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Dance Central sales step up to 2.5M, Kinect Sports kickin' it with 3M
Kinect Sports and Dance Central have reached 3 million and 2.5 million unit sales, Microsoft's Michael Johnson, global marketing director for Kinect games, told us at Gamescom earlier today. Dance Central has performed stronger in North America, while Kinect Sports has found a larger audience in Europe. Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg called the two games Kinect's "breakout hits" for the publisher when he announced back in January that the titles had reached a million sales in the US. The Kinect device surpassed 10 million units globally in March. So, it probably comes as no coincidence that both franchises will receive sequels this year. Dance Central 2 talks to the hand this October, while Kinect Sports: Season 2 has a retail field day on October 25.
Dance Central 2 coming in October, just in time for the Monster Mash
We don't know if "Monster Mash" is actually in Dance Central 2, or if there's even a real dance associated with it. The point we were trying to make, ever so awkwardly, is that the Kinect dancing sequel will be released in October, just before Halloween. That's ... when you'd normally hear that song. Never mind. Harmonix announced at Gamescom today that Dance Central 2 will be out October 21 in Europe and Asia, October 25 in North America, and October 27 in Japan. The developer also revealed new features, including full voice integration, allowing you to operate the in-game menus and set up the updated "Break it Down" practice mode with voice commands. Four "dance crews" allow players to pick a faction and play through "crew challenges." 13 new songs were also announced. See the new song list after the break. Just a heads-up: it totally includes Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." And the Numa Numa song.
'Pxl Pushr' blends Kinect and iPad play to impressive, multicolor results
Among the dozen or so games strewn about New York City's Museum of Modern Art (during last week's Kill Screen-curated "Arcade" event) two titles had their playable debuts: Eric Zimmerman and Nathalie Pozzi's "Starry Heavens" ("a physical game of power and betrayal"), as well as Matt Boch and Ryan Challinor's "Pxl Pushr" ("something akin to a full-bodied theremin blended with a puzzle game"). Considering what the two freshman entries were up against -- critically acclaimed games like Limbo, Canabalt, and Echochrome -- it was impressive that both games had lengthy lines throughout the evening. I mean no offense when I say this, but Pxl Pusher looks like what would've happened if Kinect technology had existed in the Coleco Vision days. In the same way that your Dad's sweet 1973 Lacoste track jacket still looks totally rad, so does Pxl Pushr. The bizarre look is both a measure of the dev duo's style -- their day jobs are as designers at Harmonix -- and of the short-term development cycle. "Over the past four weeks-ish we've been messing around building this game," Boch explained. In Pxl Pushr, one player places dots on an iPad, while another player attempts to catch as many dots as possible by using the contortions of their body (via Kinect). The player contorting their body is scored on how many pixels he/she is able to "push" versus the ones they miss. It's a simple concept for sure, but one that had many attendees smiling while making very silly poses. Not that the crowd's reaction was foreign to Boch and Challinor, two gentlemen who spend their working hours with Dance Central 2.%Gallery-129438%
Relive the Joystiq E3 2011 meetup through this video
Max Paolucci (thankfully) took some video of the Joystiq E3 meetup, both as evidence it actually happened (that whole week was a blur) and as a kindness to those unable to physically attend. It suffices to say that we love Max dearly.
Reminder: LA reader meetup is now! Come for games, free hugs
E3 2011 is doner than done ... it's donerer. We've got a reader meetup going on now in downtown Los Angeles, and it'd be awesome if you could join us. We've also got developer folks here with games. Be part of the first members of the public to play Dance Central 2 and check out the magic of Retro City Rampage, along with others. Again, it's for the 21+ crowd (sorry! we know it's wrong!), so come drop by, we'll be here until 9:00PM. Head past the break for the entire list of games and details of the event location. Looking forward to meeting you. XOXO, Joystiq.
