Well well, another year's EB Expo is done and dusted. This year, I thought I'd make a short list of games I truly enjoyed, or games that really surprised me, and write little bit about my experience with them. So here were my best in show, in no particular order!
ASSASSINS CREED 3
So I played two different demos of Assassin's Creed 3, one at the Ubisoft booth, and one at the Wii U area. Now, the Ubisoft Demo took place during a mission for Connor to find a map fragment, a mission that can be found via the new naval gameplay system (allegedly). During my short time with the game, I saw Connor climb a cliff face, take enemies down silently with a number of different weapons, and got a feel for him as a character (via his new animations).
If the new animations are anything to go by, Connor is far more aggressive. His free running style seems a lot more fluid and natural, and the revamped combat system tries to keep you on the offensive.
It takes a little bit to get used to, but I found the new combat system to be fun and fast, as well as a refreshing change from the previous titles.
Now, the second demo took place on the sea. When I first heard of the Naval Battles, I had mixed feelings. Fearing that it would be a repeat of the tower defense, I hoped I would be proved wrong. And this demo has sold me on it. Lining up a power barrage of cannons and sinking an enemy is immensely satisfying, as is the ability to place one great shot into their munitions stack (and causing a sweet explosion). This experience was marred slightly by a few bugs that messed up Connor's combat animations after the boarding sequence. If we attribute these issues to the early build Wii U, then the Naval demo was surprisingly satisfying.
PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS: BATTLE ROYALE
While I would have joined most gamers in calling PS All Stars a shameless Smash Bros clone, after last weekend, I don't think I can. There are enough differences to say that, while still definitely influenced by Super Smash Bros, Playstation All Stars is it's own game.
The first difference is in the scoring system. While in Nintendo's fighter you score by getting opponents off the screen, PS All Stars forces you to hit enemies with your characters various supermoves. These supermoves are built up by wailing on the other combatants as hard as you can.
Another difference is in the fighters actual moves. Instead of having plain attack moves and special moves (based on their respective series), each character has 3 attack buttons that are completely unique to them.
Overall, the game is slightly more difficult to get straight into than it's Nintendo brother, but mastering a character feels that little bit more rewarding. The characters and their animations look great, as do the mash-up levels. I'm really quite excited for this game, as I've been wishing for a Sony Character Brawler since the very first Smash Bros, and it's shaping up to be something fantastic.
Aliens: Colonial Marines
At the Expo, 2K games came to showcase Aliens: Colonial Marines in the form of a number of multiplayer face-offs between Expo-goers and pro-gamers, marines Vs. Aliens. Instantly drawing similarities between it and Left 4 Dead, theirs a distinct tension in the air.
I gotta say, despite being up against Pro-Gamers, our team went suprisingly well, only losing by 4 kills. The gameplay is smooth and easy to pick up and go (assuming you've played a shooter before) and the teams are surprisingly well balanced. The marines get a nice array of weaponry, including assault rifles and shotguns, while also having access to motion trackers to keep an eye on any unseen foes. On the other hand, however, the Aliens can leap impossible distances, stick to walls, bleed acid, and kill quickly with melee attacks. The balancing factor here is that in a frontal assault, the xenomorphs are weak as hell.
This game is so atmospheric, with the dark and eerie hallways, the scrambling noise of Xenomorphs, and the beep of your motion tracker as an unseen enemy draws every closer. It's a whole lot of fun, and perfectly captures the essence of the Alien movies.
RAYMAN: LEGENDS
If there was any Wii U title to make me believe that the new Nintendo console was worth a buy, this was it. I loved the last Rayman game, believe me. The art style, the music, it had so much pure soul. Rayman Legends appears to be no different.
The platforming is smooth and quick, with intelligent level design and near perfect controls (using a wii U pro controller), Rayman Legends is as good as, if not better than, its predecessor. The biggest addition, however, is Murphy, Rayman's new green winged friend, who is controlled by the player holding the Gamepad. Using it's touch screen, you're able to manipulate certain platforms or walls, and using it's gyroscope, you can tilt hazards any way you choose. It works great, whether you're helping your friends, or griefing them.
Also worth a mention are Rayman Legends' more rhythmic levels, which make me think of a mix between good ol' platforming fun, and guitar hero style button timing. And the soundtracks are great!
FAR CRY 3
Given multiple attempts at a 15 minute open world demo for Far Cry 3, I'm left with one clear thought on it. Far Cry 3 is beautiful. Unlike Far Cry 2 (brown and desperate Africa), FC3 looks unbelievably good. The colours are bright and powerful, with lots of bright blues and greens. The tropical setting is amazing, and the fact that the setting is also open world makes me want to explore every inch of it.
Also there are tigers. And goats. And sharks. And fucking Manta-Rays!! The world of Far Cry 3 feels alive and breathing, and the gameplay fit's it perfectly, as your character's movements feel swift and wild, as well as accurate and easy to use. First person driving returns, and it feels a lot more natural than last time around, while hang-gliding and ziplining gives you multiple ways to travel the island. The variety of weapons is also great, with bows, pistols and various arrows to shoot from your bow.
GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION
This one's going to be short for one reason. We all know that the God Of War games provide a certain level of quality gameplay. So here's my biggest praise of the GoW:A demo. IT LOOKS AMAZING! The visuals are so breathtaking and colourful. That is all.
BLACK OPS 2
Ok, so we got to try the multiplayer of Black Ops 2, and while it's mostly the same, one thing really felt amazing for me. The pick 10 class customization allows for deeper personalization of classes, and lets you ignore items you normally don't use. Only knife? Take out your two guns and explosives and spend the extra on more perks! Want a sniper rifle and a shotgun, but no equipment? Go right ahead!
So that was just a small taste of what we saw at the EB Expo. I hope when these games come out, they're just as amazing for you guys as they were for me when I got a sneak peek. See you next time!
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