Photo: Marielle Shaw
The first day of C2E2 is in the books, and what a day it was. We attended some great panels, and checked out what the show floor had to offer. We were absolutely blown away by the amount of floor space that is dedicated to video games at this 10th annual C2E2: tabletop games, video games, and arcade games are all out on the floor to play when you get too tired of walking or just want to blow off some steam with your friends.
Photo: Marielle Shaw
Our friends at I Play Games have shown up this year in a big way, with an absolutely stunning array of video game consoles and games to play--free for attendees. They’re also hosting video game tournaments for all sorts of games: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and loads more.
Photo: Marielle Shaw
DePaul University is also at C2E2 this year to talk about incorporating games into student life, and their esports program. This Sunday Depaul has a panel about incorporating gaming into your studies at college. DePaul also has an esports team, which you can ask about on the show floor next to the I Play Games console setup.
Photo: Marielle Shaw
There are also a few arcades out on the floor--if you ever wanted to play Dance Dance Revolution in full cosplay, this is your chance. I have not seen C2E2 with as many games before, but I hope it’s a trend going forward.
C2E2 doesn’t just have a bunch of games for you to play though. It also has a fair number of panels lined up this weekend all about video games. Perhaps the biggest happened on the first day: the Mortal Kombat 11 panel.
Chicago’s own Netherrealm studios was on hand to talk about their anticipated upcoming game Mortal Kombat 11. The team talked about everything from their cult hit series over the years, to how their newest game is shaping up--and what goes into that process. There was some cool storyboards and early animation concepts, specifically showing off they thought process that went into the horribly gory fatality featuring Baraka--you know, the one with the face ripping, and brain chomping?
The most exciting parts of the Mortal Kombat 11 panel were the reveals. First they showed off Noob Saibot, and he’s looking good. This sickle wielding, armored fighter can create a clone of himself to get the advantage in combat. Also revealed was the return of Shang Tsung alongside The Krypt--a place to play solo to earn currency to customize characters. Shang Tsung will be a DLC character in the future, but for now he’s going to be guiding players through MK11’s Krypt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=XKRYhxfWzBk
Despite the awesome reveals, my favorite part of the panel was during the Q&A session. A fan told a story about how Netherrealm boss Ed Boon changed his life for the better. The fan was misguided as a youth, ready to drop of school. But he was also a Mortal Kombat fan. As a kid he received an inspirational autograph from Ed Boon that read, “Finish Him! Finish Her! Finish School!” Ed Boon remembered this, saying the “Finish School” portion in unison with the fan as he told the story. It was a touching moment, and one that proves that despite its outwardly shocking nature, good can be found in the gore of Mortal Kombat.
Photo: Marielle Shaw
We also sat in during the “Women of Overwatch” panel which featured the voices of Sombra, Mercy and Ashe--Carolina Ravassa, Lucie Pohl, and Jennifer Hale, respectively. There was a lot of great information about voice acting, like how to get into the business and how they “found” their characters, and what the recording process is like. Carolina Ravassa spoke about the process she used to some up with Sombra’s voice, and it was amusing to discover that if Blizzard wanted it, we could have ended up with a Sombra with a Puerto Rican accent.
Jennifer Hale, legendary voice actor, also revealed how she had aspirations towards a musical career, but ended up choosing acting over music because “acting paid the bills.” Hale did say that she’s finally getting her chance, though, and will be recording some original music in the near future.
When talking about the recording process, Hale said it’s much like “doing a four hour, one person show.” Most of the time they record in isolation, and don’t get much initial feedback. All three agreed that it was fulfilling to see the final product.
Check out our coverage tomorrow for a look at more games at C2E2, including the expansive tabletop gaming section out on the show floor. If you want to check it out for yourself, C2E2 continues on through Sunday