Let's take a tour of Microsoft's E3 2011 area
You've seen Nintendo's E3 2011 setup, and you've seen Sony's, but had you considered that they might've been "Better with Kinect?" Microsoft undoubtedly believes as much, but, well, the publisher is only able to outfit its own booth, silly! Don't be ridiculous! Given that, you'll clearly see in the gallery below that Microsoft was more than happy to outfit its area with dozens of the motion peripherals, showing off everything from The Gunstringer to Dance Central 2. And hey, if you're into people looking especially silly while playing games, this is really the gallery for you.%Gallery-126022%
Dance Central 2 preview: This is how we (both) do it
Dance Central was undoubtedly one of the best and most successful launch titles for Microsoft's Kinect. Keeping that in mind, Dance Central 2 has some pretty big shoes to fill or, at the very least, another pair of shoes. The marquee new feature is definitely simultaneous two-player dance battles, which I was able to try out at Microsoft's expansive E3 booth. Having something of a history of making an ass of myself for journalism, I was sure to capture the momentous occasion on video. Find it -- and a few more details about Dance Central 2 -- after the break. %Gallery-125472%
Several Dance Central 2 tracks boogie loose, assets shake out
After officially revealing the multiplayer follow-up to Dance Central this morning in -- surprise, surprise -- Dance Central 2, Harmonix today released a developer interview detailing the game's new features. Beyond news of multiplayer functionality, a handful of tracks from the game were unveiled, ranging from Rhianna's "Rude Boy" to Bananarama's "Venus" (full list after the break). If that weren't enough, Harmonix also dropped a mess of new assets from the forthcoming sequel, which we've dropped into a gallery below and a video after the break. And hey, maybe you'd like to play the game before it even has a release date? Come by our E3 reader meetup this Friday and have a go!%Gallery-125472%%Gallery-125468%
Dance Central 2 to humiliate Kinect owners once again
We hope you've been brushing up on your flyest dance moves, because you are about to bust them out once again. Harmonix announced Dance Central 2 during Microsoft's E3 press conference, giving you a new catalog of tunes to flail to. There's new features, including voice recognition, a campaign mode, a renovated Break it Down mode and -- best of all -- two-player simultaneous dancing.
Rumor: Microsoft E3 page reveals Dance Central 2, 'Ryse' for Kinect, more
Plausible-looking screenshots of a previous version of the Xbox E3 community site reveal, in addition to news about the Halo remake, some new Kinect stuff. We've heard plenty of scuttlebutt about Dance Central 2, including domain registrations and surveys, and ... this screenshot has some more! The blurb promises "new songs and new moves." Other new stuff includes "Ryse," a Kinect action-adventure game in which "you are the warrior," Kinect Sports Season 2, and Kinect Fun Labs (also seen in domain registrations), which is described as an "app" with "crazy, cool new gadgets." This certainly looks like a real page, but this is all rumor for now, because Microsoft has replaced the page.
Rumor: Domains reveal new Fable, Dance Central and Kinect Sports
The announcement of sequels and spin-offs has become too routine to incur huge gasps of disbelief at E3's trio of biggest press conferences. A real surprise, then, would be in those titles staying under wraps until the very last moment. "Spoiler," says the internet, "but that's not happening while I'm around. Check out these domain registrations." As highlighted by Superannuation, the following Microsoft titles have been linked to internet domain registrars: Fable The Journey, which may be a new jaunt across the land of Albion, Kinect Fun Labs (first mentioned amongst other leaked Microsoft titles), and a pair of body-driven sequels, Dance Central 2 and Kinect Sports Season 2. Without the presence of a convenient "Kinect" in the title, it's difficult to say whether or not Fable: The Journey (colon assumed) is part of Microsoft's camera-sensitive lineup. The franchise has endured experiments with Kinect before, and it's not exactly difficult to imagine Peter Molyneux pitching it as the best, most amazing, mind-blowing way to experience a hero's life ever. You might already be envisioning it as a spirited on-the-spot march through the streets of Bowerstone, over the surrounding hills and across Milo's unmarked grave.
