Game Show Report

[Glenno23]

I spent the week up on the GC doing some training followed by 2 days of gaming goodness. following here is a report of what i saw.

There was a lot, so im not going to go into detail for all', but i wil list all games i saw, and if you have a question, i will answer it

Turns out that Ross from Big Ant Studios was also on the GC for a conference. We managed to catch up for 30 mins, where he gave me some details on the AFL Game.

I can't tell you what he showed me, but it was VERY, VERY cool.

Of course it was very humorous that GT5 was delayed while we were up there, what was even more funny, is that we were actually playing the game at the time

The following letters after a games title means this:

(P)- We played the game
(D)- We had the gameplay demoed to us by a rep
(V)- We only saw video of said game

Game of the show was Duke Nukem Forever

COD: Black Ops: (P) Got to play 3 rounds of gun game in a LAN setup. Was an absolute blast. Controls are sweet, and the constant upgrading of weapons means you must be able to change tactics on the run. Its also helpful to know the rankings of the players, as sometimes its better to knife a guy right behind you on the leaderboard to drop them back, rather than shoot them and advance yourself, especially if its droppign them back to a rubbish gun. You all know what i think of COD games, but this was a serious amount of fun

AC: BH: (P) They had a LAN set up in the Ubisoft booth. I rather enjoyed it. I think this game might be best played with mates online rather than randoms. But kudos to Ubisoft for tying to change up MP a bit. SP was demoed to us by a rep from their Singapore studios. Some really nice additions like the one where you can send your shit kicker assassins all over the world to do your bidding

Duke Nukem Forever: (P) Hail to the king baby! The trailer we saw was the funniest trailer i have ever seen for a game. EVER. Randy Pitchford flew in to talk to us for a bit, then he showed the trailer and we all lost it.
Got to play it at the booth too. Classic Nukem laughs to be had. Solid controls. Awesome

Kinect: (P) Got to play a wide arrange of games, both made by Microsoft and 3rd party developers. I must say it surprised me. It was a lot more accurate than i thought it could be. Kinectimals was cute, Motion sports looked a little balnd, but had some good ideas and table tennis from Kinect Sports was also good fun. Played the racing game too, and it was very responsive. And very Mario Kart like. Was coming 1st going into the last lap and got spammed something fierce and ended up last

Homefront: (D) Looks a little like Frontlines (graphically) and has similar ideas (massive online numbers) has some good ideas. One to keep an eye on

Epic Mickey: (P) Looks like a fun title. Lots of depth to it, much more than expected. Nice graphics and some very nice art (but thats what to expect from Disney)

Goldeneye: (P) Had a blast, but felt a little "soulless" played 4 player splitscreen. Won the game. Maybe Kotick has sucked it dry?

NFS Hot Pursuit: (P) Loved it. Felt just like it used to. Great controls, awesome graphics and spike strips. Thats how a reboot is done!

Dead Space 2: (P) got to play a 15 minute demo. I'm not much into horror and the like. It was pretty good though. Got a bit frustrated by continually getting killed by monsters that weren't on my screen and kept dropping in behind me. Other than that, was enjoyable. Collectors edition looks pretty sweet too

The following games were played in 3D:

GT5: (P) Delayed. GOLD. Plays alright. 3D gaming doesn't do much for me. The cool aspect for GT5 was the inside cockpit view. 3D made it look stunning. Not sure on why it was delayed. Reps were keeping their mouths shut

Killzone 3: (P) Very solid, but i find it hard adjusting to shooters on the PS3. I hate how the R1 is trigger and L1 is aim. Hope it can be changed. KZ is KZ, so i'm sure you know whether you are going to play it or not

Got given a PS3 controller in the shape of a 360 controller which also has indented analogues, so its easier to grip. If i can change the button layout, will fire up the PS3 more often and get on some shooters with you guys

The Fight: (P) Its ok, but i wouldn't buy Move for it. Ok response from the controls. 3D was a bit meh

The Shoot: (P) This was fun. Very responsive, nice art work and some nice ideas. A nice little preview for Time Crisis. Played with gun attachment

Motorstorm Apocalypse: (P) Went ok, but TBH, the 3D really made it hard to see what was happening ahead of you with all the buildings kept falling down and there was debris everywhere. Was very annoying due to this.

