Jumping up and down to collect stars while moving this way and that to avoid obstacles may seem like fairly old school game mechanics, but that’s exactly what Microsoft has been showing off with their latest Project Natal demos. In River Rush, players careen down river rapids while steering a raft left and right and leaping into the air to “slap floating stars,” said filmmaker and blogger James Gunn, who recently attended Microsoft’s “Xbox Experience” press event in Los Angeles.
So why would anyone give a damn about River Rush? Well, for one, Project Natal is the code name for Microsoft’s long overdue answer to the Wii. Natal uses a camera in combination with mysterious dark sorcery to accurately detect players’ movements in 3D space. “An avatar appears on screen, and it moves exactly as you do. There is no controller you need to hold like in the Wii. It senses all of your movements right down to your hands and feet,” wrote Gunn.
River Rush, which was apparently revealed for the first time by Gunn’s April 15 blog entry, is one game- or, more likely, mini-game- that takes advantage of the controller-free Natal. “This game was even more exhilarating than the kicking one, and even more aerobically challenging. In fact, I’d say the ONLY drawback to the Natal some people may have is that you have to get up off your ass to play it. But, for me, a person who likes exercise and gaming, it’s sort of a dream come true. An hour of playing Natal every night will definitely burn calories,” he wrote.
In general, Natal seems to have really tickled his fancy: “As hyperbolic as it may sound, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years we see a decrease in childhood obesity simply because of the system. For that alone, I think it’s the biggest step forward in gaming in a long, long time,” he wrote (by the way, James, that sounds very, very hyperbolic).
In reality, no one has yet seen a game for Natal that warrants the hype the system is receiving. Though it may have potential, games like River Rush and “a game kicking and whacking balls into targets” are not going to be killer apps, and until Microsoft reveals what’s up its sleeves, skepticism is (as usual) the way to go.
Regardless, the leak of River Rush provides all the more indication that Natal will most likely ship with a mini game collection a la Wii Sports. While Wii Sports was fun for a while, gamers quickly realized that the Wii’s motion controls were less responsive than they had hoped, and the gimmicks grew tiresome rather quickly for many. It’s worth considering, as well, that River Rush seems to consist of moving left and right and jumping, motions which the Wiimote’s lackluster sensors are more than capable of interpreting.
On the other hand, Gunn also revealed another intriguing Natal feature: “I suddenly realized how awesome it would be for my avatar to molest Dave’s. As my avatar rubbed its crotch against Dave’s avatar’s ass the Microsoft folks started laughing and said that was the first time they had seen anyone do that. I was extremely proud of myself.”
At least the Xbox Live crowd will feel right at home using Natal when it finally comes out later this year.
