Seriously, this could be my favourite from the Bad Lip Reading folks. Taking Game of Thrones and turning it into a hilarious almost trailer for an underdog/teen movie is, quite frankly, genius.
Bad Lip Reading do Game of Thrones and turn it into ‘Medieval Land Fun Time World’
First images from The Day of The Doctor!
Next month is a massive one for Whovians and for the history of British television. Doctor Who is 50 and the BBC will be airing the anniversary episode on the 23rd of November. Today the excitement grows with the release of the first images from The Day of the Doctor.
This special episode will not only star our current Doctor, the 11th (Matt Smith) but will also be bringing back my personal favourite 10, David Tennant. Of course what many of us are intrigued by is John Hurt’s role as some kind of ‘bad’ regeneration of the Doctor, whom apparently doesn’t deserve the name Doctor. Plus, good ol’ Bad Wolf Rose Tyler is also set to make an appearance
Not long now Whovians!
Much Ado About Nothing – Joss Whedon
Much Ado About Nothing
It seems all I do these days is watch Joss Whedon related stuff. It was theorised that I must say ‘Joss Whedon’ at least once or twice a day. So here I go again, but, just to prove those that think I’m biased and blinkered wrong, I’ve watched Kenneth Branagh’s version of Much Ado About Nothing too. So there.
Joss Whedon is a busy man. Whilst shooting The Avengers he had a break and in that break filmed a classy black and white version of Much Ado About Nothing from the original Shakespeare script. It was filmed at his house (designed by his architect wife, Kai Cole) in Santa Monica over 12 days. He was convinced to take a break from his busy schedule and chose to make this film as his relaxation, surrounding himself with friends and familiar actors (apart from newcomer Jillian Morgese). This lends the film a relaxed air that was intentional according to the man himself. I watched it with commentary too…twice. It’s very good.
For those unfamiliar with the original tale, it is a comedy of errors. The entire play is based around a group of people lying a lot to each other. Leonato (Clark Gregg, the part was originally intended for Anthony Head who was unavailable) is a politician who lives with his daughter and niece. Returning from a distant war is Don Pedro (Reed Diamond) and his group of faithful soldiers who later pair off with the ladies of the house. With Don Pedro comes his brother, Don John (Sean Maher) who is a criminal kept in the company’s custody. Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof) are the focus and are locked in “a merry war” of words, they essentially spend the majority of the film ripping into each other verbally. Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Hero (Jillian Morgese) are a young couple to be wed. Don John wants to throw a spanner in the works so begins a web of lies to ruin everything and besmirch Hero’s honour. Meanwhile Leonato, Don Pedro and chums try to set up Beatrice and Benedick (who seemingly detest each other) using a web of lies and gossip.
He wanted to film this particular Shakespeare play after doing informal Shakespeare reading at his house, a tradition that started ten years ago. During this time “Alexis and Amy were kinda the rockstars” and after watching them play around with the roles of Beatrice and Benedick, Whedon resolved that if he were to shoot Shakespeare, this would be it. Whedon refers to the film as a “production” saying that because the play is so old and well known, every potential director has their own take on it. Rather than reinventing it “you take your place in the pantheon”.
The film begins in silence with an awkward scene in which Benedick sneaks out of Beatrice’s bedroom, whilst she pretends to be asleep. This choice to give their characters sexual history puts the rest of the tale in better context. The idea that they were once lovers stems from a later line of Beatrice’s: “I know you of old.” Previously, this line has been a throw-away, merely suggesting that Beatrice is jaded as if she means “I know your type”. Knowing Bendick in the “biblical” sense makes their bitter war of words more relevant as they have “unfinished business”.
Another interesting take on the original was to cast Riki Lindhome as Conrade, Don John’s follower. This is usually played by a man but Joss Whedon argues that this choice makes their scenes more intimate.
