Adventure games at Leipzig Games Convention

From August 22 to August 25 there is a large games convention/fair/expo in Leipzig, Germany. It's the largest European games convention and bigger than this year's E3 (electronic entertainment expo). There's quite a few adventure games being showcased, and I guess we will get lots of new information about these games there.

Anyway, confirmed line-ups are:

Aerohills
Alice: English in Wonderland (educational, may be adventure??)
Alice: Follow the white rabbit (PC adventure)
Chuckcha in Moscow (PC adventure)
The History of the Ancient times (educational, may be adventure??)

Anaconda/dtp
Overclocked (PC adventure)
Reprobates (PC adventure)
So Blonde (PC adventure)
Memento Mori (PC adventure)
Undercover: Dual Motives (Nintendo DS adventure)
Gray Matter (PC adventure)
Mata Hari (PC adventure)
Press conference with Jane Jensen, Steve Ince (hi Steve, if you read this, is it okay for me to bring a manual from an old game for you to sign?), Hal Barwood and Noah Falstein (if these names don't ring a bell, they used to work for LucasArts, Indiana Jones adventures amongst others).

Deep Silver/Koch
Secret Files 2 (PC adventure)
Perry Rhodan (PC adventure)

I also expect adventures from Akella, BUKA Entertainment, Focus Home, Micro Application, and Nobilis.

I am visiting the fair from 22nd (press/trade only) to 24th (open to public). As the website I work for plans on booking as many appointments with publishers as they can for me, I don't know how much 'spare time' I will have to roam/browse, but if anyone has specific questions about a specific game, let me know and I will do my best to ask. Not sure if I can post from Leipzig, otherwise it will be after I am back.

Sounds like fun for you PolloDiablo :)I don't have any questions to have you ask ask at the convention,any info.you can gather about the games I'm sure will be appreciated!

Update, Akella's lineup

Akella
A Stroke of Fate (PC Adventure)
Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (PC adventure)
Inhabited Island: Earthling (PC adventure)
The Bad, the Ugly and the Sober (PC adventure)

Keep us posted if possible. We appreciate it, PolloDiablo.

Say a GameBoomers hello to our friends there at Leipzig.

Translated from German press release

Hamburg, 02.08.2007 – From 22 to 26 August dtp entertainment AG from Hamburg will present itself, on 240 square meters, on the Games Convention 2007 in Leipzig. Today dtp/ANACONDA publishes a part of what's planned:

In the ANACONDA-Stand in Halle 2 (Stand-Nr. F40) dtp will show as world premier the upcoming adventures Reprobates (Release in September 2007), So Blonde (Release in November 2007), Memento Mori (Release in Q1 2008 - all for PC), Die drei ??? Das Geheimnis der Geisterinsel (This is a German adventure released in November – Nintendo DS) and Undercover: Doppeltes Spiel (Release August 2007 - Nintendo DS). Action RPG Legend: Hand of God (Release 28 September 2007) and the Adventure Overclocked – A Story of Violence (Release 12 October 2007 – PC) can also be played by GC-visitors. There will also be first impressions for Gray Matter, Mata Hari and Windchaser, and new information about Drakensang: Black Eye.

Many actions like signing sessions and game presentations with well-known game-developers like Ex Lucas Arts-Designers Hal Barwood and Noah Falstein as well as Steve Ince will entertain the vistors of the stand.

Thursday 23.08.2007

12:00 Legend: Hand of God - Game-Presentation by lead developers Jan Beuck and Martin Jässing (Master Creating)
13:00 Mata Hari – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with developer-Legends Hal Barwood and Noah Falstein
14:00 Reprobates – Game-Presentation and Interview with lead developers Martin Malik and Marcel Speta (Future Games)
15:00 So Blonde – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with Game-Designer Steve Ince
16:00 Uhr – Overclocked – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with Martin Ganteföhr (House of Tales)

