Adam Shear's E3 2011 Predictions Part 1: Microsoft

Well, it is that time of year again. The largest gaming expo in the world otherwise known as E3 is almost upon us and everyone is making bets as to what the hottest games of the show will be. This week I will be sharing what I think Microsoft has in store for this year's show. They certainly have kept quiet since the last E3 and have not revealed much of their 2011 lineup. Will Microsoft has something other than Gears of War 3 and Forza Motorsport 4 to keep hardcore gamers happy? Will Kinect have a software lineup worth drooling over? I think I've got this figured out.

Microsoft in recent years has taken Nintendo's usual strategy and has kept quiet during most of the year while going all out with announcements at E3. Microsoft also usually focuses on what is coming during the holiday season leaving a couple of teases for 2012 games. I believe Microsoft will not have a weak lineup of games but I certainly do not think it will be as strong as Nintendo and Sony, especially considering Nintendo and Sony will be showing off new hardware. Microsoft will have to show off plenty of Kinect games and Xbox 360 games. I also think a small portion of their press conference will be devoted to games coming to Windows Phone 7, considering it is also a gaming platform from Microsoft.

What games do I think will be at Microsoft's E3 press conference? I can say without a doubt that they will probably open the show with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. If not, they will definitely have a demo sometime during the show. Microsoft and Activision still have their exclusive Call of Duty DLC deal going on so Microsoft's press conference would be the one where Modern Warfare 3 makes it's debut. More details will also be shared on Gears of War 3 and Forza Motorsport 4. Microsoft will also most likely reveal 2-4 first party games they are developing with at least one coming this year, another also coming this year on Kinect, and at least one or two more for 2012.

I think the biggest focus of Microsoft's E3 press conference will be Kinect. More Kinect games will probably be shown in the span of their E3 press conference than games currently out for Kinect. A good amount of them will be hardcore. The only one we know of that Microsoft is involved in is Star Wars Kinect which is being published by them and developed by LucasArts. That will be one of their big games. Another will be a more casual title that was recently leaked called My Amazing Story. This is not official yet but there have been several leaks saying that this is coming. It's supposedly an action adventure game with scary monsters and special costumes that give the player abilities. If this game is real, I would expect it to have a similar art style to Kinect Adventures. Another game I expect to see is Gears of War Kinect which will probably release shortly after E3. Supposedly the announcement of the game was scheduled for the Spike VGA's but shortly after was pulled out with Microsoft saying there was a better time and place for the announcement that was rumored to be Gears of War Kinect. E3 is obviously the best place they have to show it. This delay also might reveal that Microsoft's lineup is pretty weak and they need to hold back their stronger titles for the Holiday season as they did with Gears of War 3.

Third party Kinect support will also be huge. I wouldn't be surprised if Dance Central 2 is announced. Dance Central is Harmonix's new money making machine and rushing a sequel out while its still cool would be a smart idea. A lot of new third party Kinect titles will be announced and I'm sure a good amount of them will be hardcore.

Microsoft will also share details on the Fall dashboard update as they usually do. I'm sure more entertainment services will come to Xbox 360. YouTube is definitely building applications for game consoles so I would say YouTube is a likely bet as are other video streaming services like Vudu. I will also say there is a 100% chance that VideoKinect will be turned into Skype for Xbox 360 due to the recent acquisition of Skype by Microsoft. It would also be smart if they made the dashboard more Kinect friendly and adapted the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Kinect sensor. It's a possibility but I'm not counting on it.

Microsoft's lineup is pretty secretive but I'm sure they have a lot up their sleeve. I am probably right with many of my predictions but also probably very wrong with others. Microsoft is really gonna be dependent on third parties to supply the big games for both Xbox 360 and Kinect. We will find out all the real details on June 6. Come back next week as I discuss my predictions for what Sony will be showing at E3.

