SolidSnakex
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(07-13-2011, 11:34 AM)

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Dishonored details from Game Informer (And Reviews) #1

My issue came in yesterday and I finally got around to writing everything down.

- The Outsider: "This supernatural being is the source of all magic in Dishonored's world, including the many powers at the player's disposal." It's described as being "part devil, part angel, and entirely ambiguous." They mention that you will meet the Outsider at some point.

- The Heart: "The so-called heart is a mystical object that beats faster as you face your objectives, giving the player some basic guidance to keep them on track in Dishonored's large levels. More disturbingly, it whispers directly into your mind, pulling secrets from the consciousness of others and sensing interesting things within the world that lie beyond mortal senses." They note that you can learn something about every named character in the game with it and that using it may come with consequences.

- The powers that you do have won't include stuff like fireballs. One of the powers gives you the ability to summon a swarm of AI controlled rats that react realistically in the world. They'll clean the bones of downed enemies which will make it easier for you to hide them. They point out that the swarm could cause trouble for the player if an NPC freaks out since that could cause more guards to come to the area. The rats can also attack the player if there isn't a more appealing target. You can also possess one of them in order to escape through tunnels

- You'll be able to possess animals or humans. Humans will have to be unaware of your presence in order to possess them

- Other powers will include Bend Time, Windblast ect.

- Powers can be upgraded with runes. They note that you won't find enough runes on a single playthrough to upgrade everything.

- Gadgets will include spring razor traps, sticky grenades, and different types of ammunition like sleep darts.

- You'll be able to collect whalebone charms that will give you certain buffs like mana refill or a health boost. You'll only be able to find "12 or so" of the 40 whalebone's in a single playthrough. They'll be selected randomly from a master list.

- They refer to the AI as "analog AI". They'll have a number of characteristics that are modified on the fly instead of having a simple alert or neutral as you find in most games. One example is that two guards talking to each other will have narrower "vision cones" and their hearing will be duller in comparison to a guard patrolling on his own. Light, mental state, ambient noise ect. will all impact how the AI reacts.

- They're trying to avoid having the player feel like the AI is cheating. One way they're doing that is by rarely spawning new enemies, and when they do it'll only be because an alarm went off. When they do spawn they'll try to make it realistic such as having reinforments come through the backdoor of a mansion instead of just magically having them pop up near the player.

- They talk about different ways to disable a watchtower. One is a traditional way of avoiding the spotlight and enemies while moving slowly. "In Dishonored, however, you could alternatively climb a building and use a combination of celerity (supernatural speed), your natural double-jump, and blink (a short-range teleport) to cover a surprising distance in the air and land on the top of the tower itself."

- Their lead level designer wanted them to remove celerity-double jump-blink combo once he saw it being used because of a fear that people would use it to get out of the map

- They note that the levels are designed to encourage a lot of vertical experimentation

- On the type of experience that they want to deliver "Games can either be described as rollercoasters - which is all crafted and very high-drama - or that time when you were 16 and you and your friend broke into an abandoned house and you had the most intense moments waiting for the door to open, and then there were moments where, 'Ah, I expected something grand to happen but nothing happened; it was just an empty room.'" He (Harvey Smith) said that they want the latter.

- Listening to random conversations going on in the world may give you hints on how to complete objectives differently

- At one point in their demo they were shown a thug going after a woman in an alley. If the player just went right in they'd be ambushed by the thugs friends. You have multiple ways to rescue her, one of which is to find and take out the ambushers before rescuing the woman

- You can go around causing a lot of bloodshed or you can go with a much more clean/stealthy route. Causing lots of bloodshed will cause chaos in the world. "You'll be notified when your actions have raised or lowered the level of chaos, but it's an under-the-hood story mechanics rather than an explicit light/dark or paragon/renegade score with gameplay effects."

- "Whatever the specifics may be, the fate of this grim world is determined over a linear series of levels that largely revolve around eliminating one target or another within the Lord Regent's corrupt regime. This isn't an Elder Scrolls game that turns you loose to explore the world at your leisure, though everyone's experience will be different as they choose their path and affect the simulation in radically different ways based on their gameplay choices."

- There are only a few dialogue choices in the game and they only come up when you need to make a real choice. Most of the cutscenes are handeled while you stay in first person.

