Star Wars Kinect- Is it a nerd’s dream?

Posted on 25 June, 2010 by betheo

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

by Betheo

© 2010 Beth Sasagi

No, this is NOT me!

UPDATE: E3 2011: New Videos and Details, click HERE

UPDATE: July 2011: Limited Edition Star Wars Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle announced! click HERE.

I am a nerd first and foremost.

I admit this openly and freely, ignoring the funny looks I get for my ‘How to Kill a Zombie’ shirt and laughter from my ‘cooler’ friends as I regale them with tales of my exploits on Omega and the Citadel.

But there is one thing that I hold closest to my nerdy heart, and that thing is Star Wars, whether it be the classic fantastic three or the newer…not so fantastic three (don’t get me wrong, I am a Liam Neeson fan, but I really didn’t need to know where the force came from).

I love it all, from force powers to Death Stars to the droideka.

So when I was directed to a little video recently from one of the E3 presentation by one of my fellow OXCGNites, I couldn’t help but think my prayers had been answered: Star Wars for the Kinect?

Is it true?

Could it be?

Is this the game we are looking for?

Are more people going to ask me in public if I’m trying to use force powers against them? (I like to try, but it doesn’t work for some reason).

The video from E3 (link here for those of you who don’t want to look for it) demonstrated the movements and abilities of your player, from deflecting blaster fire to flipping a droid tank, all of which YOU control with nothing but your body parts.

Now I’m probably the first to go and bag on consoles and periferals like the Wii, Kinect, and PS3 Eyetoy and Move for their motion games, my common argument being, ‘why would I play Wii bowling when I live 5 minutes from a bowling alley?’ and I will be the first to admit to being a total and utter hypocrite by soon buying and playing this Star Wars motion game.

Lucas Arts showing off this little gem at E3 has me very excited, probably a little more excited than is appropriate, but nonetheless, as a fan of the Star Wars series and an owner of much highly prized, yet poorly made, merchandise, I can see this as being something that will please many a Star Wars fan… if you can ignore the fact that your Jedi fights droids, storm troopers and Darth Vader at the same time, which is impossible, as Anakin Skywalker did not become Vader till the end of the third movies, which was AFTER the droids had been defeated… but I digress.

The biggest image I have of this game is setting up a night with my friends, all of them dressed in their finest Jedi robes, or Stormtrooper armour, and maybe even one of them is Darth Vader. We have a cantina set up, Mos Eisley style, with very nerdy aptly re-named drinks being served, like Rancor’s Breath or Dark Side Daiquiri.

At the centre of the room, I see a completely unashamed, uncoordinated and unbalanced girl in Sith robes, flailing about like a fool as she swings her arms holding an invisible lightsaber and attempts to use force powers, only this time, she’s ACTUALLY really doing it!

Star Wars for the Kinect will be the start of something I never actually expected, a motion game I actually want to play, not just heap scorn and disdain onto like blaster fire onto rebel scum.

Though watch out after Star Wars Kinect is released for the YouTube video that will undoubtedly go up once I purchase them both and have said party.

Hmmm…now “I have a bad feeling about this…”

xxxxxx