Blue Skies
09-01-2002, 03:26 AM
Greetings,
I attended the Playstation Experience at Earl’s Court on Sat 31st Aug.
I have to say that the event was spectacular.
They had something like 83 titles on 260 game pods and the session ran for 5 hours.
I spent the entire duration playing loads of games and had lengthy conversations with developers, PR people, actors, the whole nine yards.
Tomb Raider
My first port of call was the Eidos stand (why of course).
They had AOD in playable form on three pods.
The demo was in the streets of Paris and I played it about 5 or 6 times.
You began in a courtyard and could climb onto a kind of fire escape via a trash can thing (which you could also open and conceal yourself in).
After climbing up there was a ladder which you could also climb. This took you to another ledge which you could then run around and enter an open window. You just had to approach the open window, press the X button and Lara would automatically vault through it (COOL!!!).
The contents of the room was highly detailed, but there was nothing much for old Blue to do so it was back out of the window, down the ladder and along an atmospheric looking corridor.
This brought you back out into the street and there was a French chap wearing a white baseball cap (with a red A on it). Pressing the X button enters conversation mode.
Lara asked about a character she was looking for called Bouchard and she also asked about the Monstrum.
There were two instances where you could choose the line of questioning.
What made me laugh were some of her comments at the end, “I am under a time limit, cannot hang around.” (Or something along those lines).
Rounding the next corner there was a police car with flashing blue lights blocking the way. I took the other route and a Police chap arrested me (end of demo with a nice shot of Laras mug on the front page of a local rag).
The Positive:
>The graphics were beautiful (scenery, characters & weather effects)
>The sound effects were great. One of the alleyways had a dog chained to a post and the barking was tres realistic.
>Lara looks fantastic (no weapons in the demo though).
>Some of the animations/details were very impressive:
*) They way she vaults through the open windows was cool.
*) As mentioned above you could hide in the trash can thing in the alley (pressing X next it opens it up and she automatically climbs in and closes the lid to conceal herself – You old stealth cat you). The bit which put a smile on my face was when she climbs out she stands still for a moment and wipes the dust of her thigh (Oh, it’s all in the details baby).
The Negative:
I guess there is not much point in being too harsh/negative about a tech demo as is it not in a completed state. Yet…I only hope that this was a very early demo as it has a LONG way to go.
>Camera: Panning the camera allowed you to pass through Laras body and see the inside of her head looking out (very strange/comical effect). When reaching some areas you also lose view of Lara which was a pain.
The camera did not lock down behind Lara so you often see a view from the front, side, etc. This made navigation very tricky (see Controls below).
>Glitches/Loading: There were a number of times when you moved to a certain area and simply lost control of Lara completely. Luckily, hitting Select restarted the demo.
There was also a point in the demo where the action would freeze for a couple of seconds (even if mid jump). It looked like the hardware was loading in the next part of the map. I really hope that this is resolved (keep streaming boys).
>Controls: This was the big one for me. Of course it takes a while to get used to a new control scheme, but it was like a Wrestling grudge match (The Majestic Blue Skies Vs The Almighty Dual Shock 2).
The control was a true 3D kind of deal (very much like Devil May Cry) and used the Analogue Sticks.
This was very awkward as when the camera view shifts, for example, moving left stops moving you left and you have to keep adjusting on the fly.
Pressing down (back) on the stick and pressing Jump (O button) does not automatically perform a back flip as it is all relative to the camera (BAH!!!).
I switched to the Digital Direction buttons, but for some reason this seemed to always be in walk mode.
Each play through was limited to something like 10 minutes. It took me about 10 minutes to jump from one platform to another. I kept lining myself and took a running jump, but she kept doing a side flip (DOUBLE BAH!!!). The challenge for some visitors/prospects was to simply reach the first platform.
I really hope that this will be sorted as a game needs to have a certain pick up and play value and be super intuitive.
After a few games I found relief in pressing R2 which moves the camera (in some instances) directly behind Lara. This allowed me to perform an intentional forward/side/back jump with ease. I could then really get into it.
I had a chat with the one of the staff members and it went like:
Staff: Have you had a go?
BlueS: Oh Yes indeed.
Staff (almost straight away which raised an eyebrow): What did you think of the controls?
He also seemed unsure about them. Sony dictates at least two control setups with every game (according to another show exhibitor). So, here’s hoping that they produce a setup which is fairly similar (in relation to ease of use) to the previous games.
In the old TR games one of the key points was that the controls were invisible and you could put her anywhere you wanted with ease.
Overall, I was very impressed with the potential. I just hope they sort out the control scheme and the glitches (i.e. the details).
