Electro UK
Can't all be for nothing
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2004
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Hey guys,
So I just got back from a 2 day visit to Gamescom. I didn't have internet there (also German keyboards are really hard to work) so I literally found out at the show all the amazing Sony Press Conference news the next morning, how awesome is it that Insomniac are giving us 2 games and we're FINALLY getting Mass Effect 2!?
Anyway, we have a Gamescom thread but I didn't want people to miss some of my impressions with literally the entire Sony 1st party line up, so I thought I'd set one up to tell you/show off.
Firstly, Gamescom itself is an amazing place: Cologne is a beautiful city, and just over the river from the centre is a stunning Catherdral surrounded by city streets lined with places to eat and modern art.
Inside the centre is everything I imagine E3 to be: Amazing sets (1st place goes to Fallout: New Vegas for recreating a post-apocalyptic Vegas), filled with awesome games, and some of the hottest people I've ever seen. But enough of that, let's get to the games!
At the Sony Booth I played:
Killzone 3 - As with everything I played, this was the E3 build, but I was still raring to go seeing as Killzone 2 is my favorite FPS this gen. All is well in Killzone land: it's gorgeous and still fun to play. The structure itself? Hasn't changed; it's feeling like a bit of a "we have a flamethrower" sequel at the mo, but that's fine when 2 was as good as it was.
My biggest problem? Aiming has been sped up; while it still retains some of the "weighty" feeling, it's much easier to line up your sights, and the ISA rifle is much more accurate. This might have been the difficulty setting, but K2's sluggish style is what set it apart for me and I'll miss that.
But I'll still love K3, I'm sure of it. There's too much there to start throwing a taantrum over the controls.
inFamous 2 - Not only one of the first hands-on's, but the first seen with Cole's NEW new look. Infamous 2 was far and away the best game I played at GC this year. The melee has shaken hands (or rather fists) with Uncharted to create a superior cinematic feel, and the new ways of shooting up electrical lines make transport flow more than ever.
It was the demo we've seen before, only with highlights to guide the player, more enemies to fight at the start, and the changes to Cole. I prefer his first style, against the grain I know, but it's good that he still feels like a super hero when playing. It's what Uncharted 2 was to the first game; blowing everything up and beating your heart with drum sticks, and I can't wait.
LittleBigPlanet 2 - A quick intro level to the Grappling Gun isn't much to judge LBP2, but if the whole game contains as much fun, inventive ideas, and charm as this one level, LBP2 is set to be another hit. Can't say much more about it, sadly.
SOCOM - I tried this with Move and found myself struggeling a surprising amount. Perhaps I wasn't in the right environment, but it didn't even compare to handling RE4: Wii Edition. The game was fun once I'd gotten used to it though, although won't be dropping any jaws any time soon. If SOCOM's what you're into then by all means, enjoy away. But it's generic buildings, generic guns, generic enemies... works, but that's it.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta - Kratos is a hit... again. GoW3's cinema style and new quick-time presentation has really helped here, and expect this to be yet another stunning addition to the franchise. Will there ever be a bad GoW game? Because this is at least Chains of Olympus good already.
Heroes on the Move - I was surprised to see this one playable, seeing as all we got was a mysterious trailer from E3. Uh oh...
Do you control every swing? No. Do you wave your arms around like a looney until the screen tells you you've waved around the right combination to make Sly Cooper do a move? Yes. It'll pick up basic moves and the charm of fighting Ratchet's robot villains with Sly is undeniable, but sadly I won't be expecting much from this anymore.
Time Crisis Rising Storm (or something like that) - 4 light gun games in one. Can't really say much more can you? Of and TC4's FPS mode is back and feels a bit better thanks to Move but... that's it.
MotorStorm: Apocalypse - The E3 race track still present, this didn't fail to be an exciting, adrenaline fueled racer and one of my most anticiapted PS3 titles. I'm a huge MS fan, I think they're hugely underrated, so I hope the cinema-like quality of this one goes a long way to making it a hit this time round.
As a whole, my impressions of Move weren't great. SOCOM was awkward, HotM was terrible, and if you needed comedy, all you had to do was watch people playing "The Fight"
Moving away from the playing, I got some great interviews from the devs of Dead Space 2, Red Faction: Armageddon, Time Crisis, Homefront, and even the 2 heads of BioWare! Look for stories on those, and official previews around the interwebs soon!
It was a shame I had to leave at the end of day 2, I love Gamescom and I love working there, getting into exclusive events where all the people you recognize from both development and journalist sides (I MET DAMON HATFIELD MY ALL TIME FAVORITE VG JOURNALIST) walking past you like you were one of them.