Reviews:

Shadows of the Damned - 9.25 (Game of the Month)
F.E.A.R. 3 - 7.75
Catherine - 7
Duke Nukem Forever - 6.75
NCAA Football 12 - 9
Ms. Splosion Man - 8.75
EDF: Insect Armageddon - 8
Cars 2 - 7.75
Trenched - 7.75
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D - 8
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 - 8
Super Street Fighter 4: AE - 7.75
The Adventures of Shuggy - 8.25
Green Lantern: 6.5
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 7.5
mr_nothin
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(07-13-2011, 11:34 AM)

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#2

The hell is Dishonored?
jgminto
Buttocks unclenched.
Now fill me in.
(07-13-2011, 11:42 AM)

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#3

Another FPS my arse!
Gravijah
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(07-13-2011, 11:44 AM)

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#5

SSX's new avatar would make a great Rinoa cosplayer...
Eggman
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(07-13-2011, 11:44 AM)

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#6

I can't wait for CatherineGAF to rage.
Mik2121
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(07-13-2011, 11:45 AM)

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#7

Originally Posted by mr_nothin:
The hell is Dishonored?
Probably a game by some Japanese developer. Most likely Square Enix. They know a lot about Japanese culture and honor.
Sotha Sil
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(07-13-2011, 11:45 AM)

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#8

Arkane, fuck yeah.

Very interesting details. Sounds quite ambitious.
Gravijah
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(07-13-2011, 11:47 AM)

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#9

Originally Posted by Mik2121:
Probably a game by some Japanese developer. Most likely Square Enix. They know a lot about Japanese culture and honor.
Game Informer doesn't care about Japan. :(
Mik2121
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(07-13-2011, 11:47 AM)

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#10

Originally Posted by Gravijah:
Game Informer doesn't care about Japan. :(
Japan to go third party confirmed.
Gravijah
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(07-13-2011, 11:48 AM)

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#11

Originally Posted by Mik2121:
Japan to go third party confirmed.
Hah, jokes on you! The Japanese don't even develop games anymore!
Riposte
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(07-13-2011, 11:51 AM)

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#12

Dishonored is quickly becoming a highly anticipated title for me.


I don't understand why SSF4 AE score that low relative to its predecessors. Probably some stupid reason like "Its a patch!".
faridmon
Banned
(07-13-2011, 11:52 AM)

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#13

Haha, I approve of this successive Joke about Dishonored.

Anywaay, great month for Japanese gaming with that Suda51 game gettinga remarkable score.
Ahoi-Brause
Banned
(07-13-2011, 11:56 AM)

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#14

Dishonored sounds like it's going to redeem the assassin genre, that was defiled and betrayed by 5hitman: conviction.
daffy
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(07-13-2011, 12:00 PM)

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#15

Originally Posted by Dr Eggman:
I can't wait for CatherineGAF to rage.
....? What did I miss? There's no Cath review in the OP.
Kafel
(07-13-2011, 12:00 PM)

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#16

Quote:
Shadows of the Damned - 9.25 (Game of the Month)
whaaaat ? Is it a joke ? I thought that game was crap (I haven't tried it yet).
Indyana
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(07-13-2011, 12:01 PM)

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#17

Originally Posted by FTH:
....? What did I miss? There's no Cath review in the OP.
Reviews:

Shadows of the Damned - 9.25 (Game of the Month)
F.E.A.R. 3 - 7.75
Catherine - 7
...
V_Ben
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(07-13-2011, 12:04 PM)

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#18

Originally Posted by Kafel:
whaaaat ? Is it a joke ? I thought that game was crap (I haven't tried it yet).
Where would you get that from? I've seen a load of positive buzz for the game. :)
subversus
I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
(07-13-2011, 12:06 PM)

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#19

Originally Posted by Kafel:
whaaaat ? Is it a joke ? I thought that game was crap (I haven't tried it yet).
the game kicks ass. Also take a look at Metacritic.
Otacon
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(07-13-2011, 12:06 PM)

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#20

sounds fantastic
with these first few details already one of my most wanted in 2012 next to Prey 2
the first screen definitely looked quite different from the GI cover and how I imagined it would look
can't wait to see it in motion
daffy
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(07-13-2011, 12:06 PM)

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#21

Originally Posted by Indyana:
Reviews:

Shadows of the Damned - 9.25 (Game of the Month)
F.E.A.R. 3 - 7.75
Catherine - 7
...
Oh I see. The numbers game.
subversus
I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
(07-13-2011, 12:09 PM)

