Worried that Microsoft's E3 showcase of its Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 was a little too "casual," a little too Wii Sports rewarmed? Kinect's creative director sees it otherwise, that Microsoft's taking a Super Mario Bros. approach instead.
So says Kudo Tsunoda, the oft-sunglassed man behind games like Kinect Adventures, the river rafting and platforming Kinect game that Microsoft spent much of its E3 keynote showing off. Sure there's plenty of Skittles scratching in Kinectimals and awkward dancing in Harmonix's Dance Central, but, according to Kudo, this is Nintendo caliber stuff.
"If you think about a game like Mario Bros., would you say Mario Bros. is a core or casual game? That's exactly what we're doing with the Kinect products," Tsunoda told Videogamer.com.
"There's the core gaming depth and skills, and the casual approachability that lets you get into it and play it right away. That's what we focus on in all of the gameplay. When we say games are approachable, it doesn't mean shallow."
In Kinect's critics' defense, Super Mario Bros. is now about 25 years old. Deep, yes, but perhaps overly familiar too?
Tsunoda compares Kinect Adventures to Mario Bros. [Videogamer.com]