Sonic Free Riders Review

Kinect’s launch lineup is filled with a fairly small variety of games. There are sports games, fitness games, dancing games, and racing games. Sonic Free Riders from Sega is one of the few racing games that launched with Kinect. Is Sonic the Hedgehog’s first Kinect title worth playing or should Sonic just stop trying?

Sonic Free Riders is the third game in the Sonic Riders series. The racing game has Sonic and his pals riding hoverboards and motorcycles known as Extreme Gear as they collect rings and various items to attack opponents as they speed towards the finish line. Surprisingly, there is a lot of depth to this title that is rare to see in launch titles. Free Riders is heavy in content from four Gran Prix story lines, sixteen different track variations, multiple game modes and offline as well as online multiplayer. There is definitely more to chew on in Sonic Free Riders than most Kinect games available. Getting into just about everything this game has to offer can take a lot of time.

The gran prix modes feature your favorite Sonic characters competing to be better than the rest. Team Sonic, Team Babylon, Team Rose, and Team Dark are in deep competition. The storylines are all connected but always makes the team you are playing as the winners. The cutscenes look like they were added at the last minute with just pictures of characters with very few animations. At least the voice acting is slightly better than what has been seen in past Sonic titles. There are 10 missions in each team which involve grabbing rings, grinding on rails, and racing. The first nine missions for each team are relatively easy but the difficulty spike goes up way too much for the tenth mission which at times can feel impossible compared to the previous missions.



Racing in the game is very fun. Learning each map and learning to use each gear part which can be equipped to your Extreme Gear can take some time which makes you want to keep playing. Gameplay can also change within each map so you can be swimming or operating a mine cart which changes the way you can play and the way you move your body. There are so many different controls to be learned but most of them are self explanatory, especially with items. It is pretty amazing how many different gestures and control Sonic Team implemented so early in Kinect’s lifetime. As cool as they are, the controls were also one of the biggest problems I had with the game. Turning is sometimes not as easy as it seems. It can be difficult plenty of times. The game also had trouble registering whether or not I was leaning forward to make a large jump when on the hoverboard. Calibrating before each and every race is also a pain. These setbacks can be easily overlooked as you get better acquainted with Free Riders.

Sonic Free Riders is a nice looking game. It’s great use of lighting and animation definitely makes it one of the best looking Kinect games around. The voice acting as I said is definitely better than what has been seen in most Sonic games. Tails actually does not sound like a girl! The only complaint about voices is that characters will sometimes say things out of context. When you win, your character may be saying something that was meant to be said when you would lose. The main menus can also take a while to navigate and the flicking gesture that you must use sometimes does not do what you want it to do. Voice commands help but they don’t always work.

Multiplayer is also another whole mode. There are offline modes as well as online. Both are very fun and bring even more value to the game. Free Riders is definitely a fun game to play with friends and family.

Overall, Sonic Free Riders is a great racing game and a fun Kinect launch title. Its controls are easily the biggest letdown due to turning and jumping being unresponsive but this is definitely a full featured game. If you are looking for a fun Kinect title with a lot of value, this may be the one you are looking for.

Final Score: 7.8/10

Thanks to Sega for providing us with a copy for review!

Also watch out for the audio review coming soon the GamersCast Podacast feed

If you would like to contact the author of this post, feel free to email him at adam@gamerscastpodcast.com.

Sonic Free Riders Has Released!

Well, it looks like the Kinect sensor has finally hit shelves and with it, Sonic Free Riders is also available. Check out the launch trailer and keep watching the GamersCast news feed for even more updates on Sega's first controller free game.

Sonic Free Riders Multiplayer Trailer

Check out the all new trailer for the Kinect launch title Sonic Free Riders which shows off all of the amazing multiplayer modes the game has to offer. The multiplayer modes include a Vs. mode for two players in the same room to go head to head, a co-op mode where players will need to "link up" and work together. There is also a relay mode for four players working in teams of two to jump in and out to work together and get to the finish. To top it all off, the game also contains online multiplayer. Sonic Free Riders definitely looks to have the most features of any game in the Kinect launch lineup. Check out Sonic Free Riders when it launches with Kinect in only two days! Keep visiting the GamersCast news feed for more Sonic Free Riders coverage when it arrives.

