Following on from yesterdays preview of what to expect at Eurogamer this weekend, I will be looking over the remaining highlights you can expect from the show floor.
Given the current fascination the industry has on 3D it was no surprise that it plays a large part at the expo having several high profile games running with a pair of 3D glasses allowing one person to enjoy the game in 3D, and for others to come sit beside and get a glimpse of what is on offer.
The games getting the largest attention were as expected Gran Turismo 5 and Killzone 3. Neither of the two games managed to blow me away in the 3D department, with Gran Turismo barely making much of a difference at all. It wasn’t until the final moments of the show that I noticed the Motorstorm: Apocalypse units were free, so decided to stay a little longer and see what the explosive game had it store.
Explosive is probably the best word to use in describing Motorstorm: Apocalypse as literally within 15 seconds of starting a race I was blown away with the 3D visuals that truly come out at you as you would expect. Driving through clouds of smoke, around exploding debris or under collapsing buildings all beg for your attention whilst you struggle to keep it on the track. Even better though, quite sadistically, was ploughing through a crowd of pedestrians. Driving at full speed it was too late to avoid the crowd I saw before me, coming towards the screen at an alarming speed, until the point where their lifeless bodies were being flung over my car’s windshield leaving me with my mouth open in awe.
Whilst it’s safe to say that having players sit only a foot away from a large television wearing 3D glasses (*cough* goggles) looked rather ridiculous; it’s something that upon going to the expo I had no interest in and now find that given the right price and accessibility could easily be the next major advancement for gaming.
Ubisoft didn’t have many games on show this time around, but that didn’t stop them taking over a great deal of the show floor with Assassins Creed: Brotherhood gaming booths loitering everywhere. This was a fantastic move as whilst it is no doubt a game that has the attention of most gamers unlike the majority of the other booths queues were minimal. I sat through two playthroughs of a multiplayer deathmatch, playing a deadly female assassin each time. It took several rounds before I picked up the games mechanics as there is an uncanny balance on needing to take your time slowly, progressing towards an enemy whilst at the same time staying hidden and evading your pursuer. My initial ‘run and gun’ play style held much misfortune as my attackers could spot me out against the casual AI quite easily but after a while I was mingling in-between crowds and switching between disguises like a natural.
Playing in an open world environment, familiar to anyone that has played a previous Assassins Creed game, you will be given an image of a single target to locate and kill by following a compass like navigation system. The closer you get to the target, the larger the compasses radius will become until it fills completely informing you that the target is feet away. The trick comes in being able to differentiate between your target and civilians as they will be using the same character model and your target, if playing well, will be trying to blend in as much as possible. If your intentions become too clear they will be alerted and given a timer to evade your attack, which thanks to a few environmental blockades (running through a door will close and lock it for example) this isn’t too difficult.
It is also worth remembering whilst all this is happening you are also the target of another player which can be any one of the large crowd of people that will surround you in every street. Think you see your assailant? Strike before it’s too late! If you happen to be incorrect though you will forfeit your current target and face possible de-synchronisation (which in Assassins Creed terms means ‘game over’).
This unique blend of assaulting and defending will keep you on your guard at all times and creates quite an intensive gaming experience, one in which reminds me greatly of ‘The Ship’ on the Source engine. Given that this multiplayer is expected to accompany a 20hour long singleplayer story of typical Assassins Creed scale, things can only get better for the already loved series.
This concludes the second part of the Eurogamer Expo preview. For those that will be attending the event today make sure to get in the queues early to enjoy the highlights raised above, and as always more to follow for everyone else!
Reece Warrender
Reece is an obsessed gaming fanatic that finds enjoyment from any console. He began to enjoy games from a very young age but the addiction did not consume him till the days of Zelda – Link to the Past. Currently he is himself trying hard to break into the gaming industry, as a young programmer whilst also forcing his opinions onto the gaming population.
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