In the commentary, Joss Whedon admits that he “doesn’t usually rewrite Shakespeare” but in the case of Benedick’s line “If I do not love her, I am a Jew” (a product of the prejudices of Shakespeare’s time) he tweaked “Jew” to “Fool”. However, later when Claudio exclaims “I would love her were she an Ethiope!” it is left in. Claudio is made to look foolish (and racist) as he is placed directly in front of a black woman as he speaks the line, legitimising the line in an unwitting awkward moment.
His decision to make the film in black and white was not a difficult one. In the commentary, Whedon explains that he wanted a classy, relaxed, film Noir style. This is definitely achieved as the party scenes in black and white mirror the sea of suits, cocktail dresses and French maid outfits (for the waiting staff). This use of contrast gives the busier scenes a sharpness that is used in typical Noir style when we see Don John in profile, plotting in a real “plain-dealing villain” moment. His only regret was that they could not shoot in colour when Benedick and Claudio talk about Hero, as it was filmed in a bright pink room.
Joss Whedon wrote the music himself and his brother Jed Whedon produced it. The lounge-Jazz in the party scenes adds to the high-class relaxed style. The poem that is used as the opening of Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 film was used instead for the party scene. The quote “Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more” was converted into song for one of the readings ten years ago that Jed Whedon and Marissa Tancharoen perform.
The entire film was shot in and around Joss Whedon’s house. This meant location scouting involved “wandering around his own house with a cup of tea, imagining Shakespeare”. His house also has crawl spaces throughout the house which made the spying sequences easier. The play revolves around the distorted perceptions of the characters of each other. These shots where characters can half-see the action reinforce the idea of distorted perception.
The inclusion of a photographer adds to this idea of perception, spying and constant observation. The main characters are powerful and wealthy so, in a modern context, makes sense that there would be a media presence. This photographer later becomes a wedding photographer, bringing this theme throughout the film.
Borachio (Spencer Treat-Clark) is another of Don John’s followers who facilitates the biggest lie of the production. He manages to trick Claudio into believing that Hero, his betrothed, has been unfaithful to him. Usually it is supposed that this character is just mischievious and does it to please Don John. Instead it is implied that Borachio is in love with Hero making his motivation more personal and much darker.
Along with this darkness there are a lot of laughs. It is a comedy of errors after all. There are some very funny lines but they could be all but lost in the Shakespearian dialect to those unfamiliar with the play. All the comedy comes from the expert physicality of the actors. Dogberry (Nathan Fillion) and Verges (Tom Lenk) are the comedy relief, the Watch that uncover the injustice perpetrated by Don John. Their slapstick humour and ad libs create comedic relief in much of the play.
Benedick is also the focus of much of the humour. The ease of his trickery and instant switch from resolute bachelor to love-fool is often unbelievable but Alexis Denisof performs the lines with such over the top silliness that makes the ridiculous believable. The best example of this is when he is overhearing his friends talk about how much Beatrice loves him. He listens in from outside, commando rolling and evading their gaze. Afterwards, when he is invited in by Beatrice who knows nothing of his deception, he decides to talk with her while working out on the grass in an effort to impress her. His over-enthusiastic exercising and Amy Acker’s expression had me in stitches.
Joss Whedon points out that, as they are all actors that are familiar to each other, the relaxed, familiar setting led to a lot of impromptu ad-libbing. Nathan Fillion and Tom Lenk bumbled into one another and Sean Maher stealing a cupcake are definite high points. On the subject of Sean Maher’s cupcake adlib, Whedon says “he just destroyed a family, you deserve a cupcake!”
I could and will watch this film again and again. Joss Whedon modernises the script without making it obvious or gawdy (Baz Lurhmann) and sticks to the light-hearted whimsical wit of the text without detracting from the negative implications of the lies and mischief (sorry, Kenneth Branagh). The commentary had me in stitches more than the funniest lines of the film as Joss Whedon makes light of some of the excellent ad libs of the actors.
