Ghost Recon proved there is an interesting use for gun lovers with Kinect (who knew?), allowing us to customise our weapons for combat scenarios according to expected engagement range or jus plain personal preference, while Forza 4 proved yet again there is no place for Kinect in racing games…

I think of all the demos we saw at Microsoft’s press conference however, Mass Effect 3 showed the most intriguing experience I could hope to ever get with Kinect. Yelling out voice commands to my squad? Yes, please! Speaking the lines of Commander Shepard? Sign me up, soldier! Microsoft has positioned this device perfectly – not as a replacement for the controller; but as an immersive enhancement for the games we know and love. Couldn’t have asked for more.

Moving on to Kinect Fun Labs, I think this is where we’ll really begin to see some interesting uses for Kinect that should spawn some innovative games further down the line. This is going to be like an app store filled with £0.59 app store options for Kinect! Awesome.

If there’s one thing Microsoft proved to me this year, it’s that Kinect is not just a one trick pony, that it will continue to be supported, and that we should genuinely watch this space. For once I am genuinely, pleasantly surprised.

The Master Chief breaks out of his cryo sleep and dashes to Cortana, scooping her into the Chief’s helmet after the shock of an explosion ruptures the broken ships’s hull. In kicks the Chief’s new propulsion system in the icy zero-G atmosphere, propelling him forward through the mangled debris, into the path of a floating magnum, equipped with explosive rounds. Spiralling dramatically through crippled metal, he grips the last strut and cooly plants Mjolnir-powered feet down upon the deck of the torn vessel. The camera gives us a full view of the poised chief, before pulling back to reveal the tractor beam of an unknown structure dragging his transport into its core. The title hits the screen: Halo 4.

The E3 crowd erupts.

It’s safe to say, I am madly excited for this game. It releases in Fall 2012 and promises to be the beginning of a whole new Halo trilogy under the supervision of 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor. Will the covenant return? Or is this the beginning of a whole new fight with a brand new enemy? So many details are yet to be unveiled, but with only a year to wait, this is the best surprise E3 could offer Xbox fans.