FWG @ Eurogamer Expo 2010

by **N1NJA FWG** Tue 5 Oct 2010 - 21:09

Saturday. 5am. Its cold. My alarm clock has just gone off and I question myself as to whether I really do want to get up and is the Eurogamer Expo worth it. After a few seconds deliberating in my head I drag myself out of bed, quick shower, and I am on my way over to pick Shaun up before we head over to Birmingham International to meet our 7am train to London.

The journey down to London was quick, quiet and without incident. Our initial intention was to get to Earl’s Court as early as possible and hope to storm the likely most popular games first. Unfortunately, without making any prior checks we decided to walk rather than catch the tube. The error of our ways only became apparent after walking for about half an hour and checking google maps to see that we were still nearly 3 miles from Earl’s Court. Bugger. We stumbled upon a Wetherspoons and decided to grab some breakfast before pressing on. Several wrong turns and a lot of walking later we finally arrived at Earls Court just before opening time and joined a queue that was probably visible from outer space.

Fortunately the queue moved fairly quickly and it wasn't too long till we were inside and standing staring at the sheer size of the Expo wondering where to go first:

(our first glimpse of the Expo)

First up for us was a quick go on Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. It seemed ok, nothing special at the time so we pressed on. By chance I was able to jump onto a PS3 and give the 2 minute demo of Gran Turismo 5 a whirl. For a game that has been in development for so long and has so much hype to live up to it has an almost impossible job ahead of it to fulfil expectations. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't. The game is without doubt gaming porn in terms of looks, the level of detail is nothing short of staggering but the gameplay left a little to be desired with the Nissan GT-R I took for a spin round Tokyo R246 feeling light and almost floaty. The game seemed to lack much in the way of feedback and it seemed all to easy to lose control of the car without feeling any early warning signs. I also noticed some severe graphical issues with the tarmac on the Nurburgring completely disappearing at times. I will hold my hands up - 2 minutes is simply not long enough to create a solid impression of a game especially when using a different controller to one I am used to and having to resort to using buttons rather than triggers for accelerating and braking so I hope and pray that the final game when launched is everything it deserves to be.

From there we headed into the Over 18’s section of the expo and jumped straight into a queue to give Gears of War 3 a go. Watching others having a go was entertaining and soon it was our turn. For those who have played any of the Gears games (who hasn’t?) the gameplay is instantly familiar and it looks like Epic are finding ways of grinding more performance out of the Unreal engine with the visuals looking a step further than the excellent graphics of the previous titles. The demo consisted of a single map, 3 round game of Beast mode offering a chance to sample some of the Locust that will be on offer in the full game. From humble beginnings playing as either a Ticker or Wretch up to sampling the sheer size and destructive power of the Berserker the game did not disappoint with the action suitably frantic and visceral – the new Arm Rip finisher for the Locust Drone giving the players and watching crowds a good laugh. It is such a pity that Gears 3 is now being put back till late 2011 as it feels ready now and this 10 minute sample seriously whets the appetite. If Horde was a revelation for Gears 2, Beast mode is going to take things to a whole new level!

(Waiting for Gears of War 3)

After the rush of playing Gears, we needed a beer to calm down (any excuse!) and a chat to take it all in.

Shaun and myself then got a chance to try the upcoming Hunted: The Demon’s Forge. A 2 player co-op 3rd person fantasy game that looks to utilise long range, melee & magic based combat, there was enough promise to suggest the game could be an enjoyable one to run through with friends with the 2 protagonists offering different strengths to help encourage team work as much as possible.

Sampling the game whet our appetite for the developer session for the game and we were given the low-down (and a free T Shirt) from the 2 main men behind the game on what their aspirations and inspirations were for the game and for them to show some of the things in store. Part way through the demo, the PC that they were playing on crashed to everyone's amusement (and that of the devs). Once back up and running the demo went without hitch and showed a game that looks pretty solid and potentially enjoyable. Question time afterwards revealed that the press are dubbing the game ‘Gears of Warcraft’ (due to the cover system) and its a title the developers saw the funny side of and were happy to take as a compliment.

