Microsoft just announced the line-up for 2011/2012 and it’s pretty exciting. The best stuff? Two Halo games and two AAA games including the long-awaited Kinect Star Wars and the real cloud-pleaser, Halo 4.
I will update this post as games are shown/announced.
Fable: The Journey – More Kinect interaction. You cast spells by moving your arms around. Very clever.
Kinect Sports Season 2 – Golf and Football with your body? Sure! It works quite well is looks to be much improved over the original version.
Dance Central 2 – There is now simultaneous multi-player dancing.
Kinect Star Wars – This one is pretty hard to hate but it may be a bit of a dud. The Kinect interaction is cool – you slash and hack with your lightsaber – but voice commands like “LIGHTSABER ON!” makes it slightly hokey. We shall see.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – This November 3 title celebrates the 10th anniversary of Halo and brings a fully remastered campaign.
Forza Motorsports 4 – Just a quick demo but it looks quite detailed.
Gears Of War 3 – A surefire hit. This looks to be a more open, action-packed GoW complete with sea battles and, of course, a Kraken. There will also be a song by Ice-T’s Body Count.
Ryse – A Roman war sim that uses fully immersive Kinect fighting. Swing your arm to swing your sword and lift your arm to bring up your shield.
Mass Effect 3 – A brand new adventure. Earth has been taken and now you’re going to have to get it back. Expect much more action as well as unique Kinect support through voice recognition. You can send teammates into battle and control dialog with your voice.
Ghost Recon Series – All Ghost Recon games will be Kinect enabled. All will use the gunsmith system for creating guns with your hands.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour, FIFA, and Madden – These sports titles are all getting Kinect support in the next year.
Tomb Raider – This dark origin story follows a 21-year-old Lara Croft. In the trailer she is trapped upside down on a mysterious island and has to fight her way out. Expect it next holiday.
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 – An immersive war game, Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward have built an “epic” Call of Duty that looks to be a real winner this for around November 8. The gameplay is striking and cut scenes meld seamlessly with the action.
Coming up…
Halo 4
