For once that’s not a rubbishy taken photo, but the 3D effect!
Motorstorm Apocalypse 3D and Killzone 3 3D
Do you know what looks sexy on a man? 3D glasses, that’s what. I’m a keen film goer, as well as hardcore gamer, this means that I don’t have much time for what people jokingly call a ‘real life’, but I know my onions when it comes to entertainment. Therefore, it may surprise you when I think of 3D in both film and gaming as more of a shallot than an onion.
At the Eurogamer expo I was able to play 3D versions of two of Sony’s big upcoming exclusives; Motorstorm Apocalypse and Killzone 3. To enjoy the full ‘immersive’ experience I had to don a pair of glasses that, although cooler than the cheapo sets handed out in the cinema, still made me look like a reject from a Roy Orbison lookalike competition. There is no doubt in my mind that the 3D works. However, it is the same sort of 3D that is currently in cinemas, and it reminds me more of several layers of glass on top of one another, than actual depth. Until prices are reasonable for 3D gaming and the experience no longer requires glasses (mmm 3-D-S) I am unlikely to jump wholeheartedly onto the bandwagon.
What of the games themselves? Having played the earlier iterations of both games I found the slice of action I managed to play was an improvement. Motorstorm in particular benefited from a far more interesting post apocalyptic city vibe, whilst Killzone 3 was more of the same futuristic world that felt a little bland, but looked stunning. One very interesting aspect to the future Killzone was the introduction of jetpacks to give the game more verticality *cough* Halo Reach *cough*.
Samoza’s moody reflection was forever trapped in the TV
Dead Space 2
If Killzone and Motorstorm were two franchises that I had long ago given the lukewarm thumbs up to, Dead Space was a game that I loved (two thumbs way way up). The first game was equal parts action packed and scary; one minute you are all powerful, the next as vulnerable as a kitten on an oven hob. Therefore, getting a chance to play an extended demo of the Dead Space 2 was one of the highlights of the expo.
Once again you are in the sturdy engineering armor of Isaac Clarke. However, unlike in the first game he is given a voice – I always thought that he needed a generic American accent to make him more appealing. Despite my misgivings about Isaac’s larynx, the rest of the game looked like an improvement on the first, whilst still remaining comfortably the same – the apparent recipe for all modern game sequels. Graphically, the game has taken a step forwards and the sound effects are as disturbing as ever. A number of new enemy types were introduced, including one who vomited acid killing me on more than one occasion.
The battles were not the only difficult challenge in the game as the puzzles were also a handful. I’m not ashamed to say that I asked the EA rep to give me a heads up on what to do. Is this challenging gameplay a good thing? I believe it is, as there are plenty of games already out there that are already easy enough. Dead Space 2 is certainly one to watch with a release date of 28th January 2011.
Do not tell Nintendo that I took this photo, or I will have to kill you
Goldeneye Wii
See the above image? Well I hope you appreciate it as it cost me my dignity. Whilst most game PR people fall over themselves to be joyous and helpful, Nintendo seem to suck the fun out of their employees so that they can pump it directly into their games! After taking said photo I was given a stern telling off, but I still managed to get a 10 minute game of 4 player split screen versus on the new Goldeneye Wii. The game was immense fun and recaptured the glory of old fashioned couch versus that I have not played in several years. You could choose from many of the classic characters, including the cheap option of Odd Job (his smaller size makes headshots harder) or Daniel Craig’s craggy visage. The graphics were just about acceptable, but some of the textures needed to be sacrificed to have four people playing at once. It is becoming a real issue for Nintendo that the Wii is not in HD; I found some of the text extremely hard to read.
As well as being the first time to try Goldeneye Wii, this was also the first time to try out the new advanced control pad for the Wii, which resembles a cross between the 360 pad and some LEGO. The new pad has triggers and a duel joystick configuration finally dragging Ninty into the late 90s of gaming controls. This meant that Goldeneye controlled like any other conventional FPS on the PS3 or 360 and did not make use of the Wii’s (no longer) unique control method. Therefore, the game is probably suitable for people who only own a Wii as it is likely to become one of the best FPSs on the console, but owners of a PC or HD console will find it a little basic. Nostalgia is a powerful tool, but I ain’t paying full RRP for it.
Full of fail
Gran Turismo 5
The latest incarnation of one of Sony’s biggest selling games has taken longer to come out than (insert inappropriate joke here). I will hold my hands up and say that although I have owned a couple of games in the Gran Turismo series, I have found them beautiful to look at, but extremely dull; the gaming equivalent of a supermodel. The emphasis on simulation and the ability to tweak the minutia of each real life car may excite petrol heads, but for someone who sold their car 4 years ago, I could not care less. With this extreme bias I sat down to give GT5 a chance…
…and need not have bothered. Once again the game looked good, but whilst once the series was head and shoulders above the competition, now it is only slightly better, or even just on par with the likes of Burnout Paradise etc. It was not the look of the game that disappointed me, but the control and feel. Simulation is meant to be fun, but simulating the inability to drive and crashing repeatedly into a fence as you simply try to turn a corner – is not fun. Unlike some of the other games that I previewed at the Eurogamer expo I did not stick around GT5 for too long and a more in-depth look at the game by a racing fan may be more positive. All I know is that I was not the only person tearing their hair out as they failed to get a grip on even the simplest of maneuvers. I think I’ll leave this one in the pits when it is released early November (that’s unless it stalls once again).