Exclusive Interview: Alison Carroll, the face of Lara Croft

Alison Carroll,  the new face of Lara Croft was in Dubai to promote the launch of the Tomb Raider Underworld. We caught up with her to talk to her about her role and what we can expect from the game.

Having played the Tomb Raider series for a number of years on a variety of platforms, you build a kind of image of her in your head and Alison lives up to it with aplomb. She’s been in Dubai for two days now and has been through a series of press interviews, a massive Harley Davidson bike rally and a big Tomb Raider event at the Chi Club.

Despite the intense schedule and what we imagine are long work shifts, she exudes so much energy and charisma, it’s amazing. We sat down to lunch with her and talked about what it’s like to be Lara.

MEG: Tell us about your Dubai experience.

Alison: Absolutely amazing! Got here a day and half ago and Nitin (Nitin Mathew, Marketing Manager, RED Distribution) gave us a tour. Yesterday, we had interviews and photo shoots. Then we had 80 Harley Davidsons escorting me around Dubai. Amazing! I was standing up on a Jeep.

MEG:  Did you know about the Harleys in advance?

 

Alison: I knew that there was a plan but didn’t know if it was going to happen or not. But (it was) absolutely brilliant. The weather is amazing, very hot!

MEG:  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Alison: I’m a trained gymnast. I’ve trained in gymanistics for 12 years.

MEG:  How young were you when you first started?

Alison: First when I was seven. I started off with artistic gynamstics – floor beam bars, etc and from then I moved to sports gymnastics which is balancing off of things, and then into sports acrobatics and then into display gymanistics, which is a bit like cheerleading without all of the cheer. I started doing that and absolutely loved it. I’ve been all over the UK and even performed for Prince Charles.

MEG:  You started when you were seven? Was becoming a gymnast something you wanted to do?

Alison: Yes, I absolutely love it. Being a gymnast, you have to have the strength and the flexibility as well as the right mind set. I just absolutely love it. From when I was young, I’ve been a sporty kind of person. I was in every sporting team in school — netball, basketball, athletics, dance and gymnastics – a bit of everything.

MEG:  When was the first time you heard of Lara Croft?

Alison: When the first game came out in 1996, I was too young to play the game but my brothers weren’t and they’re older. So, they would be playing the game in their bedroom and I wasn’t allowed (laughs). They were Tomb Raider addicts. I’ve seen the films and everything before I got the role. I’ve played Tomb Raider Anniversary but I’m not very good at it.

MEG:  How did the whole idea come about? Where you spotted at one of your shows or did you have to go through an interview process to apply?

Alison: I had to go to an audition. I was with an acting agency and I was the only gymnast on the books and my agent put me up for the role. I went along and there were just so many people there — so many girls and they were all very good. They all knew what they were doing and they were all dressed up as Lara in their own version of the outfits. There were dancers there, martial arts experts and other gymnasts as well. But I went and in and did my stuff. I got a re-call. Went along for the next day and eventually I was down to the last two. I was up against a British kick boxer and it was quite tough. But then I got the job.

MEG:  Obviously, the last person who played Tomb Raider was Angelina Jolie…

Alison: Angelia Jolie did the films and there have been two films. But the previous model was Karima Adebibe. She was the first talking Lara model and I’m the first live action Lara model.

MEG:  Is there another movie planned?

Alison: There’s talks about another movie. I don’t know whether Angelina is confirmed or not. Maybe, they’ll ask me (laughs).

 

MEG:  That would be nice. Coming back to the game itself, what was your input into it?

Alison: Lara Croft has been motion captured for the first time but unfortunately that wasn’t me. The Crystal Dynamics place in San Franciso did that. I’ve been busy doing all the live performances and being the live action Lara model. Heidi Moneymaker did the motion capture and now the movements are more fluid and more believable which is really good.

MEG:  And what about her facial features and voice and mannerisms? Did you have any input into that or was it too late because the game was already in an advanced stage?

Alison: The game was already sort of evolving as I took on the role and they chose me as I look like the game character rather than basing the game character on me. Keeley Hawes did the voiceover for it. They’ve used Keeley for a number of years.

MEG:  Interesting how much you look like the game character. I mean, Angelina didn’t look much like Lara but you’re so much closer to the actual character.

Alison: Thank you. That’s a compliment, so thank you very much.

 

MEG:  So, what’s next for you?