As I mentioned before it was only a tech demo and Core/Eidos being the professionals they are bound to sort out all of the niggles come release day. Hang on, isn’t that supposed to be about only two months from now (yikes!!!).
I just hope that they have a thorough Beta phase underway as that would catch all of this kind of stuff.
I work with a software company (not games) and from experience can state that cutting back in the testing phase in any way will come back to bite you.
I would like to say that they did not have to include a playable version, they could just have just shown a tightly edited video. Much respect and gratitude to Core/Eidos for providing the public with a little taster (& now I have hard my starter I want the main course and dessert).
After I took my fill from the Eidos booth (also checking out Hitman which looks and plays like a dream) I headed over to the main stage. You can imagine my glee when I saw Jill De Jong on the stage running around like the beautiful angel she is – By the far the best Lara model to date (Fact).
All I can say is – HOW TALL IS SHE???
She was running around and posing in time to the music. This kind of stuff does seem kind of bizarre when watching in person. After she left they announced that Jill was posing for piccies in the hospitality area. Of course I went (well, I had to didn’t I – Wouldn’t you???).
It only took about a 10 minute queue before I had a brief chat with her and what was really cool was that they took a Polaroid with each guest posing with the beautiful Jill (AND HOW TALL??? Oh, I already mentioned that, but sweet Jesus).
They then handed me the photo and a really cool Jill As Lara Postcard. Oh boy, I have got to scan that for a forum comedy moment.
I then had to find the smoking area (Phew!!!…HA HA!!!). Eidos, let me praise you, you demi-gods… you are great and thank you for the fantastic souvenirs.
I then headed back past the Main Stage and this band were performing some track with screaming kiddies looking on. They are apparently number 1 in the UK music charts. The track was called ‘Crossroads’ or something, but who cares about that as I had and engagement with ‘The Getaway’.
On the way to the Team Soho booth there was a second stage (the competition stage) where they were awarding limited edition colour PS2’s all day (ye gods).
I cannot explain how impressed I was with the Team Soho Crew. This booth was unlike any other at the show (it was cordoned off – Over 18s only, lucky that I am an old sod).
I started to play ‘The Getaway’ and before I knew it there was a Team Soho guy wrenching (in a nice way) the pad out of my hands. “I just need to alter the aspect of the TV.”
I then carried on and this great chappie said try this and look at that, etc.
Another of the many Team Soho staff then replaced him. There went the controller again…Look if you press this you can use this move and this is lock on and this….this went on for a while.
These guys were great and so enthusiastic and helpful with their product.
After I handed the controller to another visitor (I had to as he was salivating on my shoulder) I had a long chat with one of the Team Soho guys (the chap who was being so helpful earlier).
It was so obvious that this product is a true labour of love. I can also state that the game looks truly magnificent.
He informed me about the game making process and told me that the game took 3 years to make and had a 5 million GBP budget. He said that they need to sell about half a million copies to make a profit.
Seeing what goes into a game first hand makes you really realize that spending a paltry 40 notes is nothing short of an amazing bargain (40 notes for 5,000,000 notes/3 years hard slog).
He said that they were worried about how the American market would react to it. The E3 response was fantastic and there are about 1 million pre-orders in the US alone.
The conversation went on with this really cool chap for quite a while and I then found out that he ran the studio. I was flabbergasted, here was one of the main guys talking at length and actually helping the visitors get the most out of the short play of the demo. It was sooo gratifying to see him ‘mucking in’ on the show floor.
I then had a chat with two of the actors (Joe Rice as Frank Carter & Anna Edwards as Yasmin – What an outfit!!!).
Joe was such a cool guy and we chatted about his previous film career and some of ‘The Getaway’ details.
He looks like such a dude and I am sure that we will see a lot more of him in the future.
They both signed some cards for me and posed for a piccie.
Wow, sorry I’ve just seen how much I have been going on. Thank you if you are still with me.
I haven’t even started to talk about the rest of the show.
I have to say that ‘Sly Raccoon’ and ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ (EA Games) look truly beautiful.
After the session I left and every visitor picked up a goody bag.
There was so much stuff in there:
>Official PS2 Mag (with attached DVD) worth over 5 GBP alone.
>There was loads of marketing materials.
>Cool battery operated PS2 Light Pen.
>3 Demo disks (including long demos of ‘Time Splitters 2’ and ‘Sly Raccoon’, etc).
>Cool black PS2 T-shirt.
Considering that the gig only cost 9 GBP to get in I was amazed by the number off coolio freebies.
I just want to finish off by saying Kudos to Sony for holding such an inspired event.
I will never forget it and please hold another one next year!!!
