Posts Tagged ‘Gamescom’

Coming from the comparatively down and dirty TGS, Gamescom’s attitude to press had a great many advantages. There was one disadvantage however, which was that a great many games I DIDN’T get to play, that I was only allowed to watch. Of course Tokyo had its own fair share of ‘game theatres’ for upcoming games still early in development but with no appointments I rarely saw them.

On only one occasion, early on the first day of a TGS did I ever attend one of these demo reels, ushered in by an over enthusiastic Japanese PR member before the lines formed. Yakauza 4 was the title and I realised quickly how little I was going to glean from the experience. Watching someone else play and worse a montage of tightly produced footage, revealed little of what the game would be. None of the intricacies of play could be seen and coverage was reduced to bullet points as bland as a bad press release.

Finally getting around to posting three posts that have been on my desktop for months, this is the first of them.

Of course for me in Japan the ‘theatre’ experience ran in to the double issue of the presentation being in Japanese. Struggling to keep up with (or understand at all) what was being said was an issue. This at least I assumed would be better at the English speaking Gamescom (strange as it was in Germany). To an extent it was more useful; I understood the narration and games were active played in front of me rather than just shown off in a flashy sizzle reel.

Issues only arose at the end of a demo when without fail we were was asked, “Are there any questions?” There were, inevitably, from a room full of press and bloggers eager to report all they could back to their audiences yet with no real feel for how the game was played. The problem was that really each event was a highly practiced exercise in controlled information flow. Nearly all questions were met with a “we aren’t talking about that yet” to the point that part of me wondered why they ever opened the floor up to questions.

I know why of course, because these were rooms filled with enthusiast sites alongside mainstream media. Diehard fans always ask something that can’t be answered but mainstream media may want to clarify larger overarching points for their uninformed (larger) audiences, rather than the minutia of hit detection or balance.

Every side played their role beautifully, but it is hard to please two such different masters. Almost without fail however I found myself in a room filled with enthusiast bloggers. So as questions about armour sets and shots to centre mass filled the room, I was left feeling awkward as the response came back again and again, “no comment”.

Below are (some of) the games that I saw bet never got to ‘touch’. Interesting to a point, and displayed in ways far superior to a simple rolling demo, but still lacking.

I could easily have believed that it was TV coverage.

F1 2011 (Playdevil)

I have to be honest here, I have no real frame of reference for F1 2011. Developed by Codemasters the game is, by all accounts, as close to photo realistic as I have seen. With many years developing racing games under their belt, and now three iterations of the very well received F1 licence, it should come as no surprise that the 2011 release of the franchise is looking good.

I feel I should be excited to get my hands on this, and the demo looked great, but somehow I'm not feeling it.

Metro: Last Light (Playdevil)

Demoed on the PC Metro Last Light looked amazing. Shadows and light played beautifully over the textures and the whole aesthetic remained as confining and evocative as ever. Alterations being made to the stealth also seem to fit well with the experience, but as a fan of the original I find it hard to ignore the possibility that improved combat, and a heavy reliance on it, will rob Metro Last Light of the desperation that I used to feel when fighting the horrifying mutants of future Russia.

Heavy Metal crossed with Zelda, I will be playing this... but I need to finish the first one first.

Darksiders 2 (Playdevil)

With such a short hands off demo it is hard to comment on just how many of the developer’s promises will bear fruit. The series unique style certainly seems to have endured, with the added pleasure of the artists having more freedom in the more fanciful landscapes and customisation of Death. Combat also still looks like it will retain the original’s high standards, with changes simply offering a slightly faster pace to the action.

Darksiders 2 (Gamepeople)

Darksiders 2 appears to be expanding the original in all the right ways. Where a faster pace to the already fluid combat looks like a simple upgrade, the extra freedom given to both the character customisation and story structure will be the real draw.

2K and Bethesda exemplified the contrast between the two sides of my encounters with companies at Gamescom. Both had a good selection of high profile release and were relying (primarily) on hands off demos, but the way I felt inside each of their areas was notable different, especially back-to-back as I experienced them.