Harmonix brainstorming 'reimaginings' of Rock Band, new motion games
"There's no denying that Rock Band 3 hasn't yet sold to the level we hoped it would out of the gate," Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos admitted to Edge. "But on the flipside of that we also believe that it's a product that has a lot of life." It may be difficult to share Rigopulos' optimism. Since the beginning of the year, Viacom sold Harmonix (back to Harmonix), MTV Games was shut down and Activision hit the pause button on its long-running Guitar Hero franchise. Still, Rigopulos offers a "glass half-full" interpretation of Activision's retraction from the genre, seeing a newfound opportunity to expand the developer's audience. "We think there are also a lot of devoted Guitar Hero fans who have probably never given Rock Band a try," Rigopulos told Destructoid. Harmonix wants to convert them and "let them know that Rock Band 3 is worth giving a try." Rock Band 3 will continue receiving updates through the year, as Harmonix tries to "cultivate" the platform -- though Rigopulos added that "fundamental reimaginings of the Rock Band franchise" are being planned. "The marketplace is clearly demanding something very new," Rigopulos noted. "It's clearly demanding a dramatic evolution of the Rock Band franchise, I think, and I think that's actually exciting for us." While rebooting the band genre will be an uphill battle for the company, there's still one bright star in the studio's portfolio: Dance Central. Finishing the sequel is an obvious next step, but it seems Harmonix has more motion-gaming ideas. "It's safe to say you'll see a lot more in that domain from Harmonix beyond Dance Central," Rigopulos teased. "We'd be absolutely open-minded about that." With their future projects still shrouded in secrecy, it seems Rigopulos is confident that his team will easily bypass this dark era for music gaming. Contrary to industry perception, the company might have too much on its plate. "We have a lot of very cool new ideas in the works right now, looking out beyond both Rock Band and Dance Central." [Image credit: RockBandAide]
Alleged Dance Central 2 survey hints at potential feature list
Pretty dark days over at Harmonix recently, but apparently the developer isn't letting the gloom get to its creativity. Kotaku says it has in its possession an email survey from Microsoft Games Studios containing a nice long list of possible features for Dance Central 2, the sequel that's been in "pre-production" since last year. The suggestions run the gamut, from the ability to create custom dances and play as backup dancers -- or even singers! -- to more convenient features like the ability to replay certain sequences or get more specific feedback on your dancing. The survey is also said to mention a number of new game types, including a possible "fitness mode" and a number of online / offline multiplayer contests. Players may be able to connect socially, either through the game itself as Xbox Live Avatars or video silhouettes, or through social networks by sharing video and photos of their dancing. If you've received the survey in question, drop us a line at tips@joystiq.com and attach a screenshot of it. Doing so will have us dancing with gratitude! Thanks to Spencer for the screengrabs below!%Gallery-116001%
Harmonix retains IP rights to Rock Band, Dance Central
Yesterday's Harmonix announcement of re-independence from global media conglomerate Viacom left questions hanging about the intellectual property rights to the studio's two main franchises. Joystiq has been informed by sources that Harmonix will "own the IP rights" to both the Rock Band and Dance Central franchises after the split, meaning it can continue to create new installments if it chooses. We've also been informed that the developer's DLC support of both titles will continue "unaffected by the sale" and that its distribution relationships with EA and Mad Catz for the Rock Band series, and with Microsoft for Dance Central, also remain "unaffected." What we currently understand of the situation, from sources involved, is that Viacom and MTV Games providing licensing muscle isn't as necessary as it once was -- before the music genre became established over the past few years. It appears relationships have been set that now allow Harmonix to license music for its games without the aid of Viacom.
Dance Central 2 in 'basic pre-production'
With everyone focused on Microsoft's gamble on Kinect, it can be easy to forget that there are other companies with a lot on the line as well. Harmonix is one such company, one arguably producing one of the most buzzworthy Kinect titles, Dance Central. Assuming Dance Central maintains said buzz and generates significant sales after launch, it shouldn't be surprising to know that Harmonix has big plans for the series. CEO Alex Rigopulos recently told MCV that Dance Central could "spark a phenomenon, much like the original Guitar Hero did," adding that he "sure as hell" hopes Harmonix can produce a sequel. It certainly seems like the company has faith in the game, with Rigopulos admitting that "basic pre-production" for a sequel is already underway, though Harmonix is currently putting most of its focus on DLC.
