Afternoon All. I've finally recovered from the drunken debauchery that was the inaugural SFX Weekender and have decided to post up my thoughts. Eventhough it did involve travelling the width of England (the return journey was not particularly fun after a few days of partying), the drive was well worth it as it was a thoroughly enjoyable event. While the Pontins setting was not the most glamorous (it seemed like it may not have been painted since the 50's!), it certainly was a nice change from the usual tent and mud combo and it was genuinely exciting having a bed, clean toilet, shower and kitchen.
Following his signing session, James took the stage for a Q&A - Over the next 45 minutes he took on all comers and wooed the crowd with various stories and on-set tales ranging from how he preferred kissing John Barrowman to Sarah Michelle Geller, the mooted Spike TV movie and his respect for Joss Whedon. The final question fired at him was which he thought was better, UK Sci-Fi or US Sci-Fi - a recurring theme over the whole weekend. After a slight pause he stated that he thought that UK Sci-Fi is better written but American Sci-Fi is more 'relaxed'(i assumed this was a slight dig at the BBC?) He was charismatic, funny and didn't shy away from any of the questions. All in all a great start to the weekend.Following the Q&A action i decided to check out the Gaming Zone. In the pre-event literature it stated the games that would be appearing would be Batman Arkham Asylum, Final Fantasy (XIII) and Alien Vs Predator. However there must have been a last minute change of heart by Square Enix as they had Just Cause 2 on display instead. To be honest I wasn't too gutted as I'm not the biggest fan of the FF series. Nonetheless I wouldn't have minded seeing the new installment in the RPG juggernaut in the flesh. Also with no sign of Batman either it meant my gaming thirst had to be quenched with two large shots of AvP and Just Cause 2.
Up first was Just Cause 2 (Xbox 360) hands-on: The version I played, accord
ing to the menu screen, was a demo. I must start by saying that I have not played the 1st game but my fleeting visit with the new installment has certainly left with a desire to get my hands on the final game when it is released in March. The graphics were nice and the controls were slick. I think in this day and age poor controls can kill a game before it even gets going. Saying that i did have problems switching weapons but I think that's down to me not being overly familiar with the Xbox controller and there being no tutorial, rather than the game itself! :o). While i didn't attempt to complete the mission laid out before me I did have immense fun base jumping, car jacking and generally causing mayhem. The grappling hook was a nice touch and from what i saw from some of the guys around me there is much fun to have from tethering guerrillas and lassoing cars/bikes. I managed to mangle a few guys with it and 'fast travel' to a several locations including a water tower and the roofs of several local village dwellings. However unfortunately i was unable to cause the levels of carnage with the hook that have been witnessed in some of the recent Just Cause 2 trailers (i.e. tethering planes and helicopters or using gas canisters as impromptu 'elevators'). The vehicles were easy to enter and drive and the the roof stunt exits were a lot of fun. My personal highlight of the demo was base jumping off a cliff, pulling my chute at the last moment, landing on the roof of a moving jeep before entering the vehicle (via the window) and storming a road block...very cool!The gaming double whammy was completed with a lengthy go on Alien Vs Predator (PS3). After having nothing but problems with the demo, when it was released on the 4th Feb, i was looking forward to finally having a proper blast. After several multiplayer death matches and a few co-op 'Swarm' games i was convinced that Rebellion had done a great job bringing two of Fox's most treasured franchises to 7th Gen consoles. First thing I noticed was that the graphics definitely seemed more polished than those of the demo (albeit I only got to play the demo for 10 minutes!). Along with the 'Refinery' map I got to check out 'Temple' and a third, un-named map that was a cross between the two. Across the 3 maps I also sampled the 3 different playable races, Predator, Alien and Human. I must say that they all have their pro's and con's but being a massive Predator fan I must say that I truly loved playing as Jim and John Thomas' finest creation. While yo
u don't start out with many of the Predators iconic weapons (shoulder canon, glaive, spear etc) you do have instant access to his claws and cloaking device. The element i really did love was that when within range, a tap of the 'square' button you performed a killer finishing move and some of them were BRUTAL! Anyway as many of you have already probably played the demo I won't go into anymore detail regarding the 3 races or the 'Refinery' Map. However as discussed I did get to play a two further maps...The first was 'Temple', a open air map that consisted of several large stone pillars/columns, interconnected by a series of tunnels. The map was surrounded by large stone banked/pyramid style walls.
The 2nd new map I've called 'Temple 2' - This map seemed to contain the remains of a old temple and there were overgrown broken columns, which can be traversed by the Predator. They are also great for camping out and catching unsuspecting Marines as they run beneath you. These were all in a valley/meadow style setting with a large set of steps leading up to the entrance to a large futuristic building. Several parts of the map were connected by 'cocooned' Alien tunnels a la the end of Aliens.
These maps were a lot of fun and the game really did offer something more than the usual FPS, Call of Duty wannabe multiplayer deathmatch. I did manage to have a quick chat with one of the development team (Tom?! - Sorry I cant remember his name but I'm sure he said he was head of Multiplayer Development at Rebellion) who informed me that not only was I playing the final code of the game but one of the most interesting maps (to be included on the final release) is based on the rotating/evolving 'Aztec' Pyramid from the first AvP film (awesome!). Various other things were discussed during our brief conversation from Fox's unsupportive stance on the team's original vision of the Alien to the unique experience the game and its three species offers. My stint on the game finished with several games of 'Swarm', Rebellions answer to 'Nazi Zombies'. All I can say about it was that it was intense and captured the feel of confusion and desperation the Marines felt at the climax of Aliens. As the only illumination comes from the gun barrel mounted lamps there is a genuine claustrophobic, eerie feel to this game type. I particularly liked the heart beat monitors at the top of the screen showing the vital signs of your companions. I don't know if there are multiple co-op maps on disc but if there isn't I'm sure that can be rectified by future DLC (You listening Rebellion?)
Now that I had gaming fix it was time to get back to the Sci-Fi...
Robert Rankin - My girlfriend and her family are massive Rankin fans and therefore missing his slot on the Slaughter Lamb stage was not an option...and to be honest I am glad i did witness his 'set' as his Quirky mix of songs, anecdotes and jokes was immensely entertaining. His instantly likeable personality meant this was a definite highlight of day 1 and an obvious choice for the Awards host.The first day of this Sci-Fi double header came to a close with the SFX Imaginarium - For 2
hours the main stage area came alive with an assortment of entertainment including cabaret, magicians, jugglers, dancers, fire-eaters and Cosplay. All of this took place in the shadow of two massive statues of the demonic Zuul beasts/dogs from Ghostbusters (I wanted one of them for my front room!). However I didn't experience much of this, other than part of a magician's act, as I was sat in the bar (The Slaughtered Lamb!!) attempting to answer the questions in the SFX Blastermind Pub Quiz. While me and my party are seasoned pub-quizzers we decided to not officially take part in the quiz through fear of being destroyed! While in hindsight, the questions were challenging, they weren't as brain frying as they could have been. However saying that we wouldn't have won! After several more Newcastle Browns and several drunken conversations with like minded people we decided to return to our Chalet and attempt to get a few hours kip. Day 1 was done and dusted...roll on Day 2 and the SFX 2010 Sci-Fi Awards...JB
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