12/10/2012 - Eurogamer Expo 2012: Overview

Okay… So I know that this is a little late – but everyone gets busy every now and then. Here I’m going to talk briefly about some of the games that I played while at Eurogamer this year with my own views and comments.

[I shall apologise now if some games sound like a little rant… I was just disappointed…]

Assassins Creed 3

There were 2 playable demos for AC3, one where you infiltrate an army base to collect something hidden and then escape while the place is being bombarded with cannon fire; then the other gave you a true feeling of the water combat system.

The first impressions of the first demo was that there wasn’t any graphical improvements whatsoever, it feels like there hasn’t been any improvements in the engine and just gave the impression of ‘outdated’. The first convocation with Connor featured also showed clipping of his hair… Smooth. More clipping issues came to light later in the demo when you tried to ‘swing’ on a wooden support – which is square... And your swinging animation only counts for circle poles… Yeah… So Connor suddenly had no wrists at that point. Again – smooth.

I’m not sure what really is different but I personally found it a lot harder to ‘sneak’ compared to predecessors. Along with that when you finally tested out your new combat skills they just felt very slow (again, compared to the other games). When you finally killed your enemy he just turned to jelly! It seems they suddenly removed all their bone structure and the fall limp into weird (and not so wonderful) positions.

The water combat demo made me cry a little inside… Although the water graphics and the wave physics were extremely impressive – when it came to the actual combat it again felt very slow and clunky to me. Some games are able to pull off water combat just fine, but in AC3 I didn’t enjoy it at all.
[Again, this is my personal opinion, not everyone totally agrees with me and enjoyed the water combat system.]

Connor is going to have to come up with some smooth chat up lines to woo me like Ezio!

Tomb Raider

So… Own a Playstation 3? Ever played any of the Uncharted series? No? Well, then you’re missing out on a great game series and are partially lucky at the same time.

Each of the TR demos were played on the 360 (I wonder why…) and even with a different controller it still felt as if I was playing one of the Uncharted games. Yes I understand that Uncharted was originally based off Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, but it feels like this time Tomb Raider has taken many ideas and aspects of the game from Uncharted.

Other than that it is a great improvement of the game series compared to the original (hated them controls so much…) and although it may initially appear simplified to some hardcore gamers, it will be a sigh of relief to a larger audience.

Strike Suit Zero

My personal hidden gem of the show and Addict of Fiction’s Game of the Show!

If you’re a fan of robots and Mechas and space combat – then this game is for you! If you looking for something that is a little bit more challenging and something slightly a bit different than most things currently on the market, then again this game is for you!

This game features amazing graphics, which just emphasizes the gameplay so much. For someone like me I found the combat and gameplay a little difficult and unforgiving (if you die, the mission fails) but other than that I had fun playing it and can’t wait for the betas! Check it out: [Facebook]!

Halo 4

Like most shooter games featured at expos – you play the multiplayer aspect, rather than any campaign. This means that I generally SUCK! I tend to die a lot and sometimes rage quit. But this time I actually thoroughly enjoyed the pvp multiplayer, yes I died more times than I would care to mention but… I didn’t come last!

Other than that, the game felt fresh and new without being too different. Everything was smooth, combat was fun, and I enjoyed killing people! Sadly this means that I might have to invest in a 360 console just to play it…

SimCity

A brilliant regeneration of the game series, you can read my full hands-on preview here: [Post]

Company of Heroes 2

Another solid demo featured at this year’s expo. It is another genre that again I'm not normally very good at, but again I enjoyed and can’t wait for the beta with my early beta access pass I received.
There were a few bugs and glitches, but it is still in development – and like anything, it’s expected.

Wii U

So... The Wii U was one of the biggest attractions of this years expo and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The large tablet (although quite bulky) was very light and easy to use on the variety of games that we tested it on.

I had a play on Rayman Legends, Super Mario Bros. U, and Nintendo Land. I personally didn't try ZombieU (due to my personal fear of them) but from observing other people and their reactions it is a very solid game.
Nintendo Land uses your own Miis in a variety of mini games which you can either play with your friends or against them. Mini game themes range from: The Legend of Zelda, Harvest Moon, and Luigi's Mansion - but the list goes on. These were really fun and a huge step up for family games compared to original Wii Play. Rayman Legends is a MUST BUY for this console! I cannot express how much fun I had playing this in co-op mode, especially when your partner can just pure and totally troll you by smashing spikes in your face! 

The Expo

Although there were a lot of amazing games featured at this year’s Eurogamer Expo, but sadly I believe that 2011 was much better. I only attended on the Sunday last year and obtained a greater haul of freebies compared to this years jointed effort of Saturday and Sunday. It’s like this year the game companies either gave out all their freebies in the first two days, and didn’t leave anything for the busiest day of the event, or just don’t love the community enough *sad face*.

Other than that – I’m still looking forward to next year! I might go on the Thursday then – so I don’t miss out on any of the freebies!

Thanks for listening!

Toodles x