That was it for 3D games. Here's a few other (non 3D) games:

LA Noire
SW: Force Unleashed 2
007: Bloodstone
Tron
LBP 2
Read Dead Redemption Undead
Test Drive 2
The Witcher 2
Vanquish
Shogun 2
Sonic Colours
Dragon Age 2
Bulletstorm
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Splatterhouse
F3ar
Mortal Kombat

Also got the new Gameinformer that comes out next week (has Resistance 3 on its cover and a large story in the mag)

Sony were nice enough to give all of us a free PS Move bundle too

Got some other free stuff too: 12 months XBOX live, $150 set of surround sound 777 Plantronic headsets, $100 ear phones from Logitech, 40% off a set of Turtle Beach headsets, Pro Evo 11, Sports Champions, Kung Fu Rider, Singstar Chart Hits PS3 controller and the following games on release:

Fable 3
COD Black Ops
AC: BH

Which are some pretty nice titles. If you want me to expand on any of the games above (not AFL!) i will answer all questions as best as possible

 

[HBK619]

Ooooooh info, info, info. nomnomnom!

You gotta get gaming more on the PS3. L1 and R1 as the Aim/Shoot buttons are what works best, IIRC there might've been the option to customise to L2 and R2 though in Killzone 2, did you give it a look for the Killzone 3 demo? Personally I despise the L2 and R2 aim/shoot for PS3 as the buttons are too smushy to work well, even with the trigger attachments.

Info on LA Noire would be awesome, did you get a date? Were you able to play or was it a demoed for you or was it just another trailer?

LBP2, is it awesome sauce?

Was Dead Space 2's playthrough on the MP? Sounds like it as the SP isn't really like that to kill you from enemies you generally can't or don't see.

RDR Undead...how does it work? What's it like?

Bloodstone, looking good/average/meh?

 

[Glenno23]

Ooooooh info, info, info. nomnomnom!

You gotta get gaming more on the PS3. L1 and R1 as the Aim/Shoot buttons are what works best, IIRC there might've been the option to customise to L2 and R2 though in Killzone 2, did you give it a look for the Killzone 3 demo? Personally I despise the L2 and R2 aim/shoot for PS3 as the buttons are too smushy to work well, even with the trigger attachments.

Info on LA Noire would be awesome, did you get a date? Were you able to play or was it a demoed for you or was it just another trailer?

LBP2, is it awesome sauce?

Was Dead Space 2's playthrough on the MP? Sounds like it as the SP isn't really like that to kill you from enemies you generally can't or don't see.

RDR Undead...how does it work? What's it like?

Bloodstone, looking good/average/meh?

Re: The controller, its more a comfort thing. I have racked up close to 50 days of online time with the past 3 COD games. I am so used to the 360 controller set up, it would take me ages to be any good at PS3 shooters. If i get a 360 shaped controller with the same button lay out, it would be much better for me

LA Noire: Saw a development video which showed how the mo cap was going and how they did it. Was incredible to see an actor talking on 1 half and a computer genrated clone on the other with the exact movements. Saw a quick gameplay trailer. The character movements are insane. Very story driven. No release date sorry

LBP 2: Only got a few minutes on it, but yes, its awesome

Dead space 2 was a SP demo. The fact i was getting killed, might be due to the fact it was a 3rd person game, when i'm so used to 1st person games. Also could have been a bug, as it was early code

RDR Undead: Game mode we played was the graveyeard one. You start in a grave yard with a bunch of coffins to burn, all the while zombies keep coming out fo the ground. You have to use a torch to burn the coffins while holding off the undead. You can also use the torch to burn zombies

Bloodstone: Not sure what to make of it. Being made by the same guys who did Blur. 20% of the game is driving missions. They made us play a driving level which was alright. but does this mean the other sequences will be shit?

