Haunt, Happy Action Theater and Rhythm Party Get Release Dates

Kinect is well suited to Live Arcade, where ambitious projects can thrive at an affordable price. The next few weeks will see three solid looking releases, starting with NanaOn-Sha's Haunt which will be available to download January 18th for 800 Microsoft Points. From the creators of Parappa The Rapper, players are made to freely explore a haunted mansion, outsmarting ghosts and working their way past a variety of puzzles and traps. Check out the trailer here.

Next up is Double Fine's Happy Action Theater, a collection of looping mini-games with a strong focus on augmented reality and fun rather than competitiveness. Legendary game designer Tim Schafer announced on Twitter that the game will be available to download February 1st. Check out the trailer here.

Finally February will also see the release of Konami's dancing game Rhythm Party, previously titled Boom Boom Dance. Rather than follow specific choreography as found in the likes of Dance Central and Just Dance, Rhythm Party lets you dance in any way you want as long as you hit the circles in time with the beat. With more in common with titles like Elite Beat Agents and Konami's Bemani games, and a crazy and varying art style, it's sure to offer a unique Kinect dance experience when it launches February 8th. Check out the trailer here.

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New Haunt Trailer, TGS Screens and Details

Another of last years Tokyo Game Show Kinect reveals has been demonstrated at this years show. Created by NanaOn-Sha, the developers behind Parappa The Rapper, Haunt lets players explore a haunted house armed with little more than a flashlight.

With its cute art style it's unlikely that the game will work hard to try and scare you. A fun action-adventure is on the cards, with gestures used to interact with the environment and the ghosts and ghouls that inhabit it.

The game will be launching next year via Xbox Live Arcade. Check out the latest trailer and screens below!

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Tokyo Game Show 2011 Preview, New Dance Central 2 Tracks!

Major Nelson has revealed the line-up for Xbox 360 & Kinect at this years Tokyo Game Show, and as well as the unveiling of Diabolic Pitch we reported earlier today, we're going to get a glimpse at several other upcoming Kinect games.

Grounding Inc. will show off Project Draco for the first time to the media. From the makers of the Panzer Dragoon franchise, the games unveiling is much anticipated after its announcement at last years show. Although it's unclear if this will be exclusively a behind-doors presentation, or if it'll be made public, we'll no doubt be able to read all about it soon and hopefully get our first glance at gameplay.

From the creators of Parappa The Rappa, NanaOn-Sha, Haunt was another title revealed at last years show, but we have yet to see any gameplay. This year the game will be playable, so we can expect plenty of gameplay previews and video footage.

Kinect Sports Season 2 will show off more of Baseball, as well as the debut of Downhill Skiing and the new Challenge Play mode, and Dance Central 2 will be there with 7 new tracks: 

Mary J. Blige – Real Love

Chingy – Right Thurr

Missy Elliott – Get Ur Freak On

Kevin Lyttle – Turn Me On

New Boyz – You’re A Jerk

Armanni Reign – Reach

Remy Ma – Conceited (There’s Something About Remy) 

There will also be some new details and footage of Kinect enabled titles such as Forza Motorsport 4 and Halo: CE Anniversary.

Keep checking back over the next few days for all the latest!

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Grasshopper Manufacture Officially Reveal Diabolical Pitch -- Video Demonstration

Announced at last years Tokyo Game Show as Codename D, Grasshopper Manufacture were one of 5 Japanese teams revealed to be working on games for Kinect. Although nothing was shown aside from a vague live-action teaser featuring a crazed guy batting off enemies with a flaming baseball bat, many speculated that Codename D was Diabolical Pitch, a name Grasshopper had trademarked.

Today, on the first day of Tokyo Game Show 2011, Grasshopper has revealed that Codename D is in fact Diabolical Pitch, a bizarre Xbox Live Arcade game for Kinect that sees players fending off monsters with various over the top baseball-inspired attacks. Two players can work together, one throwing the ball for the other to hit. Gestures can trigger special attacks such as fist bumping to power up a fireball, or even lifting your partner off the ground for health support. And of course you can use the bat for melee attacks.

We still don't have anything to show aside from this camera shot of gameplay, but I'm sure there will be more media released as the Tokyo Game Show continues. And hopefully we'll get a glimpse at some of the other Japanese Kinect titles such as Haunt and Project Draco, as well as a new title or two. Keep checking back and we'll let you know the latest from the Tokyo Game Show.

Update: Thanks to Gamespot we now have a pretty in-depth look at the game with an 11 minute video preview:

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