Dead Rising 3's Kinect combat shoots for immersion, not exhaustion

Dead Rising 3's Xbox One Kinect controls helped Capcom Vancouver eliminate the need for quick-time events while still keeping gameplay intuitive to the series, executive producer Josh Bridge told Polygon.

We spoke with Bridge during a recent press event in San Francisco. Like previous titles in the franchise, Dead Rising 3 dumps players into the midst of a zombie infestation. Players can combine more weapons than ever before in combat, but the game's Kinect controls get physical by allowing you to shove enemies away or even punch a zombie in the face.

During our demo, we were able to knock grappling zombies off by flicking our controller forward. Players hungering for something more extreme can knock zombies off by punching the air. Bridge explained that he didn't want players to feel like they had to go into "Kinect mode" with intense, sweat-inducing motions.

"We wanted to have something that would happen regularly, not to go off with 'Oh yeah, there's that Kinect thing that you can try,'" Bridge said. "Something just built into the experience. You get attacked by zombies a lot. You're attacking them, and it feels really good."

According to Bridge, this is part of the team's effort to eliminate quick-time controls, a mechanic they've been keen on since Resident Evil 4. Quick-time events may have been novel in past generations, but the gaminess of them tends to break the feeling of immersion, Bridge said.

"Usually when you get [quick-time events], you're either wiggling a stick or pressing a button repeatedly," Bridge said. "I don't want to do any weird button stuff. I just want to say 'fuck you' [and push a zombie off.]"

According to Bridge, players will be able to fend off zombie attacks even when they're sprawled on the couch.

"You don't have to do any wiggling or any big movements with it," Bridge said.

Dead Rising 3 launches as an Xbox One exclusive Nov. 22.