Connect With Kinect

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Microsoft Christmas Showcase yesterday to get a preview of the new Kinect motion control system for Xbox360 at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Filling the gap between Nintendo's Wiimote/Sony's PlayStation Move and the futuristic technology of Minority Report, Kinect allows you to play games without traditional controllers by mapping your body to your on-screen avatar. This brings an even greater level of immersion the gaming experience.

Red Dead Redemption - First impressions...

Well... I couldn't really see much of what was happening because of screen-glare. Its been rather sunny this weekend.

I did shoot some rabbits and got shot by lawmen, and that's about it so far. The game looks great though, with believable voice acting, and I even read in the manual that the animals were mo-capped. Makes the rabbit murdering more realistic I guess.

Second impressions to follow shortly.

Sunset Riders FTW

As the release of Rockstar Games' "Red Dead Redemption" is getting so much press at the moment (and rightly so... we at the Because Association are very much looking forward to the free-roam online multiplayer!), I though it might be a good time to refresh your memory of/introduce you to the best cowboy/western video game ever made (possibly until today): Sunset Riders. Check out the video above to see some awesome 4-player arcade action.

I have not been at all interested to play Gun, and had not even heard of Red Dead Revolver (until its sequel was announced), so was not really in need of or had an interest in another western-influenced game. However, all the articles I have read about Red Dead Redemption have piqued my interest and would have made it a Day One purchase if I had the chance to leave the office for a lunch break today. In the meantime I have been playing Sunset Riders on my Nokia N900 using the DrNokSNES emulator.

I first played Sunset Riders on a family caravan holiday, and was hooked straight away. Konami have made some great games in the past, and I would put this near the top of the list alongside International Superstar Soccer and Contra. The game is essentially a platform shooter with all the American Old West features you would expect (outlaws, saloon bars, wide-brimmed hats), some clever set pieces (buffalo stampedes) and challenging boss battles. It still has a lot to offer, and if you can find a physical copy for SNES or SEGA Mega Drive (or an emulator) it is well worth playing.

Crysis 2 "The Wall" trailer

This new trailer for Crysis 2 has been doing the rounds for a few weeks now, but it is still an excellent piece of work and worth a look. The whole clip was rendered using Crytek's latest iteration of the CryEngine, and demonstrates the in-game graphical fidelity we can expect from Crysis 2 when it releases towards the end of 2010. The game will be available for Xbox360, PS3, and PC, and is sure to challenge Halo:Reach and Call of Duty for next-gen gamers' attention and cash.