Square Enix's cute Mini Ninja series is back. However, this time it's coming exclusively to Kinect. Mini Ninjas Adventures is a Kinect-exclusive game for Xbox Live Arcade that will be available later this month, June 29th.
Given its ninja theme and Kinect compatibility, it's easy to predict what the game will be like. You'll have to use your body to swipe, kick, and battle your way to rescue your ninja master.
The boy who lived is getting yet another video game adaptation. This time, players will be thrown into the shoes of a Hogwarts student through the magic of Kinect. Appropriately titled Harry Potter for Kinect, the game is being developed by Eurocom and is due out this fall. Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment is publishing, naturally.
Read more: Face-scanning to create an original witch or wizard »
A newly announced Kinect game aims to approximate kung fu fighting, the martial art in which cats are fast as lightning. Kung Fu Superstar is coming from Kinesthetic Games, a small company founded in 2011. It will use the Kinect functionality to have you imitate kung fu in a motion-controlled take on the fighting game genre.
Most of us remember being nine years old and seeing Dragon's Lair for the first time. The graphics, you guys! But the Don Bluth animated quest was less like a game and more like an animated short with occasional button prompts to keep it going, so the magic quickly faded. Years later, Digital Leisure is on its own kind of quest: to port Dragon's Lair to as many platforms as humanly possible. This time, it's Kinect's turn.
In spite of Microsoft having its own internet browser, the Xbox 360 is the only home console that does not feature an internet browser. The PS3 browser recently received a drastic update, and Opera on Wii has always been surprisingly reliable. Even the 3DS and Vita have internet browsers. After six years on the market, is Microsoft ready to start playing catchup?
It had been speculated earlier this week that a new Avengers game was in the works after a domain had been registered for Avengers: Battle for Earth. Ubisoft is going to be making the game after all, but you may be surprised at what platforms it is being developed for.
In many ways, Microsoft has captured the audience that once loved the Wii with its Kinect motion sensor. According to a new report, Microsoft may be taking yet another page from Nintendo's playbook with a new focus on Kinect-enabled exercise tracking. "Kinect Play Fit" is supposedly a new program that runs in conjunction with most Kinect games, tracking cumulative exercise and providing feedback to the player.
We humans are a curious bunch. We can know that something is bad, but feel strangely compelled to experience it ourselves so we have a laugh at just how bad it is. This is the mindset that grants disproportionate success to B-movies, disgusting foods, and the Jersey Shore. So when you hear that Kinect Star Wars is an "absolute disappointment," you're probably tempted to try it yourself. But how to do that without actually paying for it with money?
Americans generally dislike having to pay for something upfront. Look no further than the popularity of the smartphone. While "unlocked" phones can go upwards of $600, most opt to sign two-year contracts with providers to get the cost of the device subsidized. According to a new report, Microsoft may be exploring the same kind of business model for Xbox 360 and Kinect.
As promised, Bethesda's Kinect-powered update to Skyrim is going live tomorrow. The patch will enable a variety of voice commands, such as quick access to the map and saving. However, the most exciting aspect of the new functionality is the ability to shout commands--in English or Dragon Language. You'll be able to yell "Unrelenting Force" to your Kinect sensor. Or, if you're wearing the appropriate attire, you'll be able to yell "Fus Ro Dah."
But what else can you do? Bethesda has released the complete list of commands for you to peruse.
Portal 2 gets a new DLC puzzle creator, called the Perpetual Testing Initiative, for free next week. We'll look at it closer then. Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami is going back to the survival horror genre, after bowing out at RE4. His new game is codenamed Zwei. And finally, NBA Baller Beats is unveiled as a Kinect game where you do the dribbling. Put it all together for a great edition of Shacknews Daily.
Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily.
Microsoft's Kinect packs some impressive technology, but it hasn't found a breakout game in its releases so far. It's been a tough nut for third-parties to crack, but Majesco and HB Studios have opted to try something a little different: a rhythm/sports hybrid that uses a real basketball as a prop.
Read more: Soundtrack includes Run DMC, Gorillaz, and more »
Prep your best Sean Connery impersonation, folks--because 007 Legends appears to support Kinect. A retail listing for the newly announced Activision game outs support for Microsoft's hands-free motion system.
Given the total lack of information surrounding the game, it's unclear how Kinect will be used. Will there be motion games? Or, will it simply take advantage of voice commands?
Rare has appointed a new creative director, picking industry veteran Simon Woodroffe. Woodroffe's career has taken him to his own studio at Headfirst Productions, along with senior roles at Midway, Ubisoft, and the head of games design for Sega West.
If you're at least passingly familiar with the popular animated Dragon Ball Z franchise, it's not too difficult to imagine how an IP steeped in hand-to-hand combat might utilize Microsoft's Kinect hands-free peripheral. There was little left to imagine after we got to see Dragon Ball Z for Kinect at Namco Bandai's Global Gamers Day last week in Las Vegas.
"I read this as Mall Ninjas and had a completely different image spring up in my head."
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