THQ and Blitz Games Studios today announced
Fantastic Pets, a Blitz Games-developed augmented reality game for Microsoft's Kinect that will show live video of players interacting directly with on-screen virtual animals.
Developed by the studio's family-focused Blitz Games division, the game, due in March 2011, will reportedly allow players to use voice and motion commands to play with personalized virtual pets.
"
Fantastic Pets offers an incredibly high level of interactivity, creativity and originality," said Martin Good, Executive Vice President for THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games, and Global Online Services. "As you discover your pet's personality and become enmeshed within the world,
Fantastic Pets becomes more like a personalized adventure and less like a game."
Most games demonstrated so far for Microsoft's upcoming camera-based Kinect controller have neglected to show the player's actual image and environment on screen, instead opting for avatars that respond to the player's real world movements, or outlines that indicate the player's position in real space.
Microsoft Game Studios' virtual pet simulation
Kinectimals, which will launch alongside Kinect in the U.S. on November 4, lets players interact with on-screen animals with real-world motions but does not show the player on screen.
Sony's recently released
EyePet: Move Edition, on the other hand, shows players on-screen as they use the Move controller to interact with a virtual pet using a number of handheld items. The game has received mixed reviews from critics, with a current score of 72 on review aggregation site MetaCritic.
Fantastic Pets joins two other THQ-published titles planned for Kinect: launch title
The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout and
UFC Trainer, due in January 2011.
