Put the Body in Motion: 10 Games We Want to See Remade for the New Motion Controllers

6/29/2009 7:35 AM | 2 Comments | Page 1 of 2

Back at E3 2006, motion control was the star of the show for the first time, with the new Wii Remote drawing two hour lines at the show's height. At E3 2009, motion control was again the big focus of the show, with Nintendo's more accurate WiiMotionPlus; Microsoft's camera-based, hand-controller-free Project Natal; and Sony's best-of-both-worlds, camera-and-magic-wand Motion Controller demo. These new technologies understandably have developers, journalists and gamers excitedly imagining what kind of brand new, exciting game experiences might be possible in this brave new world of more accurate motion control.

Nuts to that. Why come up with all new game experiences when there are tons of classic games and franchises just begging to be remade for this new generation of controllers? Here's a quick list of some games we want to see brought back for some motion-controlled fun.

1. Super Glove Ball

All the jokes about how people "love the Power Glove" because "it's so bad" kind of obscure the fact that people tended to hate the Power Glove because it was, um, actually so bad. Surprisingly, though, the game that came with it, Super Glove Ball, wasn't awful.

A slow-paced, more tactical version of Arkanoid, only with very impressive (for the time, at least) 3-D graphics and gameplay, the only real problem with Super Glove Ball was the sluggish, wonky Power Glove itself. Today's systems could easily improve on the 3-D graphics while using new controllers to lets you accurately grab at and throw the ball against the walls of bricks. Think Boom Blox, but with the need for good reflexes thrown in.

2. Dance Dance Revolution

The Dance Dance Revolution games are actually no strangers to motion controls, even if you ignore the dance mat itself. Dance Dance Revolution Extreme on the PS2 featured optional support for the EyeToy, which let you wave your hands in time with on screen prompts. DDR: Hottest Party for the Wii lets you shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuk similarly. Don't even get me started on all the other games that have tried to use the Wii Balance Board or Remote to simulate some (very lame) dance moves.

We need a real revolution in dancing games, and the new wave of motion controllers might be able to provide it. Instead of mindlessly following the on-screen arrows by stomping on the pad, the new wave of 3-D cameras could let youy freestyle by detecting and ranking all sorts of full body dance moves, from spins and shimmies to flips and breakdancing moves (for the pros). Plus, no need for bulky pads clogging up your closet. It's a win-win!

3. World Class Track Meet

The real problem with this game (which came pre-packaged with one of the first motion controllers, the NES Power Pad) was how easy it was to cheat. The 100-yard dash could be completed with quick, tiny little stutter steps instead of true running, and jumping to the side could easily lead to long jumps that looked like they took place on the moon.

Add in the full-body tracking abilities of Microsoft's Project Natal, though, and the focus switches from cheating the system to using correct athletic form. Replacing the Power Pad with a camera means you can also simulate all those upper body track and field events. Imagine miming motions for the javelin, discus, shot put or hammer throw and seeing the resulting projectile fly away on-screen based on your real-life speed and technique.

4. Tetherball

Watching Jimmy Fallon use his body to knock a virtual ball into a wall of virtual bricks with Project Natal got me thinking -- what kind of game would benefit from the ability to bat a ball with your body? Then it hit me: tetherball!

For those of you that didn't go to elementary school or summer camp with me, tetherball involves knocking a ball tethered to the top of a pole past an opponent on the other side, until the tether wraps around the pole fully. Besides allowing for indoor play (when it's raining out) and online play (when your real friends are busy dating girls instead of playing tetherball), virtual tetherball also removes the choking hazard from knocking the tether at just the right angle so it wraps around your opponent's neck so tightly that he's knocked out for five whole minutes! Sorry, Billy!

5. Police 911 & Mo-Cap Boxing

At the turn of the new millennium, these two Konami games brought a totally new and unique experience to the arcade by using sonic motion sensors to track your body as you ducked and leaned to really dodge virtual bullets and/or punches. Nintendo's Wii Balance Board could provide a decent approximation of the gameplay right now, but the new 3-D camera-based controllers from Sony and Microsoft would really capture the thrill of darting out of the way of an oncoming bullet. Konami... stop remaking Karaoke Revolution and get on this!