The upcoming shooter game Mass Effect 3, from Bioware, promises to be one of the most ambitious Kinect titles to date.
The game is one of Microsoft’s poster children when it comes to delivering on the promise that its motion-sensing, voice-activated camera accessory first presented when it was still known as “Project Natal.”
The software giant said the technology would revolutionize games, it would be a new way to play, and it would make us think twice about what video games mean.
But like so many things, Kinect launched to the disappointment of many who said all that lofty PR speak was just hype. Kinect ended up being nothing more than Microsoft’s version of the Wii Remote, with mini-games and extremely casual adventures taking up nearly every Kinect shelf in stores.
However, it seems the hype may finally be realized, and the latest Bioware installment is proof positive.
In Mass Effect 3, players will be able to shout out commands to their computer-controlled teammates, use their voice to toggle between weapons, and carrying on conversations with other non-playable characters.
When we first saw a demo of this conceptual gameplay in action at last year’s E3, we were very surprised, and the room was electric with awe and amazement.
The question was whether or not Bioware would live up to that hype and flesh out the technology even more to make it a viable part of the game. It appears the company has done exactly that.
And if you don’t believe us, Bioware has announced it will launch a playable demo through Xbox Live on February 14, the perfect Valentine’s Day promotion.
The full game will be released on March 6.