GamersCast Exclusive: Kinect Adventures to Come with More Than Just Adventures

It looks like Kinect owners will get a little bit more for their hard earned cash when buying Kinect. As you probably know, every Kinect sensor comes with a copy of Kinect Adventures which contains 20 different adventures you can play. Believe it or not, there is more content than just that. YouTube user jefreestyles had some time with the full version of Kinect Adventures and confirmed with me that demos of Dance Central, Kinect Joyride, and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved are available to play on the Kinect Adventures disc. Now when you buy Kinect, you now know you have more things to try out than just adventures.

Editorial: PlayStation Move vs. Kinect

This holiday season, two new methods of motion control will be available. Both PlayStation Move and Kinect for Xbox 360 have something very unique going for each of them. Kinect hits store shelves in about one week while PlayStation Move has already shipped over one million units. Each of them have different marketing strategies and different goals. The question is this: which one is better for you and which one will sell better this holiday season. I will put my insight into both of these new systems of motion control and give you enough information to choose. Unlike Microsoft's strategy of having celebrities inform and answer questions, I actually know what I am talking about and will give you the information you need.

The Implimentation: How do each of these motion control method work? They certainly are ahead of their class and way more advanced than the Wii's motion control method.

PlayStation Move: Move uses a motion controller and the PlayStation Eye camera to deliver the ultimate motion gaming experience. It's Move controller has many advanced sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes and other things that precisely track your motion. The controller shaped like a wand also has a glowing orb at the top. This orb is tracked by the PlayStation Eye camera so it can tell where the Move controller is in three dimensional space.

Kinect: Kinect for Xbox 360 is very different because there is no controller whatsoever. Kinect is a sensor that has a camera on it which can take pictures and allow video chat. There are two other "cameras" on each side of the camera on Kinect. Believe it or not, there are technically not cameras. They are sensors that can track your movement in three dimensional space and these sensors can also track the body's movements and replicate them on screen. Kinect also has a microphone array at the bottom of the sensor which can hear you and understand you. You will be able to launch an application such as ESPN or Netflix or play and pause a movie just using your voice. This is not only controller free gaming, its controller free entertainment.

Available Software: You can't sell razors without the razor blades. The software lineup is almost just as important as the hardware being sold. Here is a look at the launch lineup of each motion control method and some titles coming out in the future.

PlayStation Move: There are plenty of games on PlayStation Move. If you do not own a PlayStation Eye camera, you will most likely pick up the Move Starter Kit which includes the game Sports Champions, a sports compilation which serves as the flagship title. I've played Sports Champions and it is a lot of fun. There also is a party game called Start The Party, an augmented reality pet simulator called Eyepet, and plenty of other titles. One interesting thing is that a few of the Move's launch titles are actually games that have already released including Heavy Rain, Tiger Woods PGA Tour '11, Resident Evil 5 and Toy Story 3. Those who already own these games are able to download patches to update their existing titles that are Move compatible. Future games that will be compatible for PlayStation Move include LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, SOCOM 4, and many more. There is easily something for every type of gamer with PlayStation Move.

Kinect: Kinect will launch with 17 games. The flagship titles looks to be Kinect Adventures which comes with every Kinect sensor sold. This game will contain about 20 different minigames that will showcase many different ways the Kinect sensor can be used. Other titles include a sports compilation from the acclaimed developer Rare called Kinect Sports, a dancing game known as Dance Central from Rock Band developers Harmonix, a pet simulator Kinectimals, and some racing games such as Kinect Joy Ride and Sonic Free Riders. As for future games, plenty of Kinect titles will come out of the Japanese market such as Steel Battalion. As for more games coming from US developers, there is a Star Wars game on the horizon from Lucasarts coming in 2011 and another pet simulator from THQ called Fantastic Pets coming this Spring. There has not been much specifically for hardcore gamers but hardcore gamers can definitely find some things they like from the Kinect launch lineup. Eventually, true hardcore experiences will arrive.

