Best in Show: The greatest games from the Eurogamer Expo

Posted on 6 Oct 2010 at 16:10

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Last weekend saw over 20,000 gamers descend on Earl’s Court for the Eurogamer Expo. Now the UK's largest games show, the Expo gives players the chance to try out the latest games before they go on sale. This year's event was the biggest ever, with a huge selection of games, presentations and developers on hand to show off their latest and greatest. We were there to find out which games people were most looking forward to playing.

Doors opened at 11AM, but crowds had started queuing outside from as early as 7.30. The show floor was soon rammed with gamers eager to get their hands on hotly anticipated games such as Medal of Honor and Crysis 2. Developer sessions showed off unseen footage of upcoming games Rage and Deus Ex 3 among others, while special guest Yuji Naka discussed the creation of classic Sega character Sonic the Hedgehog and the launch of his new independent development studio.

While there was a large console presence, with the Big Three out in force, Nvidia was on hand to represent the PC. 3D technology was the order of the day, with action games like Mafia 2 set up alongside strategy titles Civilisation 5 and StarCraft II. A 3D presentation in the main conference room produced mixed responses from the audience – Avatar The Game had some impressive effects but the 3D in other games was too subtle.

From early next year, 3D gaming won't just be exclusive to the PC. Sony has just released a firmware update for the PS3 enabling 3D support, and most upcoming in-house games will be 3D compatible. Gran Turismo 5 and Killzone 3 were the most popular 3D titles, with crowds of gamers keen to try both games.

Both Sony and Microsoft were keen to show off their new motion gaming controllers. The Kinnect camera drew the most crowds, with family friendly Kinnect Sports proving very popular. Sony’s Move controllers act a lot like Wii remotes, but interaction can be more precise thanks to the added camera. More mature games such as beat-em-up The Fight were less popular, although several enthusiastic gamers were spotted vigorously shadowboxing against virtual opponents.

Shooters seemed to rule the over 18's section, with Gears of War 3, Medal of Honor and Fallout New Vegas all having large booths. While Gears 3 promises to complete the trilogy, and New Vegas expands the already massive Fallout universe, it was Medal of Honor that saw the most gamers lining up to play. Perhaps the recent controversy over the use of the Taliban in multiplayer got people interested, but most people came away impressed.