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#22

Originally Posted by jgminto:
Another FPS my arse!
COD clone
Meisadragon
MeisaMcCaffrey
(07-13-2011, 12:11 PM)

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#23

Catherine 7? Damn, was looking forward to that. But Dishonored seems really promising, though.
Azriell
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(07-13-2011, 12:13 PM)

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#24

Never heard of this Dishonored before, but it has my interest. But reading such a list of interesting ideas and features, I can't help but think of the "Oblivion devs lied" thread. Hope it turns out as interesting as it sounds.
Shurs
Banned
(07-13-2011, 12:13 PM)

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#25

Originally Posted by V_Ben:
Where would you get that from? I've seen a load of positive buzz for the game. :)
My initial impressions of Shadows of the Damned, in the official thread, were not the best.

My opinion holds a lot of sway.
daffy
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(07-13-2011, 12:13 PM)

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#26

Originally Posted by Meisadragon:
Catherine 7 ? Damn, was looking forward to that. But Dishonored seems really promising, though.
What's wrong with a 7? You haven't even read the text that gives its reasons yet.
jet1911
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(07-13-2011, 12:14 PM)

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#27

Originally Posted by Ahoi-Brause:
Dishonored sounds like it's going to redeem the assassin genre, that was defiled and betrayed by 5hitman: conviction.
Jesus Christ get over it already...

As for Dishonored, it sounds really interresting.
Interfectum
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(07-13-2011, 12:15 PM)

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#28

Originally Posted by mr_nothin:
The hell is Dishonored?
A dudebro FPS, obviously.
Shurs
Banned
(07-13-2011, 12:15 PM)

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#29

@SSX,

Does your review roundup include the capsule reviews that are generally near the end of the review section?
Gravijah
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(07-13-2011, 12:16 PM)

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#30

Originally Posted by Shurs:
My opinion holds a lot of sway.


How much of that man can your opinion truly hold?
Shurs
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(07-13-2011, 12:17 PM)

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#31

Originally Posted by Gravijah:

How much of that man can your opinion truly hold?
Eight of his dreads.
dimb
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(07-13-2011, 12:17 PM)

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#32

Originally Posted by FTH:
What's wrong with a 7?
It's a Game Informer 7. AKA barely better than Duke Nukem Forever and the Green Lantern video game.
Last edited by dimb; 07-13-2011 at 12:20 PM.
Nirolak
Super Adventure Boxing
(07-13-2011, 12:17 PM)

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#33

Sounds interesting.

I'd like to see a video showing multiple ways through a section of a level though to see how different it really feels.
Meisadragon
MeisaMcCaffrey
(07-13-2011, 12:18 PM)

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#34

Originally Posted by FTH:
What's wrong with a 7? You haven't even read the text that gives its reasons yet.
If GI gives it a 7, then it will probably get 5-6 elsewhere. I don't care though, gonna buy it anyway.
Impeccable
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(07-13-2011, 12:19 PM)

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#35

"Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 - 8"

Pretty awesome, I got Magic 2011 for free from PSN+ and forced myself to learn and play, and ended up loving it. Got my lady to start playing on 2011 too and she ended up loving it too. Then before we got our fill of 2011 I decided to just buy 2012.

So much better in a lot of aspects, and I'm sure Magic fanboys will find more in it than me but we both are huge fans of this title now and have been playing daily for awhile!
duckroll
mashadar's neko-mimi slave
(07-13-2011, 12:21 PM)

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#36

The way the world and the powers-that-be are described sounds a lot like the vibes I got from the old Thief games. I'm going to keep my eye on this one. I'm not sold on it yet, but it does sound potentially interesting.
Krev
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(07-13-2011, 12:21 PM)

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#37

Originally Posted by Dance In My Blood:
It's a Game Informer 7. AKA barely better than Duke Nukem Forever and the Green Lantern video game.
And worse than the Transformers 3 game.
Eggman
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(07-13-2011, 12:23 PM)

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#38

Originally Posted by Dance In My Blood:
It's a Game Informer 7. AKA barely better than Duke Nukem Forever and the Green Lantern video game.
I don't get this mentality. Every reviewer has their own standards and just because one reviewer gave DNF a 7 doesn't mean he wouldn't give Catherine an 8. It's not Game Informer as an entity reviewing these games, its specific individuals.
Korigama
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(07-13-2011, 12:24 PM)