If you are a fan of Joss Whedon you will be treated to a stellar cast of favourites from everything he has made before. He uses the text in the same natural way that he writes dialogue. Fans of Shakespeare should enjoy this witty, fresh take on a very, very old classic. Film students will have a field day with the lighting, staging and visual shots.
I am heavily biased towards Whedon’s and Shakespeare’s work but not just for the sake of it. I would rate this somewhere between “Ace” and “Masterpiece” but don’t just take my word for it…watch it, you won’t be disappointed.
GEEKS MEAN PRIZES # 17 – Geeks Dont Care
Geek Pride has teamed up with Phil Johnson and Roadside Attraction to give away 1000 Golden Tickets to their new Super Duper Awesome Club!
Inside you’ll get over 3 hours of Phil’s greatest hits and newest releases (over 15 years in the making), including their popular single “Geeks Don’t Care” – a primer for the ladies on how to land the geek of your dreams. And a ton of other cool stuff too.
No contest to enter. All you have to do is be one of the first 1000 people to hit the site and register.
http://roadsideattraction.com/members/geekpride/
Beyond: Two Souls Review
It’s not always possible for a video game to be a jack of all trades. If last month’s Grand Theft Auto V taught us anything then it’s that some developers have the power to successfully create an experience that combines simulated sports and action with hollwood-eque narrative and on a level that just works. These games are a rare breed though and what is normally left when studios attempt this is just a muddle of jigsaw pieces that for whatever reason just won’t seem to slot together. Sadly Beyond: Two Souls is a textbook example of a game that tries so hard to be so many things that it loses all sense of identity.
Quantic Dream’s follow up the critically successful Heavy Rain tells an oddly constructed story of Jodie Holmes, excellently portrayed by actress Ellen Page of Inception and Juno. Born with a unique ability, Jodie is indefinitely tethered to a supernatural entity known as Aiden. From an early age, Jodie starts learning how to control Aiden and it isn’t long before she is committed to a US government paranormal research facility before eventually being forcibly enlisted as a CIA secret weapon.
The presentation of Beyond’s story is strange as it’s told in no particular order. As with Heavy Rain, the game is divided into individual episodes but in Beyond these episodes are played out through a series of fragmented memories recounted as Jodie attempts to recall her bizarre life journey.
For the most part this is done well as some memories are cleverly much longer and far more important than others to create a more human experience. Recollections of childhood and playing in the snow become entwined with memories of CIA training, espionage and an eventual life on the run from the law.
Jodie’s connection with Aiden is key to both Beyond’s game play and narrative and how the story unfolds depend more heavily on how the player controls Aiden and Jodie’s interactions with Aiden than how well player’s respond to the numerous QTE sequences. Aiden can only travel so far away from Jodie’s physical form before it starts to hurt them both but as second playable character Aiden is still extremely powerful with the ability to move or destroy heavy objects as well as demonic possession.
Where this relationship really shines though is when we see the moments of conflict in a marriage that neither of them chose. Jodie’s longing to just be a normal young woman with friends, a job and adult relationships doesn’t go well with Aiden’s jealousy and occasionally violent temper. For every moment of guardianship from Aiden we also see immaturity and selfishness. Any attempts at suicide by Jodie in her times of absolute desperation are thwarted by the entity that depends on her physical presence to survive.
At the core though, Aiden stands as a barrier between Jodie and the creatures of a dark other world that want to use her as a conduit into our realm. It is perhaps sad then that Jodie’s government masters also want to open a portal to this Infraworld in the hope of harvesting it’s power for military use.
Throughout her childhood, Jodie’s appointed guardian and adopted father-figure is Nathan Dawkins (Willem Dafoe) who seems to be a voice of reason and compassion among the chaos. The bond between Nathan and Jodie feels genuinely tangible as does her relationship with paranormal researcher Cole Freedman (Kadeem Harrison) and you are left believing as though these two characters really care for her unlike her parents who just cry out for a slap whenever they’re on screen.
