Natal game River Rush revealed

By Ellie Gibson Published 19 April, 2010

Man reckons it will help kids lose weight.

Hollywood screenwriter James Gunn has been playtesting Project Natal - and putting his thoughts about it on the internet.

In a post on his blog Gunn wrote, "First I played a game kicking and whacking balls into targets... I was really struck by the amount of physical exertion it took. It’s amazing exercise and, because of that, I think it’s going to be a much better device for people’s health in general. As hyperbolic as it may sound, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years we see a decrease in childhood obesity simply because of the system."

Sounds like Gunn was playing Ricochet, a dodgeball-inspired game Microsoft has been using to demo Natal for ages now. But he also got to play something called River Rush, which doesn't appear to have been shown before.

"It’s a game where you stand side by side in a river raft, so it’s two people playing at once," said Gunn. Apparently you step right and left to steer the raft, and jump to reach floating stars as you sail down the rapids.

"This game was even more exhilarating than the kicking one, and even more aerobically challenging. In fact, I’d say the ONLY drawback to the Natal some people may have is that you have to get up off your ass to play it. But, for me, a person who likes exercise and gaming, it's sort of a dream come true. An hour of playing Natal every night will definitely burn calories."

Gunn concluded, "The Natal was an amazing piece of technology and I’ll be the first one in line to buy one when they come out during the holidays... I really, really can’t wait to shoot someone on that f***ing thing."

Project Natal will be released, as Gunn said, this holidays.

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 (38) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • KayJay #1 2 years ago

    Link Fail.
    Goes to EG.net :-(

  • Bitkari #2 2 years ago

    http://www.jamesgunn.com/2010/04/15/quic...

  • jonsaan #3 2 years ago

    This just sounds like such a load of waggle inspired cack. It really does. Why not get up off your arse and go outside?
    Edited by jonsaan at 19/04/10 @ 09:28

  • chukcyQ #4 2 years ago

    I want to shoot my head like a Rockstar!

  • Postumo #5 2 years ago

    bah, sega already invented this, circa 1993 i think...
    http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-...

  • Cpt_McOneball #6 2 years ago

    @jonsaan

    Then you are going to LOVE the Playstation Move.

  • jonsaan #7 2 years ago

    Well quite! :D

  • metalangel #8 2 years ago

    I play games when I don't feel like exercising.

  • IronGiant #9 2 years ago

    Step left or right then jump? The expected flood of shovelware crap is on the way, with parents being given the impression that it will get obese kids to exercise. Yeah right. The wii and the Move are bad enough with regards to being shoe-horned into games but at least the controllers can give you a sense of holding a weapon or golf club etc, the natal tech maybe impressive but as far as gaming is concerned no thanks.

  • JDFreeman #10 2 years ago

    sorry but i think that's great. Natal doesnt really apeall to me but if it helps some people to loose weight then thats cool.

  • Doctor_What #11 2 years ago

    You don't have to apologise for having a different view JDFreeman!

  • Toothball #12 2 years ago

    Surely the fat kids are all pretty lazy to begin with though, so aren't all that likely to spend much time playing a game that involves physical exertion when they could sit down and play Halo or whatever as usual. Wii Fit seems to have been successful because non-gamers have taken to it, while the kids wanting to game complain about it.

  • spiritsnake #13 2 years ago

    cmon,if i want to kick balls at a target,i pick up my soccer ball,head outside,find a wall or sumthn of a target,and i kick.its got realistic physics and life like graphics,weather conditions,wind resistance,and i get real vitamin D from the sunlight. And as for obese kids burning calories,where are the dads?? its the parents responsibility to spend time with their kids,and play ball or watever with them.its their responsibility to make sure their kids are healthy,not just leaving it to a piece of software to do the parenting for you!!!

  • Mkwone #14 2 years ago

    Yeah but what kid wants to play yoga? Wii fit is limited in that it's based on precession not activity. For instance your told not to jump on the wii fit and just move to one side or the other.

    Natal is different in that you're encouraged to go completly mad on it, jump around, dive, karate kick whatever. It might appeal to kids, but like already mentioned, the laziest will just continue playing halo.