Alison: I’m travelling all over the place. After Dubai, I’m off to Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Brussells, South Aftica and America. So, I’m going all over the place and I’m really concentrating on this role at the moment. But , you never know, one day there might be a few films.

MEG:  After the launch of the game is complete, what are your plans?

Alison: As an actress, I want to pursue my acting career. You might just see me on the big screen some day. But you never know. At the end of the day, the actress doesn’t really choose her job, the industry chooses you. So, let’s see what happens.

 

Resistance 2 Beta Key Giveaway

We’re giving away 500 Beta Keys for Resistance 2.

If you would like a beta key, click here to visit our forums and ask for one.

You must be at least 18 years of age to play this game and must own a PS3.

The beta key will be valid till 3rd November.

You need to be a registered member to get a key.

Here are details on how you can install the game once you get the beta key:
Resistance 2 Beta Key

Resistance 2 Beta Key Giveaway

Thanks to Sony Gulf, we have 500 Resistance 2 Beta Keys to give away.

If you would like a beta key, please reply to this thread and ask for a key. We will send you the key through a private message via the forums.

You must be at least 18 years of age to play this game and must own a PS3.

The beta key will be valid till 3rd November.

Here are details on how you can install the game once you get the beta key:

Resistance 2 Beta Key

Saints Row 2

The first Saints Row was a pretty solid title. Many people had hoped the game would turn out to be the next generation GTA, but at the end of the day it failed to reach such heights. Enter Saints Row 2, a gangster’s paradise videogame based in an open world bursting with crime and corruption. That might sound a bit too similar to the GTA series in general and GTA IV specifically. To get things off the ground, Saints Row 2 is nothing like GTA IV. It is more relaxed, less serious but has a decent amount of depth. With so many good titles coming out this month though, what does Saints Row 2 have to offer?

Saints Row 2 takes place right after the rather dramatic ending of the first game. You will still be using the same character but with the help of a plastic surgeon you will be able to modify the looks of your gangster from scratch. The customization here is actually one of the game’s strongest points. You will get to pick the race, sex and look of your character first, pretty simple and straight forward options here. Things will get fascinating fast when you choose the accent of your character, and even a set of specific animations which you will use throughout the game. We actually had a pretty good time adjusting and testing out a set of different characters and combinations. Later on in the game you will be able to visit different clothing shops to purchase news cloths and accessories. You can also pay the plastic surgeon another visit if you wish to change your looks further or even completely change your sex if you see fit.

The first impressions you will have kicking off the first mission are generally negative. People spoiled by the fantastic graphics GTA IV offered earlier this year will actually be the most disappointed out of the bunch. However we will discuss the graphics later on in greater detail. The first mission is pretty straight forward and that is how the rest of the game shapes up. Taking orders, building up your gang and defeating the competition. Some missions will possess a set of limitations on how to meet your objective, which takes away from the whole freedom feeling this game is oozing with.

You will be able to play a set of different mini games spread thought out the city. Those games, if beaten, will reward you with both money and respect. Respect here is an excessively important aspect in the game. To move from one mission to another within the main story, you will need to have enough respect to do so. While respect is easily and quickly obtained, we were left disappointed with the fact that some main missions did not reward us with any respect. The mini missions are actually fun, so going after respect is not all that tedious. But just the fact that you HAVE to play mini games to advance in the main story is a little bit disappointing. Beating specific missions rewards you with discounts from shops around the city and even new combat styles.

The city overall is pretty large. While it does not feature the level of details GTA IV offered, it’s still pretty respectable. The city consists of 45 neighbourhoods and you will spend your time with the game trying to acquire them. You will have to travel to specific locations to destroy an enemy stronghold or to start a new mission. Driving around the city is more humorous than realistic, and that goes well side by side with the graphics. Cars overall are a whole lot faster than what you would expect. As a matter of fact so is your character, laughably fast when he runs.

Playing the game is actually pretty fun. It is something you would want to sit and down and enjoy for a bit. Blast a neighbourhood here, takeover another one there and go around doing some mini games, sounds fun both on paper and in reality. The thing we did not like about Saints Row 2 is how the missions are a little bit too similar, and might ask you to do some pretty boring tasks. Another negative aspect regarding the gameplay is when missions force you to use a specific vehicle or weapon for no real reason. Other than that, the gameplay is pretty fun overall.

You will not have the luxury of auto aiming here, but rather a free roaming aiming system. The aiming is still very simple however and requires no real effort to get hold off. The in-game AI is unfortunately pretty stupid. Whoever trained them for battle forgot to mention the fact that taking cover saves their asses. You’ll always notice how the enemies will jump in your way waiting to get shot. The problem occurs on all level of difficulties too but when all’s said and done this actually will only make your life easier.

