Child of Eden

[forgeforsaken]

The new game from Tetsuya Mizuguchi creator of Rez and Lumines. Looks to be a bit of a sequel to Rez and looks awesome. For Kinect and possibly also Move.

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf6kS4vv5c8

and more importantly gameplay
http://www.giantbomb.com/e3-2010-child-of-eden-gameplay-demo/17-2731/

[sam and the firefly]

I hope it is for Move, because I don't want to play this game on Kinect unless I have to. Looks great, though.

[Sol Invictus]

They better bring it to the Move. I've no interest in the Kinect, and the Move looks like it'll have more 'real game' applications.

[Brad Grenz]

I've also heard you can use a regular controller, too. And that it plays better that way than with Kinect.

[MattKeil]

Correct, it does not require Kinect, it simply supports it.

[Rock8man]

I hope it's an XBLA release, not retail. I would play Rez HD a lot less if I had to go find the disc every time.

[kunaljoshi]

Bumping this thread since the game comes out today. Has anyone tried it yet ? I'm still undecided about getting a Kinect just for this game. My initial thought is that the vibration feedback in Rez was an essential part of the experience, and this Kinect hand-waving business is unlikely to make up for it.

[Delta]

What if, just as the vibration feedback in Rez was essential, the Kinect feedback is an essential part of this?

I'm undecided too, though.

[bluemax]

Its in my cart on Amazon but I've been waiting to hear impressions before I pick it up.

[RepoMan]

I'm totally buying it tonight. Won't be able to play it until tomorrow night, but will report back. NOT MISSING THE KYNESTHESIA.

[flyinj]

Mizuguchi himself has said the game plays best with an actual controller.

Anyhow, I cannot wait to play this tonight. This man has never disappointed.

[Wendelius]

We've got to wait until Friday here in UK. But after reading the EG review, I have to say I'm even more impatient: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-14-child-of-eden-review

They also feel that the game plays best with a controller. Though I'm sure Kinect will be a great match for the "Feel Eden" mode. Should be quite immersive and relaxing playing in that mode.

Wendelius

[forgeforsaken]

Got it, won't get to play it until later though. Here's a reason this game is cool though without even playing it, reversible insert.

[KaoFloppy]

You know, maybe the game wants you to just hold on to the controller(s) for the vibration effects, while flailing around doing the Kinect thing. 4 controllers == quadrophonic vibes?

[forgeforsaken]

Played one level and I was grinning throughout. The controls may be more accurate playing with a controller but I really can't see playing it that way. There's something right about playing it with Kinect, it's practically a dance game. You can't help but bounce along to the music when you are standing and the way you switch off between lock on and auto fire and the way you release the lock on fire, it's all sort of empowering.

And oh yeah, check the options it defaults to Stereo for some crazy reason.

[Rorschach]

Last night I played through Matrix twice, died once in Evolution then went back and beat it, died in Passion and called it a night.

It's really quite a lovely game. I went into the options and turned up the smoothing but left the speed at normal and that seems to work just fine for kinect control.

There's a certain amount of camera control throughout the game but it does a nice job of letting you know about threats. Pay attention to your cursor if it glows purple then you have incoming and need to switch to tracers. Once in tracer mode you get a HUD notification of where the bullets are off camera.

I'm still figuring out which is the optimal weapon for certain enemy types other than the obvious tracer = purple and octolock = shielded. I know you get more points for chaining lockons but the tracer is such a firehose it can easily sweep through swarms of smaller baddies.

I did control scheme A where you switch hands but the camera gets a little wonky as I drop one hand and raise the other. Maybe I need to be quicker on the draw. Probably won't switch to control B where you clap to change weapons but continually use your right hand. That's a little tiring.

[Teiman]

Looks great!, ..good use of kinect, It reminds me of a Isaac Asimov novel. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Themselves)

[forgeforsaken]

So I finally sat down and replayed the first level with a controller. Kinect is definitely the way to go. It's still fun, and very Rez, but it just feels so much better with Kinect.

[MattKeil]

I'm going to have to side with Mizuguchi and say the controller is the way to go. Vastly more precise control, not that that will surprise anyone.

[Rorschach]

I "finished" the game tonight completing the first five areas. All with Kinect. Too tired to try the bonus stage. Excellent game, I'm getting faster on switching hands so the camera is a little steadier and increasing the smoothness helped out a bunch. Oh and I saw in Whitta's twitter that the game defaults to stereo so go into the options and change it to 5.1 while your in there changing the speed and smoothness.

[forgeforsaken]

I'm going to have to side with Mizuguchi and say the controller is the way to go. Vastly more precise control, not that that will surprise anyone.

I bet you played Quake with no textures too. And who gives a shit about score? The game is more fun with Kinect, and that is what I've been talking about. You can probably do better at DDR playing with a controller too, should you play it that way?

Also, any links to him actually saying that?

[GregB]

I'm getting faster on switching hands so the camera is a little steadier and increasing the smoothness helped out a bunch.


I have found that raising your other hand before putting your current hand down cuts down on the camera wonkiness. I also have to agree that while the controller is clearly a lot more accurate, I enjoy the game a lot more using kinect. As always YMMV.

-g

[Syzygy]

Have been looking forward to this and just realized last night it was out when I saw that Metacritic had assigned a score.