  • iamian #15 2 years ago

    "cmon,if i want to kick balls at a target,i pick up my soccer ball,head outside"

    Yes, but what if you want to go white water rafting with a friend and catch floating stars as you go along...
    Edited by iamian at 19/04/10 @ 11:18

  • schnide #16 2 years ago

    This is the same James Gunn who wrote Tromeo and Juliet, Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed? Wow, Microsoft are pulling out the heavyweights for this.

  • Lukus #17 2 years ago

    It's like the "play real guitar instead of Guitar Hero" argument. It doesn't work like that. If the game is fun (the point of any game surely) then what's the problem? It's not a case of one or the other. There's room for both. And besides they're not even really comparable. Each has its own merritts and reasons for being. Guitar Hero isn't meant as a replacement for the real life ability and nor should waggle be seen as a replacement for real life.

    It's when people think that games are a proper substitute for any such activity that there's a problem.
    Edited by Lukus at 19/04/10 @ 12:24

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #18 2 years ago

    I think we all knew there'd be odd mini-games for this, just as there are for Wii and will be for Move. Some will be fun, some will be crap, and some will be entertaining for five minutes before getting old.

    The real question is how will it be used by other games, more complex games? That's what's got me excited.

    That and flicking through the dash with my fingers.

  • doulema #19 2 years ago

    @jonsaan

    Cause Wii Fit... As abnormal as some thins might seem and sound there is always way worst. At least he is telling you that in this case you burn calories while gaming or whatever. That's his point. But then again why explain when the reason you turned the subject that way wasn't cause you aren't capable to read clear but cause you were too happy to talk about "Move" for PS3 ( I do own a PS3 but you are clearly here to comment cause you are against Natal generally. I see no point or what you kiddos get out of being negative about what you won't be buying simply cause you don't support. It's about gaming and not making an ass out of yourselves for the shake of MS or Sony. )

    Anyhow, I still am not interested into those type of games when it comes to Natal. Yeah, since I was never into WiiMotes I'm more interested buying Natal than Move for my PS3 ( which I'll also end up buying ) but I have to admit I'm bound to get a couple of crappy generic Natal based games but that's about it. Just till better quality games for the hardcore gamer start showing up. Plus they said it will be also used for the PC which is a huge plus for me so I will be getting it to experiment with it as much as possible.

    P.S. Good time for MS to boost 360 in Japan. Hentai based games that you can use instead of a cursor, Natal to pull on their nipples and such. I know for a fact that will help for once MS ^^

  • Skooch #20 2 years ago

    "You don't have to apologise for having a different view JDFreeman!"

    Oh you do! I have several times been negged into oblivion for posting a well written and straightforward argument against 'the masses' who didn't agree and negged away just because they didn't agree with me. Unfortunately, people on this site neg for posts they don't agree with, not poor quality posts.

    EDIT: I should say SOME people, not all. :D
    Edited by Skooch at 19/04/10 @ 12:47

  • Monkey_Puncher #21 2 years ago

    River Rush? Sounds like a euphemism for colonic irrigation...in that case I can understand how you'll lose weight!

  • Murton #22 2 years ago

    "I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years we see a decrease in childhood obesity simply because of the system."

    Not so much hyperbole than hype bollocks. By his logic the Wii would have had an effect on childhood obesity too, yet studies show that the Wii and even the Wii Fit require insufficient levels of all over activity to count as proper exercise and obesity levels actually increased and I predict that the same will happen with Natal.

    We'll see a decrease in childhood obesity when decent food is priced at the same level as the shit in Iceland, not when new gaming peripherals come out.

  • The-Bodybuilder #23 2 years ago

    Get ROCK HARD ABS with Natal.

  • The-Bodybuilder #24 2 years ago

    FYI, if people genuingly think natal will aid in the fight against besity, then you're naive.
    Do you really think when kids (or adults even) stuff their face with such bad food for the majority of the day, that playing natal for a few hours will lead to weightloss?

  • darleysam #25 2 years ago

    Actually, having Wii Fit in my house has helped me lose weight. Not through playing it every night, but just using it helped me get into the mindset of being fitter and more active. If Natal can have the same effect, get people moving around and realising that it's fun, then it will help people. At least some, which is so much better than none.
    I'm looking forward to it, that's for sure.