 

[HBK619]

Re: The controller, its more a comfort thing. I have racked up close to 50 days of online time with the past 3 COD games. I am so used to the 360 controller set up, it would take me ages to be any good at PS3 shooters. If i get a 360 shaped controller with the same button lay out, it would be much better for me

LA Noire: Saw a development video which showed how the mo cap was going and how they did it. Was incredible to see an actor talking on 1 half and a computer genrated clone on the other with the exact movements. Saw a quick gameplay trailer. The character movements are insane. Very story driven. No release date sorry

LBP 2: Only got a few minutes on it, but yes, its awesome

Dead space 2 was a SP demo. The fact i was getting killed, might be due to the fact it was a 3rd person game, when i'm so used to 1st person games. Also could have been a bug, as it was early code

RDR Undead: Game mode we played was the graveyeard one. You start in a grave yard with a bunch of coffins to burn, all the while zombies keep coming out fo the ground. You have to use a torch to burn the coffins while holding off the undead. You can also use the torch to burn zombies

Bloodstone: Not sure what to make of it. Being made by the same guys who did Blur. 20% of the game is driving missions. They made us play a driving level which was alright. but does this mean the other sequences will be shit?

There's a few XBOX 360 like controllers out there for the PS3, even a converter that allows you to play an actual XBOX 360 controller on the PS3, just don't know about button mapping being different. But you'd definitely get used to the L1/R1 after a little while if you're an adaptive player.

http://www.psu.com/features/9656 (which you did comment on in the PS3 news thread)
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/nykos-silky-ps3-raven-controller-comes-in-regular-and-identit/

LA Noire sounds good. From the short gameplay vid did it look more GTA like or something completely different. In essence, what game does it look like it fits more closely too? I'm interested in knowing whether it will be a bit Heavy Rain or still have the GTA mould (despite no real affiliation with Rockstar apart from them publishing of the title).

Interesting about the Dead Space demo, but it could've easily been because you're not used to the gameplay. Although in Dead Space 1 there wasn't particularly any 360 degree sort of combat going on, was more or less just in front of you. Could be changing it up. I'm guessing it was the level with the jumping baby things coming at you?

Bloodstone sounds strange that they're moving into a driving focus on top of the TPS that it's going to have. I guess it makes some sense considering the dev, but it does seem as if they're maybe trying to hide their inadequacy with the rest of the game. I mean who goes to play a 007 game for the driving?!

Also just quickly on Goldeneye, what were the map/s like that you played? I've noticed that there's none that really maintain the same designs from the N64 version (with Facility being one that is MASSIVELY different). Were you playing with the WiiMote or the a regular controller?

 

[JordanWCE]

If I may ask, how was The Force Unleashed 2?

 

[placebo]

Thanks for the info dude. Much appreciated.

 

[Kerrby]

Nice info man.

Witcher 2 details please.

Also is Test Drive 2 still a complete failure?

 

[Little Jerry]

Details on Dragon Age 2 would be appreciated.

 

[Glenno23]

@HBK LA Noire looks like it will have more mission variants than GTA. It very much looks a hybrid Heavy Rain/ GTA.

The coolest thing was when you re questioning someone, you need to keep an eye on their facial movements and the like to see if you can pick up any lies and such using the whole eye darting thing.

We played the Facility level on Goldeneye using the golden classic controller pro. It went alright. Had nothing on the original though

If I may ask, how was The Force Unleashed 2?

Graphically, its much sharper than the first one. Gameplay is all but the same. There is only 1 new fiorce power to use. The story is also a little ridiculous. I guess if you liked the first, you'll like the second, but if you weren't a fan, i'd stay away

Nice info man.

Witcher 2 details please.

Also is Test Drive 2 still a complete failure?

Test Drive 2 is an utter, utter failure IMO. Graphics are shocking and the cars don't handle that well

Witcher 2 won best PC game of the show. It looks amazing, such a gorgeous game. I think it might have been the best looking game along with Deus Ex. Combat looks a bit better than the first (not that i saw much of the first) but looks to flow a lot better

Details on Dragon Age 2 would be appreciated.

