While things popping out at you from the screen has been nothing more than a gimmick in 3D films, it does offer a glimpse of how it can improve gaming. Basically it can allow us to gauge distance better. While it's a myth that no depth perception makes it impossible to judge any sort of distance (since the laws of perspective still apply), it does make it nearly impossible to judge small distances from certain angles. And nowhere has this been more apparent to me than in 3D polygon games.
I've missed plenty of jumps in platformers, gotten quite a few car impactes in Grand Theft Auto, and missed loads of melee attacks in games ranging from Chop Till You Drop to Kingdom Hearts, all because of the lack of dpeth perception. This can be where the 3D TVs and the 3DS can remedy this. I'm not sure if adding 3D is all it takes, or the camera has to be specially programmed, but it would be really nice to know if an enemy I'm trying to hit is one or two arms lengths away so I can know if my attack will connect or not.
A flashy-first game is awesome when it comes out. A great-first game is awesome forever.
Plus, just for the hell of it: Kelly Brook at the 2008 BAFTAs