  • ronuds #26 2 years ago

    People in a "I-can't-understand-why-jumping-around-while-playing-a-game-is-more-fun-than-doing-so-outside-by-yourself-making-you-look-like-a-weirdo" shocker.

  • spiritsnake #27 2 years ago

    @iamian
    if i want to catch floating stars on a raft on a river with a friend,i must have smoked the real good shit!
    Edited by spiritsnake at 19/04/10 @ 16:02

  • spiritsnake #28 2 years ago

    The Bodybuilder
    Get ROCK HARD ABS with Natal.


    now thats the funniest thing ive heard this week.thanx for that mate,i laughed my monday blues away with that.

  • nuanimal #29 2 years ago

    "As hyperbolic as it may sound, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years we see a decrease in childhood obesity simply because of the system"

    Yes, but in the ensuing few months there might be a spike in child heart attacks from fat American kids.

  • Froggit #30 2 years ago

    Err, natalural selection?
    Nataral?
    Natty-something anyway.
    Either way, it's all for the greater good of the human race.

  • Wolverfrog #31 2 years ago

    I do hope Microsoft aren't going down Nintendo's casual route. I hope Natal will be used in new and innovative ways, for example using a mixture of controller, Natal and voice recognition to play a first person shooter or RTS.

  • Emmit_Assassin #32 2 years ago

    No one can say Natal doesn't appeal to them, or that they arent interested, as its not been released and we don't know what sort of games are going to come out for it. How can you have an opinion on something that doesn't technically exist in the public domain yet?
    Once its out, and we know what games there are, and how they play, then we can start slagging it off.
    O.K?
    Anything else is simply opinions formed on specualtion and not a lot else, really. And that's not an opinion worth voicing. IMHO.

  • Shwing #33 2 years ago

    @The Bodybuilder

    "FYI, if people genuingly think natal will aid in the fight against besity, then you're naive.
    Do you really think when kids (or adults even) stuff their face with such bad food for the majority of the day, that playing natal for a few hours will lead to weightloss?"

    Hmmm, I think you're a little off the mark here...

    You got it right when you used the word 'aid' - just like ANY diet / fitness regime the tools you use are only there as an AID.
    Ultimately it's done to the individual to be in the right mind set to lose weight, everything / anything they use to achieve this is an 'aid' (INCLUDING Natal).

    Based on this, your first sentence is factually incorrect! Sorry!

    Now, must dash, my chinese is getting cold ;)

  • Murton #34 2 years ago

    No one can say Natal doesn't appeal to them, or that they arent interested, as its not been released and we don't know what sort of games are going to come out for it. How can you have an opinion on something that doesn't technically exist in the public domain yet?

    By the same logic people can't say that they're interested either, which is a bit of a discussion killer.

    The time at which we should have seen some confirmed software has long passed now, all we have to go on is the "Richochet" tech demo, which judging by recent "celebrity" experience may in fact be an actual game and this new River Rush thing. From these we can speculate, and fairly I might add, that the lineup is going to be predominantly EyeToy-ish or even Wii-like.*

    *note that I'm talking about full Natal releases, not "regular" games that happen to support Natal as an additional or alternative control method.

  • Spekingur #35 2 years ago

    Natal might just get people off their feet, which is the start to any exercise. Not saying that Natal will provide that exercise but it might be all that is needed for some - which is a good thing. With Wii-motes people have quickly learned that minimal movement is needed. Natal looks like it might provide more.

  • Accordi0n #36 2 years ago

    You know i thought motion control was supposed to provide a greater connection between the body and the onscreen action…
    …
    …
    Well how the hell does stepping left and right relate to maneuvering a raft?

    This, and the Burnout demo show a very worrying lack of imagination and finesse in the control schemes MS are developing. I hope its not a tech issue but rather lack of talent.

  • Vyggo #37 2 years ago

    Rafting is about shifting your weight as well as paddling like mad at some points. Shifting your wait - stepping left and right, not that bad I think, we'll see how it fares in practise.

  • memeroot #38 2 years ago

    Natal will increase obesity as we won't have to get up and find the remote .
    Day 1 buy