QTEs typically makes me grimace every time I see them, not that they don't have their place. Namely when the director wants to insert an impressive cinematic cut that falls outside of the standard moves and animations with a locked, dramatic camera angle. Basically mini interactive cut scenes.
It's only when QTEs are abused too often and used as a substitute for standard game play that they really begin to limit the whole interactive part of the gaming experience.
As for all the sequels, they exist for the best reason of all: they sell. You simply can't introduce a new IP every time you develop a game and expect to stay in the game making business barring the smaller pool of independent developers who aren't focused on big profits so much as they are being able to continue making their next game. It's only when a franchise stops selling that the sequels stop. The millions of fans of franchises eagerly awaiting the next game in the series would seem to agree, they will continue to buy more of what they like.
And realistically, Natal style motion controls are not the be all end all of ultimate controllers. They just aren't.
I count myself among the many who don't want to pantomime driving a car with an invisible steering wheel, stick shift and floor pedals, invisible "finger" hand guns, invisible flight sticks, invisible swords, air guitars, ad nauseam.
It's entirely up to the developers to come up with engaging ways to create game play using upcoming interfaces but to say that they instantly replace all other forms of now "obsolete" input sounds a lot like those who made the same claim when Wii Sports was released. It's been almost three years and I am still seeing a sea of games on that platform that have not lived up to the motion control revolution.
I expect to see a lot of interesting experimental projects for Natal, many of which I'll be playing, but also a sea of spastic flail-fests if it catches on like the Wii.
As for M+, call me a skeptic, but until we start seeing more killer apps like Sports Resort that make good use of the dongle add on, it's just another peripheral that gives additional interface options for developers. Wii M+ = Wii 2.0 remains to be proven.
