Gamers got a chance to get some hands-on time with the titles they are most looking forward to over the coming months and also grab as much swag as possible before the show closed.
In this article I will give you a run down of what I saw at the show and any general points of interest relating to the games I tried during my time there. I must first of all say that the Saturday event was very well organised and gave everyone ample opportunity to play the games we wanted and also attend the different events going on around the venue.
Obviously one of the biggest announcements going into the Expo was the fact that the OnLive system would be give out to those in attendance. I tried by copy out recently and found that the system worked exceptionally smoothly and the interface was easy to navigate. I’ll post a more thorough understanding of the product once I’ve really got my teeth into it.
Secondly the amount of free gifts I managed to pick up this year was unbelievable – free tees, magazines, games, hats, stickers and the standard stationary offers all exceeded my expectations. The free copy of Rift I picked up was frankly one of the highlights as well as a lovely OnLive tee and Raving Rabbids key ring.
Anyway on with the games….
Batman: Arkham City
One of the longest queues on the show floor was for the highly anticipated Arkham ASsylum sequel for local developer Rocksteady, who are based in Highgate just a few miles down the road. The demo really shows why Rocksteady will soon be one of the biggest studios on the planet and have really fine tuned what was already a brilliant franchise.
Catwomen was up first with a combat simulator that showed us exactly how she will be handling the action sequences. Her whip is accompanied by some really acrobatic techniques that give her a very unique feel against the tough tackling capped crusader. After introducing us to Catwoman's acrobatic combat moves, the demo switched over to Batman himself and showed us a familiar mix of stealth, action and exploration. The new open world environment looks lovely too and the depth of the city is really well handled on the Xbox 360. Batman can glide, grapple and climb his way around the talk buildings which really adds to the stealth elements of the gameplay. Although we saw in previews the chance for Batman to grapple onto Helicopters I didn’t get to see this for myself.
Overall this game is coming along really nicely and feels exactly as it should. The action is still well coordinated and the scope really has been expanded. The next few months will give the developers a chance to really fine tune their action adventure.
Excitement – 8/10
Guild Wars 2
I found that all the time I was queuing for other games around the Expo I was still thinking about this MMO; although it might have been down to the Eurogamer bag everyone was given on entry. First of all let me explain that MMO’s are definitely tough to handle in the short time I got to play this. Guild Wars 2 has a striking art style, crunching combat and seamless action. The show floor gave us both PvP and boss fight demo’s which gave players a chance to see what the final game will offer. The interface is very much like World of Warcraft (there’s a surprise) and was relatively easy to pick up and play.
The thing I found most astounding was how polished this version was when the actual release is still a very long way off. It’s no surprise that this looks to be the next big MMO.
Excitement – 7/10
Battlefield 3
DICE attended Eurogamer with several different Battlefield 3 setups so the aspects could be shown clearly ahead of the UK release next month. There were both console and PC competitive multiplayer, plus a single player mission called Operation Guillotine. Both had their tweak game systems on display and the Frostbite 2 engine looks fantastic. The single player level saw the player joining a platoon on a night assault oh Tehran; the character had to race downhill into mortar zones while flares and gunfight filled the starry sky above.
The multiplayer offerings showed some of the more tactical affairs of the shooter while the campaign looked a lot more run and gun. DICE have already confirmed that the single player will be co-operative on general release which should bring another exciting element to the table. The new engine ran very smoothly with almost zero lag even in high octane fire fights. The environments become destroyed in a lot more interesting ways which should add another dynamic specifically to the online portion.
The main thing I thought off the back of this was the definite perception that this could well be a Modern Warfare beater. Whether in reality this could actually happens remains to be seen. I do think this version could at least lower the Activision market share quite dramatically.
Excitement – 8/10
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The final game addition to the Expo was the welcome return of Activision world beating War franchise. The stand was setup to give players a chance with the Spec Ops Survival mode, which pitted two players in a wave based campaign. Enemy troops invaded their space as they tried to hold increasingly harder waves at bay.
