| Project Natal to redefine or redesign gaming? (Hands on impressions) |
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EXCLUSIVE NATAL DEMO CAM FOOTAGE:
GamesCom09 gave us the opportunity to experience Microsoft's little gem (Project Natal) first hand, and whilst some of you and to an extent some of us as well are bearing scepticism towards the technology, having played it came away with a more positive glow and an appeased sense of speculative thoughts. We've all seen celebrities and such like waving their arms around like lunatics in the videos or on TV, but to actually be the person in the driving seat meant that our own experiences and those who also took part could be more informed than being the mere spectator. There are still a number of unanswered questions surrounding Natal and how it can be incorporated into the mindset of not only the 'Wii' generation of casual gamers, but also the tried and trusted hardcore masses.
At its heart and for initial uses, the aim of Natal is to provide the option for new gamers to ditch the conventional control pad and offer them the chance to take part in gaming using a more natural interface - in this case the human body. This instantly puts you into the game because the lack of controller means that you're able to focus entirely on what's required of you rather than having to learn not only to hold the controller properly but to then learn what all of the buttons do. For us hardcore gamers, it's quite a simple process, we've learned how to use controllers with years of experience, yet newcomers are left somewhat daunted by the interface (as strange as that might sound).
Natal therefore acts as a medium to open up the potential audience and provide interactivity that is unmatched at this stage. However coming from the more hardcore angle it was an interesting experience to not only play the breakout type game we've seen so much of already, but finally get to play the game in a more traditional gaming situation.
To start off though, that breakout session left some mixed feelings simply because although intuitive, there's still an element of learning. For example, getting the 'smack' just right to hit those balls properly isn't as easy as it looks and on occasion we were swiping air with little to no results. That said, the whole tracking of the body, the seamless transition between one player and the next, and the fact that who ever else is in the room at the time (distracting or otherwise) has no effect on the active player. That's some pretty neat stuff there.
So, onto the real meat of this article and that was some hands on play using Natal as the control interface for Electronic Arts' Burnout Paradise. The game was set up in free roam mode to give an idea of how flawlessly you can jump right in and start driving around Paradise City. Mimic holding a steering wheel (the size of your choosing) and then simply perform the action. To accelerate step forwards, to brake and reverse step back (one foot). This was attempted standing up, which in retrospect was probably not as comfortable as sitting down, yet the action was as smooth and responsive as any steering wheel and controller. The only issues we had was getting the co-ordination to accelerate and brake, but as mentioned this would have been easier if we'd have been sitting down. The thing we took away from the short but informative drive around the city was how easy it was to get in there are start playing. Anyone could do it theoretically - that includes you grandma - and although you're destined to crash in that game due to the AI traffic, in other games such as Forza where there are less hazards we could easily see how well Natal will work.
Going a little deeper with the tech, our questions from the hardcore perspective were met with some very encouraging answers. In the case of driving games especially, we asked if Natal would also allow for changing gears using a gear stick motion. The answer was yes, Natal would even allow players to drive ultra smooth with one hand should they choose - a bit 'posey' perhaps but vital if you're changing gears. Also the steering sensitivity could also be tweaked to compensate for those players who like to lean when they steer.
Moving on from driving games, we also posed the a question that has been on a number of gamers lips since the tech was announced. How will Natal work within a first person shooter environment? With no actual gun peripheral surely it would be easy to point a gun but how would you pull the trigger? Again our investigation was met with positive results. Natal will be able to detect the movement of a trigger finger which is astounding. This seems pretty natural and if you think about games such as House of the Dead (the old light gun games) you can easily see how well Natal will work with those. Maybe Natal will bring forth a whole new revitalization of the on-rails shooters which have taken a back seat on Xbox 360.
In a more traditional first person shooter environment we can imagine that the same sort of controls for movement as seen with Burnout Paradise would be employed. Step forwards to move, step back to back peddle and to either side to strafe. Vision will no doubt be controlled by the head or where you're pointing the gun. having seen how Natal works first hand, we're much more confident that first person shooters will be very possible using Natal technology - and in this regard we're pretty excited.
In closing, Natal is only as good as those who are developing the software for it, but now we've had some insight and after actually playing it, can see that there is huge potential to not only capture the imaginations of an entire new audience, but to also offer something fresh, new and enticing for those with the cynical specs on and coming from the more traditional gaming backgrounds. The future's bright, the future's Natal.
Posted By: Robert Cram
Date: 2009-08-23
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