I had an amazing time, can't wait for next year!
So I just got back from a 2 day visit to Gamescom. I didn't have internet there (also German keyboards are really hard to work) so I literally found out at the show all the amazing Sony Press Conference news the next morning, how awesome is it that Insomniac are giving us 2 games and we're FINALLY getting Mass Effect 2!?
Anyway, we have a Gamescom thread but I didn't want people to miss some of my impressions with literally the entire Sony 1st party line up, so I thought I'd set one up to tell you/show off.
Firstly, Gamescom itself is an amazing place: Cologne is a beautiful city, and just over the river from the centre is a stunning Catherdral surrounded by city streets lined with places to eat and modern art.
Inside the centre is everything I imagine E3 to be: Amazing sets (1st place goes to Fallout: New Vegas for recreating a post-apocalyptic Vegas), filled with awesome games, and some of the hottest people I've ever seen. But enough of that, let's get to the games!
At the Sony Booth I played:
Killzone 3 - As with everything I played, this was the E3 build, but I was still raring to go seeing as Killzone 2 is my favorite FPS this gen. All is well in Killzone land: it's gorgeous and still fun to play. The structure itself? Hasn't changed; it's feeling like a bit of a "we have a flamethrower" sequel at the mo, but that's fine when 2 was as good as it was.
My biggest problem? Aiming has been sped up; while it still retains some of the "weighty" feeling, it's much easier to line up your sights, and the ISA rifle is much more accurate. This might have been the difficulty setting, but K2's sluggish style is what set it apart for me and I'll miss that.
But I'll still love K3, I'm sure of it. There's too much there to start throwing a taantrum over the controls.
inFamous 2 - Not only one of the first hands-on's, but the first seen with Cole's NEW new look. Infamous 2 was far and away the best game I played at GC this year. The melee has shaken hands (or rather fists) with Uncharted to create a superior cinematic feel, and the new ways of shooting up electrical lines make transport flow more than ever.
It was the demo we've seen before, only with highlights to guide the player, more enemies to fight at the start, and the changes to Cole. I prefer his first style, against the grain I know, but it's good that he still feels like a super hero when playing. It's what Uncharted 2 was to the first game; blowing everything up and beating your heart with drum sticks, and I can't wait.
LittleBigPlanet 2 - A quick intro level to the Grappling Gun isn't much to judge LBP2, but if the whole game contains as much fun, inventive ideas, and charm as this one level, LBP2 is set to be another hit. Can't say much more about it, sadly.
SOCOM - I tried this with Move and found myself struggeling a surprising amount. Perhaps I wasn't in the right environment, but it didn't even compare to handling RE4: Wii Edition. The game was fun once I'd gotten used to it though, although won't be dropping any jaws any time soon. If SOCOM's what you're into then by all means, enjoy away. But it's generic buildings, generic guns, generic enemies... works, but that's it.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta - Kratos is a hit... again. GoW3's cinema style and new quick-time presentation has really helped here, and expect this to be yet another stunning addition to the franchise. Will there ever be a bad GoW game? Because this is at least Chains of Olympus good already.
Heroes on the Move - I was surprised to see this one playable, seeing as all we got was a mysterious trailer from E3. Uh oh...
Do you control every swing? No. Do you wave your arms around like a looney until the screen tells you you've waved around the right combination to make Sly Cooper do a move? Yes. It'll pick up basic moves and the charm of fighting Ratchet's robot villains with Sly is undeniable, but sadly I won't be expecting much from this anymore.
Time Crisis Rising Storm (or something like that) - 4 light gun games in one. Can't really say much more can you? Of and TC4's FPS mode is back and feels a bit better thanks to Move but... that's it.
MotorStorm: Apocalypse - The E3 race track still present, this didn't fail to be an exciting, adrenaline fueled racer and one of my most anticiapted PS3 titles. I'm a huge MS fan, I think they're hugely underrated, so I hope the cinema-like quality of this one goes a long way to making it a hit this time round.
As a whole, my impressions of Move weren't great. SOCOM was awkward, HotM was terrible, and if you needed comedy, all you had to do was watch people playing "The Fight"
Moving away from the playing, I got some great interviews from the devs of Dead Space 2, Red Faction: Armageddon, Time Crisis, Homefront, and even the 2 heads of BioWare! Look for stories on those, and official previews around the interwebs soon!
It was a shame I had to leave at the end of day 2, I love Gamescom and I love working there, getting into exclusive events where all the people you recognize from both development and journalist sides (I MET DAMON HATFIELD MY ALL TIME FAVORITE VG JOURNALIST) walking past you like you were one of them.
I had an amazing time, can't wait for next year!
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