2K Talks Motion Controls In Top Spin 4
Top Spin 4With all this new technology, sports games will never be the same again.
Top Spin 4 launches next week in North America and during a conference call today with 2K Czech associate producer Michael Kelly and executive producer Francois Giuntuni, we learned about how Move will have an impact on the new tennis installment. Firstly, they addressed the reason why their game supports Move and not Kinect; it wasn't a limitation in terms of hardware, per se, but a matter of design. Said Giuntuni:
"When Move was announced and presented it felt obvious we should support that with a tennis game; given the way it feels and looks almost like a racket. It's not so much of a technical issue; more of a design question, that actually prevented us from implementing Kinect. And one key element was that we wanted to preserve the gameplay regardless of controller.
With Kinect, we were not able to conceive a way to provide the depth we needed from the gameplay. Now, if you look at Move, all the swings and mechanics are available. T he gameplay will work and feel the same [as if you were using a regular controller]. We didn't want a 'lite' or 'dumbed down' version."
One other interesting note was made concerning the shot selection with Move: while we'll be able to do just about everything, and that includes putting spin on the ball with our arm motion, they had to relegate the slice shot to a button (the trigger). Evidently, during focus testing, it became clear that when using Move, players would get a little...well, spastic, and they'd often inadvertently hit a slice. But beyond that, we should still have full control with the basic movement of our arm.
They also touched on the reason they shied away from commentary, the number of stadiums/courts (43), and their primary goal: to make the gameplay both authentic and accessible. Yeah, it's difficult to cater to both the hardcore and the casual, but they're making a go of it.
Related Game(s): Top Spin 4
Tags: top spin 4, top spin 4 move, top spin 4 ps3
3/10/2011 3:06:26 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (10 posts)
Zorigo
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 4:12:30 AM
at a party, kinect is definitely just as good as move, as at a party it just needs to be accessible, parties aren't about hardcore gaming (unless its a gaming party lol), and kinect and move are both easily accessible.
But for ACTUAL gaming, kinect is kinda just treading water...
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The X Factor 9
Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 3:45:59 PM
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It is sad to say that PlayStation Move has been a failure thus far. I have 2 Move controllers, Navigation and Sharpshooter package. I like the tech, but it hasn't been a hit with the public.
Hopefully 2K did a great job with this game. It has potential. If it lives up to the potential, I will add it to my collection.
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Axe99
Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 4:16:30 PM
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From a gamers' perspective it's all win. It hasn't been as big a hit as Kinect, but Kinect is a casual offering - it's totem-tennis to Move's deeper gameplay experience. And Kinect has been the best selling peripheral ever - there's plenty of room to sell less than Kinect and still be successful. It's important to move away from a zero-sum game here - if Move makes Sony money, and makes gamers happy (and it's doing both) then it's all good.
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DjEezzy
Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 4:21:46 PM
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P.S. Sorry Axe99. Just saw your post
Last edited by DjEezzy on 3/10/2011 4:22:27 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 6:18:18 PM
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I joined the conference call today almost purely for personal reasons. I don't mind admitting it. ;)
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kellett007
Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 6:42:58 PM
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Weaverpsu
Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 7:56:09 PM
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___________
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:28:16 AM
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these people wonder why their games dont sell too well!
hmmmmmmm..................... I WONDER!
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coverton341
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Thursday, March 10, 2011 @ 3:42:08 PM
How would you run up or down court and move left and right? Move lends itself to these tasks by allowing you to still have the thing games really need, a controller.
Kinect is a neat gimmick, it really is. You can browse and control menus with the flick of the hand, but after the novelty and gimmecky flash wear off you realise rather quickly that it's just kind of....useless really.
Last edited by coverton341 on 3/10/2011 3:42:26 PM