Entering 2K’s area there was a sense of relaxation. In fact PR had a very tight handle on me, but before my first demo I was able to chat happily with various representatives and catering staff as I waited for my first appointment. I was even brought a cup of tea to drink as I played The Darkness 2, but more out of a sense of solidarity for also being English. None of that really matters to the games of course, but the feeling of comfort and confidence in the order of proceedings was clear to all around me. For the record, 2K also had the best lollypops.

Great a new Gamescom logo, consistency be damned.

Conversely Bethesda felt slightly austere. This could easily be a result of the buzz surrounding Skyrim, and a distinctly smaller fleet of PR reps, who were clearly carefully picking their battles. I, with three other bloggers, stood around a table waiting for our Prey 2 demo, wondering if we were even in the right place as we waited for it to begin. The strange sense of uncertainty soon dissipated once lead in to the small room to begin the demo, but the were an uncomfortable few moments.

You may be asking why I feel this is important, well there is a psychological theory known as misattribution of emotion. Basically the idea is that a feeling can bleed in to an opinion experienced around the same time without conscious thought or control. Fortunately the quality of the games on show spoke volumes louder than any feelings created before going in. But were an audience member more highly-strung and the game being shown less impactful, such situations could have an affect on their coverage, however much they tried to avoid it. This is of course the reason for PR and the huge events that companies sometimes hold, it is not buying people off but instead a subtle attempt to sway opinion. There is nothing wrong with this per say, but you do have to know you can trust your writers.

Personally I didn’t feel the difference I perceived of each company during my brief time with them was in any way meant to be manipulative. It could have be down to any number of reasons; ethos, focus, recourses or time to name but a few, but the was a window there for manipulation. Both were certainly professional and ran their booths expertly, but to have two such different experiences so close together I admit was fascinating.

Bethesda

Prey 2

If there was a game at Gamescom I wanted more of it was Prey 2. Following the plot of alien abducted US martial, Killian Samuels, the short demo only served to wet my appetite as I watched it played in the dark room before me. Developed by Human Head, this FPS promises a range of organic RPG elements that have me desperate to learn more.

Prey 2 might be the most excited I have been about a game since Resident Evil 4, I just hope it turns out as good.

Dishonored

Still early in production Dishonored shows huge promise, it was just a game hard to get excited about seen back to back with Prey 2. With a good gap between the releases of the two titles however I am sure I have room in my heart for both freeform action adventures. I will certainly keep an eye on Dishonored moving forward and I am excited to see just how it will develop as it nears release.

Dishonored is looking interesting, but suffered from being shown along side Prey 2.

Rage

Rage is a game whose appeal really does lies in its world and visuals, and while the gunplay was satisfying what was on display of the mission structure I saw did little to excite.

Since I wrote my preview I recived Rage for a review, and I can confirm this is what the game looks like all the time.

2K

Borderlands 2

What Gearbox is hoping to do with Borderlands 2 is to create something that feels distinctly different to its predecessor, which is a hard thing to demonstrate in a hands-off demo. As play slowly unfolded however, it became clear that they might have a point, as the snow covered look of the world was clearly more than just a palette change.

More environments and new characters sound like just the start, with enemy AI also undergoing a huge revamp.

The Darkness 2

The Darkness 2 is set to continue the story of Jackie Estacado, a possessed member of the New York mob. With the story and voice acting the most interesting elements or the original, The Darkness 2 looks set to improve on the formula, continuing its dark narrative and introducing quad welding to spice up the combat.

The strong comic art style of the original has been even further refined for The Darkness 2.

It is my first year back in the UK since I began my writing, and one of the things I had been looking forward to was Gamescom. After a childhood of lusting for a visit to the Tokyo Game Show, it was something of a cruel irony that soon after moving to Japan what transpired to be the worlds largest game show began in Europe.

Gamescom, big and growing.

I had only attended a few years of TGS, but even in that time its atrophy was clear. Diminishing numbers of companies and shrinking booth sizes proved a depressing welcome each year as (especially before they were filled with crowds) the massive halls looked empty and barren. This year I hear the trend has continued and even though I longed to be there, part of me was glad to be spared having my childhood fantasy further sullied.

