Back during E3 2011 it was announced that Mass Effect 3 would be one of the many games to feature support for Microsoft's motion control device, Kinect. While a collective groan went out after the initial mention of Kinect in the same sentence as Mass Effect 3, once the demo of this functionality began, it actually appeared quite cool.

It's been some time since any mention has been made of Mass Effect 3 and Kinect, but during last week's Consumer Electronic Show, fans and journalists alike were treated to a hands-on demo of the game using Kinect. To help illustrate just how useful the Kinect voice control can be in Mass Effect 3, BioWare has released a new video of those fans playing the game.

The voice control in Mass Effect 3, while not altogether replacing the squad commands in the game, certainly seems like a useful tool to help get the most out of a skirmish. Being able to not only switch between weapons, but also call up certain biotic powers can keep the player's focus on the battle itself rather than menus.

The series thus far has received a certain amount of flak for streamlining combat, and taking the RPG-ness out of it, but this Kinect functionality is more of a bonus for anyone who cares to use it. See for yourself in the video below:

httpv://youtu.be/AY7aXK_JY0M

But, of course, nothing can sell just how well Mass Effect 3 works with Kinect better than actually getting ones hands on the game, and Electronic Arts plans to let gamers do just that.

It was only briefly mentioned in the video, but a demo for the game is being planned for February 14th that will give Kinect owners a better idea of how this all works. There's no word on if this demo is solely for Kinect or if it's actually the leaked demo from late 2011, but our guess is it is meant to sell a whole bunch of Kinect bundles.

What do you think of Mass Effect 3's Kinect support? Do you find it to be too gimmicky or does it look like a handy little addition to the combat?

Mass Effect 3 releases March 6, 2012 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.

Source: Kotaku