Konami Kinect-ing with DanceMasters, Adrenalin Misfits

LOS ANGELES--Konami isn't expected to hold its 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference until tomorrow, but the publisher announced a rash of upcoming games today.

With Microsoft dating Kinect--formerly known as Project Natal--for a November 4 release in the US, Konami has announced a duo of titles for the Xbox 360's motion-sensing add-on. Carrying on its rhythm-game tradition, Konami's DanceMasters will be available this fall for the Xbox 360. The Kinect-enabled game will offer "full body dancing," letting players see their actions mimicked onscreen, as well as recording the moves for up to two backup dancers.

DanceMasters will feature 30 dance club tracks, ranging in style from hip-hop to R&B, pop, and techno. New songs will be available as downloadable content through Xbox Live, and gamers can also compete against up to three others through the online service. Three gameplay modes will be available--Dance, Lesson, and Status--as well as four difficulty settings.

Adrenalin Misfits is Konami's second Kinect-enabled titled and lets players hit the slopes on a snowboard. Those slopes, however, aren't necessarily of the icy variety, as Konami said seven different locales--ranging from arid deserts to volcanic hotbeds to limestone caves--will also be among the areas to shred. The no-controller-required game also integrates with Xbox 360 Avatars and features play for up to two. Konami did not indicate when Adrenalin Misfits would be available.

Konami also formally took the lid off of a pair of downloadable titles. As indicated by Microsoft yesterday, Konami will be bringing Castlevania: Harmony of Despair exclusively to the Xbox 360 as part of its Summer of Arcade program. It will cost 1,200 Microsoft points ($15).

Designed by noted Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, Harmony of Despair will be a 2D side-scrolling action adventure with a new six-player multiplayer mode. Those six players will be able to step into the shoes of the series' "fan favorite vampire hunters" in their latest attempt to sink the megalomaniacal aspirations of undead kingpin Dracula.

The multiplayer adventure will feature environs inspired by previous installments in the franchise, including Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia. Harmony of Despair also features a competitive Survival mode, in which players attempt to secure the title of most effective vampire slayer. Additional characters and levels will be released post-launch as downloadable content.

On the multiplatform front, Konami announced Hard Corps: Uprising (a working title) for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Described as "an homage to legacy Konami run-and-gun platformers," the 2D arcade shooter will be available later this year. It is being developed by Arc System Works, the studio behind the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue fighting franchises.

Lastly, Konami announced a new installment in the long-running DanceDanceRevolution rhythm game franchise. Coming to the Wii this fall, DanceDanceRevolution introduces a new Choreography mode, in which players match the movements onscreen by using a dance mat, Wii Remote, and Nunchuk. The new rhythm title will also integrate with the Wii Balance Board.