Rock, Paper, Shotgun

A couple of weeks ago, at Eurogamer’s Expo, there was one other panel that took place. In a room alongside the megalithic auditorium that housed the developer sessions was a cosy gathering of five games industry figures, discussing the complexities and secrets of reviews. Hosted by Eurogamer’s Ellie Gibson, the panel featured PCGamesN’s James Binns, Eurogamer’s features editor Martin Robinson, Ubisoft PR Stefano Petrullo, and shiny-fat-faced, mad-eyed me, attempting to share some realities behind the reviewing process.

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Hello. Hello you. Did you go to the Eurogamer Expo this weekend? Did you have fun? Because I couldn’t go, so I couldn’t have fun. My bitterness could destroy worlds. Fortunately, I can catch up with at least some of what I missed, as Eurogamer have posted videos of a great many of their developer sessions. Valve! Hitman! Molyneux! Tomb Raider! Assassin’s Creed! DayZ! Remember Me! WARFACE. I’ve embedded those I am personally most interested in below, selfish twit that I am, but you can see the whole lot over here.

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Last call for the Eurogamer Expo 2012! And this will be our last post on the matter, too. The expo kicks off next week and will feature the RPS-sponsored indie sector, as organised by the implacable Mr Hayward. The line-up selected for this year’s showcase of indie brawn is: A Bastard (George Buckenham), BaraBariBall (Noah Sasso), Dirac (Orihaus), Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment), DRM: Death Ray Manta (Rob Fearon), Gear Up (Doctor Entertainment), IsoChronous (team-iso), Kairo (Locked Door Puzzle), Last Knight (David Hagemann), Proteus (Ed Key/David Kanaga), Sentinel (Matthew Brown), Sokobond (Alan Hazelden), The Button Affair (Oliver Clarke), Tower of the Gorillion (Circuiton World Design), Where is My Heart? (Die Gut Fabrik), and Zineth (Arcade Kids).

Go there! See them! I know I will.

The Eurogamer Expo tickets have almost sold out! That’s the word on the street. And also in the tweets from Eurogamer people. But some tickets remain, so if you want to see stuff like men talking about videogames, and also you want to play those videogames with your hands, then you know where to click There’s also going to be RPS / Paradox / IndieCity / Sheridans / Team Ekko / Zero Dependency drinks on the evening of the 29th, and although it’s free, there is limited space. Best to get yourself on this list if you want in. It’s going to be packed with handsome indie developers, ripe for hot chat and stuff. We’ll see you there, perhaps.

One of the developer sessions at this year’s Eurogamer Expo (at Earls Court in London on 27th-30th of this month) will be hosted by Dishonored developers, Arkane. EG reports:

Christophe Carrier (Lead Level Designer & Audio Director) and Dinga Bakaba (Assistant Producer & Game Designer) will introduce the game at length on Friday 28th September at 5pm and at midday on Saturday 29th September in the developer sessions auditorium.

The game will also be playable at the show. Eurogamer’s Tom “Tom Bramwell” Bramwell said: “Dishonored is one of the most exciting games on the show floor at this year’s Eurogamer Expo and we’re thrilled that Arkane will be presenting a closer look at the game as part of the developer sessions schedule.” It’s nice when Tom is thrilled.

The Eurogamer Expo 2012 approaches at frightening speed – I’m measured it with my Velocitometer, and it’s headed towards us at exactly 81.7 terawatts per nanoclick. Like I say, terrifying. If you’ve been holding off from attending due to its apparent focus on hiss-spit console games, you may be cheered to hear that its One True Format contents have increased exponentially. Avuncular DayZ bossman Dean ‘Rocket’ Hall will be holding a talk, and now EG have taken the wraps off the Rezzed PC and Inde Games Zone, an attempt to recreate some of the delightful amicable, laid-back mood of last month’s lovely, RPS co-headlined PC-only Rezzed show in Brighton.
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The next Eurogamer Expo, which is taking place at London’s Earls Court from 27th-30th September, will have lot of playable games. Among these, shining like beacons, are Dishonored and Company Of Heroes 2. Yes, you can actually get to them before they’re released, at the Expo. That might just make things worse for your anticipation levels, of course, but there’s going to be a lot more stuff there, including the traditional Indie Arcade booth, with attendees from many RPS favourites. If you’re an indie who wants in, then you need email Mr Hayward to be considered. He says: “Screenshots are good, but videos and builds are even better for helping make a decision.”

In Electronic Arts news, FIFA 13, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Sim City, Dead Space 3 and Crysis 3 will all be playable at the event, too.

Yes, the Eurogamer Expo, of which our Indie Games Arcade was a tiny part, will be happening again next year. We’ll be there, of course, with our beards and our indie games. Next year’s event will take place between September 27th and September 30th, once again at Earl’s Court. It seems like people generally had good things to say about the event, perhaps because Eurogamer’s worryingly youthful bossperson, Rupert Loman, limited the number of tickets that could be sold for the event, allowing people to get to the games they wanted to play without having to queue for too long. Hopefully that’ll be the policy next year, too.

We, meanwhile, decided to put indie gamers in a black box with pop music playing outside, because that was some kind of metaphor. Anyway, did you attend the expo this year? Will you attend it next year? Will you come to our drink up next year? Will John be getting married again on the same weekend? All good questions.