Friday 24.08.2007

11:00 - Mata Hari – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with developer-Legends Hal Barwood and Noah Falstein
13:00 – Reprobates – Game-Presentation and Interview with lead developers Martin Malik and Marcel Speta (Future Games)
14:00 – Drakensang-Black Eye – Game-Presentation with Creative Director Bernd Beyreuther (Radon Labs)
15:00 – Legend: Hand of God - Game-Presentation by lead developers Jan Beuck and Martin Jässing (Master Creating)
16:00 – So Blonde – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with Game-Designer Steve Ince
17:00 Uhr – Overclocked – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with Martin Ganteföhr (House of Tales)

Saturday, 25.08.2007

14:00 - Drakensang-Black Eye – Game-Presentation with Creative Director Bernd Beyreuther (Radon Labs)
15:00 – Legend: Hand of God - Game-Presentation by lead developers Jan Beuck and Martin Jässing (Master Creating)
16:00 – Overclocked – Game-Presentation, Interview and signing session with Martin Ganteföhr (House of Tales)


So I guess it IS okay to bring some old manuals...

Please note all release dates are German release dates. International release dates will most certainly differ.

Thanks for the info, Pollo. Sounds like you'll be having a wonderful time. Are you sure you'll be busy enough?

What a wonderful time you will have! I can't wait to hear your impressions about the games and the developers. Can you take a picture of Martin (overclocked) for me?

It'll be fun for sure, but also very exhausting as I'll have to walk about a marathon a day (at least my feet will feel as if they have, at the end of each day). Also, it'll be very noisy as every company has video footage of their games and they'll all want to be louder than their neighbours to attract the most attention. But it'll be worth it.

Some more titles have been announced as on display or playable (!)

10Tacle Studios
Jack Keane (PC adventure)

JoWood
Sam & Max: Season One (PC Adventure)
Agatha Christie: Evil Under The Sun (PC Adventure)

Is it for all genres then? I see you have some RPGs listed. Yes, sounds like it will be much bigger than the U.S. expo. Can you tell me if the developers Larian are listed ?

EDIT: Never mind (thanks anyway) I found the directory and it doesn't appear that they are attending. That's not good news for a release this year of DD2. Here is a link if anyone would like to read about it.

Pollo -- could you ask if David Suchet will be voicing Poirot in Evil Under the Sun? And the "when will it release in English" question for many of these games would be wonderful!

Are you packing comfortable shoes?

Looks like I'll have to remember my pen...

Fingers crossed that I remember how to sign my name.

I can't be there, Steve. Can I have an autograph too?
Preferably on the game box of So Blonde (with the game inside, of course).

Sorry, my arms aren't long enough to reach that far.

Last year, Anaconda had thoughtfully provided Gray Matter postcards for those who didn't have game boxes or manuals for Jane Jensen to sign. Perhaps there will be So Blonde postcards this year? If so, and if Steve isn't flooded with MrSnoozles-fans or cramping with RSI, I will get one signed for you MaG.

That is sweet of you, PolloDiablo. Thanks.

LOL

You never know with these crazy Germans

Hey! Those "crazy Germans" are my friends.

A couple of more games that will be shown:

(Daedalic Entertainment and XIDER)
Ankh - Battle of the Gods (PC)
Ankh - Curse of the Scarab King (Nintendo DS)
Unknown title Adventure TBA (PC, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii)

My press pass has arrived, I've bought a couple of secondhand games with decent manuals to replace budget-DVD-games-without-manuals that I already owned so I can bring them to the signing sessions (please tell me that's not a weird thing to do), I have Pokemon Pearl and a copy of Jane Jensen's Gabriel Knight book to kill some time while waiting for the plane.

To do:
-buy new batteries for my camera

Have a great time Pollo and try not to wear yourself out!

sounds like a real treat pollo! Have fun!!

You lucky "diablo"!
I second what Becky said, the "when will it release in English" question is essential!
If you get the chance, say Hello to Valeria of Akella and Claas of Anaconda from me.
Have a wonderful time!

I will, thanks

Latest news: Culpa Innata will be shown (press only) in German, English, French and Italian. I am trying to get an appointment. German version is almost ready and should be released this fall.

I'm back

Some short observations:
- Haven't seen any of the Aerohills adventures.
- Jane Jensen was unfortunately not able to come. She did send a short video message and a few short scenes of Gray Matter were shown. It looks good but it's nowhere near finished.
- Overclocked looks great and interface works well. Unfortunately I had other appointments during the official presentation, so no photo of Martin Gantefohr for nickie...
- Reprobates has a fascinating story and it sure is one of my favourites of the show. Got my Black Mirror manual signed.
- So Blonde - Steve Ince is a very nice guy and he talks about his game very enthusiastically - even when the presenter mistook him for Hal Barwood and told the audience Steve had worked on the Indiana Jones games. Got a couple of manuals signed and a special surprise for MaG - please send me your snail mail address in a PM and I will send it to you.
- Memento Mori - Saw only a little bit of this. It looks good but I wasn't too sure what I was doing in the game or what I was supposed to do - there was a small explanatory note next to the computer it was running on but it wasn't much help.
- Undercover: Dual Motives (Nintendo DS adventure) - this looks really cool and I think I will buy the German version even though my German is rusty.
- Mata Hari has a unique conversation system in which you need to 'learn' topics to talk about to get people to 'open up' to you. For instance, certain people will only talk to you after you've made a remark about their clothes - which you can't until you've talked to someone who knows a lot about fashion. Conversation topics, "quests" and inventory objects all end up in a bar on the lower half of the screen. You can drag each of these icons to anyone to trigger a conversation. Got an old manual signed by Noah and Hal.
- Secret Files 2 looks better than ever and has a great storyline about disasters happening around the world and you trying to find out why.
- Perry Rhodan may not be very well know internationally. In Germany, there are books and magazines, radio drama's and much more. There's a huge following. It's sci-fi and it looks absolutely gorgeous.
- Ankh - Battle of the Gods is the third Ankh game. It has completely new environments and a couple of new characters. Didn't see much if it yet.
- Ankh - Curse of the Scarab King (Nintendo DS) is the same game as the PC version. It is unique because it has full voices (almost no Nintendo DS games have voices, most have blips and bleeps).
- A New Beginning (PC, Wii and Nintendo DS) is a game about global warming. In the future, the atmosphere is no longer breathable. Scientists send time travellers back to 2010 to try and change the unevitable.
- Culpa Innata - my personal favourite. This game blew me away. Everyone who enjoyed the Serpent Rouge puzzle in Gabriel Knight should be reading up on this game. The storyline about New World Order and a murder to solve are intruinging enough, but the way this game is different for every player is absolutely brilliant. Can't wait to get playing!

I also saw lots of great action-adventures and RPG's. My feet are sore and my muscles ache, but it was worth it.

Wonderful news, PolloDiablo! Thank you!

Thanks for the newes Pollo! So much to look forward to.

Ana

Wow! Thanks for all those tantalizing tidbits, Pollo!

Thanks so much Pollo!

Thank you. It's very kind of you to say so.


Thankfully, I wasn't mistaken for Jane Jensen.
Some of the high points of GC were meeting exciting creatives like Hal, Noah, Martin (Overclocked), Jorg (Tunguska), Laura and Burak (Culpa Innata). And all of them were thoroughly great people.
I spotted Tim Schafer from a distance, but didn't get to meet him and nearly had a beer with Bill Tiller, but other things got in the way.


Ah, so that was you.
I also enjoyed meeting people from various adventure gaming sites who were so enthusiastic and friendly and kind and who I'm sure will write fabulous things about So Blonde.

Thanks so much Pollo for telling us the news, and thanks for trying on the pic anyway. Now put up your feet and sweet dreams about all those games!
Diamond, you're so funny.

I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks.

Sometimes people find me funny for all the wrong reasons. Hal, Noah and I were about to be driven to the convention on our first day by Claas from DTP and I nearly climbed into the driver's seat because my mind was still in UK mode. What a great first impression I must have made on the other guys.