This year's Eurogamer Expo was packed to the gills with co-op titles. Part 1 of the Roundup looks at some of the more 'mature' titles; RAGE, Binary Domain and Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
Against the machine
RAGE
If there is one thing that regular Expo visitors will learn, it is the art of queuing. Many of the 'big' games will have upwards of 2 hour queues just to get a taste of an experience a few weeks before it is released. Luckily, I am not a warfare fan so the likes of punter magnets Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 were excellent ways to reduce the wait for games I actually care about. Games like RAGE.
Although the co-op mode was not on offer at Eurogamer 2011, I was able to get hands on time with four different slices of the single player game; from manic shoot outs on a crazy gameshow, to scary peaks around an abandoned prison. RAGE looks fantastic and proves that ID Software have not lost their reputation of being at the bleeding edge in terms of graphical fidelity. The weapons feel immense and the environments are well realized.
The game came across as Borderlands meets Bioshock; taking the dystopian feel of Rapture and adding the dusty world of Pandora. Whether RAGE will be able to create its own identity is unclear - the game looks great, but is it unique enough?
In terms of co-op I was able to question one ID Software representative and he compared the mode to Spec Ops in Modern Warfare 2. The co-op missions will be adapted sections of the solo campaign that last around 20 to 30 minutes. Will this be enough for fans of full co-op campaigns?
I was given some exclusive RAGE t-shirts for 360 avatars. The four fastest Co-Optimus readers can grab them:
Men's T-Shirt G99MH-3QQG3-JTTR7-VT423-9QGPZ
C4T79-MTRG2-9TPV6-TXHR3-JPKFZ
Women's T-Shirt CYX63-RYQ4H-VRQ3T-4W42W-6M3YZ
FDGHK-G2YPH-6HP3H-HVFHQ-K34JZ
Handsome man caught playing Binary Domain
Binary Domain
One of the joys of seeing piles of new games is that one or two will always be a pleasant surprise. From what I had read about Binary Domain, my hopes were not high - is it a Japanese game trying to be Gears of War? Yes, but its not as it first seems. The game will be 4 player co-op, just like the recent Gears of War 3, and there is a run and cover system that is eerily similar, however, after the basic run and gun gameplay things are pretty different.
Binary Domain has more in common with Lost Planet 2 and Mindjack. The game's Japanese origins are clear from the art style and use of mega mechs. Like in Lost Planet 2 the scale of the robots is what lifts the game. I was able to play through 2 missions and the gameplay felt pleasantly entertaining. The world has the clean futuristic feel of Mindjack, but unlike that game the controls actually work. I was tasked in two instances to work my way through a city block and take out a giant mech. These battles proved to be great fun and it took teamwork between me and my AI (in the full game these characters could be human) allies to bring down the behemoths.
Your interest in Binary Domain may rest on whether you like Japanese style action games or not. The dialog and characters were a little cheesy in the build I played and reminded me of the worst elements of Resident Evil 5. However, the potential for co-op gunplay in a new and interesting world, makes this game one to watch.
It's grim up North
Lord of the Rings: War in the North
One of the tragedies of seeing piles of new games is that one or two will always be an unpleasant surprise. Whilst Binary Domain impressed me, the new Lord of the Rings: War in the North did not. Having played the now serverless Lord of the Rings: Conquest, I was expecting a bit more than simple hack 'n' slash from the newer War in the North. However, the mission I was able to tackle in split screen co-op was a shockingly similar experience.
Taking on the role of a Dwarf, my co-op pal that of a human, we were tasked with defending the top of a keep. For the next ten minutes or so, wave after wave of similar looking orc enemies rose from the walls and proceeded to give me my worst beating since I quit playing rugby. Even by combining my ranged crossbow attack with my close quarters axe attack, there was seemingly nothing we could do to prevent being overwhelmed.
Being a hard game is no crime, I will be the first to admit that I am not always the best player, but being repetitive and similar to a two year old game should be considered worrying at best. With just over a month until release it is clear I was playing the final build. There could be fun to be had in co-op, but the mindless tapping of buttons is not quite what I had in mind when I think of Tolkien's masterpiece. Co-Optimus will be sure to bring you the definitive co-op review when the game is released - hopefully the full retail version of the game will be more appealing.