A while back, it was pretty clear: If you're with Nintendo, you are onboard with motion controls; if you're with Microsoft or Sony, motion controls are a terrible idea. Now that Microsoft and Sony are jumping into motion control gaming and Nintendo are trying to get out without releasing a whole new console, I find that a lot of gamers are now scrambling to figure out where they stand.

Most of the commentors I'm seeing on the forums I frequent seem to be against motion control gaming, although I have no idea why. They don't actually give a reason. The biggest problem I find with online discussions is that people don't feel a need to support their opinions if their opinions happen to fall in line with those of the majority of the participants - but that is a rant for another time.

The best argument I have heard against motion controls is from (who else?) Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. Developers think that, if the player is performing the same action as their character, they will feel more involved in the action, and ultimately more immersed in the game. What Yahtzee says is that motion controls actually make the player further removed: To move your own body requires nothing more than a thought; the goal - motion - is instantly acheived. Using a controller, you have the shortest possible delay between thought and your character's action, because all that you have to do is move your thumbs a few millimetres at most. But with motion controls, the delay between thought and your character's action is prolonged by having to perform exaggerated movements. Motion controls let you use your body to control your character, but a controller lets you put your brain directly into your character's head...or at least it's as close as one can get with current technology.

But where do I stand on motion controls? Let me be clear: While I see considerable problems with motion controls, I also see SOME potentential. At the risk of sounding duplicitous after calling them out on the Rock Band 3 peripherals, I think that Harmonix are demonstrating the true potential of motion control gaming with Dance Central. This is a game that WOULD NOT WORK with any other control system. Admittedly it won't appeal to "hardcore" gamers, but, seriously, the hardcore gamers can go scr*w themselves. I have a life and friends, which is why I'm going to buy it. Many of my friends are not familiar with console controllers, and it would be nice to have a game that everyone can enjoy.

Before I go any further, I must point out that I see absolutely no potential for the Playstation Move. It is a transparent knock-off of the Wii (from which Nintendo are currently trying to distance themselves) that will have no appeal to people who already own a Wii or to the legions of Resistance and God of War fanatics. Can you imagine trying to mimic Kratos' movements in order to control him? I feel dizzy just from thinking about it. (I am aware that Sony will probably not release a God of War gamefor the Playstation Move; I am merely pointing out that the Playstation brand is associated with a completely different kind of game than is appropriate for motion controls.) So, from now on, when I refer to motion controls, assume that I am talking about the aggravatingly spelled "Kinect".

Now, allow me to illustrate the problems I foresee for motion controls by describing my ideal, hypothetical game: A game in which you and three friends can play cooperatively as a special forces squad...fighting zombies.

First up, character creation. I don't actually foresee a problem here, I'm just excited at the prospect of being able to scan my face onto my character - I have never encountered a game lets me get my goatee just right in the character creation section.

Second, moving around. If we have learned anything from the Wii, it is that making a shooter with motion controls demands on-rails movement. On-rails shooters are fine once in a while, just for the retro, arcade vibe, but in a game about tactical, squad-based movements, that just doesn't cut it. So, how do we move? Do we lean forward, backward, side-to-side? Do we actually take a step in the direction we want to go and then step back to stop? And how does the system actually know when we want to stop moving? What's to say that what I think of as 'stand still' won't be read as'slowly strafe to the left'?

Third, looking around. Even if the movement issue is resolved, how do we tackle this one? Making your character look around (id est, making the camera tilt in first person) would logically be accomplished by moving your own head, but if you look away from the screen, well, you're looking away from the screen. You're suddenly in your living room, whereas a moment ago you were fighting off legions of the undead. And what if you get attacked from behind? In Left 4 Dead, it was as easy as pushing a button to rotate 180 degrees, but if you try to do that with motion controls, you end up facing away from the TV.

Bioware VP Greg Zeschuk recently commented on motion controls, saying that they are a step forward. In the article I read, the scene in Mass Effect2 in which the player can choose to kick a mercenery out of a window was mentioned, and it was suggested that said scene could be improved through motion controls - having the player actually kick or shove at air to trigger the action. While I very rarely dare to criticize Bioware's storytelling methods, once again I am forced to take issue with their notions on gameplay (I realize that they are probably under pressure from Microsoft to push Kinect, so I won't hold this incident against them). I find the scene in question to be extremely effective because it's so easy. Shepard (the main character) is a trained killer; to murder someone in cold blood just because they are being uncooperative should be effortless, especially if the player is choosing to play as a Renegade (the negative moral alignment).

The king sentencing someone to death has power; the executioner swinging the axe does not. While I can see the appeal of being the latter, I generally prefer to be the former.

[tags: motion controls, Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, Wii, Kinect, Playstation Move, Harmonix, Dance Central, Left 4 Dead, Bioware, Greg Zeschuk, Mass Effect 2]