Blue Estate

You may not have heard of the comic Blue Estate, it's no wonder as it really hasn't been given much attention over in Europe. It's a completely different story in America, where the Tarantino-inspired gangster comedy has been nominated for two Eisner awards.

And now it's getting the video game, and it's a very niche video game. Namely a on rails shooter that follows in the footsteps of House of the Dead and Time Crisis. The two mentioned titles have been a great source of inspiration, but more on that later.

You play as Tony Luciano, son of mafia boss Don Luciano. Unfortunately Tony isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and he is stuck caring for one of the family owned strip clubs.

A group belonging to the Chinese Triad who kidnapped Tony's star performer, Cherry Popz, and naturally this is bad for business. Reason enough for a killing spree with the goal of getting her back where she belongs.

There is something grotesquely humourous about the game. The blood gushes like in Kill Bill, the narrator cracks jokes on Tony's expense, while Tony is barely aware of what gones on around him. He is foul mouthed and in place he found himself in an elevator preparing to shoot anyone outside as the doors opened, only to find himself facing the wrong elevator door.

There is even a mechanic where his hair at times obscures his vision, so you have to move the hair out of the way using your fingers.

Hold up for a moment. With your fingers? This isn't a game for touchscreens is it? No. Instead the PC version of the game makes use of the new Leap Motion technology. And that is one impressive piece of technology.

Leap Motion is a small device you place on the table - no larger than a USB stick or cigarette lighter. This little gizmo is without any need for calibration quite capable of interpretating your hand movements adequatley.

In fact you aim in Blue Estate using your index finger, and you automatically shoot by keeping your aim on an enemy. If you're sharp enough you can dispose of each wave of enemies with a string of headshots. You shift weapons by opening and closing your your hand, and you jump in to cover by gesturign downwards.

It's far more exact than any Kinect title ever can close to, and it appears to be a piece of motion sensing technology that actually delivers on its promises. Simple and intuitive.

But let's return to the actual game. Tony shoots his way through restaurants, offices, warehouses, hotel lobbys, and the likes. Blood, shattered glass, dollar notes flying, all recreated in a clean and cartoony artstyle. A crazed man who wields a knife crosses our path several times, but as his colleagues attacks us, he simply runs in and out of doors without ever attacking us. Comedy gold.

Shotguns and assualt rifles also come into play, and we're treated to an example of a boss fight where we run into the boss of the Chinese gang as he is being treated to a show starring Cherry Popz. Hold on a second, wasn't she supposed to be held against her will? Tony doesn't have time to ponder the circumstances.

It is carried out with conviction. The developers freely admits to have been inspired by the detailed environments and the cover system from Time Crisis, while the insane story, characters and humour are inspired by House of the Dead. It's a potent mix, and Blue Estate is a welcome addition to a genre that has grown a bit stale over the last few years.

When the game has been completed a free trial edition that contains the first two chapters will be bundled with each sold Leap Motion. The full game will span seven chapters. Leap Motion is available for purchase from the company website for $79.99 - even if it's not yet widely available in stores.

The good news is that this won't be the only way to play the game as it is also heading to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 where it will make use of Move and Kinect. Something to look forward to if you're a fan of classics like House of the Dead and Time Crisis.