So the big Oktoberfest is over. You’ve drained your last can of Mad Dog Lemonade, seen meteorites, dug out your old neon, skin-tight leggings in preparation for Tron: Legacy and made friends with the person you spent all-night watching strange Japanese cartoon cats with.
So what now? Never fear! SCI-FI-LONDON has just the thing to keep you going through the long winter nights ahead. Here’s our guide to all the games your thumbs are going to be getting excited about over the next few months as well as the highlights and lowlights of Eurogamer Expo 2010.
Enslaved (Out Now)
Enslaved looks and plays very well with stylish graphics, responsive controls and an immersive environment. The pedigree of the creative team is also pretty good. Alex “The Beach” Garland wrote the story, Nitin Sawnhey is the composer of the score (which we thought added great pace to proceedings and was particularly effective when combined with the free flowing motion) and Andy “Golum” Serkis who also performed the motion capture for the lead role, Monkey, directs it. Set 150 years into the future, muscle man Monkey just manages to escape with his life when the giant slave ship where he was imprisoned blows up. He meets Trip, a young girl wanting to make her way home who then enslaves Monkey with a high tech headband (think mega headache if you want to get away from her) and so, in true out of the frying pan into the fire fashion, escorting her home is your last option for freedom. It has free running, high-octane action and great weapons – which you can steal off the enemies you are fighting then get your own back plus the cut scenes and landscapes are stunning. This is a super development from Ninja Theory.
Vanquish (Out Now)
The plot will feel very familiar for a traditional science fiction audience but it’s the weakest element in this fast paced explosive romp through space. Let’s start counting those sterile clichés.... in the not too distant future, as the world’s energy supplies dwindle, extremist group Order of the Russian Star have taken over the US orbital space station Providence and have turned it from a solar energy store into a giant laser weapon then turned it on the United States in the hope that the US will roll over and surrender in the war over the Earth’s finite resources. What else can the US do but send in the big guns to recapture the station. Joining the armed forces is Sam Gideon on a rescue mission and with one mighty fine battle suit. With oversized baddies, some rather odd, gratuitous cut scenes looking up Elena’s skirt as she fiddles with a ‘Minority Report’ style board to communicate with Sam and some serious button mashing, Vanquish is high octane but in the end we thought was rather dull.
There were lots of weapons up for grabs and we hope they are used more inventively than the preview we played; the cover system is responsive which is great as hiding seems to be a big part of the game and we didn’t see ANYONE complete the end of level boss. This is a very hard game and will appeal to most gamers but underneath the stunning set pieces is an average sci-fi shooter.
Fable 3 (Release: October 29th 2010)
The biggest and most exciting title on offer at the Expo and though not Sci-Fi heavy, is certainly worth checking out. We indulged in a range of the 15 minutes previews on offer and every one of them was pure joy to play! The comedy and free roaming still runs through the heart of the story but it’s fleshed out with incredible attention to detail. Not only does the lead female character no longer look like a chiselled jawed bloke with long eyelashes, both the lead characters have been given a voice. We saw some awesome battles with Hollow Men whilst the storyline demands you to make difficult decisions with far reaching consequences very early on. There are some excellent vocal performances from Zoe Wannamaker, Stephen Fry and Ben Kingsley and the world of Albion has never seemed so immense, beautiful, colourful or spectacular. Special thanks to Lionhead staff Brynn (level designer) and Stef (technical artist) who were super helpful in guiding us through and introducing us to killer poultry and the Legendary Condom of the Gods. We also heard there will be the Fable equivalent of ‘Hoodies’ featured in this title!!
Can’t wait until the end of the month? Check out the Fable 3 smartphone app ‘KingMaker’ where you can sign up to be a Royal or a Rebel. Place virtual flags in real-world locations around Europe to earn gold coins which you can then exchange in the full Fable 3 game. Ah, technology – we love it.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (November 19th 2010)
Assassin’s Creed II followed directly on from where Assassin’s Creed left off, and saw Desmond and Lucy going underground and once again using the Animus (think high tech bed) to visit Desmond's Assassin ancestors of the past via genetic memories. Set in 15th Century Italy you played Ezio Auditore Da Firenze in an awesome free-running, stealth weapon bearing, adrenalin tale of revenge. Brotherhood sees Ezio in charge but this time you’re joined by your friends. We checked out the new online multiplayer kill or be killed, chase and be chased game. It looks and feels identical to Assassin’s Creed 2, so apart from moving on the story, can’t see how much the single player game will evolve. The big news is all centred on the multiplayer element but we found it to be more frustrating than anything. It tells you not to run when your target is in sight but a second later tells you to run away because someone is hunting you down. All the crowd scenes were made up of the same 8 characters on offer so finding your target precisely was tricky and much of the pleasure of assassination was removed although the ability to disguise yourself was neat. The other multiplayer option so we’ve heard sees you and your brothers hunting down one target collectively. The colour pallet and the free-running element as always was slick and it should attract gamers who love to play multiplayer but whether the overall package will be as good as its amazing predecessor remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.
Dead Space 2 (Release: January 25th 2011)
For engineer Isaac Clarke, the nightmare returns and we don’t envy him as we were absolutely terrified whilst playing this little snippet. Upon waking from a coma on a massive space city known as "The Sprawl", Isaac battles dementia, is hunted by the government and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend. Loaded up with white hot weapons (including a gun with a mighty blade attached that we found very handy for close encounters), he must now do whatever it takes to save himself and dismember Necromorphs. Down in a frozen science laboratory, the spooky slow exploration coinciding with an eerie and atmospheric soundtrack plays on the fear and anticipation you only ever feel when you know giant, deformed aliens might attack at you any second.
This not knowing got our hearts racing to nearly 190bpm! Looks great and scared us silly. This’ll be well worth the wait and is our top Sci-Fi recommendation. In the meantime, check out Dead Space: Ignition (400MP on Xbox Live or free when you pre-order Dead Space 2) which shows what happens in the hours leading up to the events at the beginning of Dead Space 2 plus has special unlockable items on offer.
Zelda: Skyward Sword (Release: 2011)
Okay, we know this isn’t a sci-fi title but indulge us as we did queue for 3 hours to play the 10 minute preview. Was it worth it? Oh yes! Looking amazing with a brighter colour pallet than some other titles from the series, the real beauty of the new Zelda title (prequel to the Ocarina of Time) is the innovative use of the Wiimote. Brandished as a sword you can horizontally hack and vertically slash your way through baddies that are far more responsive than we’ve seen in previous Zelda titles and will give you a run for your money as they dodge or block your attacks. It demands that you fight intelligently and the result is engaging, exciting and challenging. The B button is your inventory and can be accessed really quickly whilst the nunchuck is used for moving around or can be used to stun enemies with your shield adding more depth to the battles. The story is yet to be revealed but it instantly feels familiar. There is still a lot of work to do on areas of the game (tidying up graphics and perhaps refining how you put your shield away) but it’s definitely worth getting excited over, even at this early stage.
All in all, a good range of titles with science fiction at their core. Follow us on Twitter @scifilondon and tell us which title you are most looking forward to getting your hands on!
By Tracey and Ian
