From the team who brought you the London Anime Con comes a brand new gaming convention to the capital : the London Gaming Con! Set to take place between the 3rd and 4th of December inside London Metropolitan’s rather spacious Rocket venue, this event is shaping up to be pretty immense it has to be said. Entry on the day is £10 per day, but those who pre-pay now can get in both days for just £14, or for just £8 on the Saturday/£6 on the Sunday.

Feeling indestructible? Show us what you're worth...

There’s set to be a plethora of demos and previews for attendees to test out, all of which will be announced in the coming month. The organisers are, so far, being tight-lipped about which publishers will be showcasing on the floor, but have so far announced that PQube will be there to show off their latest offerings.

One of the big aspects of the con will be the massive gaming tournaments, offering over 20 cash prizes. These will include Mario Kart, Phantasy Star, Blazblue, Street Fighter 4, DDR and many more. There is even a prize of £100 going out to the Ultimate Gaming Champion, who must prove their skill in several different games from the 8bit era up to the current day. Exciting stuff indeed.

Alright stop... its Hama time

Entertainment will be provided by the likes of comedian Brentalfloss, and music artists Area 11, TEMPHUiBIS and the Sonic community’s own Zonic. PlusXP’s friends Nintendisco will also be making an appearance, so please do make sure you stick around for their set!
Art-fans will also be catered for with the likes of manga artist Sonia Leong and Sony’s Liam Shalloo.

Aside from that there will be a retro zone (which are always a lot of fun), a handheld zone, late-night parties and movies, and even karaoke. It’s fair to say its going to be pretty awesome.

See you there guys there!

-HelenBaby

Gaming is a beautiful thing; it allows you to see the most beautiful worlds, witness stories, characters and events you couldn’t see anywhere else, and it’s still evolving, day by day. Some of the better moments when gaming have always been with the people you care about most, whether it be with your family, your friends, or someone special to you in some way. While gaming is mostly enjoyed Single Player, and I, like many others am a single player at heart, I can’t deny that some of my favourite moments in games have been when I’ve been playing with friends or people who matter to me. The fun you have can obviously be multiplied, and you can find new ways to explore worlds and games you hadn’t before, mess around, have fun, and spend more time with people you care about, bonding over that most amazing of things, Videogames!

The thing is that while many of us, myself included, complain about how many developers take time and resources away from the solo campaign in order to slave away at another bland multiplayer mode with achievements you’ll never be able to get two weeks after release because everyone’s stopped playing because it’s naff. Sometimes, we don’t appreciate the fact that they’ve given us an opportunity to share the experience of playing the game with others, and sometimes we don’t appreciate how much more fun the game can be when you’re playing with friends. Co-operative modes can help alleviate the stress you may gain from playing the game solo, and there are always the competitive modes you and your friends can kill time on at the very least.

Gaming brings people together

With the bad, average or blaverage multiplayer games come the good, though. Think about games like Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress; games that you don’t care that the only way you can enjoy them is with others, and games you end up loving to pieces because they’re so well crafted and they give you so many great experiences. The Left 4 Dead series alone has given me so many amazing and hilarious memories of playing with my friends that I wouldn’t even know when to begin or stop. Not even that, but even going back to the N64, Goldeneye, Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers, the experiences that stand out most to me aren’t my single-player successes, but moments playing with friends have caused memories I still look back fondly on even in my old age. The years change, and so do the friends and the games. Don’t look back in nostalgia though, because you can still have it just as good today. In fact, with the ability to play and talk with other people over the internet, and the aforementioned insistence on forcing multiplayer on you, there are still so many ways to create amazing memories with friends that can last you for years to come.

Now, I’ve been giving it some thought, and I’m not one for making big plans or anything, but I’ve decided there should be some kind of day for all this. We’ll dedicate it to spending time with loved ones, and playing games all day. A day where we can sit around, joke, and have a laugh, and do it while gaming as well, especially with those who we want to spend it with. A day where we can put all of our gaming differences aside, and relax, and have fun. And I shall call this day… Gamingtimes Day!

"I just wanna say, I'm so glad im spending Gameingtimes day with you."