Marketing Strategy: Yes I am going into what strategies Microsoft and Sony are using to sell their products. Although it may not be important to you, it could be to predict whether there will be enough units on store shelves to go around

PlayStation Move: It seems as though Sony has not at all changed their marketing strategy from what it already was. PlayStation 3 only does everything and Sony is sticking to saying that. My belief is that Sony does not want to upset its hardcore fans by showing families play. The Move commercials feature PlayStation spokesperson Kevin Butler spending thirty days with the McGuire family to prove that everyone in the house loves PlayStation Move. In the commercials they do show the family playing together. They also show their more hardcore titles in action. Overall, I do not believe these advertisements are convincing those who would love to play casual games to switch over to PlayStation 3. I think Sony needs to get Move more mainstream attention which is exactly what its opponent is doing.

Kinect: Microsoft is taking the complete opposite approach as Kinect. Their main focus is on everyone. The ads are definitely geared towards the casual/mainstream market but through the Inside Xbox videos on Xbox Live, they have shown hardcore gamers just how advanced and revolutionary Kinect is. This is also being explained on mainstream news channels like CNN and Kinect is also being showcased on many popular television shows including Dancing with the Stars, Glee, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Oprah. In fact, Oprah gave her whole audience Xbox 360 Kinect bundles. Microsoft is also touring with Kinect across the country. Microsoft knows well that Kinect can literally sell itself if people try it out or people see others having fun with it. Even I can account for that. I was pretty amazed how well it works when I tried it out for the first time. There are also huge rumors of shortages which is gonna rush people to the stores to get it as soon as possible. I actually do believe that there will most likely will be a shortage of Kinect sensors. With half a billion dollars of advertising being done, Microsoft is doing big things to advertise Kinect and it is clear it will be the most wanted item of the holiday season.

Pricing: Pricing is important. Are the prices of Kinect and PlayStation Move worth what they are asking?

PlayStation Move: For those who own a PlayStation 3 but do not already own the PlayStation Eye camera, The PlayStaton Move starter pack is what you will be after. For $99, you will receive one PlayStation Move controller, one PlayStation Eye camera, a copy of Sports Champions, and a PlayStation Move demo disc. For those who may have bought games like The Eye of Judgment in the past and already own a PlayStation Eye camera can purchase a standalone Move controller for $49.99. The Move Navigation Controller which has the same purpose as the Wii's Nunchuck controller costs $29.99. Those who do not want to pay for the Navigation controller can also use the left side of their SixAxis or DualShock 3 controller although that may feel uncomfortable. What if you are new to PlayStation and still have yet to get the PlayStation 3 console? The PlayStation Move starter kit will be bundled with PlayStation 3 consoles for $399.99.

Kinect: Just like PlayStation Move, Kinect will work with every Xbox 360 out there. Those who already own an Xbox 360 can pick up a Kinect sensor for $149.99. Every Kinect sensor will also come with a complimentary copy of Kinect Adventures. With Kinect, there are no extra accessories necessary to allow multiplayer so all you will ever need is the Kinect sensor unless you want to buy a mount to place it on top of your TV. Those are sold through third party accessory manufacturers. If you do not own an Xbox 360 which I'm sure many people looking to buy Kinect will not have, Microsoft will bundle both the Kinect sensor and Kinect Adventures with Xbox 360 consoles. The cheaper model which comes with a 4GB internal hard drive costs $299 while the more expensive model coming with 250GB of internal memory will cost $399. So look at it this way, Buying an Xbox 360 with Kinect is cheaper than buying a PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move.

