Project Draco Officially Named Crimson Dragon

Project Draco went playable at today's Xbox 360 10th anniversary fan event in Akihabara. In addition to attendees getting a chance to go hands-on with the game, they were also given first official word of its new name, Crimson Dragon. The name had previously leaked out through overseas classification boards.

According to Famitsu.com's report from the event, Crimson Dragon is due for Xbox Live Arcade release some time this year.

Crimson Dragon is one of the high profile Xbox 360 games Microsoft announced at Tokyo Game Show 2010. It's being developed for Kinect by Yukio Futatsugi, of Panzer Dragoon fame.

Famitsu's report mention the following:

The game is a rails shooter, so you automatically progress forward through the stage. Your movements translate to direct movements by your dragon. You'll need to move around to avoid obstacles and incoming attacks.

To attack, you use your right hand, left hand, or both hands. Your right hand is used for lock on and homing attacks. Your left hand is used for powerful single shots.

The lock-on and homing attack, while relatively weak, can strike multiple enemies at once. It also does not deplete your spirit gauge.

The spirit gauge is needed for performing more powerful attacks. The attacks from your left hand deplete a certain amount of the spirit gauge with each attack. If the gauge is filled up a certain way, you can wave both hands for a screen wiping attack -- this game's equivalent of a "bomb" attack. The spirit gauge is automatically filled up gradually with time.

Famitsu's writer was impressed with the presentation, with high praise for the graphics quality. The sound is from the Panzer Dragoon staff, according to the report.

Joining the impressions, the site shared a bunch of screenshots, which you can see here.