Continuing on from my concept I started two months ago, I thought I'd start this edition by discussing my experience with Kinect over the last 6 weeks. I became on of the 8 million Kinect owners just after Christmas and have now had sufficient time to see the good - and bad - of what Kinect can and cannot do. Now more familiar, I decided to re-read Part 1 and am now more firmly entrenched than ever that Kinect's future resides in intuitive, passive interpretation of gamers rather than trying to replace direct control which is served so well by the dual-analog devices we have come to know and love.
The future of Kinect has always been dependent on thinking outside the box. Amazingly, much of this is coming from 'hacks' or non-affiliated clever individuals finding new and innovative ways to employ Kinect's undeniable capabilities. (Most recently was this rather interesting - if not slightly less impressive - Tv remote control system employing a Mac of all things! -You can find the article at a newly dedicated website called KinectHacks.net)
However, the primary role for Kinect is still gaming (for now) yet I have always argued that Kinect's potential should focus on the things that a controller can't do and let the controller does what it does best: control movement/primary actions.
Let us return to 'Dragon's Cove'.....
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As the image cleared, an animation of a woman running away from a pack of dogs and armed men became visible...
"Halt! HALT! Come BACK HERE!" screams one of the pursuers. As the women nears, it becomes clear that she is heavily pregnant, showing signs of recent abuse on her face and neck. At this point, the voice of the narrator begins to speak over the din as the music and shouting subside.
"Ah! Look into the past and see your beginning. This women will not escape her captors and faces certain death. Yet she is your Mother and so she cannot die yet!" -The animation continues to play; the soldiers closing the distance as the woman gasps louder with exhaustion-
"Will you aid her? Will you intervene for good and for your own well being??" -the dogs are practically nipping at her heels now-
"Will you take charge of your destiny?" -the lead dog jumps and grabs the woman solidly by the leg and she collapses, screaming...
"She is dying. Do you wish to save her???"
The question finally sinks in and it becomes apparent that this is not another simple cutscene: "Yes!" I shout and the animation freezes almost instantly and washes to black-and-white while slowing zooming to the woman. The narrator speaks again: "Ah! So you see that the past is not beyond our reach after all. Reach up into the air as though you are plucking an apple from a tree."
A bit more alert - I following the instruction and pluck an imaginary apple with my hand. Suddenly, the edges of the screen glow bright red and orange with tiny flames. The animation, still frozen, continues to zoom to the woman and her captors.
"Deliver to these would-be assassins that what you now bear - throw hard, young Mage!"
I oblige and make a basic throwing motion with my imaginary clutched apple. The animation restarts instantly at full volume and colour as a ball of flame emerges from the centre of the screen and shoots away towards the captors. It lands at their feet and all of them are instantly consumed with magical fire. They scream for mercy and collapse to the ground around the pregnant woman who is seemingly unaffected by the spell and slowly rising to her own feet, looking about in astonishment, she looks up to the sky and shouts, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
Thank you......
The screen fades out to the burning candle again. "You have proven your worth. Only a Mage who protects his own life can hope to accomplish great feats of heroism. Look around this room, Young Mage," commands the narrator, "You will find some things of value here."
At this point, conventional control takes charge. I use the left and right stick to manoeuvre around the room in first-person perspective, picking up and examining various objects including weapons, books, food, etc. I see a mirror in a corner and move closer to examine it. As I approach, a white fog begins to swirl in the mirror. I click 'A' to examine and the fog clears showing an unknown mage with one hand on his hip and another clasping the back of his head. The narrator joins in again, "Ah yes! The sacred sign of a Brother in Magic. Take note, Young Mage. But now it is time for you to begin your training. Seek out 'Vendowin' at the Inn of Hollow Keep. I have marked this on your map. Now go! Make haste!"
The last words of the narrator fade out in an echo. I'm now in full control and navigate to the door and walk outside. The surroundings are colourful and bright. A sunny day unfolds in front of me as I walk along, passing a number of NPC's as I go. One waves at me with a friendly smile. I pass him without stopping and promptly hear him protest from behind me, "Oh FINE! Be that way then!" Curious, I turn to face the somewhat displeased villager with the controller and press some of the buttons to 'wave back' -but nothing happens. After a moment of thought, I raise my hand and wave it back and forth. "GOOD DAY TO YOU, KIND SIR!" shouts back the NPC, brandishing a big smile, "I hear you are the one we have waited for! A gift for your travels!"
The villager hands me a small box which I accept by pressing 'A' and 'A' again to open. Inside is a ring. "Wear this, friend! It will give you added protection against the evils that surround us!" I access my inventory screen and select the ring. Instructions for Kinect controls indicate that I can use my hand to rotate and zoom if I choose to inspect the object. I select 'Equip' with the controller and see 'Armour +15' appear at the top left of the screen momentarily.
Now to the Inn of Hollow Keep. I press the 'Select' button and the screen fills with a detailed, mountainous map of unknown locations. A floating hand appears above which responds accurately to my own and I am able to pan across with great speed, zooming in on locations by moving my hand inward to the screen. Just below my present location, I see a small symbol of a house. Placing my hand over it, the words 'Inn of Hollow Keep' appear below it with the instructions, 'Say "Marker" to set destination'. "Marker," I say and a red circle envelops the symbol. I press 'Select' again to exit the map and begin walking towards the waypoint now shown on a rusty compass at the top of my screen.
After some exploring, a few dangerous encounters and a off-the-wall discussion with a transvestite dwarf, I eventually find the Inn and approach an old Oak door with a small shutter placed at eye level. I press 'A' to knock. Some footsteps are heard and the shutter snaps open, two yellowish eyes glaring out of the blackness behind. Not a word is spoken for several seconds until eventually, the shutter snaps shut again. I repeat the cycle, this time pressing different buttons and even shouting 'Open Up' - but to no avail. I stare at the closed shutter for a minute or two and decide to make a trip to the facilities. Once again, the game immediately pauses once I walk out of range. Some ponderous moments on the porcelain throne of wonder yield a flash of inspiration and I return to the game as quick as I can. "Resume."
I knock on the door once more and the shutter snaps open - only this time - I stand up and place on hand on my hip and the other behind my head as I had witnessed in the mirror some time earlier, but the shutter snaps shut again in utter disdain. I sit down, grumbling, starting to feel rather annoyed and contemplating a break until approximately 5 seconds later, I hear a latch and the old oak door slowly creaks open. Finally! With a smirk of satisfaction, I enter the Inn...
Stay tuned for my final part next month...
Lovingly Yours,
The Angry Rabbit.
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