The graphics in the game are not as ugly as screenshots and video trailers on the internet might suggest. The city overall is pretty and offers many decent sites for you to check out. The problem here is compared to GTA IV; the graphics in Saints Row are not exactly all that impressive. The graphics lack that extra level of detail and polish we’ve seen in GTA IV. Glitches wise, the game is full of them. People in the streets seem to enjoy walking into each other and a load of other basic yet annoying graphical glitches occur every once in a while. We are not the biggest fans of the animations in the game either. The animations seem to be a little bit too unreal, especially in the melee attacks.

The city is very much alive thanks to the sound effects being played almost flawlessly. Nothing exceptionally solid here but the sound effects easily get the job done. No free roaming gangster game is complete without a decent radio and Saints Row 2 gets the job done and then some. You have more than 10 radios to choose from, each offering a diverse selection of tunes to entertain you. Voice acting in the game was done fantastically. Each character seems to have their role set and you will sense every emotion and feeling in each cut scene mainly due to the impressive voice acting job.

One very important feature this game offers is the Coop mode. The game gives you the option to fully complete the game with a friend as a side dish. Playing and beating this game on Coop is actually fun and will give the game a completely different look and feel. We managed to play a few games with people from around the world and thankfully faced very little lag most of the time.

Saints Row 2, we repeat, is no GTA IV. It is a whole lot more of a relaxed and loose experience. It offers a very respectable single player mode and an especially deep coop game as added value. The mini games are fun most of the time and the main story is as gangster as it gets really. So if you enjoyed the first game and want to see out the story, Saints Row 2 is a must buy. Even if you just want to kill some time playing a well done game that’s more amusing than solemn, pick this one up. In general, Saints Row 2 does not have any severe weaknesses to deal with, but rather just a few problems in different areas bringing the whole experience down a notch.

Saints Row 2

The first Saints Row was a pretty solid title. Many people had hoped the game would turn out to be the next generation GTA, but at the end of the day it failed to reach such heights. Enter Saints Row 2, a gangster’s paradise videogame based in an open world bursting with crime and corruption. That might sound a bit too similar to the GTA series in general and GTA IV specifically. To get things off the ground, Saints Row 2 is nothing like GTA IV. It is more relaxed, less serious but has a decent amount of depth. With so many good titles coming out this month though, what does Saints Row 2 have to offer?

Saints Row 2 takes place right after the rather dramatic ending of the first game. You will still be using the same character but with the help of a plastic surgeon you will be able to modify the looks of your gangster from scratch. The customization here is actually one of the game’s strongest points. You will get to pick the race, sex and look of your character first, pretty simple and straight forward options here. Things will get fascinating fast when you choose the accent of your character, and even a set of specific animations which you will use throughout the game. We actually had a pretty good time adjusting and testing out a set of different characters and combinations. Later on in the game you will be able to visit different clothing shops to purchase news cloths and accessories. You can also pay the plastic surgeon another visit if you wish to change your looks further or even completely change your sex if you see fit.

The first impressions you will have kicking off the first mission are generally negative. People spoiled by the fantastic graphics GTA IV offered earlier this year will actually be the most disappointed out of the bunch. However we will discuss the graphics later on in greater detail. The first mission is pretty straight forward and that is how the rest of the game shapes up. Taking orders, building up your gang and defeating the competition. Some missions will possess a set of limitations on how to meet your objective, which takes away from the whole freedom feeling this game is oozing with.

You will be able to play a set of different mini games spread thought out the city. Those games, if beaten, will reward you with both money and respect. Respect here is an excessively important aspect in the game. To move from one mission to another within the main story, you will need to have enough respect to do so. While respect is easily and quickly obtained, we were left disappointed with the fact that some main missions did not reward us with any respect. The mini missions are actually fun, so going after respect is not all that tedious. But just the fact that you HAVE to play mini games to advance in the main story is a little bit disappointing. Beating specific missions rewards you with discounts from shops around the city and even new combat styles.

The city overall is pretty large. While it does not feature the level of details GTA IV offered, it’s still pretty respectable. The city consists of 45 neighbourhoods and you will spend your time with the game trying to acquire them. You will have to travel to specific locations to destroy an enemy stronghold or to start a new mission. Driving around the city is more humorous than realistic, and that goes well side by side with the graphics. Cars overall are a whole lot faster than what you would expect. As a matter of fact so is your character, laughably fast when he runs.

