The rAge experience


 MaTiCa    06 Oct : 21:23
 None    Misc

Going to rAge is a pilgrimage for any South African gamer.

Going to rAge is a pilgrimage for any South African gamer. As the country's biggest gaming expo, developers, distributors and stores are all vying for your attention.

From the get-go, there were surprises galore, with publisher Take 2 and local distributor Megarom keen to show off Borderlands. Unfortunately for us, Megarom prohibited pictures or videos being taken of their forthcoming products. But we managed to get an extensive playthrough on the PC version (write-up coming soon!)

Megarom went all out this year, buying up a ton of floor space to demo games like Assassin's Creed 2, Avatar, DJ Hero, Red Steel 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction in addition to Borderlands, with some of them being playable by the public.

With exclusive presentations for unreleased titles such as Borderlands, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin's Creed 2, Take 2 and Ubisoft showed that they were very serious about business in South Africa.

Sony, never one to let down their SA audience, left their mark at the event, showcasing the PSP Go and officially launching the PS3 Slim.

Rhythm action was also big at rAge; with DJ Hero, Guitar Hero 5, Singstar, Lips and Rock Band all vying for the crowd's attention. This is one of the easiest games for casual/non-gamers to get into as evident by the huge public interest in it.

Speaking of casual games, the Wii was out in full force, with games ranging from The Saboteur and Wii Sports Resort and Need for Speed: Nitro to the aforementioned Red Steel 2. Local distributor Nu-Metro also hit back with their own unreleased games such as military shooter Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, Tim Schafer's Brutal Legend and Dragon Age: Origins.

Independent titles were also represented, with Ultimate Quest, an unpublished Xbox Live Arcade game from SA developers shaping up to be a fun, quirky, self-parodying game. Trials HD and 'Splosion Man were also some 'indie' titles represented.

Of course, what would rAge be like without the LAN? More than 1800 gamers converged for 53 hours of gaming, with games like Call of Duty 4, Counterstrike Source and Quake 3: Arena being firm favourites.

Speaking of Quake 3, South African gamers were treated to a Swedish team's skills in Quake 3 on a special screen set up near the LAN area as part of the Arena 77 tournament.

Of course, there were more than just games and consoles on display. Various gadget manufacturers and stores popped in with their wares, such as Wintec Solutions' solar-powered cellphone charger. Various other stores held sales during rAge, with jaw-dropping bargains to be had.

rAge also catered to lovers of anime with an anime cafe, allowing visitors to have a bite to eat while watching their favourite series with questionably-attired nurse-types serving them. There were comics and manga to be had too, thanks to a special anime store.

Yes folks, rAge catered for everyone, from the mothers dragged along by their children, to the hardcore gamer – rAge has once again blown people away and we look forward to next year's event.

SOURCE: iafrica.com

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