As Scott stated on Monday in Part 1, parts 2 and 3 of our adventure are going to delve more deeply into the gems we enjoyed most. So let’s pick up with something mentioned in Part 1 that both Scott and I became hopelessly addicted to, and indeed have already downloaded – Krazy Rain. Krazy Rain is a “Rhythm Beat Action Game” which in English means an insanely paced rhythm game where you can take on your friends or rivals globally and beat them down in some furious button bashing PC action. Simple, yes. Difficult to master, yes. One of the most addictive things at the show, definitely.
Created in Korea by SNP Entertainment, Krazy Rain is now available in most developed countries worldwide, and here’s the kicker – it’s free. That’s right, although they do have things available for purchase, the game itself (which at a 500Mb download is not a throw away arcade game) is free for all to play. With varying amounts of keys used to expand difficulty levels this game could keep even the best rhythm game fans glued to the screen. Whilst Scott gradually got the hang of it and soon ended up in front, I decided to start very well and then completely lose any ability to play (although it could well be that a glass of wine didn’t improve my performance!). With its 3D interface and highly varied music selection this game just felt like something simple done well, which let’s face it, is often what the best games are made of. So if you want a free time killer that will get you hooked download today and see if you can beat us!
With all the current media fuss over ratings it was good to see a strong presence by the PEGI people, who were handing out information in the Online4Family area – an area filled with free to play online games that were appropriate for all ages, as previously mentioned by Scott. Although the children were, to be honest, few and far between, this did seem like a good educational area for parents as well and it was always a race to get a seat in the main gaming table of the area. A queue even Scott and I couldn’t wait out was a permanent feature for the Wii Sports booth, which along with the classics also contained all the new games. As desperate as we were to have a fencing match we just had to give up in the end, but it was certainly a family favourite at the venue. With a lot of violent MMOs on offer, this area along with the community stage, seemed to give some balance to the event. A lot of questions were answered for those looking bemused at the very idea of being in a games convention and hopefully the PEGI presence will do some good for gaming press!
The community stage was a crazy place that hosted everything from bizarre live music to prize giveaways and talks, but by far the most exciting event to occur here was the Cosplay competition. Unlike those I have attended in the past, it was not enough for participants to have a great outfit, as a short play, dance or whatever was appropriate to the character was also required (including an anime character making origami boats on stage!). With acts varying from German skits we didn’t even begin to understand to dancing Moogles there was something for everyone, including the obligatory pair of girls who did little on stage but DID wear next to nothing. Unsurprisingly, they were a crowd favourite and ended up winning a runner up prize! However, the winners (who did blow away all the competition really) were two Final Fantasy IX Moogles that looked surprisingly like scantily clad girls. The act started with one appearing and starting to sing a cutesy song, only to be interrupted by the other who started them both dancing. Trust me, you’ll never look at Moogles the same way after you’ve seen them dancing to Thriller! After some head banging from the latter Moogle, the first one was off in a huff, and the crowd went wild.
After the competition, Scott and I quickly apprehended most of the cosplayers for some photo opportunities which resulted in me finally getting my revenge on Master Chief, as well as getting shot by Yuna and Rikku (Final Fantasy X-2). One thing that was apparent was that the Asian influence on the event had produced a different batch of cosplayers to those in sunny old GB. There wasn’t an Altair in sight, and only one Master Chief turned up yet anime characters were everywhere and Final Fantasy characters were even on the judging table! There were also some nice Dead or Alive costumes scattered around and overall the costumes seemed to be from far more elaborate characters, even though the majority of cosplayers didn’t even enter the competition. Any excuse to don a costume I guess!
It wasn’t just me having fun though as Scott, being too shy to go and hug random women, was sized up by characters from Final Fantasy VII and some WoW-esque characters from a role play costume group. The group were doing mock battles which kept the crowd entertained but took a break to show Scott who was boss.
Well that’s my tales of wonder from Leipzig ’09. Time to start looking forward to next year! Don’t forget part 3 following Scott’s gems of Germany, appearing later this week.
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