What games would you make using the "perfect" Kinect?

[Rxanadu]

**Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers from the later sections of Dead Space 2.

 

The Kinect in general has received a lot of flak for its slow responsiveness when inputting commands and its overall inability to function.  However, I have yet to hear what people want to do with the device within games.  

 

Hypothetically, if all parts of the Kinect Two fixed all of the issues of the Kinect One, what would you want game developers to create with it?  One idea I came up with when the Kinect Two was announced was to force people to watch certain horror-specific events in order to progress.  

 

The example I used was for Dead Space 2, during the Space Needle part of the game where you have to place a needle into Issac's eye in order to obtain access to use of the Marker.  Hypothetically, if the Kinect detected the player was not looking at the screen during this sequence, Issac would turn his head to the side to where the needle is now pointing towards his temple. If the player continues to move the needle toward Issac while not looking at the screen, the needle would penetrate into Issac's head.  This would kill Issac instantly and, in turn, initiate a lose condition.

In order to prevent the needle from penetrating Issac's temple, the player would have to look at the screen throughout the entire sequence, elevating the impact of the moment significantly.

 

I would like to know (given the hypothetical conditions stated above) what ideas you have about how to uniquely utilize the Kinect for games.

[Sno]

I've seen a lot of people put forth the idea of using Kinect 2.0's ability to perceive a person's heart rate as a horror game mechanic, having the game create scares in response to the player's mental and physical state.

[tegan]

I still want a Voltron-type game where four players each control a single limb of a giant robot using Kinect and are tasked with defeating a single monster. It would be like cooperative QWOP.

[clyde]

One idea I came up with when the Kinect Two was announced was to force people to watch certain horror-specific events in order to progress.

The example I used was for Dead Space 2, during the Space Needle part of the game where you have to place a needle into Issac's eye in order to obtain access to use of the Marker. Hypothetically, if the Kinect detected the player was not looking at the screen during this sequence, Issac would turn his head to the side to where the needle is now pointing towards his temple. If the player continues to move the needle toward Issac while not looking at the screen, the needle would penetrate into Issac's head. This would kill Issac instantly and, in turn, initiate a lose condition.

In order to prevent the needle from penetrating Issac's temple, the player would have to look at the screen throughout the entire sequence, elevating the impact of the moment

What the hell is wrong with you?

[Sno]

I will say, if a game did that to me, i would think it was hilarious.

[TheLastBaron]

I'd probably make solitaire.

[Gormongous]

Honestly, only half kidding, I'd make a dating sim that required etiquette, poise, and elocution. The Kinect would measure your posture, heart rate, pace of speech, tone of voice, and whatever else in order to select an appropriate response from the NPCs. I don't doubt it would quickly become the most hated game ever made, but it'd be cool to see in action.

 

Actually, anything that used the Kinect's biometric data to output some sort of conversation simulation would be great.

[Zeusthecat]

I still want to see something with proper head tracking. I've seen some cool videos of programs people created to implement head tracking with basic geometric objects and the 3d effect was pretty nice. As far as I know though, no games have been made to take advantage of that capability.

[Latrine]

A multiplayer poker game where player facial expressions are perfectly mocapped. Or just some other game about lying where you know that other players can read your facial expression.

 

Personally I think dancing games like Dance Central are probably already the best idea for skeleton tracking. It's hard to think of other full body motions that can be incorporated naturally into a game without haptic feedback. Maybe a running game? (That actually reminds me that I once hacked together a Kinect based 2-player interface to Foddy's CLOP.)

 

How about a clothing design simulator where you can virtually wear your own creations? I'm surprised there hasn't even been a crude paper doll version of this. I guess Avatar clothes kind of count?

 

Basically I think the Kinect will never be a good replacement input device for a controller because of the lack of feedback on performing realistic motions creates dissonance with the intended action. Also even with low latency it will always be faster to push a button than make a gesture. You have to look at the totally new applications you can get with a 3D camera.

 

Zeus: I think the problem with headtracking is you're limited by the position and size of your TV. Basically the effect will be weaker the further away you are. This is kinda why people are pursuing VR goggles like the Oculus Rift, so that the screen is always in front of your eyes.