Playing the game is actually pretty fun. It is something you would want to sit and down and enjoy for a bit. Blast a neighbourhood here, takeover another one there and go around doing some mini games, sounds fun both on paper and in reality. The thing we did not like about Saints Row 2 is how the missions are a little bit too similar, and might ask you to do some pretty boring tasks. Another negative aspect regarding the gameplay is when missions force you to use a specific vehicle or weapon for no real reason. Other than that, the gameplay is pretty fun overall.

You will not have the luxury of auto aiming here, but rather a free roaming aiming system. The aiming is still very simple however and requires no real effort to get hold off. The in-game AI is unfortunately pretty stupid. Whoever trained them for battle forgot to mention the fact that taking cover saves their asses. You’ll always notice how the enemies will jump in your way waiting to get shot. The problem occurs on all level of difficulties too but when all’s said and done this actually will only make your life easier.

The graphics in the game are not as ugly as screenshots and video trailers on the internet might suggest. The city overall is pretty and offers many decent sites for you to check out. The problem here is compared to GTA IV; the graphics in Saints Row are not exactly all that impressive. The graphics lack that extra level of detail and polish we’ve seen in GTA IV. Glitches wise, the game is full of them. People in the streets seem to enjoy walking into each other and a load of other basic yet annoying graphical glitches occur every once in a while. We are not the biggest fans of the animations in the game either. The animations seem to be a little bit too unreal, especially in the melee attacks.

The city is very much alive thanks to the sound effects being played almost flawlessly. Nothing exceptionally solid here but the sound effects easily get the job done. No free roaming gangster game is complete without a decent radio and Saints Row 2 gets the job done and then some. You have more than 10 radios to choose from, each offering a diverse selection of tunes to entertain you. Voice acting in the game was done fantastically. Each character seems to have their role set and you will sense every emotion and feeling in each cut scene mainly due to the impressive voice acting job.

One very important feature this game offers is the Coop mode. The game gives you the option to fully complete the game with a friend as a side dish. Playing and beating this game on Coop is actually fun and will give the game a completely different look and feel. We managed to play a few games with people from around the world and thankfully faced very little lag most of the time.

Saints Row 2, we repeat, is no GTA IV. It is a whole lot more of a relaxed and loose experience. It offers a very respectable single player mode and an especially deep coop game as added value. The mini games are fun most of the time and the main story is as gangster as it gets really. So if you enjoyed the first game and want to see out the story, Saints Row 2 is a must buy. Even if you just want to kill some time playing a well done game that’s more amusing than solemn, pick this one up. In general, Saints Row 2 does not have any severe weaknesses to deal with, but rather just a few problems in different areas bringing the whole experience down a notch.

Fallout 3

We all remember ‘Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’ back in 2006 that received much love and praise from wizards throughout the gaming empire, and gave a new meaning to an RPG game. The Big-Daddies are back with their latest post-nuclear iteration and once again changing the very foundation an RPG game is built upon. This time, its coming to us in the form of Fallout 3. Afficinados of the past Fallout games may recall that the series had strictly adhered to the PC platform and this, for the first time is a Fallout title on a multi-platform rampage.

While there are some games that are keen on sending you straight into battle regardless of the bronze pin on your shirt, Fallout 3 takes a more detailed approach, treating you like a

baby and showing your way through. And that’s how it really does! The game starts in a delivery room with your father awkwardly staring at your “entrance” as a baby. Rather than shoving a character creation module up your face and letting you spend time to customize your character, Fallout 3 does this so in several stages of your life. The game convincingly shoves you into a cascade of nostalgia the moment you’re in your baby feet trotting along like you could run a marathon.

Most part of your childhood will be spent roaming the closed confines of your residential tomb still believing the outside world to be unsafe and polluted with radiation, 200 years after a nuclear fallout. The game has a very solid under-structure for providing a sensational gaming experience. The best part is, how much can a game invoke your childhood memories? You might be surprised in finding out just how well Fallout 3 does that job.

All of this is not without my conscience arguing, with a resolute thought going through my mind saying, “S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Skies was the same type of game”. It is true to an extent that the STALKER series has been doing this for sometime now, where the theater is a post nuclear world filled with death and destruction. But, Fallout 3 fallows in a very subliminal way of making everything seem so pink and dandy that you would’ve had no clue of whats coming at you. How best a game makes you believe in such an aspect determines that magic “something”, that we often refer to as an exceptional gameplay value. The “something” that Clear Skies never had.

