No matter how many times you call up LucasArts and suggest in your best Jedi voice, "You will release Kinect Star Wars soon," the game apparently won't be out until holiday 2011. Kinect evangelist and creative lead Kudo Tsunoda told the BBC as much in a recent interview, calling it and an upcoming Forza project the two Kinect-enabled games he's most excited for next year.
"We have a Kinect Star Wars game coming out for next holiday," Tsunoda said. "I've seen a bunch of the game and it's super compelling." Presumably he's seen more than what we saw at E3 this year, clumsily demonstrated in this video. "Another one next year is Forza," he added, alluding to vague plans to integrate Kinect into the racing franchise, before boasting that it was "the best racing game of this generation of consoles."
"Those are the two games I'm most excited about," Tsunoda concluded. As far as 2011's current Kinect prospects go, those would seem like safe picks, but we're wondering if developers aren't thinking outside the box enough -- just imagine if you were to somehow combine the two concepts ... perhaps mounting light sabers on high-end race cars? Now that would be something exciting enough to get us off the couch.
Reader Comments (58)
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:34PM gangcar said
Wow, if I didn't know any better I'd think they were actually putting time and effort into a Star Wars title.
Posted: Nov 11th 2010 11:40AM airtoast said
@gangcar
Most great games seem to require at least a 2-year development cycle. "Star Wars Kinect" was just shown a few months ago at E3 as a barely functioning tech demo. Knowing this, I'm wondering why a fall 2011 release date would cause people to think they are putting a lot of time into this?
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Most great games seem to require at least a 2-year development cycle. "Star Wars Kinect" was just shown a few months ago at E3 as a barely functioning tech demo. Knowing this, I'm wondering why a fall 2011 release date would cause people to think they are putting a lot of time into this?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:36PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
So what would you call an on-rails Star Wars game?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:49PM Petebot330 said
@Ezio Auditore da Firenze "Everything is Proceeding Exactly as I Have Foreseen" Nah, nevermind, that sucks.
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Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:21PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said
@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Star Wars Kinect: Path to the Darkside
"Force choke a bitch...with your friends!"
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Star Wars Kinect: Path to the Darkside
"Force choke a bitch...with your friends!"
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:29PM xXHexagonXx said
hmm by 12/2011 they should be able to figure out how to get you off the rails and allow some free movement.
Really wouldn't be hard - direction you face is the direction you move... faster you run in place the faster you move...
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Really wouldn't be hard - direction you face is the direction you move... faster you run in place the faster you move...
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:36PM LockeDaemonfire said
@xXHexagonXx
But.... what if I want to move backwards?
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But.... what if I want to move backwards?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:47PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
@LockeDaemonfire
Turn around and run in place?
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Turn around and run in place?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:56PM LockeDaemonfire said
@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Maybe I should set up a mirror to still see where I'm going?
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Maybe I should set up a mirror to still see where I'm going?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 5:00PM sqeric said
@xXHexagonXx Your Kinect play space for single player seems to be about a 5 x 5 foot area centered about 6.5 ft from the sensor. To roam free of rails you could move to the direction at edge of play space (bubble) and continue moving depending on movement of legs (run/walk in place). Turning head/shoulders could turn character's facing direction or it could automatically face direction of threat. I'm sure it can be done, I just hope it is done smoothly. Another option could be to point to a place in the area and command to move to point via voice (would probably be better application if commanding an NPC). Sounds complicated when reading it, but I'm sure it could be intuitive if engineered properly. We'll see.
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Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:38PM KinseySS said
Wouldn't a PS Move Star Wars game be more logical, I mean Sony already made their own lightsabre peripheral, with a glowing light and everything.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:43PM Milkman4321 said
@KinseySS awesome, maybe it multi-platform...ugh and this and Rise of Nightmares are the only Kinect games I was looking forward to. :/ dangit.
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Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:49PM commenter7 said
@KinseySS
The still havent made a good light saber game for the Wii, which was probably the most logical thing to do back in the day
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The still havent made a good light saber game for the Wii, which was probably the most logical thing to do back in the day
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:17PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
@KinseySS
Man, a Star Wars game with Move would be pretty sweet, especially since you'd be able to move around at will.
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Man, a Star Wars game with Move would be pretty sweet, especially since you'd be able to move around at will.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:21PM Ostentaneous said
@Faren22
This is not the console you were looking for.
/waves hand
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This is not the console you were looking for.
