Microsoft Project Natal & Sony Motion Control

So this year at E3 both Microsoft and Sony announced full body motion controllers for their game systems. Microsoft demoed Project Natal, and Sony demoed the cleverly named Sony Motion Controller. I know, wish I had thought of that name.... Both of these systems are trying to take the Wii controller style to the next level (ick, did I really just write "to the next level"? Shoot me now...)

Let's start with Project Natal. It promises to bring hands free control to a variety of game types (eg racing, sports, etc). It gives a 1-to-1 avatar control system, so whatever movement you make, your avatar will reflect that on screen. While there is no announced release date, Microsoft has stated that Project Natal will work with all versions of the Xbox 360 (but no info on price either!)

Here is Microsoft's Project Natal commercial (from my favourite site Joystiq):

My initial thought was that this was a cleverly arranged tech demo, and at this stage would never really work as shown at E3. While I am still not entirely convinced, I have read a number of reports from people who had a chance to try the system, and they seem impressed...

Sony went in a slightly different direction with their new system - it's a controller wand you hold that works in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera. The wand is replaced on screen with whatever weapon or tool is appropriate. This system seems to be the middle ground between the Wii controller and Microsoft's Project Natal. The Sony system is due to be released in spring 2010.

Here is Sony's Motion Controller demo:

Both of these systems can detect 3D motion (so forwards/backwards as well as left/right). While I don't think these systems will replace traditional controllers for every game, I think they will have their place. Imagine flipping through the dashboard on your Xbox 360 by just waving your hand - shades of the interactive user interface in Minority Report!

Oh, and FYI, "demoed" just looks wrong....

Fable 2: See the Future DLC

Lionhead Studios released the latest piece of Fable 2 DLC (downloadable content) for 560 Microsoft points (that's $7 in real monies). If you enjoyed Fable 2 then I recommend you buy the DLC - I enjoyed the additional game play. In my run-through I found 9 of the 10 Murgo statues and 8 of the 10 new dyes. I ended up looking online for the location of the 3 missing items, and because I missed the Grumpy Rabbit book I had to look online for help with the Rabbit Hole. And to be honest I don't think I would have figured that puzzle out on my own.

There are three new areas to explore in the DLC - the snow globe, the cursed skull, and the Colosseum. Most of the DLC is spent in either the snow globe area or the cursed skull area. There are some new items, new foes, and some fun new puzzles to solve.

The Colosseum is a total bitch. Seriously. There are 3 teddy bears to get, and I found 2 of them relatively easily. Again I had to go to Teh Googles for help on the 3rd bear (and the final dye). Apparently you need to score exactly 1985 points for the Stupid Annoying @#$*&ing bear to appear. I have tried. Lots. Now I Have Hate in My Heart. I guess this challenge is for the gamers who are willing to spend hours trying, or working out the point values for each enemy and the proper combination to get to 1985. I am not one of those people. Bummer.

But outside of the Colosseum That Causes Hate In My Heart, I had fun with this!

Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360)

Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360)
Rating: 7/10
Time to Complete: 30 hours

I just finished playing through Eternal Sonata (Developed by Tri-Crescendo, Published by Namco Bandai Games). This was a classic JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) with a great and unique storyline. The game is centered around a dream world of the composer Frederic Chopin as he lays dying. There are also narrative segments of moments from Chopin's life, complete with photos from Warsaw, Paris, etc. Who knew I would learn something playing this game?! The game took me about 30 hours to complete.

The Pros:

• loved the concept behind this game
• visually stunning, great music
• liked the use of light vs dark in the combat system, added some great strategy and some frustrating moments!
• you can often avoid combat by going around monsters, or gain bonuses by attacking them from behind
• character Beat can take photographs during battle, which can then be sold at shops
• encore mode - once you finish the game you can select "New Game +" and restart the game, allowing you to get additional achievements, new areas, etc

The Cons:

• very linear game play
• actually got so lost in some sections I had to consult a walkthrough guide
• Score Pieces are an interesting minigame system, but I have absolutely no musical ear or knowledge so these were mostly guesses based on what the notes looked like and the pattern they were in
• frustrating camera angles during combat - often times you can't see your character (they are blocked by the bad guy) so you use up your action gauge with missed swings
• with Beat's ability to take photos during combat, money is not an issue in this game and you can easily amass more than you will ever need to spend
• longest…ending….ever…. Wow, I actually started to loose interest, and I honestly could not explain the ending to you… and what was up with caterpillar and snail having a discussion?!

Overall I would recommend this game to any J/RPG fans. Now I have to decide if I should replay in Encore Mode for the additional stuff or play something else and then come back to this….