Just as warm as your starting moments are, the game horridly throws you out into the real world in search of your missing father. First glance at the outside world portrays a ravished terrain more worse than a war torn battlefield. The undeniable carnage and destruction that towers before you will give you a new found respect for your dirty closet. Included in the package are the hordes of mutants, super mutants, ghouls and zombies, all wanting to stop at nothing short of having your severed head in their trophy case. While the game needs to be redeemed in some aspects of storytelling, like more dialogue options with NPCs rather than the meek neutral, rude and good responses, we would’ve also preferred a talking character like that in Mass Effect rather than selecting a piece of text from predefined sets like an ATM machine.

Not only does the game look and sound beautiful, it offers an arsenal of weapons from mini nuke launchers to home brewed weapons that tips the replayability scale. No matter what direction you tackle Fallout 3 from, this game remains fresh every time you play it and

engrosses the player endlessly in its mere uncontainable campaign. Combat has a refreshing take in this new title, but sometimes the VATS system that’s offered in-game still needs work. Running and gunning down half a dozen zombies is interesting, but it becomes child’s play when you use the VATS system to zoom into the enemy’s body and target specific areas of their body for a one hit kill. Doesn’t really require any skill there in our opinion, but unless you’re a big fan of gore and love to see splattering body parts from a 100 different angles, the combat system requires more balance. For some weird reason, shooting someone 5 times on their head from a 2 feet distance is more inaccurate, rendering the dude still alive as opposed to using the VATS system to score a headshot a mile away. 

Fallout 3 like its elder brother “Scrolls”, depends heavily on exploring your environment. Skill points earned in the game can be used to increase your character’s attributes much like Oblivion. The game will progress in a way that might influence good and bad decisions. You can play the game as either good or George Bush, but it will take a toll on your karma. Some decisions like blowing up an entire city will test your morals to its limits. The main quest itself packs in about 40 hours of gameplay, 10 of which are spent ogling at national monuments standing in shambles.

Fallout 3 portrays carnage in such a magnificent scale that even Mozart would appreciate the tender beauty that destruction has to offer. There’s always something left to explore no matter how well you’ve ransacked the territory. Weapon designs couldn’t have been better, combining the 1950s vibe into everything you interact with. The retrospective artistic design is what we came to appreciate the most. Think of it as BioShock minus the water…

Unique character animations is an added bonus with each character looking different from

the other unlike Oblivion where a dungeon slave looks like the count with the exception of messy hair and a green skin. Each character you meet in Fallout 3 will play a major role in your quest offering you with added missions and rewards. The replay value of Fallout 3 is without a doubt, the icing on the cake giving a different feel and emotion every time you play it.

At the end of the day, we’re happy that the seemingly endless wait is over to get our hands on this game and yet, sad at the same time that we might not see another game of equal quality, gameplay and value for a long time to come. Combining 1950s art style with a sci-fi mix, gives the game a unique heartbeat. Fallout 3 is a game that will last in your mind long after you’re done playing it, thanks to its memorable characters and adrenaline filled combats. We can finally derive at a conclusion that Fallout 3 is NOT Oblivion with guns!

Far Cry 2 Wide-Screen Fix

While publishers really only care about money and sales, its the hardcore gaming community that goes the extra mile to make your experience that much enjoyable. While Ubisoft have been *cough* silent over the recent wide-screen issue, a member over at WSGF has come up with a solution. Click here.

Bethesda Softworks and Best Buy Bring Fallout 3 to Fans with Midnight Launch Events Across the US

PRESS RELEASE

October 24, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, and Best Buy Co., Inc. have announced that in response to huge demand for Bethesda’s award-winning upcoming game, Fallout® 3, there will be midnight openings at Best Buy stores across the country the evening of October 27. Best Buy customers at select stores in the Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago metropolitan areas will be among the first to play one of the most anticipated videogames of the year.

“Fallout 3 has been a labor of love for the team at Bethesda and we can’t wait to get the game into the hands of consumers,” said Todd Howard, Game Director for Fallout 3. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the launch of Fallout 3 with the fans.”

The Fallout 3 team’s hometown Best Buy in Rockville, MD will serve as the flagship location of the midnight events, with special festivities including game kiosks, giveaways, contests and a live broadcast from the event with DC 101 FM. Game director Todd Howard will be on-hand along with other key members of the development team to sign copies of the game and chat with fans. In addition to the Rockville event, 11 Best Buy stores across the country will be hosting special midnight sales events.

