INSiGHT: MCM Comic Con London May 2019

For those that don't know about Comic Con, it is an event hosted throughout the year in multiple cities running over the course of a three-day weekend, allowing fans to enjoy it's large diverse number of activities: gaming, anime, manga, movies, TV shows, books, tattoos, autograph signings, shows, and exhibition halls full of merchandise. For the ever-curious patron it will be hard to spread time across multiple areas of interest, so this is why it is advisable to get a weekend pass.
 
Unlike previous years in London, the gaming quadrant of the exhibition centre felt incredibly spacious and barren. It did feel odd to have a Nintendo shaped hole, particularly after October 2018's section, where The Big N had an enormous showing. Nonetheless PlayStation, PQube, NIS, R8 Games, and Idea Factory, were able to take full advantage of the absence of other major developers. Even though Sony was present, only a few of PlayStation's upcoming titles were shown off, in fact Sony was only exhibiting one non-VR game and that was Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled.
 
The centrepiece was adorned with a number of banners and staging to help showcase the upcoming kart racer, although this was feeble in comparison with Sony's previous showing last year. Crash Team Racing felt a little lack-lustre to play, with long tracks, but not enough action happening in between, which can lead to races being a bit dull. The drift and boost system are a little tricky to get the hang of, especially compared to Mario Kart, but it does add in another layer of skill and difficulty.

Meanwhile Sony also toured with a huge focus on Playstation VR, serving up demos on Falcon Age, Blood and Truth, and Five Night's At Freddy's: Help Wanted, and more. This is a great opportunity to get a 20-30 minute demo with VR on a chosen title, but to get said opportunity requires getting in line as soon as the exhibition opens to book-in a time slot - luckily Sony booked sessions for morning and afternoon, providing a chance to queue up for a later appointment.
 
Other game developers and publishers were also showcasing new and upcoming titles including NIS who were showing off Lapis X Labryinth,  but also a very swanky store full of special editions and merchandise. Some shoppers were also lucky enough to be entered into a raffle where NIS generously gave out prizes comprised of special edition games and soundtracks. Stepping it up even further were PQube who were running tournaments on a number of their previously released and upcoming titles. Despite their area being relatively small PQube did well to accommodate an ongoing competition, as well as showcase upcoming titles for both the PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
 
Lastly R8 Games had a spacious, and open display of their upcoming racer, Pacer (previously known as 'Formula Fusion'). This futuristic, high speed, anti-gravity racer stood opposite Sony's Crash Team Racing; somewhat opposite ends of the racing spectrum, as the first is more akin to Wipeout and F-Zero,  while the Crash takes more after the mascot racers such as Mario Kart. Pacer is coming in 2019 after years of development, and was the only Xbox One title showcased at the whole of Comic Con, although it is also coming to PC and PS4. Cubed3 managed to speak to the development team behind it, be sure to check out the interview to find out why it easily became Cubed3's favourite game of the show.
 

Not only were developers and publishers showing their recently released titles or upcoming games, but there was also a section for a retro exhibition. There were a number of arcade machines, ranging from Pac-Man to Donkey Kong to a number of consoles such as the NES, SNES, Master System, Mega Drive, GameCube, PlayStation, and Neo Geo. There were also lesser known consoles available across a very large exhibition space such as the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and the Commodore 64, all of which could be played for free.
 

Many attendees that visit Comic Con over the three day event will have a wide range of interests - luckily for them there is more to see than just games. That's because there are a hoard of merchandise shops to get the latest swag, whether that is the latest graphic novel, or a showpiece figurine. There is even a whole section titled 'Authors Corner,' giving attendees the opportunity to meet their favourite novelists and get an autograph, or furthermore head down to Cosplay Central to spot the best of the best of people in costume. Comic Con also hosts a number of live panel shows from interviews, with celebrity authors to talks, and advice on how to make fan films, or become a more confident blogger.