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Mumbai got lucky this time around as well, considering we are seeing so many events going on here, with Sony and Microsoft both vying for our attention. As we had mentioned earlier, the Mumbai Microsoft / EA Game On event was on at The Squeeze and me and my GamingIndians friends were there to take in all they could throw at us.
Sadly though, the whole event was a relatively low-key affair, with maybe just 20 to 25 people in attendence - more television channels and online / print publications than a gathering of gaming fans. Good thing the place was small, making it look crowded enough! Guess Microsoft India E&D Country Manager saw this coming and chose not to attend, even though other Microsoft execs including Sanjoy John and Xbox India’s Product Manager Vivek Kulkarni hobnobbed with the attendees.
The main attraction of the evening was, of course, BioWare’s Mass Effect, which looked positively breath-taking being played on a really big screen. I don’t know what others are complaining about but the facial animations, texture quality and the level design are all top notch. But since I’m not that much of an RPG fan, I chose to spend my time with PGR4 instead.
Being a huge fan of the series, I can tell you right now that its a marked improvement over its predecessor, which I feel is the weakest in the series. The cars handle better and the AI is a lot more intelligent, but the track design is the shining star as far as PGR4 is concerned - the twists, turns, crests and dips make it so much challenging, and yet so much fun! But having gotten to try the new bikes, I feel a tad disappointed since they don’t handle quite as well and for the most part, feel like a gimmicky afterthought.
And since I’m a long-time fan of the show, I couldn’t stop without having a go at The Simpsons Game. A recreation of Homer’s famous “Land of Chocolate” escapist fantasy from Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk in the third season, the game had players platform through Homer’s chocolate fantasy as he ran and rolled past gingerbread houses and candy-laden streets, fighting off waves of chocolate easter bunnies. While the experience and the dialogues were just as hilarious as I’d come to expect, the game itself, sadly, was average at best. If it wasn’t for the Simpsons branded-coat of paint, most people would conveniently give this one a miss.
While I have so many things to say about Army of Two - which I can’t, thanks to the NDAs - it’s at least clear why the game has been delayed to early 2008. It wouldn’t be right of me to breach the embargo and pass judgment on something that’s not done yet, but whatever flaws it holds right now will be steamrolled by the potentially brilliant co-op gameplay, I hope.
Finally, past the row of Xbox 360s sat the two PCs that were showing off Gears of War for Windows and Crysis. Yes, Gears of War for Windows looks great and is a marked improvement over the Xbox 360 version, but Crysis well and truly blew me away. Interestingly, the rig that was setup wasn’t really able to keep up with the graphics, so someone had need to turn the shadows and textures down a notch for the framerate to remain smooth, but it is easy to see why Crysis is DirectX 10’s poster child. Everything from the enemy AI, the dense foliage, the lighting and shadowing system to the water effects and the physics engine make playing this game an unparalleled experience.
And for those looking to pick up a few games after washing down the kababs with some free beer, copies of Gears of War Classics (at INR 999), The Simpsons Game, PGR4, The Orange Box, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Mass Effect were being sold right at the event. Those that picked up their copies of Cmdr. Shepard’s universe-saving adventures were also able to get a copy of a limited edition Halo 3 poster, (not really) signed by Bungie producers.
In the end, the event, while nice and welcome, was a small affair with an even smaller turnout. But hey, at least I got to pick up a copy of PGR4 for my very own.
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November 25th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
What I don’t understand is why they had a build of Army of Two over there if the media couldn’t talk about the fucking game in the first place.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
They did the same with Mass Effect in Delhi’s party, even though the embargo was only up till last Monday. That, and the game had already broken its street date in the US and reviews from major gaming sites were popping up like horseflies at a feces festival.
Such is the way of being in India, I guess.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Whatever. It was a nice read!
November 25th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
GAH! Tell me about it, anyone can just walk in at the event and play, but the media can’t talk about it? Then why even show off a preview build? Makes sense if it’s a closed door event and only the press was allowed to play the game, but this is just sad.
The weirdest part apparently was that The Orange Box was under the NDA as well, in spite of the fact that the game was already on sale in the markets!
November 30th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
ppl indian industry is certainly booming and compaies like zapak.com are promoting it by having gaming championship for CS, Fifa and Flatout in 5 cities - Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. With a grand price of Rs.10,000. For further details log on to on http://blog.zapak.com/2007/11/zapak-gameplex-tournament.html
December 6th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
[...] on the heels of the Xbox India’s “Biggest Gamers’ Night Ever!” and Sony’s Playstation Experience, Mumbai is going to host yet another party in form of the [...]