[Rorschach]

I have found that raising your other hand before putting your current hand down cuts down on the camera wonkiness. I also have to agree that while the controller is clearly a lot more accurate, I enjoy the game a lot more using kinect. As always YMMV.

Agreed, but there can be a bit of a delay as the Kinect figures out which hand to lock onto. It's not perfect, but damn it's fun.

[Harkonis]

I bet you played Quake with no textures too. And who gives a shit about score? The game is more fun with Kinect, and that is what I've been talking about. You can probably do better at DDR playing with a controller too, should you play it that way?

Also, any links to him actually saying that?

pshaw, who plays games to have fun? ;) Achievements and points is all that matters apparently.

[forgeforsaken]

pshaw, who plays games to have fun? ;) Achievements and points is all that matters apparently.

The other thing is the game has separate leaderboards for Kinect and the classic controller. So even if you are looking to compete with your friends, the two modes are segregated out, so you're not really getting any kind of advantage.

I'd also argue that despite having leaderboards this really isn't a score chasing game like Geometry Wars or Pac-Man DX etc.

[Rorschach]

I think the devs agree as well since the score isn't displayed in the default hud.

[RepoMan]

This sold out everywhere near here. Of course, this is Kinect ground zero, being Redmond and all. Still, could be worse, sales-wise. So I have yet to procure this one. Anticipation remains high!

[MSUSteve]

Looking forward to a price cut so I can check this out.

[MonkeyPunky]

The first night I got Eden, I was going to say that I didn't like it that much but then realized I had been playing it for 3 hours. I finished the 5 archives on normal with a controller last night and it is awesome.

I'm probably going back to play it on hard or try using the kinect. I was pretty terrible at the game with the kinect the first night.

[Manresa]

I played through the matrix in two tries with a controller last week, and it took me three with Kinect just now, so the Kinect is a bit more difficult. I've only dabbled with Rez, so it's taking a while to get used to. I really want to like it, but it's not quite clicking yet. Maybe I should try headphones? I was, however, thrilled to see something I worked on (the Earth textures at the end of Matrix) show up in the game.

Now that my arm is rested, time to try Evolution again.

[Don Quixote]

I've been working my way through this for the last week- since I borrowed my brother's Kinect (this is the only game currently out that looks interesting).

Each level has been cooler than the last up until the last one, which just seems to be a big boss fight. This is disappointing coming from Rez, where the last level is f-ing *amazing*. I did die halfway(?) Through, though, so perhaps it ends well. Other observations:

-Passion (penultimate level) is awesome, both musically and style-wise. I was completely blown away.
-disappointed there's no on-screen avatar that evolves (along with weapons) as in Rez. Loved that part.
-really liking the Kinect controls, though I have trouble releasing on-beat for big multipliers.

[RepoMan]

Played the hell out of this last night with an old friend who just happened to be visiting. I, my friend, and my wife were all thoroughly entranced and blown away. Just an awesome artistic achievement. The phoenix actually made my wife swoon. (And me as well, for that matter.)

Kinect all the way for me, I have NO interest in a controller with this. I found after a while that just kind of settling into a dance groove, where I'm basically moving and waving my right arm more or less continually, both feels best and most enjoyable in my body and does a pretty good job of continually firing the lock-on shot for the phases where you're shooting swimming creatures etc. Of course, for the boss fights you have to turn your right arm into a jackhammer, which is fun in its own way.

It also helps that we were playing in a dark room with a ceiling projector -- standing in front of an entire wall full of this fucking game, completely filling your visual field, is absolutely the primo Kinect synaesthetic experience I hoped it would be. In fact, it's triple synaesthesia, since hearing, sight, and touch (full-body motion) are all being stimulated. I am definitely going to replay this game periodically forever, purely for meditative / trance value. THANK GOD the Kinect works in the dark!

Got through the first three levels on Normal quite easily, I beat Matrix on the first shot and only died once on Evolution (got through Beauty on the first shot too, go me, I <3 Kinect). Is there a difficulty level setting?

Anyway, yes, this is very clearly the first epic win for Kinect with the core gaming market. God, I hope there are more coming, because if this is only the tip of the iceberg, gonna be some yummy fuckin' ice cream.

[Rock8man]

From now on, all Kinect sales will include Children of Eden codes (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36864/Microsoft_Bundling_Child_Of_Eden_With_Kinect_Hardw are.php), so every Kinect owner from now onward should own a copy of this game. I'm jealous. I want it! I bought the Kinect too soon!

[RepoMan]

Buy it anyway. It's totally worth it if you enjoyed Rez, and damn near worth it period, end of sentence.

[Rock8man]

I do adore Rez. It's one of my favorite game experiences of all time, and one of my most replayed games on XBLA after the Geometry Wars games. But, I'm married now, and explaining a retail purchase to my non-gamer wife is...... a lot of hassle and effort. For now I'm in a holding pattern, going through my existing backlog. I figure I'll have a surer footing in any convincing I need to do if I've actually played most of the games I've already bought.

[RepoMan]

My wife and I handle this by having a certain amount of monthly budget money for each of us, that is "mad money" -- it can be spent on whatever, no questions asked. That way we can each indulge ourselves, but within budgetary limits that make sense for our cashflow. Really helps with such situations.

[Rock8man]

That is actually a great idea. I will float that idea soon, after we're finished moving into the new house we just bought, and things have settled down a bit. Thanks RepoMan.