The Gathering 2011 – Part 1

A few weeks ago I got an email from the mighty Prince of Xbox, Mr Acey Bongos. That’s right, our better looking UK alternative to Major Nelson. I was invited to the 2011 Xbox Gathering; I RSVP’d right away because you don’t say no to this man. I was up early and on a cross country train to get to Reading for 3pm and the start of the event. Over the weekend I got to preview some amazing games and hang out with some of the coolest people in the biz.

Let’s start with some of the games, coincidentally all ending with the number 3.

Mass Effect 3

After a short presentation we were shown a playthrough of the combat gameplay demo recently shown at various other events. As expected the game looks and sounds stunning and the new enemies, in the form of Cerberus soldiers, add a real space opera vibe to the game. It seems Cerberus are out to get Shepard in ME3 and they are not messing about, deploying heavily armed and well equipped operatives and huge piloted Atlas Mechs that, once disabled, can be jacked by the player. After the combat demo we were treated to a bit of ‘on earth’ action featuring a spoiler that we were asked not to share. I’ll just say that watching Earth get torn apart by giant walking Reapers left me aching for more. Luckily when we left the presentation the demo pods had been setup with the combat demo for us to try out ourselves. Mass Effect 3 is looking to be a fantastic end to the trilogy.

Max Payne 3

That’s right, Max is back and Rockstar were on hand to take us through a huge gameplay demo. It would be easy to write off this new Max Payne game as a cash in on the history of the series, to churn out a game for some easy sales from a famous name. When Max Payne 3 was announced I wasn’t expecting much, but having seen the game played it’s now at the top of my ‘ones to watch’ list. Rockstar have reinvented Max with a new look and have really pulled out all the stops when it comes to AI, voice acting and motion capture. Characters move and behave very fluidly, Max will shift his weight when changing direction and bullet time is now a joy to behold. You now have full control of Max while diving in slo-mo and Max’s body will move realistically as you pivot his aim mid-flight. Attention to detail is what stands out here. Max will brace for impact and put out his arm as he falls to the floor, or he’ll be carrying his assault rifle in his off hand while shooting with a pistol. And by the way, each of those guns you can see all over the floor has a unique serial number, should you wish to check.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

I’ll admit, I thought I was bored of Call of Duty. I thought I was done with it. I watched the presentation start up and shifted in my seat. Maybe I should have excused myself; my arse was getting sore. The gameplay demo started up underwater… oh great, a water bit. The player moved through the level avoiding large mines then stuck a bomb to a submarine, forcing it to surface. As this happened I realised we were near a city, and that city was getting attacked from all angles. It looked amazing. That’s when I started to pay attention. The level progressed with the team breaching the sub, working their way through it at speed to ward a control room, taking out enemies left and right. They launched a ton of enemy missiles at the opposing forces and made a swift exit. What followed was a high speed escape through an amazing looking environment while the chaos you had just unleashed rained down around you. I turned to the person next to me as it ended and said “OK, fair enough. That looked fucking awesome”. They weren’t done wowing us, a run through a level based in Canary Wharf and an overview of the new Elite service and I was beaten. I want more Call of Duty. I want this Call of Duty. Bravo, Activision, you have warmed a heart that was cold to your warmongering ways.

While I have much more to talk about in part two of this feature I wanted to just give a quick shout out to the people I met and hung out with over the weekend. Vikki (@_vixx) of GGSGamer.com, my partner in firstly observing, and then competing in, the epic Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops competition. If you need someone to set a dog on fire, give her a shout. Lisa (@kleaneasy) and Andrien (@EscoBlades) from fellow GMA nominated xboxgamezone.co.uk, yes we should be enemies, but they really are very nice people. Fellow group 4 member Mike Jenkins of absolutegaming.info with whom I shared several ‘Did you see that?’ moments during our Tomb Raider demo. And lastly thanks again to Graeme, Terry, Crissie & Teddy for being such gracious hosts.


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One response to “The Gathering 2011 – Part 1”

  1. Lauren avatar
    Lauren

    Mass Effect 3 had me drooling and wanting more. Max Payne is one I will most likely rent and Modern Warfare 3 is a 50/50. Sounds like it was kick ass, cant wait to read part 2!

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