We attended the first GameKings Showcase today. The showcase was held at Club Corso in Rotterdam (Holland). We were able to check out several of the most anticipated games of 2012.
Check out our first impressions of the games we played there.
The GameKings Showcase was held for the first time and this comes with certain consequences. A lot of the announced games on the show weren’t playable and that was a bit of a letdown. Games like DarkSiders II and Sleeping Dogs had exclusive gameplay clips that were shown on the big screen. The show itself was entertaining but it’s a shame we couldn’t get our hands on those games.
Lucky for us however, there were still enough game pods waiting for us to try other games out. We played several of the most anticipated games of this year and a video will follow later on. In anticipation of our new video, you can read our first impressions on the games we played.
Lollipop Chainsaw:
This was the first game we checked out during the event and it was definitely worth the time. Lollipop Chainsaw is developed by GrassHopper and Suda 51 (No More Heroes) and it played like a dream. In the level we played we took control over Juliette and slayed a lot of zombies in her school. The goal of the demo was to defeat the zombie boss by first fighting your way through a pack of weaker zombies.
The controls felt very good and it wasn’t that hard to control our lovely cheerleader through the school. Not long after our first steps in this game we were practically unstoppable, killing every zombie that stood in our way.
The game really surprised us in a good way. The visual style is amazing, gameplay was just entraining and the humor was fantastic. Definitely a game to check out later this year.
Max Payne 3:
One of the most anticipated third person shooters of 2012 was also playable at the showcase. We played a level in a New York bar where ex-police officer Max had to fight to survive. It’s the first time Rockstar developed a Max Payne game but after playing this demo we can conclude it definitely won’t be the last time.
The game itself felt a bit like coming home. After years of absence, Max and therefore bullet time, finally came back to life. During the demo we could activate the bullet time any time we wanted to, giving us the ability to take down enemy after enemy without any trouble. It’s unsure if the final game would allow this endless use of the bullet time but it definitely showed us what the game was capable of. The bullet time always was and will always remain one of the best looking game mechanics out there.
The demo wasn’t that hard and it didn’t look that great (the television screen probably wasn’t running on full HD) but it sure did give us the feeling of wanting more. We can say that Max Payne 3 will without a doubt live up to the hype and will definitely be one of the best third person shooters out there.
Dragon’s Dogma:
Dragon’s Dogma is an action RPG developed by Capcom with the help of the creator of Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Dragon’s Dogma however is a classic RPG game which fans of the genre will truly love.
The demo we played took place in an open and big fantasy world. We had to take on several quests and do different missions in order to achieve more experience points. The game itself look really good and the quests were very different from each other. While some focused on battle, others focused on collection items.
In the game you’ll also be able to develop your own character and class but that’s something we didn’t see during the demo. What we did notice is that this game will probably be one of the last decent RPG games releasing this year. RPG fans, keep an eye out for this game!
Spec Ops: The Line:
Spec Ops: The Line was the last playable game we checked out today. It was a bit disappointing to discover there wasn’t a new demo available. The only playable demo was the same you can download on PSN or Xbox Live today.
In this game you play as a squad in Dubai. In order to survive you’ll have to work as a team. The fun part however is that sometimes the most easy thing can be interrupted by the sand. Sands plays a very important role in this game, sudden sandstorms can cause a lot of unexpected moments.
Aside from that the game looked very good but plays it a rather safe. Spec Ops: The Line won’t be a triple A third person shooter but is enjoyable.
All in all we can conclude that GameKings Showcase definitely is an event that still needs to grow. It’s a shame that most of the games weren’t playable but the games we did play sure were worth our time. We had a fun time during the showcase but we hope to see more playable games next time. It was a nice start of a new type of event and we hope to witness its growth during later editions. See you next time!
