Igromir Report: Part One

The very loud music, crowds of eager gamers, and smiling publishers left a good impression: by morning, my head felt like it had after a night party, my bag stuffed with some completely useless paperwork (the models at 'Igromir' really do their job well), but none of this compares to the experience of interaction. I managed to talk to many developers and project managers, so you can read some materials in this report, and some – in my next post.

For some games, it’s hard to write several paragraphs right away. Either they didn't impress much, or I couldn't gather much information about those projects. Nevertheless, there are exceptions, like 'Xenoblade Chronicles'. I'll be writing a full review of Tetsuya Takahashi's new project (I don't want to translate the name) very soon. The game impressed me despite its distinctly Japanese features. Trying 'Uncharted 3' seemed pointless – 'Sony' offered visitors a classic deathmatch, familiar from the summer beta test. The much-discussed 'Ridge Racer Unbounded', which I remind you will also be available for PC owners, was completely unimpressive: the latest 'Driver' is much more fun, 'Burnout Paradise' - more spectacular. The multiplayer of 'Assassin's Creed: Revelations' turned out to be the same multiplayer mode from 'Brotherhood'. But, darn it, it’s still just as engaging! Your humble servant (though, what 'servant', I'm starting to get annoyed by this habit of writers to characterize themselves this way!) took an honorable second place in the local tournament, and I fell behind the winner only because I got distracted talking to one guy. 'Dragon Commander' both impressed and disappointed me simultaneously – there will be a separate article about this. As well as about 'Royal Quest' - an uncommonly interesting multiplayer game from 'Katauri Interactive'. In that same cluster of projects will be 'World of Planes', which many unfairly shadow beside the supposed monstrous 'World of Warplanes'.

Batman Arkham City

It’s a shame that 'Batman' wasn’t brought to 'Igromir'. Not the game, no, but the character, that is, the guy in the Dark Knight costume. Because of this, the charismatic and visually striking Joker and Harley Quinn looked somewhat, let’s say, lonely: the villains clearly needed someone to kick their asses. But the guys from 'Rocksteady' came to Moscow - Dax Grinn and Jamie Walker, who didn’t hesitate to bring along a playable version of the highly anticipated 'Arkham City'.

The fact that the sequel will be no worse than the original is not only said by the authors of the first few reviews but also by the developers themselves. This question resolved itself during the conversation. It became clear that 'Arkham City' is not only larger than its predecessor in every way. It’s also crazier, deeper, and therefore – more interesting. Much of this is thanks to the introduction of dozens of new characters from the 'DC comics' universe, one of whom is Catwoman. Gameplay with her stands out for its grace and speed: while Batman relies on his heavy but not-so-fast strikes, the 'kitty' strikes enemies with admirable persistence, occasionally demonstrating acrobatic wonders. You can watch this almost endlessly. Additionally, the developers emphasized the true nature of this character – she is primarily a cunning thief, and her overly greedy gaze at any precious gem reveals her quite predatory nature.

It’s well-known that the world in the sequel will be five times larger than the asylum from the first 'Batman'. When asked, 'Will we find truly interesting activities in 'Arkham City?' there’s a three-second silence. Then Dax exclaims, 'What about kicking some ass?' (laughs). 'Actually, we created a fantastic sandbox, and players will always find something to do. There will certainly be that kind of rivalry between the Riddler, constantly throwing the most incredible tasks, and Batman, trying to solve them. After all, hostages are captive to a crafty villain!' – Jamie recounts. And let's not forget the plain exploration of the surroundings for pleasure. Dax notes, 'And we love the Russian translation of Riddler's name – ЗагадОчник!'.

Okay, let's follow the advice of 'Kick some ass' and go beat up clown gangs directly in 'Arkham City'. The first impression – the same 'Asylum', 'Rocksteady' only increased the amount of action per square meter of territory. Our protagonist still skillfully delivers kicks and punches, knocking down and taking out one opponent after another. Those, by the way, no longer wait their turn to strike but charge as a crowd. Because of this, I have to use not just one but two buttons on the gamepad responsible for a strike and a jump towards/across the enemy. If a brawl becomes unexpectedly heated, familiar bat-gadgets can save the day. At any moment, Batman can move to the roof of the nearest building and then plan to the place where the player directs the hero.

By the way, why did 'Rocksteady' decide not just to copy the characters from the 'DC' universe but also to put some changes in their image? Just look at Penguin – he’s no longer that clumsy fat guy with a monocle, but a real maniac with the bottom of a glass bottle in his eye! 'We decided to recreate our vision of the Batman world', explains Jamie. - 'And while the atmosphere remains the same, many heroes received their unique innovations from us. Nevertheless, the essence remains the same: Batman will never kill even the most deranged maniacs, and the Joker is the complete opposite of the Dark Knight. The Riddler, however, is still the same insane trickster!' (laughs).

Speaking of the insane. One of the most popular 'heroes' in the world of 'Batman' – Mr. Freeze – surely worries fans of the universe with his ambiguous nature. In Joel Schumacher's film, Freeze appeared as a very tragic character, while some issues of 'DC comics' show another side of the 'coin' – even as a child, the future scientist loved conducting experiments on animals. 'What, freezing animals?' – Dax exclaims. 'Yes, that seemed to have happened' – Jamie, however, looked at me somewhat questioningly, - '*so in our 'Arkham City', Freeze will be just as ambiguous and complex a character. Although human? Yes, every time he wakes up, he thinks: