Kinect Gears of War an on-rails shooter?

What we heard: Since Microsoft's full-body gesture-recognition technology Kinect was released in November, it has walloped sales expectations and welcomed an array of well-reviewed titles like Dance Central and Kinectimals. Now, it appears Microsoft is readying the first hardcore entry for the new tech.

According to Kotaku's source--who claims to be familiar with the title--a Gears of War for the Kinect is in development as an on-rails shooter. Details provided to Kotaku say the Gears of War Kinect game will, at least in part, use assets from 2008's Gears of War 2.

Additionally, the source provided the blog a screenshot (at right) of the Gears of War Kinect title. It shows protagonist Marcus Fenix and a developer mirroring the hand gesture associated with speaking with Anya, the Delta dispatch officer from the franchise.

However, the image purportedly stems from an "older concept demo" for the Gears of War Kinect title and may not be emblematic of the final product.

In December, Microsoft announced it had canned Epic Games' Gears of War announcement for the 2010 Video Game Awards and postponed it to later this year. That unveiling was rumored to be a Gears of War Kinect title. And last month, Epic Games trademarked Gears of War: Exile, a possible title for the Gears of War spin-off.

The official story: A Microsoft representative told GameSpot, "We do not comment on rumor or speculation." And Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski offered a tongue-in-cheek response to the rumor.

"I'd comment on that Kotaku Kinect rumor that just hit, but I can't find the article in their new confounding layout. Oh well!" he wrote on Twitter.

Bogus or not bogus?: Microsoft has time and again promised to satisfy the hardcore gaming community with the Kinect. Outside of the Halo franchise, the Gears of War brand is arguably Microsoft's biggest and is certainly a Kinect possibility. The franchise is famous for its brutal hand-to-hand and foot-to-face combat, which are moves that could be replicated via the Kinect.