Gamingtimes Day, to be remembered in celebration of Saint Gamingtimes; who bought love to all through the power of videogames, and may or may not actually exist as some kind of teaching of religion or morality, and lived so that we could all celebrate the power of multiplayer upon his death. Oh yeah, he’s dead. I forgot to mention that part. It was kind of important. As was the bit about the war, but that’s for another time… Oh and then there’s the really awesome space battle between *mumbles*… And the bit where he *mumbles*… And the finale when you find out that *mumbles*… and that his father is really *mumbles*… and his best friend betrays *mumbles*… for the MacGuffin of Power…

Hey, look over there! A distraction of some kind!

Ahem. Where was I? Oh yeah, Gamingtimes Day! Now, I’ve given it some thought about when I want to put the day, and I’ve honestly thought long and hard about this one. After my open-to-interpretation manner of how I came upon my decision, I decided to declare Gamingtimes Day for a day that I made sure wouldn’t clash with any other kind of meaningful celebration or occasion: February 14th.

I checked. Nothing going on. At all.

So, how do you celebrate Gamingtimes Day? Well, it’s simple: just spend the day gaming with those who you care about. Play a bunch of multiplayer games with all of your loved ones, and share the joys of video gaming with everyone else. It doesn’t specifically matter about the game much, as long as you’re playing with those you care about, and you’re having fun.

Not convinced? Still confused? Here are some questions posed to me by other people about this day, and hopefully, the answers will convince you to celebrate Gamingtimes Day with me, and everyone else!

“Ed, I’m sure there’s already a holiday on the 14th called V-”
Nope! there’s nothing significant or important at all operating on that particular day of the February calendar. Trying to convince me otherwise is probably a lost cause. If there was, however, another occasion occurring on this particular 24-hour stretch of time, surely there’s nothing stopping you celebrating both?

“Are you sure this isn’t some holiday for lonely little geeks such as yourself?”
I don’t know what you’re talking about, real question posed to me by someone trying to insult me and fundamentally find a lack of logic in my idea! I’m completely fine and not at all lonely or heartbroken, and this day wasn’t inspired by when I spent February 14th in the past being made to feel bad about being alone while spending all day playing Left 4 Dead online with friends. Stop badgering me. Stop it. LEAVE ME ALONE!

This is not me....honest!

“Why just one day? Surely you don’t need a specific day to tell you to game?”
Say there was a day in which, now bear with me, because this is going to sound a little crazy but…
What if there was this one day where you’re told by society that you need to spend that day giving gifts and spending all your affection on someone you care about in a romantic way. Now, imagine that this day was started to help promote love amongst you and that special someone, and they told you that this day was solely for the purposes of love, or the pursuit of it! Isn’t that just crazy? Why would you need just one day to tell you when to love, or that one day to show that someone how you feel? Shouldn’t every day, or if not every day, a lot of the time, be spent doing that anyway? Why do you need just one day to tell you when to care, or when to do one specific thing, specifically?
I hope that answers your question and doesn’t obfuscate anything in any way at all.

“But the people I care about don’t like playing games!”
Well, now is always the time to educate them. Nowadays, there are lots of games designed to help wean people into games called “casual games”. Now, put your feelings aside about them, because you could always try using them? If not, there’s still nothing stopping you throwing them in the deep end and playing whatever you want, but sometimes, making a sacrifice could be the difference between just one day, and more times gaming with those you love in the future.

“Can you play with yourself?”
Why yes you can, incredibly inappropriately put question! Maybe you don’t like everyone else. Maybe the people you love don’t care about games? Maybe you just want to forego the whole process entirely, and just spend the day playing games without the need of a day specifically tell you to do it. Well, there’s nothing stopping you from treating the day just like every other, and going ahead with life.

At the end of the day, Gamingtimes Day is an optional bit of diversionary fun, and there’s no need to force yourself, or anyone else into it. It’s all a bit of fun, and isn’t even entirely serious. Just relax, and enjoy it.
Besides, if you’re busy that day, there’s always the 15th…

- Jokesound

With Christmas fast approaching many of us are now facing one of the biggest challenges of the festive season. I am of course talking about the seemingly endless mission that is Christmas shopping. Whereas some make lists and some are just plain easy to buy for there will always be others who prove more difficult. Yes, I am taking about the gamer who has everything. If your the type who buys every game you want on its release date and is less than amused with the standard gifts of soap and socks then I am talking about you. Though for much of the year you are the much loved provider of hand me down games, at the years end you are the biggest challenge on our need to buy list.  If like myself you have a couple of gamers who have everything on your list this year then never fear, the solution may just be here. All it takes is a little help from our alien friends.

