Microsoft demos Katamari, Natal-style

By Ellie Gibson Published 28 September, 2009

Plus motion-controlled Space Invaders.

Microsoft showed off two more ways Project Natal could work with existing games at the Tokyo Game Show last week.

According to creative director Kudo Tsunoda, speaking during a demo presentation, Japanese firms such as Konami, Square Enix, Capcom and Namco Bandai are "all building games for project Natal". But to further illustrate the potential of the technology, Microsoft put together a special TGS demo featuring Beautiful Katamari.

"I think what this does really well is take a game that was super-hard to control, and make it super-easy and approachable," he said. "On 360 the controls in Katamari were really hard - it was hard to navigate around the world. Now, with Project Natal, it's very simple and easy to do. Anybody can get in and be able to play it right away. It makes it simple, fun and accessible while still keeping the depth and excitement this game has."

Eurogamer got to have a go and sure enough, the game was instinctively easy to play. You position your hands as if they're on top of a beach ball then move them as if rolling it around - left to go left, right to go right and so on. The game was responsive to our movements, with no lag between our gestures and the action on screen. It all felt fluid, natural and less fiddly than twiddling analogue sticks.

Next up was Space Invaders Extreme. To play the Natal version of this game, you stand in front of the screen with your arms out to the side and bent at the elbows. Stepping from side to side moves your ship left and right. You raise your arms to fire, keeping them bent. You look like C-3PO at a rave, having just discovered disco biscuits.

In practice, it's easier to control your ship by leaning from side to side rather than stepping. The game occasionally appeared to struggle to keep up with our firing motions, and twice had to be reset after it stopped responding altogether. But Space Invaders Natal-style was strangely good fun to play and apparently hilarious to watch, and overall it worked. Plus it's probably completely amazing if you've had disco biscuits for tea.

But is there any chance the Natal versions of these games will make it into the shops? Seems unlikely, as these were tech demos built specially for TGS. "We just wanted to make something Japanese consumers and publishers could identify with," said Tsunoda. Here's hoping someone sees the potential of Space Invaders Natal in time for our Christmas party, anyway.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 2 years ago

    BE the ball!

  • RedPanda #2 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • Douche #3 2 years ago

    'You look like C-3PO at a rave, having just discovered disco biscuits.'

    Ace

  • riz23 #4 2 years ago

    Jesus. First to love gaming I was labelled a geek. Now geek is cool so gaming is ensuring I look like a twat instead.

  • Ace_McCloud #5 2 years ago

    "You position your hands as if they're on top of a beach ball then move them as if rolling it around - left to go left, right to go right and so on."

    While I believe its easy to control, I just can't build a mental picture of how this works.

  • Quint2020 #6 2 years ago

    Beautiful Katamari was difficult to control...??

    Ohhh wait you mean you actually had to LEARN how to play the game..... yeah I forgot people don't like to do that anymore.

  • Doctor_What #7 2 years ago

    The lack of lag on Katamari is interesting. The video I've seen looked very laggy. I guess the tech's improving. Intriguing stuff, even if it is on very simple games.

  • schnide #8 2 years ago

    Oh good. I'm so excited about more motion controls. Yay.

  • ybfelix #9 2 years ago

    @McCloud: I think it plays like an invisible trackball?
    Edited by 1 at 28/09/09 @ 16:53

  • Eraysor #10 2 years ago

    Space Invaders: Retarded Edition

    But seriously, this is an example of how not to use motion control. Total gimmickry.

  • Negotiator #11 2 years ago

    I told everyone when this was first shown, Natal is the future of gaming, it is the ultimate motion control. It can't be bettered, and Sony are shitting their pants, yes I do own a PS3 and its a great machine, but Natal is a huge step forward, like when man first stepped on the moon. Nintendo started it and Microsoft will finish it, and you can quote me on that.

  • ybfelix #12 2 years ago

    Eraysor: Actually I believe this can be a way of injecting some fun into old games. Who play Space Invaders seriously these days? Some retardedness could be fitting.

