Microsoft is continuing its ‘better with Kinect’ campaign with the announcement that EA’s latest offering in the Need for Speed franchise will allow players to make changes to their car using the peripheral’s voice command options.
The product lifecycle of consoles seem to have decreased over the years and the manufacturers seem to have taken notice of this phenomenon as well. Instead of releasing new consoles, the manufacturers such as Sony and Microsoft, gave their existing machines a lifeline by launching new peripherals to keep the experience fresh.
Sony released the PlayStation Move and Microsoft released the Kinect, both devices brought motion controlled gaming to their respective consoles, albeit in a very different way. When it comes to commercial success, the Kinect beat the Move fair and square and Microsoft is looking to ensure that existing users, especially core gamers, retain a level of value from the peripheral.
The manufacturer recently opened a studio which would develop titles exclusively for the Kinect and has since launched its ‘better with Kinect’ campaign which aims to demonstrate how every game is better when one uses the Kinect alongside it.
However, the only feature that seems to apply is Kinect’s voice control which EA is making use of in FIFA 13 and has already implemented in Mass Effect 3. Now the studio is looking to incorporate it into another one of their more prominent franchises, Need for Speed.
The latest iteration of the long running series is Most Wanted, which is being developed by the studio that brought Burnout Paradise and Hot Pursuit to the world.
The game will make use of Kinect’s voice support to allow players to modify their vehicles on the road using their own voices. The game’s developer, Criterion, explained, “For example, while you’re in your SVT Raptor, you can say ‘Mods, Nitrous, Burn Nitrous’ and your car will instantly be equipped with an extra boost that you need.”
It continued, “Need some slicks for the asphalt? Easy: ‘Mods, Tires, Slicks’ and off you go.”
The feature may not be as groundbreaking as many would have envisioned and one could label it as more of a novelty but it does add an extra dimension to the gameplay. How successful the feature is remains to be seen but one has to wonder when the gaming world will see a true Kinect game that lives up to its earlier promise.
Many believe that it is one area where the Move has more of an edge as it allows gamers to play core games with the accessory. If one pictures playing Ghost Recon Future Soldier with the Move and then with the Kinect, then it becomes clear which peripheral, if any, the player would use for the job.
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