagine you are in a stealth mission where you need to direct 5 team mates without alerting opposing forces. With the controller in hand and as the primary method of input, you could turn to a team mate and use one hand to give simply recognizable hand commands informing him of your plan for cover and attack.

I could definitely see this as a major possibility that doesn't necessarily replace the existing mechanism but enhances gameplay and breaks that "4th wall" so to speak/

As for the casual gamers...

I can really see this taking off for the casual crowd. My wife who isn't much of a gamer per say is really excited for these new forms of interacting with games because she has the difficulty of adopting to existing proven mechanisms. She doesn't have the patience or the will to care to learn. This isnt a fault...it can be frustrating...even if I watch her change channels or check out whats on on-demand without so much of a glance at the remote in her hand.

I just hope Sony and Microsoft are listening. For this to work in the way they want to they need to keep both parties (hardcore and casual) somewhat separated, or at least provide the option...and NOT give us something we didn't think we needed until we had it.

just my opinion.

If every designer thought like Warren, video games would be in a much better state today.

Google his lecture talk at the NYU Game Center. It's a great listen.

My take. Motion has it's place and yet sometimes it is misused. The sword control in Wii Sports Resort is brilliant. Some of the motion control used in wii games though is just there to be there. Nintendo generally gets it right and makes it logical, especially in their sports titles.

I can't wait to play another game with sword control as good as Wii Sports Resort. Perhaps an awesome action/adventure game like Zelda. I don't have a ps3 and won't for quite a while (has to be cheaper), but I am interested in Natal as I have a 360. If I see good use of it there, I will get Natal. I like the interaction I saw in the first natal videos (the one where you play around with some virtual person) and I like how they used it in Burnout Paradise and other things too.

Though, in some ways I sort feel like the ps3 motion support might have an advantage over Natal (still having something to hold). But I'll have to wait and see.

I don't want to stand up while playing my games. Wtf is the use my lovely chair's for?

I'm kinda half and half on motion controls. I thought Wii Sport and several other games did a great jump of making them more immerstive. I loved the arrow shooting and sword slashing in Twilight Princess, but there are many other games where the motion controls seemed tacked on. It's great when it's done right, when it's thought out, but otherwise it can be a gimmick.

I'm curious now how many fanboys will call Natal and Move as revolutionary as compared to calling the Wii as waggle only. Still, I think it's a great move for certain games, but it isn't the best thing for all games. I want it to co-exist with regular control schemes because some games do benefit from it.

All this trouble by console makers to make the best motion controller, and the Sixense controller that's coming to PC just obliterates them. Quite amusing.
Ofcourse you would hope they bring that to console as well, but going up against first party controllers could be a problem.

You know, you could have used this same speech 5 years ago to warn developers about the "dangers" of developing so many Console-friendly shooters - "I think it's kind of weird...that we've sort of said, 'We've got 20, 30 years of people learning how to do this--sitting on their [office chair] and having a good time, and knowing where the buttons are--and we're saying 'You've got to [sit on a couch with a controller in your hand],'"

Just look at how long it took for us to figure out how to map shooters to a controller correctly -- that has changed the way a lot of people play. Maybe someday, someone will figure out that same sweet-spot for motion controls. I think developers are going to experiment and if they find a way to make it work - if they can figure out a way to make it "catch on" with our demographic, then more power to them. If not, then it's no big loss. They tried, and we still have our controllers.

This happened with 2d side scrollers and adventure games...those are in a rebound process right now - Warren's warning is good, and I don't think people will throw out the idea of a regular controller completely and the two control methods will compliment and coexist.

Don't worry, Specter...I still sit on the couch when I'm waving my wand...

Finally some sanity from a game maker I admire.