Not so long ago, I’ve written an article on how Kinect might change the way rhythm game is currently. And with Kinect coming to Singapore’s shore on the 18th of November 2010, I am really excited about this new gaming device. Out of the few pioneer games for Kinect, Michael Jackson: The Experience draws the most attention out of me.
So the above is a video of a lady trying out the latest Kinect version of Michael Jackson: The Experience. After watching the video, I realised how messy the dance is! I don’t blame the lady at all. Looking at the interface of the game, what I think is missing is that the game did not provide good cue to the beat of the game. The tester in the video is just trying frantically to repeat the moves of the little icon man that appears on the screen. Totally off beat for a song called ‘Beat it’! Seriously, I think she is dying from all the singing and dancing! Notice how she starts to catch her breath when she is singing in the later part of the video.
And to be honest, MJ’s dance move is not easy at all. Just look at this picture above, one of MJ’s signature move. I can imagine how some gamers will lose their balance trying to perform this move and smack their face directly onto the floor. A great video for Failblog.org! After playing the game, some might think that it might be as well renamed to “Michael Jackson: the Painful Experience”. Or it can be “Michael Jackson: the Tiring Experience”, and well, basically you can fit in any adjective you want.
Hmmm, that really makes me re-think whether Kinect can revolutionalize music games. The essence of music or rhythm game is about following the beat. This game seems to miss this point. Ok maybe it is just this game. Until Kinect is out and we get more review of this genre of games, I shall stay on the sideline and stick to my trusty old controller first.
