"Are you having a laugh?"
Wednesday I got the chance to feel like Ricky Gervais' character Andy Millman from "Extras".
I was just that. An extra for G4 at this years E3. Craft services and all. Who was I in the background you may ask? Well...I was the funny looking one.
Like Andy Millman, I spent a lot of time standing around until asked to move here or there, blah blah blah. It was interesting. But the payoff to all of this was I got to walk the floor of E3 and check out this years soon to be's. We are some lucky kids. There are a lot of great games coming out.
Number one on my list is Fable 2. And for the love of god, I got to play it!
I walked up to the Fable 2 stand and picked up a controller and selected "Young male child introduction," or something to that effect, from a list of several game play builds available for trial at the expo. At this point someone approached me, and it was none other than our very own Sam!
He said hello and asked who I was. I told him about being an extra (which again made me feel like Andy Millman, rubbing elbows with the stars, if you will). He asked me what I knew of Fable 2. I grinned and told him that this was "hands down" the game I was the most excited about this year at E3, and that I was in fact a member of his Lionhead community named Daxworth.
Sam seemed very excited about this, he really seems to like our little family here. I also imagine it was a bit of a respite for him from the constant questions and repetative explanations of the conference.
He suggested to me to NOT play the childhood intro scene because it contained some spoilers and that I should try the free play mode set-up. I handed him the controller and asked him to lead the way.
He loaded up the free play mode. He showed me a few of the new features like the emote tree and the fact that every person you run into is an indivual with their own name and likes and dislikes. He showed me the purchase screen for property and the fact that you could simply knock the door down and sack the place. He handed me the controller after busting into the place and said have a look in the dresser upstairs. I did. And found a condom. We both laughed as I stole it and I headed out to mess with children and the townsfolk. Not with the condom, mind you.
I grinned from ear to ear as I hopped fences and went swimming and fooled around with the free aim of the musket. The magic system is great. I was able to move an "area of effect" circle around and control where I cast certain spells.
After tramping around a bit longer I had to get back to my job...of standing there.
I thanked Sam and headed off feeling euphoric for all of us here in the Lionhead community. The game is gorgeous and a blast. DOH I should have squeezed him for an exact release date!! =P
And if you read this Sam, thanks again. You are a capital fellow!!
Daxworth