/waves hand
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:25PM sho220 said
@Faren22
the great thing about Kinect is that you can hold any object you want as your lightsaber, it doesn't care! so you can use the one you swung around as a kid, or you can use a samurai sword, or you can use the inner cardboard from a paper towel roll. regardless of what you pick, it'll all work with Kinect.. who would've thought?
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the great thing about Kinect is that you can hold any object you want as your lightsaber, it doesn't care! so you can use the one you swung around as a kid, or you can use a samurai sword, or you can use the inner cardboard from a paper towel roll. regardless of what you pick, it'll all work with Kinect.. who would've thought?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:38PM LockeDaemonfire said
@sho220
I remember a video where someone was holding a cd or a piece of paper and Kinect kinda spazzed out... Granted, that's holding it more in front of you, but still...
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I remember a video where someone was holding a cd or a piece of paper and Kinect kinda spazzed out... Granted, that's holding it more in front of you, but still...
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:41PM MystileArmor said
Can it atleast be something based on the original trilogy and not all that Clone Wars stuff. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's ok. But I want something that was like Super Star Wars was. I just want to play through my favorite movies in a new way.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:43PM Pure Black World Tendency said
I've never played a Forza game but I presume it plays much like GT and has a need for precision control. Now why would anyone want to play that on Kinect? How will you accelerate, by gradually opening your mouth?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:45PM Jack Kevorkian said
@Pure Black World Tendency you know if thats how they did it it would be awesome. Blinking is your gearshift.
Forza doesnt screw around they will make it work.
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Forza doesnt screw around they will make it work.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:59PM Pure Black World Tendency said
@Jack Kevorkian And a headbutt for handbraking lol. Not trying to hate on Kinect here but I don't see how this will work well for anyone else than the people laughing at someone trying to play it. Might be worth it for the inevitable youtube vids though. :)
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Posted: Nov 10th 2010 4:39PM Dshark said
@Pure Black World Tendency How about a hybrid? Drive with the wheel, slight head turns to see out your windows and such? That could make it super immersive. I tend to agree with your other statements though, holding my hands out like you're imagining, would be tiring.
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Posted: Nov 11th 2010 2:02PM Fermie Prime said
@Pure Black World Tendency
It will be a hybrid system where you drive with the controller / wheel and Kinect tracks your head & torso movements. That way you can look around the cabin or out the window in the middle of turns like the previous poster mentioned. I like this idea.
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It will be a hybrid system where you drive with the controller / wheel and Kinect tracks your head & torso movements. That way you can look around the cabin or out the window in the middle of turns like the previous poster mentioned. I like this idea.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:43PM HaloisthemostOverratedGameEver said
That one picture is better than the entire prequel movie series!
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:13PM Pure Black World Tendency said
@HaloisthemostOverratedGameEver
Donald Trumps wig on a baboons ass is better than the entire prequel movie series.
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Donald Trumps wig on a baboons ass is better than the entire prequel movie series.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:45PM Drakkenfyre said
I heard about a "large Star Wars project" involving the Wii, and Motion+, and that never happened.
I don't mean tacking on motion controls to an existing Star Wars game, I mean a full-on Lightsaber dueling game. The technology has existed for a few years now, and despite the demand, has never acted on it.
I doubt they will do much with Kinect.
I don't mean tacking on motion controls to an existing Star Wars game, I mean a full-on Lightsaber dueling game. The technology has existed for a few years now, and despite the demand, has never acted on it.
I doubt they will do much with Kinect.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 4:07PM Phinehas said
@Drakkenfyre
Regarding the tech necessary for a lightsaber duel, I'm not so sure.
So, I've got my controler (Move, or whatever) in my hand. Let's say I have true 1 to 1 motion with minimal lag. I go into a duel with a Sithlord. I swing my arm and the Sithlord blocks. (Tough to have a duel without being able to block, right?) But my arm didn't stop moving. There's nothing physically there to stop my follow-through. Now, the controller says my lightsaber should be in one location (where my follow-through took it), but the in-game block says it should be in another location (where the Sithlord blocked it). How should the game resolve that?
Maybe after a block, the game ignores the motion controller position for one second, then snaps from the block position to the motion controller position? OK, but what if, at the end of that second, I'm holding my lightsaber so that as soon as it switches over, it is already impaling the Sithlord?
