Cubed3 Special | PANG: Magical Michael (DS) Launch Party Page 1

Cubed3 Special | PANG: Magical Michael (DS) Launch Party

17.09.2010

padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt;">Long-term readers of Cubed3 may have noticed a certain classic arcade action puzzler being covered on a regular basis from the developer behind games such as Polarium and actionloop, going by the name of PANG: Magical Michael. Well, Senior Editor Adam Riley was invited down to London for the launch party of said game by publisher Rising Star Games. Read on to see what the night had in store…

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PANG: Magical Michael appears…

Young Michael, the aspiring magician who caused chaos around the world thanks to a failed experiment that led to balloons spreading all over the place, is a modest chap, yet a true gentleman who loves caring for the environment and bringing joy and happiness into the lives of those he encounters. His first ever starring role in a videogame comes in the form of a reboot of the classic balloon-popping series known in the US as Buster Bros. and elsewhere as PANG! (overlooking a few random variants on the name due to licensing reasons in certain European countries over the years). With Mitchell Corporation in the driving seat, it was always a safe bet that the final product would indeed be exemplary, and with Rising Star Games providing support on the publishing front, it was guaranteed to be promoted amongst a faithful fan-base eager for more Japanese-esque Nintendo releases.

With PANG: Magical Michael launching on Nintendo DS in Europe and Australia today (Friday, 17th September), Rising Star Games held a special launch party in a small club down in England’s capital itself, London, on Wednesday, 15th September, where a wide selection of Press members were invited to try the game, partake in some free beverage drinking, and even take a copy of PANG: Magical Michael home with them afterwards, along with some specially branded playing cards. When the budget is not there for a large-scale TV advertising campaign, getting journalists together with the promise of alcohol and a free game is the next best option!

Potential disaster averted!

Held in the downstairs section of the swanky Molton House location, the plan was for famous magician Robert Pound to come along and provide entertainment, dressed in a Magical Michael-esque suit, whilst attendees tried out the game on a large projector screen with a few free drinks mixed in for good measure. My train down from Manchester arrived at Euston Station early, so I decided to head on over and kill time chatting with the RSG guys, veterans Tris and Tyrone, as well as C3’s good friend Yen, and former Square Enix Europe marketing guru, Raul, until everything kicked off. Not long after, the ladies from the public relations team that RSG uses, Premier PR, arrived, complete with a plentiful supply of multi-coloured balloons; perfectly fitting considering the subject matter of PANG: Magical Michael.

It eventually transpired that plans had to be changed somewhat as sadly it was not possible for a DS system to be hooked up to the large screen, meaning that the two DS systems available would instead have to be circulated around the room for everyone to try. A major technical problem so early on clearly looked like spoiling the entire evening. However, thankfully having Tyrone wander round, dazzling people with his personable nature worked in RSG’s favour and saved the night in the end. Additionally, with all and sundry taking full advantage of the free bar to loosen their tongues and remove inhibitions to a certain degree, the magical Mr. Pound working the crowd with his tricks, and the delightful Premier PR ladies (Lauren, Jess and Ali) milling about, taking the odd photo and generally keeping spirits high, the whole night proved to be a roaring success.

A good time had by all…

Unfortunately my time there was limited, and I was fearful that I would indeed turn into a pumpkin at the stroke of 9:00pm (my train home was due at 9:40pm and I needed to rush to find a taxi back to Euston station), yet I was there long enough to receive a very snazzy pack of PANG: Magical Michael themed playing cards, have some very engaging conversations with Lauren and Jess from Premier PR, grab a few photo-opportunities, meet up with Diane from Girl Gamers UK for the first time since the Eurogamer Expo last year, and even have a brief chat with the extremely bubbly Hollie Bennett, UK Community Manager for Destructoid.

Overall, plaudits must go to Robert Pound for wowing everyone with his magical feats. From throwing cards around people’s heads like a boomerang, changing the suit of the chosen card in the process, to astonishingly making extra coins (and a copy of the PANG: Magical Michael cartridge appear in people’s hands without any physical contact, and even gathering the whole group around to show his powers of perception, figuring out the identity of cards held against people’s chests, the charming Mr. Pound was a very worthy investment.

Thanks go to Yen for inviting me down, the rest of Rising Star Games for being so welcoming, Lauren and Jess at Premier PR for looking after me all night, and Ali for being the all-round superstar that she is in general!