Visually, Beyond is extremely impressive. A-list film stars don’t come cheap and Quantic Dream have used their investment to the full by completely building the game from motion capture technology. This decision was taken by director David Cage as a way to add additional human elements and dimensions of emotion and for the most part it works. Like in Heavy Rain, there are parts of Beyond which can be as entertaining to watch as they are to play and some really interesting use of cinematic techniques create a unique style that is fast becoming Quantic Dream’s trademark.
This is also one of the key problems with Beyond however as it doesn’t really work that well as a game. The movement controls are as clunky as Made is Chelsea is shit and whilst this didn’t matter as much in Quantic Dream’s previous work, attempts to add open world elements, Solid Snake-inspired stealth and third person weapon-based combat reveal a deeply flawed piece of software that often just falls flat on it’s face. For a game of this calibre and scale, Beyond also includes an inexcusable amount of bugs and frequent camera and collision problems just make the whole thing look cheap.
As a way to further remove some of the traditional game elements, QTE combat sections feature Jodie dodging attacks and the player is left to translate an analogue stick press from the movement of Jodie’s body without instruction. This would be great if it worked but it doesn’t and more aptly, it just doesn’t make sense. Battles are frequently lost as the sidewards dodge of a punch is misread and Jodie actually wants to move in a completely different and largely unnatural direction.
The simplified PS3 control options or companion apps for Android and iOS ease some of these problems but also strip the interactivity down to a level where you are almost just watching the game play itself.
Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) succeeded because of tightly driven narrative and clever plot twists but Beyond doesn’t seem to have any of that. The story, whilst decent, is far less believable and the clever moments that set those two games apart from everything else available at the time just don’t exist here. Without revealing too much, the most interesting sections for me were those where Jodie was just trying to go about her daily life and I just couldn’t really buy into the Sci-Fi. The longer memory sequences often lose focus and one in particular should probably have been left at the cutting room floor or, at best, offered later as optional DLC.
Anybody who knows me as a gamer and in a personal context will tell you how much I respect Quantic Dream’s work. I love how narrative lives at the heart of what they do and how they always try to push boundaries and take the medium to new levels. I’ve never thought that David Cage could make a bad game and to an extent I still don’t. Beyond isn’t bad but is just woefully average. The story never really develops and just leaves you playing from one cut scene to the next until a final lacklustre conclusion. There are multiple branching paths and endings to pursue but the whole thing is so forgettable that you will likely not care and only hardened trophy hunters will endeavour to explore everything.
As we cross into a new generation, I look forward to seeing Quantic Dream’s next project but after playing this game I will be doing so with a new and slightly sad sense of caution. If you are interested in how films and video games can be crossed over to create unique experiences then I would recommend Beyond however long-time fans of David Cage and Quantic Dream are likely just to be left disappointed.
Return To Rapture
Big Sisters can really mess up your day. In anticipation of the upcoming Bioshock Infinite DLC, Burial At Sea, I’ve recently been replaying Bioshock 2. Burial At Sea builds off the idea of infinite, parallel universes that was presented in Bioshock Infinite and takes it back to the origins of the series. The DLC sees Booker DeWitt, the hero of Infinite, as a detective in pre-devastation Rapture, hired by Elizabeth, looking strangely older and worryingly seductive, to investigate into what quickly becomes a crime noir thriller. Part 1 will see you play as Booker and is due to be released in the upcoming holidays, probably aimed at a Christmas time release , while Part 2 will be released sometime after that and will see you play as Elizabeth.