Thanks for reading.
Blue Skies
I attended the Playstation Experience at Earl’s Court on Sat 31st Aug.
I have to say that the event was spectacular.
They had something like 83 titles on 260 game pods and the session ran for 5 hours.
I spent the entire duration playing loads of games and had lengthy conversations with developers, PR people, actors, the whole nine yards.
Tomb Raider
My first port of call was the Eidos stand (why of course).
They had AOD in playable form on three pods.
The demo was in the streets of Paris and I played it about 5 or 6 times.
You began in a courtyard and could climb onto a kind of fire escape via a trash can thing (which you could also open and conceal yourself in).
After climbing up there was a ladder which you could also climb. This took you to another ledge which you could then run around and enter an open window. You just had to approach the open window, press the X button and Lara would automatically vault through it (COOL!!!).
The contents of the room was highly detailed, but there was nothing much for old Blue to do so it was back out of the window, down the ladder and along an atmospheric looking corridor.
This brought you back out into the street and there was a French chap wearing a white baseball cap (with a red A on it). Pressing the X button enters conversation mode.
Lara asked about a character she was looking for called Bouchard and she also asked about the Monstrum.
There were two instances where you could choose the line of questioning.
What made me laugh were some of her comments at the end, “I am under a time limit, cannot hang around.” (Or something along those lines).
Rounding the next corner there was a police car with flashing blue lights blocking the way. I took the other route and a Police chap arrested me (end of demo with a nice shot of Laras mug on the front page of a local rag).
The Positive:
>The graphics were beautiful (scenery, characters & weather effects)
>The sound effects were great. One of the alleyways had a dog chained to a post and the barking was tres realistic.
>Lara looks fantastic (no weapons in the demo though).
>Some of the animations/details were very impressive:
*) They way she vaults through the open windows was cool.
*) As mentioned above you could hide in the trash can thing in the alley (pressing X next it opens it up and she automatically climbs in and closes the lid to conceal herself – You old stealth cat you). The bit which put a smile on my face was when she climbs out she stands still for a moment and wipes the dust of her thigh (Oh, it’s all in the details baby).
The Negative:
I guess there is not much point in being too harsh/negative about a tech demo as is it not in a completed state. Yet…I only hope that this was a very early demo as it has a LONG way to go.
>Camera: Panning the camera allowed you to pass through Laras body and see the inside of her head looking out (very strange/comical effect). When reaching some areas you also lose view of Lara which was a pain.
The camera did not lock down behind Lara so you often see a view from the front, side, etc. This made navigation very tricky (see Controls below).
>Glitches/Loading: There were a number of times when you moved to a certain area and simply lost control of Lara completely. Luckily, hitting Select restarted the demo.
There was also a point in the demo where the action would freeze for a couple of seconds (even if mid jump). It looked like the hardware was loading in the next part of the map. I really hope that this is resolved (keep streaming boys).
>Controls: This was the big one for me. Of course it takes a while to get used to a new control scheme, but it was like a Wrestling grudge match (The Majestic Blue Skies Vs The Almighty Dual Shock 2).
The control was a true 3D kind of deal (very much like Devil May Cry) and used the Analogue Sticks.
This was very awkward as when the camera view shifts, for example, moving left stops moving you left and you have to keep adjusting on the fly.
Pressing down (back) on the stick and pressing Jump (O button) does not automatically perform a back flip as it is all relative to the camera (BAH!!!).
I switched to the Digital Direction buttons, but for some reason this seemed to always be in walk mode.
Each play through was limited to something like 10 minutes. It took me about 10 minutes to jump from one platform to another. I kept lining myself and took a running jump, but she kept doing a side flip (DOUBLE BAH!!!). The challenge for some visitors/prospects was to simply reach the first platform.
I really hope that this will be sorted as a game needs to have a certain pick up and play value and be super intuitive.
After a few games I found relief in pressing R2 which moves the camera (in some instances) directly behind Lara. This allowed me to perform an intentional forward/side/back jump with ease. I could then really get into it.
I had a chat with the one of the staff members and it went like:
Staff: Have you had a go?
BlueS: Oh Yes indeed.
Staff (almost straight away which raised an eyebrow): What did you think of the controls?
He also seemed unsure about them. Sony dictates at least two control setups with every game (according to another show exhibitor). So, here’s hoping that they produce a setup which is fairly similar (in relation to ease of use) to the previous games.
In the old TR games one of the key points was that the controls were invisible and you could put her anywhere you wanted with ease.
Overall, I was very impressed with the potential. I just hope they sort out the control scheme and the glitches (i.e. the details).
