Visual impressions from the Eurogamer Expo
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The Expo ain’t over until we say it is. Following on from my hands-on time with a few of the games there, let’s have a look at the ones I could only gaze longingly at.
Fallout: New Vegas
I’ll be quick as this is out now, which is why I didn’t play it. Fallout: New Vegas is looking gorgeous (for the now-ancient Oblivion engine) and lots of fun. I really wish I’d actually picked up the pad just to check how big the map is, but I suspect it’ll be huge and with plenty in it to explore. Writing seems far more entertaining than in Fallout 3, which is that game’s only major flaw in my opinion. All the extras – like the insane-sounding Hardcore mode, where you have to eat and drink and ammo has weight – sound like superb additions. All of us here at HG are tremendously excited to play this right now.
Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Also out now in the States, but bafflingly just a vague ‘2011’ in Europe (I thought we’d got past this stage Nintendo?), Kirby is looking utterly delightful. It’s very much like Traveller’s Tales’ Lego games, where you can’t die and the challenge is all from puzzles and collecting. Except in yarn rather than plastic foot-fodder. Everyone playing was really enjoying it, so much so it became difficult to get on (in comparison it was easy to get a game of GoldenEye or Donkey Kong Country Returns). As the reviews are starting to spin out now I can see that most reviewers have taken a shine to it too.
3D Gaming
3D was slightly under-represented at the show, hopefully because most people really hate wearing tacky glasses or looking at a blurry screen. This is most of the reason why my Killzone 3 notes above were so short, as the screens were all in Drunk Vision and there was only one pair of beer goggles per screen.
However, nVidia made a proud showing with several PC games (a system that’s had 3D technology for ages and won’t cost all the gold in Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin to finance a TV for). Mafia II was slightly unimpressive, it has to be said, and the 3D didn’t really add anything to the experience. Starcraft II on the other hand was incredible. Every part of the environment had depth and seemed utterly solid, like a pop-up book with real living pop-ups.
But still we still can’t get over those troublesome – for me particularly so, wearing my own pair – glasses. The Nintendo 3DS was sadly not on show, much like it wasn’t at PAX, and Nintendo really need to get that tech out there to prove that their 3D actually works. Until then everyone will remain skeptical, as right now 3D’s just too expensive and uncomfortable to get involved in.