Both Bioshock 1 and 2 were set in the underwater city of Rapture, intended as a scientific utopia, free from the restrictions of government and religion. This lack of restriction led to the development of Plasmids, chemicals that grant you various superpowers, which, in turn, led to addiction and the city’s ultimate descent into destruction and chaos, overrun by the Plasmid addicted “splicers”. Infinite took the franchise in a completely different direction and unveiled the sky city of Columbia. And while the game briefly touched on Rapture with a quick jump through a time/space rip and the city of Columbia was truly a wonder to behold, the claustrophobic and dark atmosphere of Rapture was noticeably missing.
Columbia’s glorious skyscapes were fantastic and it was massively fun to go rail grinding through the air while blasting away at the enemies below but Rapture contains so many fond memories from the first two games. And so, to have the city where it all began returned to us with the brilliant leads of Infinite is massively exciting. Bioshock 1 and 2 only provided a glimpse of Rapture’s glory, brief flashback moments giving some idea of what the city was once like but up till now we’ve never really got to appreciate Rapture at it’s peak. The shot in Bioshock 2 in which the full city was seen for the first time was hugely impressive and the early gameplay teases we’ve seen of Burial At Sea promise a Rapture made up of lush, grandiose textures. And, hopefully, more Big Daddies and Little Sisters. The Big Daddies may have been absolute bastards to kill in 1 and 2 and the Little Sisters were creepy as all hell in the first game but they were also incredibly cool.
While the first of the Bioshock games was truly excellent, particularly in the world it created, I never fully got on with it. There was too much of a disconnection from the character for me to properly enjoy what was going on. With 2 and Infinite, Irrational Games managed to tap into lakes of empathy with characters crafted to perfection. It’s interesting to note in fact that there is a strong similarity between Delta in Bioshock 2 and Booker in Infinite. Both are strong male protagonists, seeking to protect and save their daughters (biological in the case of Booker, adopted in the case of Delta). 2 and Infinite still rank among my all time favourite games and 2 in particular resonated with me.
Quite apart from the expanded Rapture story, the seriously sinister Dr Lamb and the beautifully heroic main questline there was one thing that made Bioshock 2 really special. You got to play as a Big Daddy. The ultimate badasses of the first game were still pretty damn hard to beat but you were now one of them. Which meant that you got your own Little Sister and a truly masterful story could be developed. It’s simple at heart but it’s why it works so well. Someone’s got to step up against the new Rapture tyrany, Dr Lamb and her insane, “Family”. Which brings me back to my original point, Big Sisters can really mess up your day.
If Big Daddies are the tanks of the Rapture world then Big Sisters are the ninjas. They leap all over the place, getting all up in your shit, using all the powers you can wield with what seems to a hell of a lot more force. The number of times I’ve had my head taken off by a ton of telekinetically hurled rubble… Anyway, the point is that, though Bioshock Infinite had some cool villains, such as the vague Big Daddy allegory that was Songbird, it’s real combat difficulty relied more on mass groups of simple enemies as opposed to the manic fighting machines that the previous games pitted you against.
There’s so much to love about the Bioshock series and the earlier games did such fantastic work that I can’t wait to return to Rapture. Bioshock 2 is, to me, the pinnacle of the series in many ways, developing the potent blend of character, setting and carnage that has made the Bioshock franchise one of the best out there. Columbia has many charms and I will forever put Infinite on a pedestal but with the impending arrival of the roguish Booker DeWitt in Rapture, I can’t help but be excited to see how the man more used to dealing with radically minded humans (in the form of the Founders and Vox Populi) will deal with the chemically insane Splicers and those men in the big metal diving suits, the Big Daddies. Oh, and the fact that we actually get to play as Elizabeth in Part 2 is more than a little pants wettingly thrilling. I mean, who doesn’t want to tear holes in space-time?
Small World
Straight to the point – A light-hearted game with surprising depth, only slightly marred by niggly rule problems.
OK everybody, sing along with me!
“It’s a Small World after a” – WHOAHWHOAHWHOAH! Stop the music! Any more and we risk getting sued by the little mousey fella with the big ears and squeaky voice.
