So. Its been a year since the last Eurogamer expo event which took place in Old Billingsgate.
The venue having stepped up some what this year given that its now located in part of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre along side the Ideal Home Show and Wedding Show. No, not all in the same hall if that's what you were thinking!
Although I feel the only main difference being the size of the location, the capacity and number of games remained quite similar to that of last year, however you just had a hell of a lot more space to walk around, actually get something proper to eat and be able to take a break when required after taking everything in.
In brief, in this post, I'll be covering off some of my first impressions of games that I managed to have a go at during the 1st day.
After having played the demo for Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 on XBLA a week or so ago, the full game was readily playable.
In my opinion, the game far exceeded my expectations and I was glad to think that not all my reservations had been left with the demo, as this does not do the full game any justice.
The most noticeable differences in comparison to last years PES is that the game plays a lot slower, giving you much more time to think and make precise passes whilst working out what positions to have players run in to. You have a lot more overall control of the players without a scripted feel to the gameplay. What you manually do on the joypad is output very accurately in the game and this gives you a real sense of achievement when making those beautiful plays.
Visually the game has become a little bit cleaner compared to last years edition with the biggest makeover seen in the menu's department and the replays.
The menus have a much more arcady feeling to them, and this can be seen in the in-game pause menu when it comes to making substitutions/ tactical changes. The use of a mouse pointer gives it a very retro feel, thus adding to this arcady feeling.
The replays have seen a huge overhaul with much cleaner and smoother replays with added motion blur which for some reason gives the game a very polished look. It even makes it worth you wanting to watch your own goals again it looks so good.
All in all, a great game, and I look forward to it being released next week.
The expo this year also saw the return of Rock Band, in the identity of none other than itself: Rock Band 3
Last years event saw Beatles Rock Band being showcased.
Whilst I've generally been a music game lover, I was quite disappointed overall that very little had been done (from what I could initially make out that is) to the game. Visually it remained the same as Rock Band 1 and 2 and gameplay was gameplay. Pick up and instrument, guitar, bass guitar, mic or drums.
The biggest change it would appear to the game has come in the form of 2 peripherals. And "Expert Guitar" and Keyboard.
Expert Guitar was somewhat confusing, and would appear dedicated to the hardcore guitar masses where it is supposedly meant to simulate playing a guitar as accurately as playing the real thing. But they did say that about Rock Band when it first came out and I'm not closer to being able to play the guitar for real today!
The Expert Guitar peripheral holds over 100 buttons which are placed across the frets and on every string. I think that alone speaks for itself really. (and its costs over £100)
Keyboard certainly adds some novelty to "Rock Band". Not that it hasn't been done before in the form of Keyboard Mania by Konami, but hey...
Though expert Pro Keyboard isn't gonna make you walk away and instantly be able to play the piano, it adds a different dimension to the gameplay that we've been stuck with for so long, so for me I do feel that it is an added welcome, and the great thing being the fact you don't even need to buy the official peripheral, you can simply plug in an existing keyboard using a midi port connection.
Nothing huge to shout about in regards to Rock Band 3 though.
We managed to get the opportunity to try Kinect and boy did it leave a bit of a bad taste....
We had a go at Joy Ride, and it just seemed so delayed and not responsive enough, it just felt really weird that for once, you didn't have to hold anything in your hands at all. Yes the gameplays are simple and the overall feel of the games comes across somewhat aimed at a much younger generation, I still personally can not see how it will make a huge difference to the console industry given that they all now have their own motion sensing peripherals.
At another £120+ I can certainly say, that will not be a launch day pick up for me. Unless there's a sudden "interesting" change in the games being released and how polished they are being played by Kinect, then I will reconsider.
We do hope to get some time in on GOW3, Brink and Bulletstorm, so watch this space for some more first impressions. Full reviews to follow once games are available.
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