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Anthony G, Roving reporter

EB Games Expo 2012

From 5-8 October 2012, Sydney had the honour of hosting the biggest gaming event in Australia, The EB Games Expo 2012.

The EB Games Expo was the sequel to the expo that debuted in Australia on the Gold Coast in 2011. It was a sellout event. In 2012 the expo was staged in Sydney at the Sydney Showgrounds and sold a record-breaking 30,000 tickets.

For those of you who are not familiar with what an EB Games Expo is, Debra McGrath, the National Brand, Events, Engagement Manager explains what it is and generally what to expect .

"The EB Games Expo is Australia's biggest gaming event," said Debra. "2012's epic event has something for everyone and will allow everyone to have hands-on interaction with the biggest games of 2012 before their release date. "

Behind the Curtain

I was lucky enough to be able to slip behind the curtain and venture into what was to be the biggest and best EB Games Expo ever. Throughout the three-day event, there was much to be shown at the venue's nine main sections.

The Exhibitors section was where all the upcoming demos were showcased and played. The Home Grown Gaming section showcased all the latest gaming technology, as well as a free anime viewing cinema. The Ultimate Gamer V.I.P. section, was a specific section only for V.I.P ticket holders.

The Family Zone hosted all the latest and upcoming children's games, as well as the Nintendo section. The Gaming Gear Zone section was another gaming tech showcase. The EB Games Mega Store and The EB Community Hub section were where gamers could socialise. The EB Games Preorder Kiosk was where you could preorder upcoming titles after trying them out in the Exhibitors section.

Finally there was the Fireworks Viewing Area for the opening and closing shows, and The Live Street Art section where you could admire street art painted specifically for the event.

Trying Out New Games

I found myself spending most of my time in the Exhibitors and Nintendo sections, where I met representatives from game companies and talked to them about their upcoming 2013 titles.

Major game companies from around the world, such as EA, Konami, Sega, Ubisoft, Warner Bros Games and Square Enix came to the expo to show off their current game releases, as well as demos of soon-to-be–released titles for 2012 and 2013.

Demos such as Assassins Creed 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Zombie U for the upcoming Wii U Console, God of War: Ascensions and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance all proved popular as fans piled on the lines waiting to try these amazing titles.

Warning signs advising gamers that two-hour waits were to be expected before handling a controller were displayed prominently. This might seem unfair, but it's understandable: each player needs at least five or six minutes of gameplay to fully develop an opinion of a new game.

The Nintendo section also pulled in a big crowd as avid gamers lined up to test out the upcoming sequel to the Nintendo Wii console, the Wii U. I was able to talk to Greg Arthurton, Marketing Director of Nintendo Australia, about this unique new console.

"The Wii U is the next gaming console in the Nintendo franchise. It uses a wireless tablet with a built-in screen," Greg said, "which will allow people to play on and off the TV screen. So let's just say a family member wants to watch TV. The gamplayer can simply leave the console on and continue playing using the built-in screen while the rest of the family watches TV."

Talking to the Talent

I also had the honour of meeting Ed Boon, creator of the Mortal Kombat series, and had a chat with him about his thoughts on Mortal Kombat 9 being banned in Australia due to game restriction laws, which have prevented games rated higher than M15+ being sold in Australia, and the recent adoption of an R18+ classification that will allow higher-rated games to be sold in Australia from January 2013.

"It's disappointing," Boon said about MK9 being unavailable here, "but it's great to hear Australia will pass through its R-rated restriction law allowing future Mortal Kombat titles to be played by the fans."

I was also able to meet Charles Martinet, the voice behind many of Nintendo's characters, voicing characters like Mario, Luigi and Wario. Charles described being the voices of Nintendo's most-loved characters as verbally tiring yet honouring.

All gamers around Australia should get on top of this awesome event, because it offers so much. From meeting and having your photos taken with game directors without having security push you away, to playing and trying the latest games, consoles and technology, The EB Expo is an amazing event all gamers should be attending and have marked down on their calendars.

See you there next year!

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