Eurogamer Expo - Game Roundup

This past weekend was the annual Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court in London. The Expo showcased the upcoming releases to close out this year and also what will break us into 2012. I must say all in all the show was a massive delight to attend and each of the different stands appealed to someone or other.


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.

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Gears of War 3 - DLC

The recent release of Gears of War 3 has been a worldwide success with over 3 million units being sold in the first week alone. Epic Games have again brought us a high octane action shooter pitting Marcus Fenix against the locust horde. I love the series for it’s brutal and unforgiving approach. I’ve purchased both the previous versions on midnight releases and love playing them both on and offline. The one thing that doesn’t sit easily with me is EPIC’s pathetic approach to DLC. In fact as a fan I’m totally disgusted in the way they have decided to handle the Gears 3 content.

Normally when a company chooses to provide DLC that’s a total rip off I just ignore it completely. In fact I usually make jokes about it and shun the developers for the ways they line their pockets. The difference this time is that it’s a AAA development house that’s doing it and a studio that usually listens closely to fan reaction. EPIC have been known for giving fans exactly what they want and keep them as loyal as possible. This decision to make their fans pay to unlock content already on the disc is a complete disgrace to their fans. Obviously this concept isn’t new but EPIC games have taken this to a whole new level.

In the multiplayer beta earlier this year players got to run around in several of the DLC skins for character. At that time did you realise you were going to have to pay even more money to run around in this again? That’s right you were testing the multiplayer game and also the paid DLC too.

Another point I’d like to raise is the length of time this DLC has been in production. The pink lancer that EPIC have mention before was first shown to us nearly a whole year ago and is another example of the paid skins available on release day.

It goes from bad to worse too as the bot characters in multplayer can also spawn using DLC creations. When you marvel at a bot characters design you might find yourself having to put in even more money to play as the character yourself. The worse part by far though is the fact that the accumulated total of DLC on offer exceeds the original price of purchasing the game.

The principle of this issue is not that I dislike paying for DLC; it’s actually the way EPIC have handled this particular release. I’ve very surprised to see a studio with such a good reputation tarnish themselves for the sake of a few extra pounds. It’s disappointing in itself to find DLC locked into the retail disk. If this content had been on XBL only then I don’t think I’d have had quite the amount of anger inside me. I’m more then a little disappointed – when exactly did Microsoft or EPIC decide Gears of War didn’t make enough money?

I’ll finish by saying that the game itself is great and should make fans of the series very happy. The graphics are very clear and the gameplay elements have all been tweaked in the right sort of ways.  The game has actually averaged a 9/10 on most of the reviews I’ve read but this DLC would be luck to get any points at all.

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Eurogamer Expo 2011 - Skyrim Impressions

I’ve been really excited about getting my hands on Skyrim ever since it was announced in 2010 and as you may or may not be aware the brilliant RPG was playable at this weekend at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo. Finally, an opportunity to sit down and play the game itself? Unfortunately not I’m afraid.

Although the temptation to play the game was pretty much overbearing I never actually managed to stay in the queue long enough to get to the front. To say the queue was long is quite frankly the understatement of the century but I did watcherbearing I never actually managed to stay in the queue long enough to get to the front. To say the queue was long is quite frankly the understatement of the century but I did watch many fans playing this epic adventure.

So, first of all it’s character creation which is probably the most important part of this game. On several occasions I have started to play oblivion for a few hours and then found myself annoyed by a hairstyle or facial choice and start over again. The good news is that the character creation tools are much deeper and slicker then ever before. All the amendments create a truly personalised character that really spills over into the game itself. The character animation is much cleaner too and the visual upgrade was certainly needed. In Oblivion the non-human races looked quite awkward at times but Bethesda have definitely improved the quality of those designs for Skyrim.

The character I watched was a male Khajiit who almost immediately bounded up a hill towards the snow covered mountains. The countryside has a feeling of being alive as the trees, grass give way seamlessly to snowy mountains as you traverse the landscape. The rivers look brilliant and the general effect on the gameworld creates an even more immersive playing area. The whole world feels alive.

The Xbox 360 version that I watched looked a little jagged in places but I’m sure this will be ironed out. From what I’ve heard the Playstation 3 version has the same problem but this isn’t an issue you can’t get past.

The animals look much more active with Rabbits often rushing through the long grass. Wolves also look much better then in previous instalments with a more varied attack pattern and a much more solid animation. The salmon leap in the river and the trees rustle in the wind.

Anyway the gamer I watched sent his character rushing up a mountain into the snow and attacked some bandits who were held up in a worn down tower. After knocking them down fairly quickly with a couple of the nicely displayed finishing moves he left to head back down the way he came. The tower itself looked very typical of the Elder Scrolls series and had the feeling that makes you want to explore further and loot everything possible. He used a short word and a fire combo that looks devastating and added nicely to the smooth action based gameplay.

Shortly after leaving I watch as he entered the village of Riverwood. I was pleasantly surprised to see a horse and cart which is another lovely addition to the world that adds another layer of immersion. The townsfolk gossip about the world around them, argued about family turmoil and deal with conversation in a realistic manner. The town was lively and gave the player even more reason to explore its streets. I didn’t see the conversation tree open but previews have explained that this is a vast improvement over Oblivion too.

A few other points of interest were the world map which is now displayed in real time which is very aesthetically pleasing. It allows you too see a much more detailed version of the world around you and what sort of places are local. The whole package is just much smoother than ever before and Bethesda have clearly gone to great lengths to improve not just the combat and gameplay experience but the whole interface too.

All in all, I felt immensely satisfied with the game, even after watching the game in action is was pleased by the whole experience and what it additions Bethesda had added. Once again the delicate mix of RPG and action is handled well and the advancement system looks to give the user a much more diverse creation tree. It's certainly a game I now wish I'd cued for but at the same time it can only get more polished before it's release in November.

Excited is an understatement.....

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