Aliens stole my console is a new website which offers custom finishes for consoles and controllers. The concept is simple. First you use the tools on the website to create your perfect console. As well as changing the base and component colors you can also chose from a selection of decals or even request your own logo or design.  Once you have your design, your console is whisked away by courier (or Aliens) to be transformed. The transformation happens in three stages. The console is carefully dismantled before having each individual component covered in a specially formulated coating which not only adds extra protection but is also Uv resistant to prevent fading. Once the coating has been applied the console is put back together before being couriered back into your waiting arms. Its a little like the pimp my ride of the gaming world really, only without the big unveil and the over exaggerated screaming.

If you don’t fancy sending your own (or your friends) console to be pimped Aliens stole my console also offer a variety of new consoles and controllers which can be customized. The service is currently available for the X-Box 360, Wii and PS3 with both controllers and consoles available for the Alien treatment. The process usually takes under 14 days, and though I am not sure I could go that long without my console if you can you will be rewarded with something which is not only incredibly hardwearing but also quite unique.

One small footnote about the service. If you send your console away to be customized it will void the warranty. Aliens combat this by offering their own 90 day to 1 year warranty on consoles abducted but this is still a factor which must be considered by anyone wishing to have their console match their curtains… If you get what I mean.

So how does this service combat the age old problem of what to buy the gamer who has everything? Well though I would be dubious about sending my own console in for a paint job (mainly due to the warranty being void and red ring of death issues) I do see real potential in the custom controllers. With controllers being abducted for as little as £25 this may just mark the end of tatty controllers with scribbled marks of identification on the back.  Though the website offers limited options for controller customization I have been assured by the Aliens themselves that if you contact them almost any design can be achieved meaning your only limit is your own creativity. Having checked out one of these controllers at the 2010 Golden Joysticks Awards I can say with confidence that the feel and finish is first class giving them great potential as unique gifts. With the festive season almost upon us what could be better than to rock up at this years Christmas party with a personalized controller which not only looks the business but is also easy to find and defend should the need arise. Now all I need to do is convince them to pimp out my Guitar Hero controller… I’m working on that one…

Check out the site by visiting  www.aliensstolemyconsole.com

Until next time,

24

x

Garvaos talks with Will Curley about the new exciting title from Tecmo Koei- Fist of the North Star.

Mark Boss talks with Tyrone Walcott about the new features on NMH2 and its possible future on other consoles.

- MarkBOSS

www.youtube.com/markb0ss

www.gamers-unite.com

www.twitter.com/markb0ss

The MCM Expo in London is famous for its cosplay. This time last year I was shamefully unaware of this fact, and strangely enough it was ten minutes in Canning Town tube station which enlightened me. Traveling into the city was surreal on that crisp October morning. As I stepped off of the train to make my change for the Jubilee line I felt like I had entered a different world. The usual depressing reality of the dark dusty station was met by the color and vibrancy of the eager MCM crowd. The noise and color of the crowd created a stark contrast to the usual suit clad business men on their way into the city for work and I walked the length of the platform was met by an army of colorful characters from all times, places and realities. To my right a group of frilly Lolitas stood talking excitedly about the day ahead, Mario and Luigi were leaning against the wall drinking star-bucks and in the distance the cast of Kingdom hearts stood arguing about directions at the tube map. It was at this point that I realized how important the cos-play is to the mcm Expo. The usually heavy atmosphere of the station was now light and optimistic. The noise of the trains almost drowned out by the excited crowd on their way to the Excel. It may have just been the event itself which created this atmosphere of excitement and optimism but I couldn’t help feeling that the costumes and humor of the cos-play was also having something to do with it.

So as a solute to cosplay and to get you all in the cosplay mood I have created a short quiz. It is based on old quizzes from teen girl magazines I (and I’m sure a lot of you, even though you wont admit it) used to do back in the day. So get ready for a journey of cos-play discovery as you find out the definitive answer to the question that obviously burns on everyones minds for at least 60% of the day…

The whole PlusXp team, including myself will be attending this years MCM Expo giving you increased coverage of all this exciting event has to offer. This year we are integrating our own cosplay with our team T-shirts, so If this quiz has inspired you to come along please give is a wave!