Fortunately, Small World isn’t about annoyingly catchy tunes and rosy-faced cherubs singing (unless you pick the halfings, I guess). A winner of numerous awards, including the Golden Geek and The Meeple’s Choice, Small World is a game of world domination – players use a mixture of races and powers to take over territory, and subjugate their fellow players in a effort to make some coin!
To start the game, players shuffle the stack of race and power cards into a random order, then lay out five of each in order. Each race and power will have a unique ability; Dwarves for example score bonus coins when you hold mines, whilst the power “Stout” allows you to go into decline at the end of your turn instead of the beginning (more on this later).
The cards are cut in such a way that each power card slots into the side of each race card; in this way, each race is assigned a random power, giving you all manner of combinations including Seafaring Amazons and Commando Wizards to name but a few. Due to this, each game is unique. The unfortunate side effect is that some combinations can be very strong.
If you’re the unlucky one in the turn order, you can get lumped with a pants race/power combo and just get slapped around the board all game. Also, some of the cards are just plain confusing; I’ve played this game numerous times, and still struggle to remember how the Sorcerers work.
Speaking of the board – this is divided into a selection of regions, which each assigned a terrain type, like Swamp, Forest or Water; this is important depending on your race/power combo. Some regions, such as the mountains and grasslands will have tokens on them, making them harder to conquer.
Another clever twist is that for each player number, there’s a different board, with more regions on the four and five player maps. This is a clear case of play-testing and careful design, good indicators of quality.
To conquer a region, the player first looks at the two large numbers printed on their race card and power card, then adds them up; this is the number of ’race tokens’ they receive. These race tokens are then used to conquer regions; generally, this is two tokens, plus one for every token already in the region you are trying to take. So if your opponent has left 2 Human tokens in the region you’ve got your eye on, it’ll take 4 of your Tritons to take it.
At the end of each turn, the players have a chance to redeploy their tokens to any of the regions they’ve already own, even abandoning those they don’t feel they can defend. The player then scores coins for every region they control, plus bonuses based on their race/power combo. The player with the most coins at the end of eight turns is the winner!
What adds tactical depth to this game is the ability to take your race into decline. Eventually, each player will find their number of tokens declining (you lose one every time an opponent conquers one of your regions), or are spread too thinly to effectively form a defence during your opponents’ turns. Choosing to go into decline has to happen at the beginning of your turn. The player removes all but one token from each region they control, and flips the remainder over (the backs are all a kind of ’washed out’ version of the artwork on the fronts), along with flipping the associated race/power combo cards. The player still scores for this race, but it no longer has any powers or bonuses, and is far easier for opponents to wail on.
So what’s the benefit? At the start of your next turn, you get the chance to pick a brand new race/power combo, and start returning the favour! Knowing when to go into decline and when to keep going is key to winning Small World. This can be tricky for new players; the rules are simple to learn, but this element of game play can only really be gained from experience, making it not entirely a friendly experience for a brand new player coming into a game of experienced Small Worlders. But persevere, because this game is a cracker!
The artwork of Small World is unique to say the least! A mash-up of high fantasy and comic book stylings, with rich, deep colour palettes make the game look sumptuous. High grade card stock rounds off a game that speaks of quality, which isn’t surprising when one of the publishers is Days of Wonder!
So there you go! A light-hearted and quirky 2 to 5 player game of domination. Despite some small rule niggles and potentially overpowered combinations, Small World is an absolute must for the casual gamer and the hardcore alike.
Geek Pride at Play Expo 2013
As some readers may know, Geek Pride was once again invited along to Play Expo in Manchester this year; hosted by Re-Play events. Last year’s expo was a sprawling, all encompassing event that had everything from pinball and classic arcade machines to cutting edge previews, and even pro gaming tournaments. This year the show was back with more of the same, but did it manage to keep on form? For those not in the know; the UK’s most diverse gaming expo is split into four main sections; Re.Play, Pro.Play, Cos.Play, and of course, Now.Play. The good news is that The Now.Play section, which contains previews of upcoming games, was without doubt the most impressive part of the show. Last year the expo had plenty of previews, however most were for very middle of the road games; Medal of Honour, NFS: Most Wanted and the like. The most attractive previews available were the Nintendo Wii U, Halo 4 and Metal Gear Solid: Revengenace. This year, however, it was class from start to finish. 
