EGX London, formerly known as the Eurogamer Expo, finally gives UK players a chance to their hand at unreleased games after all the other big Summer shows: E3, PAX Prime, Gamescom, and TGS. It sits at the right time of year too! I always tend to get a bit down on games over the Summer when my consoles sit mostly unused.After playing a dozen of the biggest games scheduled to release over the next nine months, I’m excited to finally charge a DualShock 4 again.On top of that, talking to so many gamers in one place really gives you a nice vertical slice of where the industry sits at the moment. But first… the games!
WWE 2K15
Non-wrestling fans can switch off now. As for fans of the previous WWE games, you’re going to love it. You’ll be happy to know that after a few years of little revolution, 2K have made some interesting additions to the formula. Almost instantly, after loading a Cesaro vs Randy Orton match, the first thing I noticed was the way the game looks. Nearly every wrestler has had their body scanned so that 2K can create a game that is getting closer and closer to the real thing. An improved presentation also goes a long way towards recreating the pro wrestling action. Another major addition is the new collar-and-elbow tie up. It is a trick that adds more of a flow to matches, giving them more of a back-and-forth feel between each player and making each card feel more like an episode of Raw.
Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Next up in my tour around EGX was a viewing of a hands-off demo of Assassin’s Creed: Unity, the one that is coming only to current generation consoles. I was given a guided tour through a section of Paris as the new protagonist, Aron Dorian, broke into Notre Dame to assassinate some fella. Despite having a multitude of new mechanics, two things really impressed me about AC Unity. Firstly, the fact that it appears to be structured around Assassin’s Creed II and its ilk, rather than III or IV. What I mean is that Unity doesn’t seem to include any big open areas or excessive ship combat. It’s just a big, detailed, tightly-constructed city that you parkour in… just what I want from Assassin’s Creed. Secondly, the structure of each level has also taken a step back in time. In the mission I was shown, there was a single “assassinate this guy” objective and that was it. No hints, no tips, no breadcrumb trail to follow. We shall see if this freedom lasts throughout the rest of Unity, but I’m excited to find the franchise making a change to its formula that isn’t just boats.
Alien: Isolation
After playing Alien: Isolation, I tweeted two words: “F***ing Terrifying.” And it really is. When I loaded up the demo, I was given a motion tracker, a flamethrower (with only two shots worth of ammo), and ten minutes to get across a section of a spaceship. Oh yeah, and there was a nine-foot-tall Xenomorph trying to kill me at every moment. I tried hiding in lockers, behind tables, and running. Then I died, a lot, and then I screamed like a child.
Far Cry 4
If you’ve played Far Cry 3, you already have a good idea how Far Cry 4 will play. But the sequel is bigger and more bombastic. From gameplay trailers, there seem to be plenty of new mechanics, but in my demo I jumped up on an elephant, pulled out a grenade launcher and a shotgun and laid waste to a small town full of gun-toting bad guys. Then someone killed my elephant. I shed a solitary, but manly tear, and skinned my former pet. Video games everybody!
Nintendo
The game demos at the Nintendo stand were short but pretty impressive. The big draw was Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, and well, it’s more Smash Bros. That may sound pretty silly, but, as far as I can tell, it played exactly the same as Melee and Brawl. A small part of me, however, was giddy with fanboyish excitement.
After that, I played a round of Splatoon. This four-on-four “shooter” seems, on the face of it at least, to be Nintendo me-tooing into the world of online shooters. Instead of a straight deathmatch, you win if your team covers a higher percentage of the floor in your designated paint colour. It’s a simple concept, but given depth by different traversable environments, kills, super jumps, paint grenades, and an ability that turns you into a squid. In typical Nintendo fashion, it’s a great gameplay concept, but it could be hindered by a lack of online players. Finally, If you’ve played Super Mario 3D World and its Captain Toad side levels, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is probably something you already plan to purchase. But if you haven’t played it (firstly, why?), it’s a 2D platformer that takes place on a rotating 3D shape in which you cannot jump, ultimately making it more of a puzzler. Also, Captain Toad is so cool it hurts.
The Order 1886
Ready At Dawn’s new third person shooter was really the surprise of the show for me. I never really thought the game seemed to be much, until I played it. The queue for it was all of about four people right in the middle of the day. So I was weary, but it turns out I didn’t need to be. In the five minute hands-on demo, I played through a short section of the third person shooter, and it feels really nice. The main weapon is a thermite rifle, which involves you spraying the Victorian steampunk version of lighter fluid at enemies with R2, then sending a spark over to them with R1. Then, everything is set on fire. If you are a bit low on ammo, you can always destroy the environment to take down bad guys instead. It’s slightly more interesting than just pull and shoot. On top of that, the game is damn good looking. It’s a must buy for me, but I adore third person shooters.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Finally, another hands-off demo in the form of Batman: Arkham Knight. It’s kind of sad to say that this was probably the least impressive thing I saw on the day. Arkham Knight appears to be Arkham City, albeit with a couple of new animations and some new, but shoehorned-in, gadgets. The big addition is the Batmobile. Batman can call in and drive around in the Batmobile at any time, providing you a less sneaky way of taking down enemies. Using the Batmobile as part for a free-flow combat combo looks really fantastic, but I can’t help feeling as it’s not a big enough leap. By the time the game releases I will probably be super excited and claim it as the second coming, but for the time being, I’m a little bit down on the Arkham Knight.
Final Thoughts
Like I said in the beginning, visiting any trade show and previewing a huge amount of games in a short space of time gives you a good overarching look at the industry as whole. You notice things like the sheer amount of detail going into the faces of characters and the environment in which they inhabit. Developers seem to be pushing the height and width of those environments too. However, many of those locations appear to be reoccurring. I’ve seen Gotham and pre 19th-century European cities before. Gameplay too; the difference between Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 seems negligible.
Despite this, the hunger for games among the players is stronger than ever. I saw things that amazed me for one reason or another. I saw people queuing for almost two whole hours to play Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Strangers teaming up with strangers to beat high score on Strikes in Destiny. Hundreds of people using high pitched screams in an attempt to get a Xbox one shirt, just because they love the console so much. Friendly competition between strangers on Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 64. Most excitingly of all, an area full of indie games so rammed it was hard to walk through, and an area called The Leftfield Collection full of the weirdest, most ingenious games I’ve ever seen.
There were games for iPad, games on consoles, and games on VR headsets. There were controllers designed for people with disabilities. There were games for sports fans, fantasy fans, and shooter fans. Strangers bonding over Balloon Fight on the NES. Online friends meeting in person for the first time. Famous TV personalities mingling with regular folk. Watching large masses of humans laugh, cry, smile, and cheer over video games was awesome.
