What are Japanese developers making for Microsoft’s Kinect?
Microsoft had its turn in the spotlight at TGS today as Xbox general manager Takashi Sensui and MGS corporate VP Phil Spencer delivered the conference’s keynote speech.
Kinect was high on the agenda and Microsoft used the opportunity to announce several new games that are being made in conjunction with Japanese companies. Praising the creativity of Japanese developers, Spencer talked about how these games are not the products of playing it safe. These developers were encouraged to ” … bring their wildest, craziest ideas.” With this theme in mind, Microsoft called on its Japanese partners to present their new creations.
Haunt – Masaaya Matsuura, creator of PaRappa the Rapper and pioneer of the rhythm genre, joined the conference in video form to announce his contribution to Kinect. Billed as a horror game, the teaser trailer presented a haunted house that looked more Disneyland than Silent Hill.
Project Draco – Yukio Fudatsugi of Grounding Inc. took the stage and spoke of flying sans controller using only your body. His teaser trailer depicted two figures riding red dragons, sweeping through majestic canyons. As they close on a blue dragon, one of the reds rears its head and breathes lightning to close the trailer. A spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon perhaps?
Codename D – Suda 51 of Grasshopper Manufacture introduced his new game, Codename D. While tight-lipped on details, he promised the game would appeal to the hardcore audience.
Rise of Nightmares – Sega rounded out the Kinect reveals with a true horror game. This teaser featured flickering images of zombies, electric chairs, and demon manuscripts over the sound of a woman pleading for help and begging to die. One for mature audiences then.
Also onscreen was new footage from Child of Eden, and Dr. Kawashima’s Body and Brain Training, while Keiji Inafune showed up with footage of Capcom’s new offering Steel Battalion.
Of course it wasn’t all about Kinect, and Microsoft’s presentation threw a couple of non-motion games our way as well. Arcade classic Radiant Silvergun will get the XBLA treatment along with Avatar game Fire Pro-wrestling.
TGS 2010 reporting is done jointly by Fintan Monaghan and Lisa Gay.
Read more TGS 2010 coverage here.