Final Verdict: To be honest, I don't think I can pick and choose. No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong. Both Kinect and PlayStation Move provide an incredible motion gaming experience. I know that many hardcore gamers are waiting on Kinect to provide the hardcore gaming experience they are looking for while PlayStation Move already has titles that please the hardcore gamer. I think it all depends on what you are looking for your game console to do, what games you want, and how much money you are willing to shell out. This is almost the same as deciding which cell phone to buy. There is no phone that is clearly the greatest, the best one is the one that suits your needs. If you don't own a gaming console, don't care about bringing your console online, and just want the cheapest possible option, then you should choose the $299 Kinect/Xbox 360 bundle. If you own both systems and again want the cheapest possible option for single player, then the PlayStation Move starter kit would be the best option. Again, it is about what your situation is. Ask yourself what games do you want, what features do you want in your console, and more. Both are great options, the facts I have written above can be used as a guideline for you to make your final choice. In terms of which one will sell better, due to the epically huge ad campaign, I believe Kinect will easily sell more units than PlayStation Move so long as they have the supply to do so.

Sonic Free Riders Introduction Trailer

Check out the all new trailer for Sonic Free Riders which showcases how players will use their body to control your favorite Sonic character and this trailer serves as an introduction for the game. Be sure to double click the trailer to can see the whole screen. Check out Sonic Free Riders when it releases alongside the Kinect sensor on November 4 and stay tuned for more coverage of the game in the coming days and weeks.

Kinect Launch Plans Completely Revealed

Microsoft has let out all of the details of the Kinect launch and their campaign strategy. As you probably already know, the Kinect sensor will launch on Thursday November 4. If you already have an Xbox 360, the standalone Kinect sensor will cost $149.99 and come bundled with a copy of Kinect Adventures. If you do not own an Xbox 360, the Kinect sensor and a copy of Kinect Adventures will come bundled with Xbox 360 consoles. The 4GB console bundle will cost $299 while the 250GB console bundle will cost $399. Today, Microsoft revealed all of the titles that will be available in Kinect's launch window. Here is a list of the titles in the order they will be releasing:

* Kinect Adventures (included with hardware): November 4
* Kinectimals: November 4
* Kinect Joy Ride: November 4
* Adrenalin Misfits: November 4
* Fighters Uncaged: November 4
* Sonic Free Riders: November 4
* Kinect Sports: November 4
* MotionSports: November 4
* Your Shape: Fitness Evolved: November 4
* Dance Central: November 4
* The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout: November 4
* DanceMasters: November 4
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: November 16
* EA Sports Active 2: November 16
* Game Party: In Motion: November 18
* Zumba Fitness: November 18
* Deca Sports Freedom: Holiday 2010

All together there are 17 titles, that's only one less than the Xbox 360's launch. All of the titles will cost less than the standard $59.99 price point with most games costing only $49.99 with Game Party: In Motion costing even less at $39.99. The only game that seems expensive is EA Sports Active 2 at $99.95 but this is because it comes with extra equipment. In addition, Microsoft will have an advertising campaign worth half a billion dollars. Expect to see Kinect make appearances on many different television shows over the next few weeks such as Oprah, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, and more. There will be about 7000 midnight launches as well. According to retailers, they are selling out of pre orders. This means if you have not already pre ordered Kinect, you might have a lot of trouble getting one on launch day.

Sonic Free Riders Gets Dated

Sega's first game to ever use full body motion controls has finally found itself a release date. Sonic Free Riders will be a Kinect launch title as it launches day and date with the Kinect sensor on Thursday, November 4. This is the third installment in the Sonic Riders franchise and will allow the player to race in many different types of environments and controlling different hover boards and bikes using only their body making it an incredibly unique experience unlike anything in a Sonic game. Expect yourself to be twisting, turning, and jumping with your favorite Sonic character in a little over one month. Stay tuned for more coverage of Sonic Free Riders as it gets close to the launch of the game and the Kinect sensor.