As I mentioned before it was only a tech demo and Core/Eidos being the professionals they are bound to sort out all of the niggles come release day. Hang on, isn’t that supposed to be about only two months from now (yikes!!!).
I just hope that they have a thorough Beta phase underway as that would catch all of this kind of stuff.
I work with a software company (not games) and from experience can state that cutting back in the testing phase in any way will come back to bite you.
I would like to say that they did not have to include a playable version, they could just have just shown a tightly edited video. Much respect and gratitude to Core/Eidos for providing the public with a little taster (& now I have hard my starter I want the main course and dessert).
After I took my fill from the Eidos booth (also checking out Hitman which looks and plays like a dream) I headed over to the main stage. You can imagine my glee when I saw Jill De Jong on the stage running around like the beautiful angel she is – By the far the best Lara model to date (Fact).
All I can say is – HOW TALL IS SHE???
She was running around and posing in time to the music. This kind of stuff does seem kind of bizarre when watching in person. After she left they announced that Jill was posing for piccies in the hospitality area. Of course I went (well, I had to didn’t I – Wouldn’t you???).
It only took about a 10 minute queue before I had a brief chat with her and what was really cool was that they took a Polaroid with each guest posing with the beautiful Jill (AND HOW TALL??? Oh, I already mentioned that, but sweet Jesus).
They then handed me the photo and a really cool Jill As Lara Postcard. Oh boy, I have got to scan that for a forum comedy moment.
I then had to find the smoking area (Phew!!!…HA HA!!!). Eidos, let me praise you, you demi-gods… you are great and thank you for the fantastic souvenirs.
I then headed back past the Main Stage and this band were performing some track with screaming kiddies looking on. They are apparently number 1 in the UK music charts. The track was called ‘Crossroads’ or something, but who cares about that as I had and engagement with ‘The Getaway’.
On the way to the Team Soho booth there was a second stage (the competition stage) where they were awarding limited edition colour PS2’s all day (ye gods).
I cannot explain how impressed I was with the Team Soho Crew. This booth was unlike any other at the show (it was cordoned off – Over 18s only, lucky that I am an old sod).
I started to play ‘The Getaway’ and before I knew it there was a Team Soho guy wrenching (in a nice way) the pad out of my hands. “I just need to alter the aspect of the TV.”
I then carried on and this great chappie said try this and look at that, etc.
Another of the many Team Soho staff then replaced him. There went the controller again…Look if you press this you can use this move and this is lock on and this….this went on for a while.
These guys were great and so enthusiastic and helpful with their product.
After I handed the controller to another visitor (I had to as he was salivating on my shoulder) I had a long chat with one of the Team Soho guys (the chap who was being so helpful earlier).
It was so obvious that this product is a true labour of love. I can also state that the game looks truly magnificent.
He informed me about the game making process and told me that the game took 3 years to make and had a 5 million GBP budget. He said that they need to sell about half a million copies to make a profit.
Seeing what goes into a game first hand makes you really realize that spending a paltry 40 notes is nothing short of an amazing bargain (40 notes for 5,000,000 notes/3 years hard slog).
He said that they were worried about how the American market would react to it. The E3 response was fantastic and there are about 1 million pre-orders in the US alone.
The conversation went on with this really cool chap for quite a while and I then found out that he ran the studio. I was flabbergasted, here was one of the main guys talking at length and actually helping the visitors get the most out of the short play of the demo. It was sooo gratifying to see him ‘mucking in’ on the show floor.
I then had a chat with two of the actors (Joe Rice as Frank Carter & Anna Edwards as Yasmin – What an outfit!!!).
Joe was such a cool guy and we chatted about his previous film career and some of ‘The Getaway’ details.
He looks like such a dude and I am sure that we will see a lot more of him in the future.
They both signed some cards for me and posed for a piccie.
Wow, sorry I’ve just seen how much I have been going on. Thank you if you are still with me.
I haven’t even started to talk about the rest of the show.
I have to say that ‘Sly Raccoon’ and ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ (EA Games) look truly beautiful.
After the session I left and every visitor picked up a goody bag.
There was so much stuff in there:
>Official PS2 Mag (with attached DVD) worth over 5 GBP alone.
>There was loads of marketing materials.
>Cool battery operated PS2 Light Pen.
>3 Demo disks (including long demos of ‘Time Splitters 2’ and ‘Sly Raccoon’, etc).
>Cool black PS2 T-shirt.
Considering that the gig only cost 9 GBP to get in I was amazed by the number off coolio freebies.
I just want to finish off by saying Kudos to Sony for holding such an inspired event.
I will never forget it and please hold another one next year!!!
Thanks for reading.
Blue Skies