  • Dizzy #13 2 years ago

    >But seriously, this is an example of how not to use motion control. Total gimmickry.

    As mentioned these are tech demos. The MS team are just fitting a bunch of totally different games with Natal controls just to see/test what kind of motions the system can/should handle and to give potential Natal devs ideas of what can be done. With a system like Natal it will take a while to "standardize" the motions for different controls (just like all console FPS games now use Halo controls). Be happy that MS is doing this... instead of whine like a cat in heat.
    Edited by 2 at 28/09/09 @ 17:00

  • jmg123 #14 2 years ago

    natal could really work with katamari, I was going to buy it for the ps3 when it becomes ~ £20 , but I think I might wait now, and get it with a 2nd hand xbox, and natal (and forza 3 and viva pinata whist i'm at it)

  • Negotiator #15 2 years ago

    I was joking about the man on the moon comparison, Natal is bigger than that.

  • RedSparrows #16 2 years ago

    Natal is like when men stepped on the moon?

    Oh shi-

    Crushed beneath a Siberia-sized amount of hyperbole
    Edited by 1 at 28/09/09 @ 17:18

  • TopKatt #17 2 years ago

    I agree with Negotiator. Sod walking on the moon, now I can BE the moon.

  • matrim83 #18 2 years ago

    How about some games instead of game concepts that could work? Surely there must be stuff in development?

  • Ace_McCloud #19 2 years ago

    After watching some vids of Katamari Natal on youtube. I still don't get the beach ball comparison - I assumed it'd be like a tracking ball but it looks more like your using your hands as a tilt table or something, or some sort of steering wheel.

    Have never played Katamari so finding it all very confusing!

  • GreyBeard #20 2 years ago

    @Negotiator

    Eyepet.

    Discuss?

  • makeamazing #21 2 years ago

    I told everyone when this was first shown, Natal is the future of gaming, it is the ultimate motion control. It can't be bettered, and Sony are shitting their pants

    The idea is the ultimate motion control maybe (though I prefer the one shown in Sixth Day - Hologram all the way), but the technology is within the realms of today. I think your saying it cant be bettered by todays tech, cause it will be bettered in the future.

    Keeping your enthusiasm in check is probably best otherwise you are going to be bitterly disappointed that its not going to be the amazing futuristic technology you think it is.

  • Dark_Stranger #22 2 years ago

    Link to video?

  • makeamazing #23 2 years ago

    I think there are some pictures on Kotaku as they ran this story over the weekend or Friday.

  • metalangel #24 2 years ago

    @Quint: I'm glad it's not just me who thinks this way.

    When I say people who want a rewind function in Forza 3 should perhaps not be playing racing games in the first place if they can't take having to develop enough skill to do three whole laps without cunting it up, I get called all sorts of nasty names.

  • mr_ruberfon #25 2 years ago

    like a patronising, elitist dullard?

  • Accordi0n #26 2 years ago

    SO i assume you beat the high score in space invaders and rolled the largest ball of junk ever seen in Katamari?

    if not, what do these demos prove?

  • drumbaby #27 2 years ago

    Sounds like Wii RROD Edition.

  • rotmm #28 2 years ago

    @GreyBeard,

    Broken Record.

    Discuss?

  • hahayou #29 2 years ago

    You will break your records if you use them as a discus, yes.

  • knocker #30 2 years ago

    "the controls in Katamari were really hard"

    Except they weren't. 5-10 minutes of play and they are second nature. Silly man.

  • moggsy #31 2 years ago

    @ Accordi0n

    'SO i assume you beat the high score in space invaders and rolled the largest ball of junk ever seen in Katamari?

    if not, what do these demos prove? '

    That gaming isn't always about getting the highest score?

  • jonsaan #32 2 years ago

    'Next up was Space Invaders Extreme. To play the Natal version of this game, you stand in front of the screen with your arms out to the side and bent at the elbows. Stepping from side to side moves your ship left and right. You raise your arms to fire, keeping them bent.'

    People the world over understand how to control Space Invaders. In fact it was probably THE game that got mass appeal because it was so easy to control.