I'd love to see a good, workable design for how to *implement* a true 1 to 1 duel and not just *imagine* it. Most implementable designs I've considered will end up being experienced as a waggle-fest, and not a duel, but I'm willing to listen to other possible solutions.
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Regarding the tech necessary for a lightsaber duel, I'm not so sure.
So, I've got my controler (Move, or whatever) in my hand. Let's say I have true 1 to 1 motion with minimal lag. I go into a duel with a Sithlord. I swing my arm and the Sithlord blocks. (Tough to have a duel without being able to block, right?) But my arm didn't stop moving. There's nothing physically there to stop my follow-through. Now, the controller says my lightsaber should be in one location (where my follow-through took it), but the in-game block says it should be in another location (where the Sithlord blocked it). How should the game resolve that?
Maybe after a block, the game ignores the motion controller position for one second, then snaps from the block position to the motion controller position? OK, but what if, at the end of that second, I'm holding my lightsaber so that as soon as it switches over, it is already impaling the Sithlord?
I'd love to see a good, workable design for how to *implement* a true 1 to 1 duel and not just *imagine* it. Most implementable designs I've considered will end up being experienced as a waggle-fest, and not a duel, but I'm willing to listen to other possible solutions.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 4:42PM Metalfacedoom said
@Phinehas Hmm, maybe the force feedback from the move could let you know when it has been blocked making you stop mid swing while creating a deflection animation. Possibly could work and game play could teach you that you will pay for wild swings so you learn to control the saber to avoid getting the chop.
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Posted: Nov 10th 2010 5:28PM sqeric said
@Phinehas
When encountering a block situation there could be a animated stagger(like in Oblivion) to reset position. A successful block by either opponent would just reset the duel. A block and counter move could be something rewarded to a player with the earned skill. The "waggle fest" referenced is tantamount to button mashing. Imagine the satisfaction of completing a successful combo move with motion controls though. The hard part is not being over excited and moving too fast and erratic for the technology to read.
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When encountering a block situation there could be a animated stagger(like in Oblivion) to reset position. A successful block by either opponent would just reset the duel. A block and counter move could be something rewarded to a player with the earned skill. The "waggle fest" referenced is tantamount to button mashing. Imagine the satisfaction of completing a successful combo move with motion controls though. The hard part is not being over excited and moving too fast and erratic for the technology to read.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:46PM Jack Kevorkian said
who knows? this article isnt about Move. Its about Kinect. I know this from seeing the word Kinect sprinkled within the article when referring to this Star Wars game.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:47PM Faceless Troll said
In other words there's no reason to so much as consider getting a Kinect until next year?
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 2:47PM Milf Biggenson said
Hey guys, I took $50, flushed it down the toilet and acted extremely disappointed just so I could feel like I bought this game already even though it's not coming out for a year!
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:02PM Hitman190 said
The disappointment in this announcement is strong hmm
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:03PM mrmojoz said
@dherasa
Yes MS could pass the "saving" to us. I'm not sure you understand how business works. Once again someone not too bright is angry the Kinect exists.
Yes MS could pass the "saving" to us. I'm not sure you understand how business works. Once again someone not too bright is angry the Kinect exists.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:04PM EvoHelix said
To this day the best lightsaber game I've ever played involved my brother and I swinging at each other with Wiffle Ball bats... when I was 10.
I think I'm way too old for this and so should you.
I think I'm way too old for this and so should you.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:21PM Ostentaneous said
What I want for Kinect is a new Black&White. That game was made for Kinect before it was even a concept.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:25PM Jhoalot said
I think that 360 owners will want to play a game not to see a video...
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:30PM DelTrigger said
Shame, this is pretty much the only game I even considered buying with the Kinect.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:36PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said
"the best racing game of this generation of consoles."
if Sony delays GT5 again he may be right...
if Sony delays GT5 again he may be right...
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 3:49PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
He'd still be wrong, since Burnout Paradise, Dirt 2, and Hot Pursuit would still exist.
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He'd still be wrong, since Burnout Paradise, Dirt 2, and Hot Pursuit would still exist.
Posted: Nov 10th 2010 4:14PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said
@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
yea Burnout Burnout Paradise is the ULTIMATE racing game this gen....then throw in the fact that we got free updates and lots of DLC for a couple of years....its CRAZY
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yea Burnout Burnout Paradise is the ULTIMATE racing game this gen....then throw in the fact that we got free updates and lots of DLC for a couple of years....its CRAZY






