Editorial: Kinect Comes To Halo: Anniversary: Has Motion Control Gone Too Far?

Today 343 Industries made it known, to my chagrin, that Halo: Anniversary would be receiving Kinect support. I’ll admit it; I was a huge advocate of Kinect. I was entranced by Spielberg’s childlike enthusiasm that it would “change the paradigm of storytelling and social interaction”, overly susceptible to Milo and Kate’s charms, vulnerable to Lionhead’s Peter Molyneux projections that motion control will bring us ever closer to a truly immersive 'experience'.

A year later and my Kinect has long since been boxed away, my general physique shows signs of flabbiness after a long absence of Dance Central and a once promising Kinect release schedule is irretrievably barren, bar a couple of notable hopefuls. Whether you’re the voice of reason in Mass Effect 3 or an admiring Autovista spectator in Forza 4, we’ve seen hands-free gaming becoming commonplace in the most diverse titles - even where the terms ‘shoe-horned’ and ‘in’ become appropriate. Informing a voluptuous Asari she has a nice pair of, ahem, 'eyes' through Kinect is one thing, but gesturing to throw grenades and reload in a hardcore shooter is entirely another. Is it just me or has motion control gone too far?