For and Against: Motion Control
Whose side are you on?
Eurogamer is no stranger to hot debate. In fact, from arguments about controversial review scores to debates over the pros and cons of laser eye surgery, it seems we all like a bit of a row.
Which explains the thinking behind this new series of feature articles, titled For and Against. We're asking some of the world's top videogame journalists to look at some of the biggest issues facing gaming today, and to have a bit of a row about them.
We're also conducting an online poll within each article so you, The People, can democratically decide who is right and who is wrong. Thus we will know The Truth once and for all and no one will ever argue about any of these issues ever again.
To kick things off, our very own Tom Bramwell is taking on the mighty Jon "Log" Blyth. Read on to find out where they stand on the question of whether motion-controlled gaming is any good.
Remember to cast your vote in the poll at the end. And please let us know in the Comments section if there are any issues you'd like to see debated in future, or if you'd prefer us to just get on with that PDC World Championship Darts review thanks.
The Case For... By Tom Bramwell
"Is your home Kinect-ready?" we asked in November, touring the homes of Eurogamer writers in order to put Microsoft's new pad-free Xbox gizmo, which has gone on to sell more than eight million units, to the test.
In some cases, the answer was yes. Eurogamer TV's Johnny Minkley can "jump in" to his heart's content, while Ellie can dance for literally minutes before her downstairs neighbour bursts in and murders her. In other cases, however, it was a big fat no.
My lounge is long and not particularly narrow, but when I'm sat on the couch my toes are only about five feet from the near side of my TV bench. As a result, Kinect does not work in my house.
My Kinectimal, Boom, peers out of the screen, forlorn, as I calibrate and recalibrate in the hope we can be together. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and roll around on the carpet crying, just to be with him in spirit.
Kinect isn't alone, either. Wii games and PlayStation Move also dislike my front room layout. If I want to experience motion control, I have to go to a friend's house or play stuff in the office.
"You may want to move your furniture out of the way for the best playing experience." No, I may want your stupid, trumped-up webcam to get some flipping skills. I am not the controller.
I am, however, roaringly in favour of motion control.
In the run-up to Kinect's release, Microsoft's team of evangelists, led by sunglasses-loving high-speed tracksuit scarecrow Kudo Tsunoda, told anyone who would listen that it was not created to divert resources from core games. Instead, they promised, Kinect would promote diversity and offer consumers choice. Sony said much the same thing about PlayStation Move.
We desperately need these things. We need to give developers a reason to think beyond the boundaries of their last release, and we need to show consumers that this is happening. Because while you may not care for Kinectimals or SingStar Guitar, you would suffer unimaginably in the world we'd have without them.