Nintendo was back with a wide selection of games on all systems, Ubisoft were showing off the excellent Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag on the PlayStation 4 no less, Dark Souls 2 was being previewed a whole 9 months before its release, and most importantly of all, Oculus VR were present, showcasing their revolutionary flagship Virtual Reality headset; the Oculus Rift. All day long for both days, gamers were queuing for hours for a brief 30 second glimpse into the future of gaming; and if you’ve read my preview on the Oculus Rift, you’ll know why. Aside from the most exciting AAA releases, the Now:Play section also offered an impressive selection of indie games still in development at the time, such as Democracy 3, Redshirts, and the immensely popular Prison Architect. If that wasn’t enough, top gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer were present, showcasing a range of pads and pro gaming mice. Talk about an all star team.
Other areas were slightly more familiar, such as the Re.Play area, which houses hundreds of old and obscure consoles, as well as a huge selection of pinball machines and the amazingly quirky Video Game Carnival. The selection is certainly just as impressive as the nostalgia value, and it’s always incredibly fun to sit down with some classic games and consoles, however there was nothing really changed from last year to draw in return attendees, which would’ve come as a slight disappointment to some. While the Re.Play area is certainly entertaining in it’s own right, considering we are on the cusp of entering a new generation of gaming, now would’ve been a great time to really showcase gaming’s illustrious heritage.
The Cos.Play area again was impressive, with a display stage, makup tutorials and the ubiquitous cosplay parade. However this too, suffered from the same repetitiveness. There were some very impressive costumes on both days of the expo; with a Daedric Armour clad Dragonborn being a personal favourite of ours, however again there was not as much emphasis on this as there could’ve been. There was a competition over both days of the expo for the best cosplayer to win an all expenses trip to Japan to take part in the World Cosplay Summit, however there was little emphasis put on this, and such an impressive prize should’ve warranted a little more excitement. No such illusions were had in the Pro.Play area though, where a very loud and very excitable crowd of pro gamers took part in various beat ’em up tournaments, from Marvel vs Capcom to Injustice. The biggest draw, however, was the hosting of the European qualifying round of the Capcom Cup Super Street Fighter 4 Tournament, with the victor winning a place in the Grand final in California, this very Saturday. It certainly drew a crowd, and there was no surprise as to why, as the competition was very heated. In fact, we got asked on more than one occasion if we knew if the tournament was being live streamed, which indeed it was. If any criticism had to be made, it would simply be that the scale this year was smaller than the previous year, which hosted pro tournaments of all shapes and sizes, from team FPS games to RTS titles. The focus on one-on-one beat ’em up tournaments instead, while concentrating the excitement, meant that the Pro.Play section was easily the smallest area in the expo. However it’s certainly safe to say the wider audience was taken care of, nonetheless. This year saw a vastly more expansive merchandise area compared to last year; with dozens of stands catering for every interest; movie and game memorabilia, weapons stands selling every sort of bladed instrument imaginable, tabletop gaming, collector’s items, retro games and consoles, cuddly toys, cosplay props and outfits and more. We easily spent a few hours at the show simply browsing the wares.
All in all; there’s no doubt that Play Expo 2013 was another resounding success. The selection of games on offer was significantly better than last year, which is always going to be the most important thing of any videogame expo, and although there was little new with the other areas of the show that makes Play Expo so diverse, the fact that they are there will always give play a unique twist to draw people in. If only some of the areas had been a bit bigger, or had more time invested in them to promote them, this could’ve been perfect. But as it is, Play Expo is still growing, still has plenty of potential, and is still a great way to spend a day or two not only experiencing some great upcoming games and technology, but also celebrate the culture of videogaming as a whole. And I’m all about that.