We played a very early code of DA 2. Very story driven on this one apparantely (never played the first) Combat seems typical of an RPG. Hack, slash and use the special attacks, then wait until they regenerate.

 

[SpaceCow]

Oooooh, thanks for the info!

Couple of Q's

-Whats the deal with the K3 controls? Still 'floaty' or are they generic FPS now?

-Any more info on LBP 2?

-I haven't really been following Epic Mickey, does it resemble Kingdom Hearts in any way? It looks interesting enough from the limited amount I have seen.





Also some general questions, you're a manager (?) at EB Games, right? (That's why you get to do all this cool ****, yeah? )

My current job (Fruit & Veg at Coles) is starting to get a little bit stale so am considering another job, preferably retail again. Could you possibly tell me about the following in regards to EB (this is if I haven't got it wrong and you actually work and EB)

-Pay rates for 16-17 year old
-Any perks/benefits
-Any actual game knowledge required (I assume not from some of the crappy sales people I have gotten in the past)
-What the job would consist of

Also with regards to applying I just chuck my resume at the store in question? Are the stores usually/regularly hiring new people or would I have to wait a while?

Thanks.

 

[caMoGFC]

epic post

gotta love glennos game show reports and this one was possibly the juiciest yet


also i was looking forward to bloodstone, but i've seen shooting scenes and they do look pretty poor.
the aiming reticle thingo looks horrendous....looks like it's going to be pretty average i guess
and i certainly don't want it to be driving most of the time.

very surprised to hear that duke nukem is actually that good...i thought it was going to be pretty damn average.

 

[Glenno23]

Oooooh, thanks for the info!

Couple of Q's

-Whats the deal with the K3 controls? Still 'floaty' or are they generic FPS now?

-Any more info on LBP 2?

-I haven't really been following Epic Mickey, does it resemble Kingdom Hearts in any way? It looks interesting enough from the limited amount I have seen.

Also some general questions, you're a manager (?) at EB Games, right? (That's why you get to do all this cool ****, yeah? )

My current job (Fruit & Veg at Coles) is starting to get a little bit stale so am considering another job, preferably retail again. Could you possibly tell me about the following in regards to EB (this is if I haven't got it wrong and you actually work and EB)

-Pay rates for 16-17 year old
-Any perks/benefits
-Any actual game knowledge required (I assume not from some of the crappy sales people I have gotten in the past)
-What the job would consist of

Also with regards to applying I just chuck my resume at the store in question? Are the stores usually/regularly hiring new people or would I have to wait a while?

Thanks.

Yeah, i work for EB Games. PM for me details on applying for the job, and i'll give you some tips on how to best impress

LBP- we only really got a few minutes on. Everyone knows how it works, so they just handed us the controller and let us go on a 4 player co-op level

KZ3 controls are like the other FPS' i have played on PS3

Epic Mickey looked really good. Some really great ideas in intergrating all the old school Disney characters in. They flew a lead developer out from the US to show us the game. So many collectables and choices on how you play the game.

You can just do the main missions, or you can go and explore every nook and cranny looking for the unlockables (like film reels and the such) the more puzzles you solve using the paint, the better.

epic post

gotta love glennos game show reports and this one was possibly the juiciest yet


also i was looking forward to bloodstone, but i've seen shooting scenes and they do look pretty poor.
the aiming reticle thingo looks horrendous....looks like it's going to be pretty average i guess
and i certainly don't want it to be driving most of the time.

very surprised to hear that duke nukem is actually that good...i thought it was going to be pretty damn average.

Duke is going to be a blast. I think Gearbox have the pedigree with Borderlandas to make it decent. The fact that they are playing up and making fun of the whole 13 years in development thing, is even better

I would be very cautious of Bloodstone at this stage. I'm sure the driving levels will be good, as Blur was a good game, but the rest is a bit of a worry.

