Video: Kinect Star Wars Comic-Con 2011 panel, podracing gameplay trailer

Written by Matt Swider on July 31, 2011

SDCC Top 10: Is Kinect Star Wars going to be any good? This 50-minute Comic-Con panel makes it look better than it did at E3 2011 thanks to podracing gameplay.

Kinect Star Wars Comic-Con 2011 demo with a pod racing gameplay trailer

I'm still unsure at how Kinect Star Wars in going to do, even after experiencing the gameplay at E3 2011. I'm no more certain of its pass-or-fail status after a 50-minute Comic-Con panel, either. The newly announced podracing mode seems like a great addition, even though we got our fill of podracing back in the N64 days and hated how much time it ate up in Star Wars: Episode I.

On one hand, it's Star Wars; using the force and wielding a lightsaber, albeit an invisible lightsaber, is going to be a dream come true when the game arrives before the end of the year. On the other hand, the Jedi gameplay is on rails and freedom of movement is limited to that of a prisoner on a Jawa Sandcrawler.

USA Today's Mike Snider also moderates this Comic-Con panel (in addition to hosting the Uncharted 3 panel). Head of Kinect publishing Jorg Neumann and LucasArts' Craig Derrick talks about the game's development and answering questions. We'll find out how this game performs later this year - Kinect Star War's release date is still unknown... that seems to be a trend for all 2011-bound Star Wars games (see: Star Wars: The Old Republic).