Another year, another EGX come and gone. This year Britain’s biggest gaming expo returned to London occupying the massive ExCel. Once again 1000s of gamers were queuing daily across 4 days to sample the latest AAA and indie games from all over the world. Between lining our pockets with lovely merch, playing a few board games and drinking our weight in free coke zero we managed to play numerous games. Here are our highlights:
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Due out on Halloween, everyone’s favourite cowardly sidekick is back bustin’ ghosts like its 1984. Unlike the 3rd Ghostbusters film however, this looks to be the best in the series. The demo on offer allowed us to take control of Luigi and test out his new mechanics in what’s likely to be the start of the game. We were able to morph in to Gooigi to pass through spikes, use a plunger to remove shields from ghosts before taking on a jousting ghost boss in an arena. The game felt a lot like the DS outing, which is a huge compliment, and looks great with HD visuals in the series for the first time. We can’t wait to get our hands on the finished article.
Cyberpunk 2077
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get our hands on this, but we were able to watch an hour-long exclusive live gameplay demo on the big screen. We were shown two different gameplay styles, the stealth style using hacking and distraction to make the way through a level, and a powerhouse style,
ripping out massive gun turrets and using people as human shields. They explained how you could finish the game without ever having to kill anyone if pacifism is your thing. None of it looked like anything we haven’t seen before, but for a game that’s primarily an RPG it was very impressive.
Windjammers 2
The long awaited neo geo sequel is almost here and we were able to go head to head on it. The original was a 1 vs 1 ultimate Frisbee game that played a bit like a more extreme pong and is still to this day considered one of the greatest 1 on 1 games ever. The sequel takes everything that’s great with the original, adds a new art style, some new courts, new characters and a couple of new buttons. It was fast, easy to pick up but difficult to master and a tonne fun. It’s due out 2020 on PC, Switch and Stadia.
Street of Rage 4
It’s been 25 years since we last got to play a new game in the franchise, and the wait is all most over. For the unwashed masses, Streets of Rage was at the forefront the ill-fated ‘90s genre the beat-em-up. 10 years ago, Scott Pilgrim and Castle Crashers breathed new life into the genre and next year we’ll be able to hit the streets once more. The art style manages to stay true to the original whilst also breathing some originality in a series that borrowed so much from elsewhere. Unfortunately we weren’t able to hear the soundtrack but with the original creator involved, as well as those that worked on Jet Set Radio and Ninja Gaiden, it’s set to be as amazing as ever.
Moving Out
An interesting game from team 17, akin to their other charming co-op hit Overcooked, players must work together as a removal company. It sounds dull, but it’s anything but. Navigating the treacherous environments alone would be hard enough, but doing it connect to a friend via a cupboard is both challenging and hilarious.
Final Fantasy 7
Announced back in 2015, the remake of Square Enix’s 1997 PlayStation had a playable demo on offer and it looked and played fantastically. We controlled Cloud and Barrett in a boss fight against Scorpion Sentinel. If you’ve played the original, this was nothing like it. It felt like a completely different game, with real time battle mechanics that looked like a playable cut scene, this one left us wanting more.
Legends of Runeterra
Similar to likes of Hearthstone, Legends of Runeterra is an online card game from the guys behind league of legends. Only announced into existence a few days before EGX, a fully playable demo of the game was on offer involving numerous tutorials and single player battles for us to get to grips with the games mechanics. None it was ground breaking, but it high production values make it stand out from the rest and with their track record it’s likely to be a huge hit.
Kunai
Out early next year on Switch and PC, Kunai is a Metroidvania featuring a TV monitor with grappling hook arms. It’s got an adorable cartoony art style and easily the best part of the game is the fantastic traversal mechanics. Using alternative buttons you’re able to climb and swing at speed with grappling hooks firing from either side. Exploration is fun, combat is intelligent and satisfying, and the sound and areas do an excellent job if giving off a feeling of isolation.
