Kitase: Kinect, Move "awkward" for RPGs

Microsoft and Sony reckon their motion control devices Kinect and Move will revolutionise the game industry, but one big hitter remains unconvinced of their relevance to that most hardcore of genres: the role-playing game.

Fitting Kinect, which enables controller free gaming, and Move, which uses a controller camera combo, into traditional RPG design is "awkward", Final Fantasy head honcho Yoshinori Kitase, who's doing the rounds promoting PSP-exclusive title The 3rd Birthday, told Eurogamer.

"Obviously this [The 3rd Birthday] is a PSP title, so we couldn't have made use of these new techniques anyway," he said.

"But it is quite awkward, particularly for example in Final Fantasy XIII, which came out last March in Europe. That kind of interface is quite difficult to be included in the RPG.

"But this is a gun shooter, and we would love to expand the franchise. In the future I think those technologies could be quite handy for us."

Using motion control add-ons during the long gameplay sessions typically experienced when playing RPGs wouldn't be appropriate, Kitase explained.

"The main difference between shooting games and RPGs – obviously there are some – but shooting games probably amount to up to 10 to 15 hours of gameplay.

"But an RPG, you have to improve your character fight and fight and fight, and then the ending, and then more to play with, that could be 40 to 50 hours.

"It's quite continuous play, even though you don't have one go, obviously.

"That kind of technique might not fit so well with a very continuous title that requires long gameplay."

Still, Kinect and Move may end up playing some part in future games in the likes of the Final Fantasy series, Kitase pondered.

"We could have a chance to introduce those techniques in a mini-game in those games, if you like, to give them additional spice."

Move's due out on 17th September. Kinect's due out on 10th November. Not long now.