Edit; The Cosplayer mentioned above, sporting full Daedric armour was no other than Ryun, from Stark Cosplay. Ryun’s only very recently started cosplaying (as early as March this year), which makes his excellent costumes all the more impressive. I highly suggest you take a look at his Facebook profile here to give him a like, and see more of his work.
London Anime Con Returns In February 2014
The London Anime Con will be back at Holloway’s Rocket Complex next February and this time it will feature more gaming than ever before. Usually the gaming area is restricted to one or two of the back-rooms of the Rocket, but in February’s con the university building next door will also be used and dedicated to gaming, leaving the Rocket to focus entirely on Anime and cosplay. All of the usual show events and features are promised but also with 100 gaming set-ups and 30 planned tournaments and more space to play them in – sounds great to me!
See below for the press release with the full details and if you haven’t read it already, you can check out our write up on July’s LAC event here:
London Anime Con AND London Gaming Con team up this 8-9 February for a Bigger Event!
London Anime Con and London Gaming Con have teamed up to bring you two events for the price of one this 8-9 February (you register for either and get entry to both). Set in a new expanded venue which includes both the existing Rocket Complex and it’s new next door building the London Metropolitan University, over 2,000 are expected to attend. With the Rocket Complex now dedicated to anime and cosplay, and the new building dedicated to gaming, there will be more anime and cosplay events and activities than ever before and over 100 gaming setups in it’s next door building!
Tickets are available right now for the entire weekend at just £18 if you buy online now. The price covers your entry from 10:30am through to past midnight for the parties and late-night activities each day.
London Anime Con, set entirely in the Rocket Complex, will have the anime screenings, two stages from 11am through to late, of musical performance and talk content, a DDR Zone, Dealers, the Artists Alley and more.
Cosplay events shall include the Masquerade, Cosplay Auction, Cosplay talks, panels, pub quiz, photo shoots and much more to be announced. The Otaku Fashion Show shall also take place on the Sunday, offering attendees and aspiring models to show off their unique style, be it lolita, goth, steampunk or anything different and special. Guests shall also be announced over the next month. You can expect at least one voice-actor, a dozen of the UKs top cosplay stars and Japanese/anime inspired live-music to be included.
Set next door, London Gaming Con shall include a Freeplay Area consisting of many of the latest and more retro consoles and PC LAN gaming, a Tournaments Zone and a Gaming Publishers Showcase Area to preview some of the latest games. There will also be expanded space for TCGing, Roleplaying, Board-Gaming and Table-Top Gaming.
Sunday Stakes Tournaments, for big cash prizes, shall include DDR, Smash, SSIV, Marvel v Capcom 3, Mario Kart, Halo 4 Modern Warfare 2, FIFA, Rockband and another 10+ tournaments to be announced. With over 30 tournaments planned there will be plenty of gaming action over the weekend.
In all you can expect a bigger and better event with more content and more to do, with access to both events when you pay for just one. Make sure to stay up to date with all the latest happenings on the @londonanimecon twitter feed and on the London Anime Con forums.
EVENT DETAILS
Opening Times: 11am to 1am. (10:30am entry if you’re pre-paid)
Pricing: Reduced £18 for both day entry if you pre-pay now. On the day entry is £13 for Saturday, £10 for Sunday. £5 Evening Entry.
London Anime Con Website: http://www.londonanimecon.com
London Gaming Con Website: http://www.londonanimecon.com
Guests & Performers List: http://www.londonanimecon.com/guests.php
Link To Pre-Pay: http://www.londonanimecon.com/register.php
Accommodation – Available to book when registering at £40 total for both Friday and Saturday night, or just £60 for from Friday through to Monday.
