Auckland Armageddon Report '06

By Staff

With the PS3 and Wii at Armageddon, we rocked up and checked it out.

By Alex Donohue

The Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo was first held in 1995 and, in the time between, has proven to be an important event in New Zealand gaming. This year’s convention was no different – two of the next generation consoles made their first public appearances and a host of new game releases were featured…

We Look at the Wii

Nintendo’s stand was fairly hard to miss this year for several reasons: the glossy white colour scheme, standing out boldly in a hall where every other company seemed to be fond of blacks and greys; the oversized Pokemon Mystery Dungeon boxes stacked against a wall; and, of course, the enormous posters showing off the Wii, Nintendo’s latest console.

Due out here on December 7th, the Wii is being touted as the system that will break down technological barriers and allow anyone, whatever their skill level or previous experience, to enjoy video gaming. Naturally, I was keen to try one out and get to grips with its innovative features.

It was, however, not to be. The one Wii on display was unfortunately tucked away in a corner and safely encapsulated in a display stand. Bitter and dejected, I resigned myself to watching footage of the console being used by a representative sample of white-clad people, all of whom seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Short snippets of footage from upcoming games were also shown. Cute, simple graphics and big headed characters dominated, with games like Wii Sports, Furi Furi and Tamagotchi Sparkling President making clear Nintendo’s desire to penetrate the family market.

There was also plenty to interest hardcore gamers, with games from several long-running franchises due to be launched on the Wii. Footage from a new Fire Emblem title was shown, as well as clips from Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy. Judging by the short clip I saw, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles looks set to further revolutionise the series, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will undoubtedly be one of the year’s biggest titles.

According to staff at the stand, playable Wii consoles will be present at the Big Boys Toys convention, running from the 10th to 12th of November. Hurry up please, Nintendo!

Bow down before the PS3

If the Wii stand was meant to be friendly and pleasingly quirky, then the PlayStation 3 stand was designed to inflict shock and awe. With three screens and thunderously loud speakers, it was one of the most impressive setups at the convention and drew a crowd all day long.

Now, I acknowledge that Sony has created a fair amount of ill will over the PS3. First they announce prices so ridiculously high - $1199.95 for the Premium console – that many gamers will no doubt be considering selling a family member to raise the funds needed to buy one. Then they state that, due to a shortage of parts, releases may be delayed in Australasia. But looking at the incredible game footage shown, it was hard to avoid going weak in the knees.

Quite frankly, every game shown was amazing in terms of graphical and sound quality. The PS3’s processing capability looks to be more than a match for the Xbox 360’s, and there are some seriously good looking games due to be released in the future.

The trailer for Rainbow Six: Vegas made you forget completely about the poor excuses for games that were Lockdown and Critical Hour. The Las Vegas cityscape and casino interiors are superbly rendered, complete with truly realistic lighting, and one can only hope that the actual game runs as smoothly as the footage seemed to do.

Other games – Genji: Days of the Blade, Heavenly Sword, Resistance: Fall of Mankind and Assassin’s Creed – showed character animation that approached photorealism and in many cases the movie clips shown to demonstrate the PS3’s DVD/Blu-Ray capabilities actually looked inferior to the in-game footage.

One thing I can’t comment on is gameplay, as there were no playable PS3s available either. The two display models were set up behind glass, bathed in warm light like electronic religious icons, with attitudes towards them bordering on the reverential (one person was heard to remark excitedly “There it is! There it is!”) Given such remarkable footage, I can’t really blame them.

Battlefield 2142 - Best Played in the Dark

The Limelight lounge was home to a somewhat surreal spectacle of gaming. One half was brightly lit and sparsely populated with cardboard cut-outs advertising the Pets expansion for The Sims 2. The other half was dim and packed with intensely concentrating gamers hunched over networked computers.

They were playing Battlefield 2142, the recently released sci-fi shooter based on the Battlefield 2 engine. The constant crowds of both players and those advising players testified to the game’s popularity, as did onlooker Nathan’s comment that it was “really good”.

The game certainly appeared to be of a high quality, with excellent graphics and all the features of the Battlefield series, such as pilotable vehicles and large maps, present in appropriately futuristic forms. Mind you, the game’s appeal was perhaps partly due to the setting – the average gamer does not often get to play a multiplayer shooter with proper gaming mice, ultra-fast processors and a fake camo-net slung over their heads!

Illegal Street Racing is Cool - Need for Speed: Carbon

Another game that was heavily promoted was the latest NFS title, Need for Speed: Carbon. Demo disks and flyers were constantly being handed out and a Need for Speed-themed car had even brought in – although the promoters were apparently unaware that a car emblazoned with PS3 and Xbox decals would be unlikely to win you any respect from automotive gangs…

I played the game myself and found it entertaining, even though I am admittedly crap at racing games. The drift racing sections are particularly fun – the aim is to slide through corners as quickly as possible in order to gain points. Those who enjoy gazing lovingly at cars will like the Autosculpt feature, which allows you to modify the shape, colour and capabilities of your automobile.

The Other Stuff

There was plenty of other gaming related stuff present at Armageddon: the World of Warcraft expansion Burning Crusade (how does a crusade become burning anyway?); game previews for most of the major systems, including the new Singstar, Guitar Hero and Buzz! titles; a Game Boy Advance Pokemon tournament; and a small stack of flyers promoting F.E.A.R for the Xbox 360.

And of course, there are the crowds – the real reason to go to Armageddon. Nothing makes you feel more loved than being crushed by a throng of your fellow gamers!

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