Mass Effect 3 with Kinect Has Dialogue and Squad Voice Commands

As announced at this morning’s Microsoft E3 press briefing, the rumored Mass Effect 3 Kinect integration is at once both lackluster and impressive. The first part of the demonstration revolved around a scene with the returning Dr. Solis. The producer playing the demo was able to speak the dialogue choice chosen to the Kinect, which would then automatically be selected in game. In term of immersion, this does add a small benefit, but the differences in the voice between the presenter and the Cmdr. Shepard voice actor were fairly jarring.

The really impressive bit came during the next scene, when it was shown that voice commands could be used to control your squad mates in combat. There was no hint of the usual stilted language needed to execute voice commands, and the AI controlling the squadmates was incredibly responsive. For those gamers who tend to neglect their AI companions in favor of focusing on Cmdr. Shepard, this could really be a game-changer.

Expect more news on the advances to the Mass Effect series in the third entry to the series after Bioware’s press briefing later this week.