At Gamescom I wasn’t sure what to expect by comparison to my Japanese experiences. I had heard tell of the size of the event, but I was unprepared for just how different it was to be. Four huge halls all packed with exhibitor’s displays some of which carried on long after the official end of the show, something unheard of at TGS. There were even outside areas for the public to go out and enjoy with a fake beach and a multitude of other attractions (electronic and otherwise) to really make it feel like a day out rather than just a queue to see your favourite upcoming game.

After the main show halls there was the conference area where the GDC Europe was taking place, and where one of my demos was to be shown. Then finally I discovered the final two business halls (just in time for my first appointment). These two storied corporate areas were unlike anything at Gamescom’s Japanese sister. All of the floor space was filled with partitioned areas dedicated to each company. No waiting, just turn up for the appointment (no freedom of choice here) and sit down with the game.

The vast halls were impressive but it was my arrival before the crowds that made the first, lasting, impression.

I should paint a picture of this for you. It was not the black aircraft-hanger like space of the public halls. Nearly all white and airy with tall windows the whole area was designed to relax while looking around. To that end many bars and cafes (with plenty of seating) were on hand, and publisher areas were all graced with refreshments. Overhearing a few businessmen looking at the ice cream on offer in the entrance I was amazed to hear the clearly affluent gents exclaim with shock that they had to pay. My knee jerk response was they were gits for feeling so entitled, but another quick scan of the hall made me realise that with free massages on hand for those that wanted them thinking the ice cream was gratis was probably not such a stretch.

My first appointment was with Warner Bros. With three games to see (plus one for Lollipop Chainsaw that I begged for) I spent a good chunk of time in this smallish, but well ventilated booth (did I mention that in the business section you could feel the air-con?) chatting to developers and press. It was casual, friendly, and far less harassed than I had ever felt at TGS as I relaxed in a chair with my cola.

Now after giving my previews a month on the site I wrote them for I am adding some of the links up here, beginning with Warner Bros. More posts will follow this week and give a brief chronicle of my time at the show, and some idea of how the new environment affected my views.

 Batman Arkham City

It was at this point my guide offered to show me a bit of what I was missing, giving him the controller he agilely reminded me just how Batman should behave. Expertly he began to utilize all of the tools on offer to take out the opponents around him, swooping through the air with more grace than I recall being possible in the previous game. In moments it was over, and I began to remember the sense of power I felt in Asylum when I was master of it.

Small changes make a big difference to combat and stalking, now I just want to put them to good use.

Gotham City Impostors

The key to the games appeal finds itself in the Batman vs. Joker mechanic of the game. Set in a Gotham City everyone wants to emulate his or her favorite hero or a villain. The fun comes from creating a character based loosely on their team’s idol. ‘Batmen’ run around with crash helmets and body armour, while Joker-a-likes improvise all manner of amusing weaponry and make up. It is a fun and familiar shorthand that allows for a wide degree of amusing and novel customisation. Leveling up characters unlocks further upgrades and powers allowing the player to continue to evolve as they play.

Comic representations of comic book characters was entertaining, but it was the locomotion that really entertained.

Lord of the Rings – War in the North

As with some many games touting ‘RPG’ elements, many of Lord of the Rings – War in the North’s most intriguing features remained unavailable during the demo. Focusing on combat may well be the most immediately satisfying aspect of the game but lacked the strong ties to the fiction and the all-important attachment to the characters formed through time and customisation. If these connections can be made the low impact of the combat may pale in significance, but that remains to be seen.

The dull grey environments of the demo I played look far better in screen shots of more varied areas.

Lollipop Chainsaw

Part of me feels Lollipop Chainsaw is a protest game by Suda 51, trying to pick everything he believe is popular in the West to see if that will prove more commercially successful. If so I hope it works, but as with all Suda games the outlandish style may make it hard for the mainstream to stomach. I know I will be getting it on 360 and PS3 when it releases in 2012, but it may be a hard sell to the wider audience.

Explosive hearts, chainsaws, pom-poms, zombies, cheerleaders... I love Suda 51.