So Eurogamer Expo 2013 kicks off this week and it will be bigger than ever with some of the first public hands-on with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as well as an immense number of software titles, retail stores and gadgets to try and buy.
For me Eurogamer, as well as other Expo's and Con's are all about getting social as well as the hands-on stuff. There's so much I'm looking forward to, I'm starting to panic that 4 days just might not be enough to do it all.
THE RETAILERS
So I am not expecting to buy a lot at the expo this year, but I do know there will be some awesome retailers there on the show floor. The two particulars I intend to snap something up from are Insert Coin Clothing, hopefully for one of these awesome tees...
Anubis and Jehuty tees - Insert Coin Clothing
... also Manga UK, who I always love to pay a visit to for some new anime to add to my collection.
Whilst not a retailer, there is another stall I love to visit each year which is SpecialEffect. They have such a passionate team and tend to showcase some of the latest tech they make available to help make gaming accessible for disabled people. The tech available for trial at the last 2 EG Expo shows include the eye-gazer, allowing you to control the game with your eyes and a chin controller for those unable to access control pads using their hands.
The SpecialEffect team are always a pleasure to talk to, and I very much look forward to meeting them again. Check this video for an example of some of their awesome work.
THE GAMES
From the official website alone, it seems there will be around 96+ software titles available on the show floor for some hands on.
While I do want to get my hands on some of the popular titles and try out the new hardware available, I will be trying to avoid queues estimated to be over 2h long and try other things and meet people. Top games and hardware I really want to try out are:
PlayStation 4, for which I have a preorder and Xbox One to try out the control pad etc and perhaps have that persuade me to jump in earlier.
I'd love to hopefully give the VR simulator Oculus Rift a try as that is supposed to be available. Would make for a rather cool (or queasy) experience. Not sure yet which games they are trialling on there, but any will do really.
The big games I'm particularly looking forward to include:
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Dark Souls 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD (which I have on preorder)
Titanfall
Dying Light
Forza 5
YAIBA: Ninja Gaiden Z (though I have tried the demo before)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
RYSE
Surgeon Simulator
Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Beyond: Two Souls
Hohokum
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Octodad
Puppeteer
Rain
The Playroom
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII - Square Enix
Others I'd like to maybe try from the bigger games include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (if single player), Batman: Arkham Origins (if not challenge map) and Wolfenstein (if single player).
There are plenty of smaller and indie titles on the show floor. Many I do not know by name, but sure some will catch my eye. Any suggestions let me know. Those I have seen of particular interest include:
Sir, You Are Being Hunted
DREAM (which I did try last year)
Shadow Warrior
Volume (looks pretty cool, plus would love to chat to Mike again)
Montague's Mount
There are however plenty of titles there so more are likely to catch my eye.
You can see the FULL list of games available on the official page.
Volume - Mike Bithell Games
DEVELOPERS SESSIONS
A highlight for me over the last couple of years of going to Eurogamer Expo has been the developers sessions which provide some insightful knowledge into the industry and game development as well as being in the front row for new studio announcements and video demos/trailers.
This year is no exception for some top quality presentations and finally this year Eurogamer are going to record/stream every session at the show. This means I do not have to panic too much if I miss/avoid a panel due to it being popular or if I'm caught up elsewhere.
Panels of particular interest to me include:
Thursday
12:00 - Phil Harrison's exclusive Xbox One presentation
17:00 - The Evil Within
Friday
13:00 - Beyond: Two Souls
14:00 - Dying Light
The full developers session schedule can be found on the official website.
Beyond: Two Souls - Quantic Dream
THE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
Apart from the Saturday, all evening entertainment will be more low-key. While there was the choice of the Official Eurogamer After Party and Mad Catz party on the Thursday, I'll be spending them with smaller groups of friends to play catch up.
Saturday however is likely to be damn epic as it is the night of the infamous Sticktwiddlers After Party, a charity do with plenty of good music, competitions, tournaments, prizes and booze... who could forget the booze...
Having missed last years for an awesome time with the Tomb Raider community at Square Enix HQ, I'll be back this year and am so looking forward to it. Good friends, good times.
So if you are about at Eurogamer and spot me, don't be afraid to say hi! I'll be the guy who looks a little like this:
