Kinect's 2011 release lineup: Feature

Kinect as has been a phenomenal success for Microsoft, selling over 10 million units since its November launch last year and establishing itself as the fastest selling consumer electronics product ever.

Despite the huge sales, a segment of early adopters have pined for new games during the quiet six months following release, but they're coming; the second half of 2012 is set to be Kinect's busiest lineup yet, with sequels to million-selling launch titles, unique takes on popular cultural icons such as Star Wars, Disneyland and Sesame Street, as well as a new dashboard update that will make use of voice controls for better navigation and search tools.

The Gunstringer

From the creator of 'Splosion Man comes The Gunstringer, a Saturday morning cartoon-style adventure where players control a cowboy with one hand mimicking a peashooter and the other hovering above to move him around. Stages are a blend of genres, from on-rails platforming to cover-based shooters and quick-time events, all backed up by some bizarre and entertaining humour.

Not only do the controls (and title) play up the marionette theme, but there are fourth-wall breaking elements, such as a moment where the player must pound their fist into the ground to make it appear on-screen, Monty Python style. The Gunstringer also comes with a free copy of Xbox Live Arcade smash Fruit Ninja Kinect.Release date: September 13 (North America), September 16 (Europe)

Dance Central 2

Kinect's best-selling dance title ups the ante with a few significant advances on last year. The biggest is a full campaign, seeing dance crews face off against each other, complete with Street Fighter style Vs screens and dance battles where players scramble to finish a set list of moves first. Another big step is full simultaneous two player with full body tracking, and includes true jump in, jump out play so a friend can enter mid-track without pausing.
Practising can now be broken down into individual moves or a custom playlist, and voice commands now punctuate the entire game, allowing users to jump around the menu tree with a few commands. There are also 40 diverse new tracks, and the original's full listing and DLC can all be imported too.

Kinect Star Wars

Arguably the most anticipated Kinect release to date, Kinect Star Wars sounds better each time we hear about it. While the E3 reveal of the game saw a Jedi campaign mode complete with lightsaber combat and force pushes using the Kinect controller, since then we've learned that Kinect Star Wars will feature a variety of modes that cherry pick the best bits of the entire saga.
As well as a Jedi Adventure and Pod Racing, gamescom saw the newly announced Rancor Rampage, seeing you charge around villages and scooping up its residents to throw or munch on - all in the name of points - and will be joined by a few other modes before its release by the end of the year. Release date: November / December.

Kinect Sports Season Two

Adding six all-new sports for a folllow-up - there's darts, golf, baseball, skiing, American football and tennis - is a logical step forward, but what impresses most about Kinect Sports Season Two is that it uses the motion controller in more complex and intricate ways. Darts has you hold your hand to the screen and jab forward, and manages to track minute hand movements for very accurate shots.Then there's tennis, which tracks timing, speed, arm direction and person positioning all at once, providing players with a surprisingly deep array of shots. It also features the most aggressive voice support of any Kinect game to date, with hundreds of commands across a variety of languages, making analysis mid-game and menu systems easier to perform. Release date: October 25 (North America), October 28 (Europe)

Just Dance 3

Overwhelmingly successful Wii chart topper Just Dance makes its high definition debut this year, bringing its brightly coloured flavour of dance to Kinect. It's looking to be a competitor, too, with its key features being a strong variety of tracks, including 'Dynamite' by Taio Cruz and 'Party Rock Anthem' by LMFAO, as well as multiplayer for up to four people.