(a packed conference halls waits for the RAGE developer session to start)

Another session and another free T-Shirt. This time it was the turn of Tim Willits of iD software to present Rage, a first person post apocalyptic shooter. Looking visually like a mixture of Fallout 3 & Borderlands the game is shaping up nice if dishing out extremely violent punishment with big guns is your thing. Despite being nearly 12 months away from release from what we were shown and with promise of a multiplayer component this is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Right, that's the end of our first day and its time to get to the hotel, check the blisters on our feel before getting out for a few beers and a bite to eat.

Thoughts on the day.

Ninja:

A great opening day for me and Gears was everything I was hoping for and more – playing as a Ticker was a hoot and the next 12 months are going to drag till this is released. I really hope my feelings for GT5 are wrong, for such a monumental title that has been in development since I was at school to not be right on the money in gameplay terms would be a crime.

Waylander:

I was very surprised at how big the event was, and also pleasantly surprised that queuing to get onto games wasn't that long due to the amount of consoles available - I hate to think how many red ringed over the weekend!! The developer sessions were good, and quite amusing on the Hunted one when the machines froze and they had to re-start. Worth a chuckle

Highlight:

Ninja: Finally arriving at Earl’s Court. Oh, and Gears 3.

Waylander: 1 big fucking breakfast. Oh, and Gears 3.

Sunday

After getting thoroughly soaked the night before after having a few pints more than expected, Sunday morning arrives all too soon. No time for self pity, time to check out and go and get some for breakfast. Preferably, something fried.

Having prior knowledge from the following day we planned our attack and joined the queue early so that we could try and get on some of the more popular games straight away. We were also looking forward to meeting up with Pocketbluebear, Killswitch, Bub & Beales during the course of the day.

The doors opened again at 11 and within 5 minutes we were inside with pretty much free choice of what to play. We jumped straight on Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, a game that was permanently busy the day before. The 8 player multiplayer on offer was one of the most enjoyable and tense games I have played for some time with each of the 8 players having a contract to take out one of the other competitors while not knowing who may be pursuing them. Our enjoyment translated into a small victory with Shaun coming 1st in our match and me taking second (despite gaining a lot more kills albeit in a less elegant manner). The potential for this game with friends is obvious and anyone who enjoyed playing AC2 should find plenty to enjoy here.

After giving NFS Hot Pursuit a brief look yesterday we decided to give it another look (nothing to do with the free T-Shirts on offer, honestly – thanks for the tip off Mav!). Second time round and this game started to make more sense. Criterion have a crafted a very good game here with the vehicles feeling solid and weighty and the handling feeling tight and balanced. Whilst not playing as loose or as outright arcade like as Paradise (probably a deliberate move from Criterion to avoid direct comparisons) this is another game like Brotherhood that has huge potential when gaming with friends. I am really looking forward to seeing how the final product ends up.

Time was fast approaching the next developer session so we joined the queue to find out more about Ninja Theory’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Shaun had earlier tried the demo earlier and was impressed. This session was probably the most rough and ready of the presentations we visited but offered the greatest insight into the long term development of a video game charting progress from concept to finished product and all the hard work in between. A thoroughly enjoyable session. Even if there weren't any free T-Shirts on offer....

At that point we had arranged to meet up with the rest of the FWG guys in attendance and so grabbed a table, a few beers and chewed the fat about what we had seen of the show so far. I have always had fun gaming online with PBB, Killswitch & Bub so being able to match face to voice and chat in person was fantastic. We all decided to get on Gears again and playing a round of Beast mode with Shaun, killswitch, Bub & Beales reinforced everything me and Shaun had talked about the day before – this game with friends is going to be a riot and will be the staple of many a beer fuelled late night gaming session when it finally launches.

