Eurogamer Expo 2011

[endo]

To echo Flabio's comments, the fighters area, despite being relatively small was actually run OK. Managed 3 games on Street Fighter X Tekken in the end. It's sick. I brought my average Hugo skills and guessed Poison and a couple of random Tekken types. Fluked an overall victory out of 3 matches and was chuffed. This is going to be massive when it comes out.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is utter bollocks. Accelerate is now on a trigger for which the dev wants shooting. It looks like Burnout but not as good and handles like ****.

Mario Kart 7 and Mario Land 3D (or whatever it's called) are both great. Mario Kart is unexpectedly good imo, and I'm not a Mario Kart fan. Multiple routes through tracks, in the air, underwater, even on the normal track. Good fun.
Mario Land is Mario Land, but now it's in all three of your dimensions. Good swag.

Didn't play it but saw it and my bro reported the other Res Evil game on 3DS to be very good. Looked great, I have to say. As did Kid Icarus, which was otherwise a bit of a pain in the arse to play and actually not that fun.

Arkham City. Amazing. More of the same, but bigger and prettier and all round amazing.

Skyrim I really wanted a go on but the queues were just too big even until the end. Regardless, from watching it, it's a significant step up from Oblivion.

[endo]

Oh yeah, Anarchy Reigns! 4-player, everyone-goes-for-it Bayonetta. Top larks.

The HD House of the Dead Overkill is really good as well.

edit- the Feisar lady was miles too skinny. Seriously, no arse.

[Shozuki]

Well my first experience of the show and I really enjoyed it. Nabbed my Onlive box like everyone else visited a few of the Developer conferences, grabbed other free gubbins and played some games.

If any of you went to the Ninja Gaiden 3 conference and wondered who won that awesome Ryu Hayabusa statue at the start of the Q and A, that would be me

Now for my impressions:

Skyward Sword:

I only had a go at the boss portion of the demo, found it really hard and rather awkward to control. My guess is though that part must be a portion into the game and by then the game will help you get to grips with its swordplay. Ultimately I came away knowing I'm getting it, however due to the lack of getting to grips with the controls on my part, I've really no idea what to make of it.

Nintendo 3DS games:

I hate the 3DS you all probably notice me constantly ranting about it, and well the showing did nothing to change my mind at all. Mario Kart is just the same old drivel we've had for many years really. Nothing remotely fresh to the game at all. Mario 3D didn't have a great showing either. Mario feels rather awkward to control due to the slide pad, I thought Mario's normal speed was too slow (yes, I know he can dash...) levels were pretty uninspiring to me too, especially after the galaxy games. Kid Icarus easily the best looking and feeling game of Nintendo's 1st party stuff and for a change felt a bit fresh. I really enjoyed it and will begrudgingly hand over some money to Nintendo for this game. Stylus controls worked well, but hopefully it'll work with the 2nd slide pad attachment. Metal Gear Solid 3D a great game destroyed by the machines controls. It's unplayable. Resident Evil: Revelations was a great game though, controlled like the recent resident evil games, but added some old-skool style elements back in with light puzzle solving and best of all limited ammo. It looks great too, really shows that the 3DS can produce some lovely graphics.

PS Vita:

I didn't like the lottery format you were forced into, but I did get to play Uncharted, LBP and Wipeout. LBP and Uncharted make smart use of the Vita tech and look incredible. I was sold on the Vita before, but now having used one and played some games it's right up my alley and I can't wait to get my import.

+ Awesome Screen
+ Rear Touch Pad works really well on LBP + Uncharted
+ Wipeout, Uncharted and LBP all look amazing
+ D-Pad is nice and crisp to use
+ Proper Analogue sticks that feel great
- Face Buttons usable, but small possibly an issue with fighters, but were fine in the games I demoed.
- Vita I was using crashed during LBP...
- The woman looking after me was too hot, didnt help concentration!

to summarise on the other stuff:

The good:

Batman Arkham City
Skyrim
Ninja Gaiden 3 (I really enjoyed the demo and no, not just because I won the statue lol!)
Battlefield 3
Modern Warfare 3
Vita
SF x Tekken
Soul Calibur V
Ultimate Marvel 3
Sonic Generations (massive fps upgrade since the demo)
Resident Evil Revelations
Journey

The bad:

Nintendo 3DS in general
Ridge Racer Unbounded
Silent Hill Downpour ( )


Thats what I can recall right now, but I really enjoyed my day at the show and will get a few more days next year.

[Flabio]

One thing that was missing that all the trade ones I've been to have had was for there to be someone on hand for every game to help you if you got stuck or just generally chat about the game. The Silent Hill demo *really* needed that, cause noone I saw playing it could figure it out at all.

[MrMarbles]

I think that, on the whole, it just misses the general excitement of the trade shows - you get stuff being announced or shown off for the first time at E3 and Gamescom and, by the time EG Expo comes around, everything on show is nearly out (and being shown off in the same demos that were at GC and already viewed to death on the internet) or is out already.

And, in the case of those MP demos, we've likely already played the beta versions in the comfort of our own homes.

Still, for the average attendee who doesn't keep up-to-date with what's up and coming, I can imagine it being rather exciting. Although, ironically for an expo set up by an internet gaming website, I think this sort of thing would've been far more magnificent back in the days before internet gaming websites.

[hudson]

T
The Feisar lady by the Vita area is corrrr.

Ha, I actually sit next to this lovely lady in work. You wouldn't believe the amount of baked goods she downs

[MrMarbles]

Tell her I said hi. And corrrr.

(Don't).