Until Next time,

24

x

London MCM Expo
29-30th May 2010
Excel London

P.S.
A big thanks to Mark Boss our Video contributor for unknowingly donating the results photos and the video below taken from May last years MCM expo, and just as importantly thanks to all of those who let us video you and your crazy get-ups. You guys rule!

Back in the days of my sega mega drive There was a first person shooter out that i thought looked awesome, this game was known as zero tolerance. This game was pretty much the first FPS game i played *next to wolf 3D and doom* I borrowed it off my dads mate at the time. He did in fact warn me about it being a little scary. But i thought what the hey its only a game. I was about 6 at the time. I shoved the cartridge in and started playing. The game was unlike doom or wolf 3D. It was darker scarier and at that point scared the pants off me.

I never saw that game again.

Then I maned up a little and on the ps1 was playing GTA1 demo i got with my ps1 magazine. I loved it could not stop playing. Now as mum and dad didn’t see me react to this game other than woo this os awesome. they thought nothing more of it. All they saw was pixels killing pixels, running around in 2d cars which made bad noises.

Then moving forward to the PS2 mum and dad one easter got me GTA3! This i thought was fantastic, having played GTA1 they picked up on it and got me the game. It wasn’t until dad saw me playing the game he though. Should you be old enough for this? (I was having my way with a hooker at the time just to get some health). 

My point is here i think some parents are oblivious to the fact games realism has increased meagerly in the last few years. People aren’t killing pixels anymore. There is gore, horror and all sorts in there. and i still think the parents think “oh its just a game, your only killing moving pictures its fine!” Well to be honest your not and people need to take a little more care.

There is word going round that they plan to higher the price of violent video games. To be honest i think the parents need to be more observant and actaully view what they are buying their kids.

They wouldn’t do it with a movie so why video games?

-Garv

So at the moment i Haven’t got much money in the Bank and what i have got is saved for a rainy day (better be raining the day i graduate :p)

So its no surprise really that i think the price of current Gen games these days are a bit steap. Sure the dreaded evil thing that should never come out of a humans lips known as the economic recession *flinches expecting the government to take him out with a head shot* has brought the price of games down a tiny bit but seriously if a new release comes out and i have to folk out 40 quid of my cash for said game. That’s a good months dinners down he drain. But I’m a game a holic there is not a day that goes past that i havn’t  set my fingers on a joy pad of some kind, you could say i was born with a joy pad in my hand. but hats not a mental image anybody wants really.

So what I’m asking here is, is it just me who thinks that the price of games is ridiculous? New PS1 games back then were about 20 quid brand new, Yeah so games these days have HD and maybe fireworks coming out of the TV every time you win but 40 quid? Seriously?

My dilemma at the moment is deciding between Street Fighter IV, Halo Wars, Gh metallica and both F.E.A.R games. Can only have 1 (or 2 in the case of F.E.A.R.) Its times like this where i should if got a part time job at game to get the staff discount.

Just to give you a little brief taste of what fallout 3 offers. First person (always my favorite perspective, especaliy in genral everyday life :p) RPG ost apacolypitic zombie killing awesomeness. I love it so. Its very rare for me to find a good RPG. I love RPG games but they haveto engross me and alot haven’t. The only RPG games that have engrossed m to the point of never seeingthe outside again are Fable1+2, golden sun 1, Kingdom hearts 1 (untill i got the why the hell am i playing a disney come kids game which is surprisingly challenging reality check) Crisis Core final fantasy VII and of course fallout 3. I’ve tried FF 3, Blue Dragon, Golden sun 2, Kingdom hearts 2 and some othr i cant think of at the mo but they did not do anything for me.

Haven’t sunk my teeth into PoP yet but you gotta save these things. I’ll tell you more when i play it.

Well expect another update soon i feel another eview comeing on.

The game is based in newyork and is yet another sandbox game that is going to hit the market. How i see this game is a mixture of GTA IV with the huge potential Crack Down had.

I suggest you take a look for yourself:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/44140.html

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/44142.html

I am looking forward to this summe

Garv!