Comic-Con International has been one of the most loved conventions of the year for many years. It is full of anything in the entertainment industry from featured films, Television series, comic books, novels, and of course video games. This convention is always nearly sold out of tickets from the time they go on sale; so many people wish to attend this event. And every year it is packed full to nearly capacity of the large San Diego Convention Center. Friends flock, Cosplayers gather and make this event a world of fun. When you don’t get a ticket it could mean a whole world of hurt, it’s like heartbreak… well this year we have you covered. GamersBliss.com was able to attend the event and we have done our very best to make it feel like each and every one of our readers felt like they are right there at the event with us!
Since we are a gaming website, there is no better place to start describing the show then with our favorite entertainment industry. Gaming took over the show and keeps growing in size every year of Comic-Con. This year some of gaming’s hottest titles were there showing live demos which had fans waiting for hours just to catch a glimpse. Some of the best live demos shown at the show were Assassin’s Creed III and South Park: The Stick of Truth.
The Assassin’s Creed III booth was one of the more popular gaming booths at Comic-Con 2012. This booth was set up like a theater but from the outside it was nothing but a big black box with an Assassin’s Creed III logo shining brightly at the front. A line wrapped all the way around the building and this was a hot spot for people dressed in Cosplay for famous assassins of the series. Once the people got inside to view this demo they were given blow-up replicas of the new and staring assassin in Assassin’s Creed III, Conner’s famous Tomahawk weapon.
One of the more surprising excitements of Comic-Con was THQ and the showing of a South Park: The Stick of Truth demo. The booth was shaped like the famous South Park school house and players got to go inside to see a viewing of the game. Outside of the booth there was a station located in the back of the school where attendees were able to make their own South Park styled avatar and get them printed out right there to take home. The options available to create these avatars at the show were as funny as the demo and we can only expect more from what the actual game will allow the players to do in terms of customization. Inside the school house was like watching a classily funny episode of South Park… except this was better, much better… it was a game!
The live demos weren’t the only part of Comic Con that impressed gamers but so were the hands-on experiences with some great titles that aren’t going to be released for quite a while. This event was scattered with games that haven’t came out yet and gave attendees a chance to play games such as Resident Evil 6, Lost Planet 3, Halo 4, Darksiders II, Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, and Hitman: Absolution. Some of these game were stricken to those who had a badge while others scattered themselves around the busy City of San Diego for everyone to enjoy.
Resident Evil 6 and Lost Planet 3 were Capcom’s biggest games of the show. These were two games that everyone flocked to try and get their hands on. Just to play a 30 minute demo of Resident Evil 6 took forced people to rush to the booth for a ticket to get in. There were only 100 tickets given and a back-up line started. If there was room and no one with a ticket was waiting to play one of the back-up attendees waiting got to give the game a try. Not everyone who wanted to play Resident Evil 6 got a chance to play but those who did get to participate in the demo got a great signature ear light for participating.
Lost Planet 3 functioned similar to Resident Evil 6. The lines that took over Capcom’s booth were some of the largest at the show. The attendees who managed to get their hands on Lost Planet 3 were given a really nice flashlight or beanie cap for playing. Capcom’s booth also featured some great autograph signings and we can’t forget to mention the wonderful exclusive Capcom store. Capcom had the largest gaming booth of them all and their power over the show was flaunted. They can be crowded as the most impressive and a super power of gaming at Comic-Con.
There was also the first ever hands-on Halo 4 multiplayer shown at San Diego Comic-Con. This was undoubtedly a hot spot among gamers. Halo 4 is one of the most anticipated games of 2012 so having a public hands-on experience is sure to stir up some attention. Halo has some of the most iconic and loved multiplayer of all games so this experience was one of Comic-Con 2012’s biggest delights.
Darksiders II also scattered themselves throughout the showroom floor. There was a hands-on preview to the game and also a scavenger hunt of collectable cards for attendees to collect. There were 3 separate stations where cards were located and then these three cards were to be taken back to the main Darksiders II station were the 4th signed and collectable card was given. The scavenger hunt was a great way for people to explore the show with an objective in mind, and that complimented the hands-on preview greatly.
Square Enix also made a huge impression at the show with a group of the largest titles in gaming right now. Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, and Hitman: Absolution were probably the more popular games of the show and what we loved about Square Enix is that they didn’t make it so that only those attending would be able to play their games. Although only those with passes to Comic-Con got a hold of the freebies they were giving out everyone got a chance to see their hit titles because they showed them outside of the convention center at the multiple lounges around the city.
The glory about the gaming industry over some of the other entertainment fields is that they do not stricken the people who do not have a pass to pure misfortune for not getting into the show. This year a lot of companies felt sympathy for those who didn’t get a pass and booth some of the fun outdoors. Most of these outdoor activities did not require a pass to get into the show and a lot of them brought the same things as the showroom floor did. Among these pass free events included an Xbox Lounge, Nintendo Lounge and SEGA lounge. For all you Sony fans… hopefully they will jump on the band wagon next year.
The Xbox Lounge was set up beautifully. The colors of green and white swept over the Hard Rock Hotel setting and people were able to play some really great games. Some of these game included the three hottest Square Enix titles; Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2, multiplayer Assassin’s Creed III and so much more. There were refreshments and autograph signings of some of gaming’s biggest names. If you were someone who did not have a pass to attend Comic-Con the Xbox Lounge was sure to make you feel warm and welcome.
Xbox wasn’t the only one who wanted those pass-less people to feel welcome but Nintendo also jumped on board with their Nintendo Game Lounge. The Nintendo Game Lounge was a hotspot for the 3DS XL and how great games looked on the upcoming hand-held. There was also a dance floor with Just Dance 3 shown here. The crowd of people who gathered to dance to music’s greatest tracks was something to see, it was as if the entire room let loose and danced! One of the more exciting moments at the Nintendo Game Lounge was when the voice of Super Mario, Charles Martinet, came out to do an autograph signing and of course speak to fans in that well known voice!
SEGA also hosted a few hands-on gaming experiences for everyone. The games they had playable at their lounge were Aliens: Colonial Marines and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. These were the only two games they had playable but because they had it to where anyone could play we appreciate it greatly.
Outdoors of the convention center the wonderful people at Bioware also hosted a special signing and showing of the new Mass Effect 3 DLC. The signing was from important people worked on the game and fans were very happy to meet them.
Covering Comic-Con as a whole event would take pages of writing and hours of reading. There is simply just too much content at the show to cover in one article so this is dedicated to the gamers. The show was chock full of stuff any gamer would love like exclusive action figures, every super hero under the sun, and a lot of merchandise with logos and such of your favorite games. Comic-Con International is an event that any and every gamer should attend at some point in their life. It is just something to see and we are glad that we got to be a part of the festivities this year.
Stay tuned with GamersBliss.com for hands-on preview, impressions, and other Comic-Con event coverage. We will also be hosting special giveaways, some related to Comic-Con, on our site as well as both our Facebook and twitter page. Be sure and stay tuned!
