FGTV talked to Joel Seider about Harry Potter Kinect. Unlike previous Kinect Harry Potter games, this is built from the ground up for Kinect. In some ways it seems similar to Kinect Rush and Disneyland Adventures, although with more of a story emphasis.
The game first lets you take a picture of yourself with the Kinect controller, before playing through all of the Harry Potter books. With so much ground to cover it sounds like this will focus on key moments rather than retelling the whole story.
The emphasis in game play, as demonstrated by Seider, is on action and skews a little younger than other Harry Potter titles and makes use of Kinect’s full body controls. It’s therefore a good thing that it includes a two player mode where players can compete to win each section — something that was absent from both Kinect Rush and Disneyland Adventures that both featured a joint score in their multi-player modes.
With the success of first party Kinect exclusive titles, it’s good to see third parties investing in the hands-free controller as well.
A nice feature is the ability to cast spells using just the Kinect microphone. As I say in the interview, my daughter will enjoy this — and already runs around the house casting spells on siblings, pets and parents.
It will be interesting to get our hands on the game proper nearer to release this fall.
Harry Potter Kinect is available for pre-order from Amazon for $49.99.