There's also an impressive custom choreography mode that allows you to create your own dance routines for any of the game's tracks just by dancing to a song, with the game tracking limb movements and turning it into something you and your friends can use later. Elsewhere there's the Just Sweat mode for fitness, while there's the promise of more DLC tracks post-release. Release date: October

Kinect Disneyland Adventures

Building on its success of launch title Kinectimals, Frontier is taking Disneyland and recreating it within Kinect Disneyland Adventures. Players can walk around and explore the park to meet with Mickey and dozens of other mascots, as well as interacting with inanimate objects to bring them to life.As well as hidden items to find within the park and quests to undertake, players can step onto the rides themselves, which have been turned into full mini-games, such as the gliding Peter Pan's Flight and bobsledding Matterhorn. It's an impressive undertaking and, like the parks themselves, should enchant old and young users alike. Release date: November 15 (North America), November 25 (Europe)

Best of the rest

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

Developed by Brutal Legend and Costume Quest studio Double Fine, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster has players help out various monsters from the long-running US kids show through various mini-games. Following a story-book structure, the mini-games engage children in dancing, singing and educational activities. The game supports two players, with one controlling a child in the story and another as the monster.
Release date: October

Kinect Fun Labs

Microsoft's tinkering (as well as those from the development community) with Kinect has seen all kinds of interesting implementations, and Kinect Fun Labs is a side-product of those experiments. A showcase of several small-scale gadgets such as three-dimensional drawing and an augmented reality rock band, Kinect Fun Labs will release new gadgets every month free or a for small cost.
Release date: Out now

Rise of Nightmares

Now for something a little more mature; from the House of the Dead team comes Rise of Nightmares, which sees players explore a creepy castle in Eastern Europe populated by the undead and a whole host of nightmarish creatures. Moving through the castle is free-roaming, while first-person combat involves punches and kicks with a some strong hit detection, and you can expect a few puzzles thrown in with a dark twist, such as reaching into a blood-filled toilet to find a key.
Release date: September 6 (North America), September 9 (Europe)

Kinectimals Now with Bears!

This expansion to Kinectimals adds five new feline species to the existing roster, as well as a whole new island populated by bears. Releasing as both downloadable content to the original game as well as a stand-alone disc, its release will also be joined by new cuddly toys that can be scanned into the game, as well as a Windows Phone 7 application that can host your pets when you're on the go. Release date: October 11 (North America), October 14 (Europe)

The Black Eyed Peas Experience

Ubisoft is supporting Kinect with two dance titles this year - Just Dance 3 and The Black Eyed Peas Experience - with the operating in a manner similar to Michael Jackson: The Experience. As well as 30 tracks from the band, there will be a campaign structured to teach players how moves work before letting them loose on a final track, as well as singing and custom choreography support. Release date: 2011

Hole in the Wall

Based on the television show of the same name, this sees players physically cramp into small spaces cut out of an advancing wall. While other titles shown here are mostly releasing in several months, this is coming very soon - this Wednesday, in fact - and will be available to download on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80 / $10).
Release date: August 24

Raving Rabbids: Alive & Kicking

Trust the Rabbids to get some of the most bizzare experiences out of Kinect yet. Like some of its other titles, this is a collection of barmy mini-games, such as a whack-a-mole style game on a living room floor and searchlights that have players packing together to avoid detection. Our favourite saw snot dribbling from the player's nose that must be spun around and flung as far as possible. Elsewhere, the home hub has a Rabbid that you can order around with voice commands and abuse with a number of items earned from other modes. Release date: November 1 (North America), November 4 (Europe)

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012

This year's edition of Ubisoft's fitness title has features and changes in all the right places. Movement tracking is vastly improved, paving the way for floor-based exercises such as sit-ups and press-ups. There is also a bootcamp mode for more vigourous exercise routines, while the Your Shape centre focuses on personal goals and objectives - a key factor in motivation. While the last title was also known for its smart user interface, this 2012 edition has seen another revamp with a neat push-based panel interface replacing the old hand swipes. Release date: November

Forza Motorsport 4

Forza was one of the first showcases in Kinect's E3 reveal a few years ago, with those features making their way into the next iteration of the game. Primarily it's used in the Autovista mode, allowing users to step around and inside a roster of sports cars, but it can also for headtracking while on the track. Elsewhere, several modes can use Kinect to actually driving the car by playing your hands in front of you, and is designed to be a more relaxed and social means of playing the racing simulator.