Of 2012: Best Motion Gaming

For a few months there I was trying not to use a controller as I went through therapy for my arms and wrists. I couldn’t just stop playing games though and with the Wii all but retired I turned to Kinect and PlayStation Move. Here’s my Top Five Motion Game Experiences of 2012:

• Rhythm Party
• Kung Fu Rider
• Datura
• Wreckateer
• Haunt

Rhythm Party is by far the best motion game of the year for me. It ditches the precise movements of Dance Central and simply gives you markers to hit on the screen in time with the music. How you hit them (or with which body part) is entirely up to you and your proficiency with terrible dance moves. Kung Fu Rider is kind of a cop out as it wasn’t released in 2012 but it provided the next best motion controlled fun… even though it doesn’t play so great.

Datura provided some legitimate thought provoking motion gaming which hasn’t happened since Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. In starkest of contrast is Wreckateer which is basically dumb, explodey fun that happens to play extremely well with Kinect. And then there’s Haunt… which was free. It had a couple of genuinely immersive moments but most of the time I wound up sliding along the walls or missing my targets.

And that’s motion gaming in 2012 folks: it still kinda works, is sometimes fun, is a total shocker when it succeeds, and is only a good value when it’s cheap or free.