Midnight sales event lines will begin forming at 3 pm local time, October 27 at the following Best Buy locations:

Washington, DC area
• Rockville, MD – 1200 Rockville Pike
• Tysons Corner, VA – 8449 Leesburg Pike

New York Area
• New York, NY – 44th And 5th
• Westbury, NY – 1100 Old Country Rd.

Los Angeles area
• Glendale, CA – 2909 Los Feliz Blvd.
• Pasadena, CA – 3415 E. Foothill Blvd.

Chicago area
• Chicago, IL. – 1000 W. North Ave.
• Downers Grove, IL – 1432 Butterfield Rd

Dallas area
• Plano, TX – 2800 N. Central Expy.
• Fort Worth, TX – 6750 West Fwy.

Minneapolis area
• Roseville, MN – 1643 Country Rd. B2
• Richfield, MN – 1000 W. 78th St.

Dubai area, UAE
(*Possibly Geekay, 30 days after release)

Fallout 3 will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, in Europe and Australia on October 30 and in the UK on October 31. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008 and a perfect 10 out of 10 from Official Xbox Magazine.

KillZone 2 Beta Sniping Gameplay

Here’s a new video showing off a sniping session in the KZ2 beta. For some reason, the player is an utter noob and its always our wonder how these idiots end up making such videos. On the positive side, KZ2 is looking more and more graphically intense to the point where it might leave a nice shiny hole through your PS3. Enjoy the video.

Retail Madness

Retail is a mixed bag in the UAE. From late game arrivals, to less-than-AAA titles missing out on the market, to confusing censorship rules and consolidated entertainment chains like Virgin eating out a chunk of the market, games retailers have their hands full.

Enter Geekay Games, a burgeoning retail chain with a respectable stand at this year’s GITEX exhibit. The company, which was founded in 1990 and has several branches in the UAE (as well as another opening in Oman in a few days), sells video games and their accessories, and is planning aggressive regional expansion into Qatar and Kuwait, says Namita Palija, Geekay’s general manager.

A Saudi Arabian branch is, curiously enough, not a priority for the company, despite possessing a large chunk of the region’s consumer base. One of the reasons is managing to eke out legit sales. “There is lesser piracy over here compared to other places like Saudi,” she says. “In the UAE there are gamers who want to buy the real stuff.”

That’s a big improvement, with the buzzword at last month’s GAMES 2008 convention being piracy. Not that the phenomenon actually limits the portfolio of games that Geekay carries. While Palija hails improvements in combating piracy that are inherent to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, she doesn’t feel the need to limit the chain’s stocking of PC games or other easily pirated material. “We have PC games, PS2 games – we have everything in stock,” she explains.

In addition to that, Palija feels that worrying about demographics is antiquated. “Anybody who wants to play is a customer,” she says, describing their potential market as one that includes adults, teenagers, and females who seem to favor Nintendo’s more casual offerings. If you think this seems a bit too enthusiastic, there’s more. Palija feels there’s less of a stigma attached to gaming in the region, citing research that indicates people are moving to gaming as an alternative form of entertainment.

This is particularly true at this time of global economic turmoil, as ordinary people turn to entertainment venues that provide more value for the dirham – or games for short. And while Geekay agrees that the market is expanding, they’re reluctant to provide specific numbers.

But perhaps a bigger challenge facing the retail market is the proliferation of online services like Valve’s Steam and Stardock’s Impulse. While not necessarily offering a price advantage, they boast zero hour game availability for the Middle East’s more impatient gamers. But Palija feels that their cultivation of long-term relationships with customers will pay off. “People buy from us because they have trust in us over so many years,” she explains. In addition to after-sales support with respect to gaming peripherals, she says. Regardless, the retail market’s seemingly nonchalant attitude to online distribution is troubling.

Another issue where online distribution seems to have a leg up is in censorship. Games like Call of Duty 4 and Grand Theft Auto that were banned by UAE authorities for not conforming to the country’s values are sold by retailers who circumvented the distribution rules.

Call of Duty 4 was available on Steam shortly after release.

Still, online distribution has yet to take off here, a region where sports games that are best enjoyed on a couch in the living room with friends are the top sellers. Palija says that shooters are in second place. We’ll see if that’s enough for the retail market to hold its own.

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