This was the juiciest in a while, just due to the sheer number of awesoe games on the way. There were really only a couple of booths i was bored at. Normally there's about 10

 

[Flawed Genius]

Thanks Glenno. I'm pretty fricken envious of your goody haul.

 

[sacka]

Love ya work Glenno, must of been tough up there in the sunshine while us peasants sit in the pouring rain lol.

Good to hear you liked what you saw regarding the AFL game.

I wasn't really that interested in Duke Nukem but when you hear someone talk it up like yourself, well it has just jumped on the radar.

One on Homefront, was it MP or SP? and how did the pace of the game look, more like a faster paced cod or a take your time BC?

 

[TheStinger]

From what you say Glenno, COD: BO will be freaking awesome. So looking forward to it, and I don't usually like these types of games. MW2 was the first I got in the series.

 

[Glenno23]

Love ya work Glenno, must of been tough up there in the sunshine while us peasants sit in the pouring rain lol.

Good to hear you liked what you saw regarding the AFL game.

I wasn't really that interested in Duke Nukem but when you hear someone talk it up like yourself, well it has just jumped on the radar.

One on Homefront, was it MP or SP? and how did the pace of the game look, more like a faster paced cod or a take your time BC?

We saw a single player level and was super intense. So much happening on screen with bullets and rockets flying everywhere. Will be hard to advance, so i think it might be a sit back type like BC

THQ also dressed up the main intro to the hall with Homefront propaganda and had actors dressed in US gear from the game doing random checks on us to make sure we weren't Korean

I don't think Duke will be the best game ever, but it has far too much humour for it to be overlooked. Also found out something i didn't know- Gearbox actually bought the rights for Duke way back in May 2009. They had to overhaul the whole engine to get it up and running.

I really wish i could find the intro to the game we got from Randy on Youtube. Its frickin awesome

From what you say Glenno, COD: BO will be freaking awesome. So looking forward to it, and I don't usually like these types of games. MW2 was the first I got in the series.

I am as big a COD nut as they come, so i nearly blew my load when i played it

I'm really thinking the MP will be better than MW2 ( i know some people hate it, but i liked it)

Thanks Glenno. I'm pretty fricken envious of your goody haul.

It is quite a nice perk. Thats not the whole of it really, we get many a game sent out randomly. It sure eases the strain on the wallet from time to time

 

[Biggy_Boy]

These posts always make me so jealous.

It's like he's living my dreams every year.

 

[raticus_usm]

great report - i miss going to gaming conferences, always lots of fun food and beer. Tho all the the ones i went to were no comparison to the 2 E3 I was lucky enuth to be sent to. Try and go Glenno will blow you away, even if you have to pay, you can claim it all.

 

[adamov13]

Great write up Glenno love your work!

Was there any info on Star Wars: The Old Republic?

 

[Glenno23]

Great write up Glenno love your work!

Was there any info on Star Wars: The Old Republic?

Nothing sorry

May show will be a chance for some info on that i reckon

 

[adamov13]

Nothing sorry

May show will be a chance for some info on that i reckon

Cool thanks for that mate!

 

[SpaceCow]

Oh, one more question.

What was the 3D on Killzone like? Was listening to the GAP (Gamearena podcast) and Jung said during his brief playthrough that he found the parts of the 3D amazing but also parts of it "meh". He did claim that it was unfinished though.

Also said the 3D makes the edges of the screen look blurry. What did you think of it?

Thanks again.

 

[Glenno23]

Oh, one more question.

What was the 3D on Killzone like? Was listening to the GAP (Gamearena podcast) and Jung said during his brief playthrough that he found the parts of the 3D amazing but also parts of it "meh". He did claim that it was unfinished though.

Also said the 3D makes the edges of the screen look blurry. What did you think of it?

Thanks again.

I'm not a huge fan of 3D gaming, so i'm probably not the best person to be asking

It looked ok though. Didn't notice the blurry edge of screens, but i wasn't really looking either

It looked like evry other 3D game out there TBH. nothing that stood out for me