SFL were invited to spend the afternoon playing games at Warner Bros HQ and we thought it very impolite to refuse. Showcasing their top titles, due out in the coming months including Batman: Arkham City (watch this space for our full review coming soon). For now, here’s what we loved best.
His preview with Ian
Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Poor Lauren from Premier PR, she’d seen a lot of death over the course of the day (I also witnessed some from other gaming sites at the event and if you do get taken down, there’s a small hope of revival from either of your buddies - if they can reach you in time), so I was determined not to let her witness any Sci-Fi-London dwarf blood spilt on either of my watches.
I got to play the first few chapters from level one where the aim is to free the great eagle Beleram and then a little further into the game on level fourteen (to test the difference in difficulty) where you’re deep in the caves and the enemies are a heck of a lot harder and armoured to the hilt. Tis a three player game that can be played single player alongside two computer NPCs or played local or online co-op with your buddies.
With some slick combinations of attack, roll, attack, heavy attack, roll and then the ever so satisfying critical strike, not a single drop of my blood was left behind. It is the roll which is the crucial button press as it enables you to avoid incoming blows from some of the heavy arsenal of the trickier enemies and preserves your dwarfly livelihood. There are also chests a plenty to loot and barrels to obliterate which give forth bountiful coins, potions and stones amongst other goodies to enable the levelling up process as the game progresses.
My initial impressions were positive as it has oodles of fierce combat and hordes of relentless enemies popping out of every textured cave, crevice or castle baying for your blood. There’s something very playable and distinctly enjoyable in this latest action RPG from the Lord of the Rings stable developed by Snowblind Studios.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North is released on November 25th 2011 on Xbox, PS3 and PC.
Her preview with Tracey
LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7
Covering the final three books and four films from Harry Potter’s universe, the ultimate showdown between good and evil comes to it’s epic conclusion but with a lovely LEGO twist – as if we would expect anything else from TT Games who bring a little lightness to the dark and emotional final scenes of J.K. Rowling’s saga. Picking up the story and playing as Harry (in two player co-op with Hermione), I set about searching for clues in the graveyard at Godric’s Hollow. Immediately there’s a lot to enjoy with the split screen seamlessly allowing two players to freely roam around without disrupting the game for the other player. As well as the usual studs to collect to unlock free play and more, there’s spells a plenty at your disposal (including one which makes Harry breakdance which is irrelevant but fun) that are easy to swap at the touch of the Y button – similar to the character wheel in LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean which was out earlier this year. There are special areas for Hermione to use her Mary Poppins like bag from which she pulls out useful tools like giant mallets and watering cans to aid you in some of the puzzles. Working together to chuck lampshades and cake at one giant basilisk, the level felt more confined and tense than seen in previous LEGO titles but this adds to the sense of threat and thrill. It will be interesting to see if the rest of the game is as claustrophobic, determined by locations of the books or whether it will feel more open, though from what I’ve seen, the attention to detail in the environments is magic and will please fans. With LEGO titles aimed at a younger audience, it’s great that this title continue to introduce new audiences to Harry Potter though is really one that everyone should check out as is charming, addictive and fun.
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is due for release on November 18th 2011 on PC, Xbox360, PS3, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii.
We didn’t leave Warner House without checking out a couple of gadgets on show, including the new Toshiba 3D television with its massive 55 inch screen. Available in the UK this week, the impressive thing about this latest telly is its ability to convert 2D into 3D. By constantly reading data and analysing the picture, the technology involved allows it to judge foreground and background information from 2D pictures to then create 3D viewing. You can watch your fave films or even your own homemade movies from DVD with the aid of glasses which come in all shapes and sizes to suit all tastes. Due to the high processing going on behind the screen, it perhaps doesn’t have the constant sharpness of a solely 3D television but it does work, especially with films containing lots of special effect like the Green Lantern and should appeal to a wider audience – for those who don’t want to watch everything in 3D but like the option to be at their disposal. The price tag of just under £1800 might cause some to gulp but we’ve added it to our Xmas lists, just in case Santa is feeling generous this year.
