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Achievement Unlocked: 100G Thy Holy Name is B.A.M.F.

This is the first thing that entered my mind upon hearing of Project Natal, Microsoft’s code name for a “controller free gaming and entertainment experience.” I thought of the possibilities of something that would bring the type of interactivity and personality promised by videogame companies and developers since the advent of Pong. A game like Crackdown 2 could certainly flourish with this tool.. And the entertainment value of competition level Halo with Natal as the controller could be fantastic.

But is Microsoft actually re-writing the rules on modern gaming or defying industry sales trends, as so many have often stated? They state the only experience is life experience – a fantastic marketing phrase, but one that can be slightly misleading if you think about it. This sensor will detect the movements necessary to enact activity in the game you’re playing, in this way most people I’ve spoken to liken it to an amplified Wii controller. With a mapping system that extracts over 40 points of interest on the body we are talking about an experience that could be immersive in a very exciting way.

But what of this life experience? My gamer grandmother watched this presentation and was immediately excited, as she felt she was getting something like the Wii – a system that she felt addressed her desire to dive into interactive entertainment and games but didn’t require the maddening 36 sequence button presses that she often watched her grandchildren enter in furiously for boast-worthy combos. But with every advancement, however, comes new challenges and problems. Can you imagine, even for a moment, if she was playing a fantasy game, questing about and slaying every manner of beast, only to finally come to the last boss, and through accidently moving her arm in the wrong way – ends up dry humping the leg of a dragon. Sure, that’s an exaggerated example – but there are going to be instances where the technology is just not going to deliver the same experience you saw at a keynote.

I’m certainly not trying to downplay the fun that could be had with Natal, just that we should be wary not to see it as the coming of what gaming should be, or will be from this point on. I remember when one orange button on a black clumsy one-stick controller was the embodiment of all that was good in gaming. New technology has always made me wary as it can quickly be used as an excuse for having no actual in game innovation and design.