PC Gaming at Comic-Con

After the first two days at Comic-Con 2007 in San Diego, we got a chance to see quite a bit of gaming at the show, which has become famous for its comic book and movie content. And while console games outnumbered PC titles on the exhibit floor, it was PC gaming that had attendees buzzing.

Much of the titles on the exhibit floor were displayed via the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii. Many of these titles, such as Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Clive Barker's Jericho, were prominently featured at E3. There seemed to be far more console games - including Nintendo DS and Sony PSP games like Contra - on the show floor than PC titles.

PC Gaming Shines at Comic-Con Slideshow (9 images)

But the PC games that were available were of a higher quality: World of WarCraft, God & Heroes, and yes, Unreal Tournament 3 (more on that title coming soon). The latter game had arguably the biggest presence at the show, as multiple Alienware desktops were running a demo of the game for Comic-Con attendees to play and compete for prizes. Unreal Tournament 3 certainly attracted one of the larger crowds in the gaming area on the exhibit floor; not only was the game a hit with players, but onlookers were also impressed with the UT's overhauled graphics and gorgeous design, not to mention the game's weapons.

Sadly, despite Blizzard's return to Comic-Con this year, the company had nothing new to show for StarCraft II. Only the previously released trailer for the long-awaited sequel was being shown at Blizzard's booth - and that alone was enough to attract many passers-by and clog up the narrow corridors of the San Diego Convention Center. There were also several kiosks with the World of WarCraft expansion pack Burning Crusade, and plenty of subscribers took the time to log in and grind away at the Blizzard booth.

Other PC games on display included Star Wars Galaxies and God & Heroes: Rome Rising, the new RPG from Perpetual Entertainment and Sony Online Entertainment. The breakdown of genres at Comic-Con illustrated the larger trend of console titles versus PC titles, with MMOs and RPGs dominating the PC gaming side and shooter-combat titles being more prevalent on the consoles.

There were some surprises, however; during a highly anticipated panel for the hit TV series "Lost," executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse gave a sneak preview of the Ubisoft's game adaptation of "Lost." It was a brief glimpse of the title, and you couldn't tell much other than the developers did a decent job of creating digital versions of Sawyer and Locke. Still, it's good to see a movie/television adaptation coming to the PC instead of the just the consoles. Hopefully, Ubisoft will be able to give "Lost" the proper treatment. Lindelof seemed confident in the project, saying "You'll see cool stuff in the game that you haven't seen in the show." The game is scheduled to arrive on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 in February, 2008.