Posts tagged london

Right, so the Eurogamer Expo had Uncharted 2 on show – we all know it’s a good game but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that. Let’s be honest, all anyone cares about are those games that are yet to grace the shelves.

So, what did the Expo have to impress everyone travelling to the capital? 

With two floors of glorious gameplay, the Expo set out to give the eager attendees time to try out future games – a bonus on both sides. It was a chance for developers to show off their hard work and hopefully shift a few more copies, plus a brilliant opportunity for the hardcore gamer to get their hands on some of the best new releases of late 2009 / early 2010 ahead of time.  

The third floor was a prospective game developer’s heaven with career stalls from the likes of Relentless, Ubisoft and Sega hoping to snatch the cream of the crop. BAFTA surgeries were also held by game designers, artists and programmers from top game development studios passing on pearls of wisdom to future developers.

Back on the gaming floors, certain sections of the Expo were always going to be predictably busy. Assassin’s Creed 2, anyone? There was no chance of getting to try out the game unless I waited around for a long period of time along with everyone else who had the same idea in mind. What I did see of the game was true to the hype - a better, improved version of the original, the former repetitiveness distilled and the graphics pushed up a notch.

Elsewhere for more casual gamers, Nintendo showcased its big future releases in the form of New Super Mario Bros Wii; Red Steel 2 and Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story for the DS. New Super Mario Bros Wii pulled in the crowds who were kept in order by a Nintendo rep ensuring everyone had their fair share. In true Nintendo style, New Super Mario Bros Wii builds on the concept of Super Mario Bros DS but shakes it all up with the addition of party style four-player mode. The game really shines as players battle to gain the all important items around the screen, whilst single players can still enjoy the classic side scrolling platform at its best.

MAG could have done with Nintendo-esque reps controlling the crowds as fans sneakily spent more than their allocated time on the game. When finally getting the chance to try out an online match versus those already on the game in the USA, I was pleasantly surprised by the gameplay and detail of the map scenario in which you fire those deadly shots. This game should be a hit once everyone has got over the release of Modern Warfare 2.

Despite little being known of the intricate details, Heavy Rain already looks to be one of those groundbreaking releases. A PlayStation 3 exclusive, the game utilises a unique gameplay system where the player can choose the emotional response and their character’s actions during the dramatic cutscenes. The character graphics were immensely detailed and the game thoroughly slick.  This is gonna be one to watch.

This game was always going to be 18+. Wisely, the creators of the Saw game have stuck to it’s massively popular movie roots but have created an entirely different experience for gamers.  The story pans out in similar fashion to the movies but effectively blends together aspects of puzzle, adventure and inevitable gore as your character tries to escape from Jigsaw’s mind games.

Described as ‘what Burnout should have been’, Split/Second was the biggest surprise of the day. Developed by Brighton’s Black Rock Studio (a part of Disney Interactive Studios) the racing game was nothing like I expected. The whole environment you’re racing through changes drastically before your eyes. Definitely think Burnout but with a lot more destruction, intensity and pizazz. Ignore any preconceptions you might have of a Disney studio – this hasn’t had Hannah Montana anywhere near it.

The latest offering from social party game heavyweights Relentless, Blue Toad Murder Files looks to have the recipe for a surefire hit. Combining the increasing popularity of puzzle games, murder mystery and their trademark social focus, the game looks set to reach a massive demographic. Set in a quintessential English town, you solve tricky puzzles whilst trying to find out Whodunnit. This episodic tale will be downloadable from the PlayStation Network in December ready for Christmas and the family party season.

This feature was published on ATTN:Magazine.

Not knowing quite what to expect, we set out and watched the Michael Jackson documentary film on its opening day and, as expected, the cinema was busy and buzzing with a great atmosphere.

After the obligatory trailers the film propelled us into the gargantuan world of his planned shows, created by director Kenny Ortega and meticulously detailed by Michael Jackson himself. 

Thankfully, the film didn’t draw heavily upon the singer’s controversial death and instead wisely focussed on the talent that made him who he was.

The film had great pace as the star brilliantly sung and danced his way through his well known hits such as ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Earth Song’ and ‘Man in the Mirror’, in superbly edited pieces of footage displayed as raw and edgy roughcuts of the preparation behind this hotly-anticipated set of comeback concert dates.

It was clear that there was to be no expense spared as the concert prepared to delight London audiences with an array of stunning visuals.  They created a CGI army, planted Michael into a black and white film for the performance of ’Smooth Criminal’ and recreated the well known horror scene in the video for ’Thriller’.

It’s clear that diehard MJ fans will love the movie, but it’s the ones who weren’t so convinced who will be bowled over by the level of effort and involvement Michael put into his work and the pure professionalism poured into every last lyric and trick of the feet.  An aching reminder of just why he was the King of Pop - this would have been more than a show to remember.