(PBB kicking ass on Gears 3)

After that, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways as time was pushing on and with a train journey back to home to come and fatigue kicking in, Shaun and myself were ready to hit the road.....

Thoughts on the day

Ninja: Another great day, meeting the guys was a pleasure and has made me more determined to try and get as many people involved for next year as possible.

Waylander: Sunday beat Saturday for me, managed to jump on a few more games, meet the some random guys from a site they called FWG, and again got sample Gears 3, which makes waiting for it to be released all the more painful. Brotherhood turned out to be a surprise, even if we did jump on a PS3 version of it. All the more worthwhile as I won with my unique brand of 'stealth' kills.

Highlight of the day:

Ninja: Playing Gears with friends reinforced just how good this game could be but today’s highlight for me has to be Brotherhood. The game always promised to be fun but the reality was much better and it delivered in spades.

Waylander: Again Gears was top quality, but agree with Ninja, Brotherhood was the highlight of day in terms of gaming, and of course meeting the other reprobates and having a beer.

Final thoughts:

Ninja:

What a fantastic weekend, the Expo was a great experience and offered a brilliant opportunity to try some of the upcoming titles for the 360 and also to sample how the other half live on PS3. I am already looking forward to next year and having met up with some of the guys from FWG on Sunday am hoping that with a little bit of forward planning we can expand this expo out into a full on FWG get together. At 5am on Saturday morning I asked myself if this was going to be worth it - the answer is a resounding yes!

Props to Eurogamer for arranging a fantastic event that was cheap to attend and packed with quality titles and the hardware quantity to back it up.

My thanks to Shaun for putting up with me for 2 whole days and for arranging our travel, tickets and accommodation.

I can’t say I am looking forward to going back to work on Monday but at least I have plenty to mull over whilst there.
Now, how many days till Gears of War 3 launches.......

Waylander:

Great weekend. The price of £8 per day was an absolute steal consider the amount of games on offer to play, and with the developer sessions thrown in made it all the more worthwhile. Next year is a must for me and hopefully we can turn it into a bit of an FWG meet which would be really cool.

Top marks to Eurogamer, for hosting such a quality event

My thanks to Chris for our trek across London on Saturday morning.

by **MAVERiCK FWG** Tue 5 Oct 2010 - 21:26

great write up buddy,even more gutted i missed it now Sad

by Guest Tue 5 Oct 2010 - 21:31

Totally agree! Top notch event, will be going for the full weekend next time!

Highlight for me was Hot Pursuit (i beat everyone) Very Happy

Tried Killzone 3 in 3D and really wasn't impressed, it hurt my eyes, it was very difficult to focus on the crosshair and take your eyes off the screen for a second and they have to readjust for playing in 3D again.

Great to finally meet the guys and got some great shots of 5 of us playing gears (cheers to PBB) I'll stick them up in the morning.

by **N1NJA FWG** Tue 5 Oct 2010 - 21:37

MAVERiCK FWG wrote:great write up buddy,even more gutted i missed it now

cheers Ian, I was expecting a TL/DR Laughing

We will make up for it next year for sure Twisted Evil

Look forward to seeing the snaps Tom Wink

by **FWG Plod** Tue 5 Oct 2010 - 23:15

MAVERiCK FWG wrote:great write up buddy,even more gutted i missed it now

I have to agree, wish i could have been there now sounds great.
Looking fwd to Gears 3 and Multiplayer on AC will be fun

by **FWG Unky Al** Wed 6 Oct 2010 - 7:59

Nice write up buddy

by **pocketbluebear** Wed 6 Oct 2010 - 8:06

Nice one m8. Best in show for was Gears and Little big planet.

by **FWG Rigor Mortice** Wed 6 Oct 2010 - 10:26

Nice write up Chris. Looks like a great time was had by all. May have to try and get up there even if its just for one day next year. Reading about GOW3 gave me a semi so cheers for that buddy Cheers