Players could tactically buy weapons, upgrades and support between each round as well as special perks like air strikes. As the waves became harder and harder the enemies would throw more adventurous variations against you with helicopter gunships and bomb dogs being my particular favourites.
For all the great parts of this game it just seems like a bit of a remake and doesn’t bring anything particularly revolutionary to the table. I think Battlefield trumps this in most departments and although I think COD will win the eventual sales battle the DICE game deserves to knock it down a few pegs.
Excitement – 6/10
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The third war based shooter on display at this year’s Expo showed us exactly what we have been missing over the last few years. The demo ran through on an updated version of the classic Dust map.
The new layout and weapons showed fans what to expect when the fame finally launches. The new additions like Molotov’s alter the dynamic of the original Cs but hardened veterans should enjoy the changes.
Valve have already outlined their plan to make this version of Counter Strike more forgiving for newcomers and at the same time raise the depth of the skills ranking. The game itself looks quite polished and LAG seemed no existent even in the most action packed areas. Although I didn’t get a chance to play the demo myself I found that the general expectation of the game was high and players were pretty happy with how the whole thing handled. Time will tell if this can live alongside the Battlefield and Modern Warfare held fan-base on consoles.
Excitement – 7/10
Dark Souls
This was one of the stands that surprised me for not being as popular as expect. A few of the gamers seemed to play it several times though which is always a good thing and also a richly designed game. This is much more action orientated the Skyrim with probably the same amount of depth. Although I am looking forward to this game it didn't strike my hopes up as much as I thought it would. I like challenging game too but the gameplay didn't feel that fluid.
There is certainly a pull to this that keeps you wanting to go further as the mysteries deepen. Prepare to die a lot still and I'm sure any fan of the original is in for a treat.
Excitement - 6/10
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
I gave this game a full article of it's own a few days back which truly explains what I saw but whether that was because of how much I've hype it myself or not remains to be seen. It certainly lived up to my expectations but it wasn't the best game on the floor in my opinion.
Bethesda have really worked hard to completely overhaul their previous outing and the differences to the gameplay or brilliant. Two-handed combat is great and really adds a certain depth to an already truly expansive series. The game is absolutely beautiful game too with so many hidden surprises even in the demo area I am sure many people will lose themselves in Tamriel once again.
Excitement - 9/10
Super Mario 3D Land
Mario's debut on Nintendo's new handheld has quite a few hands waiting to lure in fans. A good quality Mario game is just what the console needs to increase it's fan base.
I played the standard Mario affair that worked it's way left to right across a fairly standard course. The first thing I noticed was that the game handled a little like Mario 64 DS which isn't necessarily a good thing. Mario took a little bit of time to get up to speed and the triple jump was a bit of a pain in the narrow route. The actual depth is handled really well and a different level would have no doubt showed this up more. Mario did work his way behind walls but the level wasn't a puzzle like as I would have liked.
This will still be a massive hit though as it's so playable.
Excitement - 7/10
I did see quite a bit more at the Expo but didn't feel like I got enough to give them too much of a run through. Final Fantasy XIII-2 was very easy to pick up. It plays exactly like the first installment but follows Serah and some guy I can't for the life of me remember the name of (Noah I think). The graphics are exactly the same but it's does feel a little quicker. That might just be me though.
Sky 3D was quite good too. The Video really resembled the normal Media Application on the normal device but the novelty is nice. If they put any sort of TV on there then I'll be first in line to get on it. All the Nintendo stands were great with a nice Zelda model above the 25th Anniversary stand. Skyward Sword looked good too, I didn't give it a go myself as I know I'd talk myself into needing a Wii.
Once final point of notice was the well polished Inversion that comes out early next year. It looks really nice and is very playable. The difficulty was quite well balanced with none of the firefights feeling straight-forward. It will certainly be a third person shooter that could knock Gears down a peg or two.
0 comments :
Post a Comment
Leave a Comment...