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#39

Originally Posted by Krev:
And worse than the Transformers 3 game.
And Cars 2 by their standards, apparently.
Interfectum
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(07-13-2011, 12:25 PM)

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#40

Dishonored definitely sounds like a game where I can get my Hitman fix... possibly even more than Hitman 5. I really dig games where you are dropped in a sandbox that is fully simulated without you and you have the power to go in and fuck shit up, sneak through without causing that much disruption, or change the simulation to better suit your needs. I hope it turns out good.
Acquiescence
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(07-13-2011, 12:33 PM)

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#41

I am so getting El Shaddai over Catherine.
dimb
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(07-13-2011, 12:34 PM)

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#42

Originally Posted by Dr Eggman:
I don't get this mentality. Every reviewer has their own standards and just because one reviewer gave DNF a 7 doesn't mean he wouldn't give Catherine an 8. It's not Game Informer as an entity reviewing these games, its specific individuals.
What is the point of an outlet giving out scores if they have no correlation to each other? They created a metric to review games, so aren't all of them being weighed on the same scale?

Game Informer has created a scale that revolves around being inoffensive to publishers/developers so they can still pick up exclusive reveals for their magazine covers. Do you think some strange coincidence has occurred and all the reviewers decided to only use the 7-10 range of the scale for almost all games? A reviewer for Game Informer is aware of what the publication wants, and writes a review that fits into the criteria of what they consider to be a worthwhile review. A part of that criteria is the hyperinflation of game scores, making a score of 7 very low on their scale.
Shurs
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(07-13-2011, 12:39 PM)

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#43

Originally Posted by Dance In My Blood:
What is the point of an outlet giving out scores if they have no correlation to each other? They created a metric to review games, so aren't all of them being weighed on the same scale?

Game Informer has created a scale that revolves around being inoffensive to publishers/developers so they can still pick up exclusive reveals for their magazine covers. Do you think some strange coincidence has occurred and all the reviewers decided to only use the 7-10 range of the scale for almost all games? A reviewer for Game Informer is aware of what the publication wants, and writes a review that fits into the criteria of what they consider to be a worthwhile review. A part of that criteria is the hyperinflation of game scores, making a score of 7 very low on their scale.
Why compare a puzzle game to a movie-licensed action game?

7 is average on Game Informer's scale.

You have to keep in mind that they're a magazine, so the amount of games they have space to review is limited. Therefore, it makes sense that a lot of the games they'd be reviewing in the magazine would warrant a score 7 or higher, on their scale.
dallow_bg
nods at old men
(07-13-2011, 12:58 PM)

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#44

Wow, they reviewed Shuggy!
dragonelite
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(07-13-2011, 01:03 PM)

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#45

Sounds realy cool keeping this one on my radar.
Maybe time to fire Dark messiah when im bored.
SolidSnakex
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(07-13-2011, 02:29 PM)

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#46

Originally Posted by ULTROS!:
>:(
The review mainly just complains about it being too hard, and how the thought of another difficult puzzle took him away from enjoying the story. He also complained because the decisions he made caused him to get one of the worst endings in the game, which meant that he'd have to play through a long game (around 12-15h) that has a high difficult level again to get a better ending.
eshock
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(07-13-2011, 02:35 PM)

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#47

Celerity+blink? Someone's been playing Natural Selection.
Kintaro
Worships the porcelain goddess
(07-13-2011, 02:44 PM)

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#48

Originally Posted by SolidSnakex:
The review mainly just complains about it being too hard, and how the thought of another difficult puzzle took him away from enjoying the story. He also complained because the decisions he made caused him to get one of the worst endings in the game, which meant that he'd have to play through a long game (around 12-15h) that has a high difficult level again to get a better ending.
Who reviewed it so that they may be shunned forever.
MaddenNFL64
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(07-13-2011, 02:52 PM)

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#49

Never heard of this game. Sounds cool.
Neuromancer
The Mayuh of f'n Bawston
(07-13-2011, 02:55 PM)

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#50

Quote:
- On the type of experience that they want to deliver "Games can either be described as rollercoasters - which is all crafted and very high-drama - or that time when you were 16 and you and your friend broke into an abandoned house and you had the most intense moments waiting for the door to open, and then there were moments where, 'Ah, I expected something grand to happen but nothing happened; it was just an empty room.'" He (Harvey Smith) said that they want the latter.
OK I'm sold.