[BadHat]

100% scientifically accurate dragon MMO.

 

Actually, it'd be really cool if someone made a Minority Report style game in the vein of Papers, Please.

[Ben X]

https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8658-omni/#entry237199

 

My dream game with all the VR turned up to 11 would be a LOST game. The Island would be a fantastic location for a game, with loads of interesting locations and history plus the potential for more stuff to show up at any time (a non-proprietary replacement could be done instead obviously, but I LOVE LOST). Running around with the Omni, mixed with Milo-style Kinect puzzle cleverness would be amazing, brushing sand off old surfaces, copying down hieroglyphs in real life and showing them to NPCs. I was always disappointed that Milo got canned and then there was never a replacement killer app for Kinect. The Double Fine games are the only ones I'm aware of that really did anything with it.

[tberton]

I still want a Voltron-type game where four players each control a single limb of a giant robot using Kinect and are tasked with defeating a single monster. It would be like cooperative QWOP.

 

This would make me buy an Xbone.

[Professor Video Games]

I still want a Voltron-type game where four players each control a single limb of a giant robot using Kinect and are tasked with defeating a single monster. It would be like cooperative QWOP.

 

This is what the Pacific Rim game should have been. COOPQWOP.

[SecretAsianMan]

This is the dumbest thing to say but I want to see a DBZ game.  Not so that I can play it, but so that I can watch other people play it.  I want to see people kamehameha their TVs, hold their arms up in the air for 5 minutes gathering energy for a spirit bomb, squat down as they power up, etc.  Most of all, I want to see the co-op mode that includes the fusion dance with the same strict requirements (ie failing to fully extend your finger results in a really fat fusion).

[Zeusthecat]

This is the dumbest thing to say but I want to see a DBZ game.  Not so that I can play it, but so that I can watch other people play it.  I want to see people kamehameha their TVs, hold their arms up in the air for 5 minutes gathering energy for a spirit bomb, squat down as they power up, etc.  Most of all, I want to see the co-op mode that includes the fusion dance with the same strict requirements (ie failing to fully extend your finger results in a really fat fusion).

That sounds pretty awesome. I hope this co-op mode also includes the ability for a fat guy to spew out a skinny guy. Then the skinny guy can turn the fat guy into a cookie and eat him. Then the more powerful skinny guy can turn his other opponents into candy and eat them. Then the guys he ate can all fight their way through the skinny guy's innards.

Yeah, I want the Kinect to do that.

[Gormongous]

This is the dumbest thing to say but I want to see a DBZ game.  Not so that I can play it, but so that I can watch other people play it.  I want to see people kamehameha their TVs, hold their arms up in the air for 5 minutes gathering energy for a spirit bomb, squat down as they power up, etc.  Most of all, I want to see the co-op mode that includes the fusion dance with the same strict requirements (ie failing to fully extend your finger results in a really fat fusion).

 

I think any game where you have to act out shounen anime in your living room as best as you can and then the Kinect lies to you about how well you did with an impressive animation of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star punching a guy ten thousand times like you tried to do... (wheeze)... would be a good game.

[SecretAsianMan]

My other (more?) dorky anime idea was a Naruto game where every move must be preceded by the correct hand signs.  But yeah, any anime with ridiculous poses would work.

 

Alternate non-anime idea: A Matrix video game that's nothing except dodging bullets.  It will be called The Matrix: Oops All Bullet Time.

[Sno]

This is the dumbest thing to say but I want to see a DBZ game.  Not so that I can play it, but so that I can watch other people play it.  I want to see people kamehameha their TVs, hold their arms up in the air for 5 minutes gathering energy for a spirit bomb, squat down as they power up, etc.  Most of all, I want to see the co-op mode that includes the fusion dance with the same strict requirements (ie failing to fully extend your finger results in a really fat fusion).

 

Today is your lucky day.

[SecretAsianMan]

Sno, on 18 Oct 2013 - 02:06, said:

Today is your lucky day.

Oh man, apparently if you preordered it came with cardboard Super Saiyan Goku hair.

[Noyb]

Oh man, just watch this. The hair is the best little touch:

[Latrine]

"Be careful not to hurt your knees. Actually I got mustle (sic) pain after testing this program"