Melbourne's three-day
eGames Expo kicks off at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on Friday. While the scale of the past two has been small, the events have been enthusiastically embraced by the gaming community and featured a terrific atmosphere. The event this year is held in conjunction with a Digital Lifestyle Show, so there will be more to see and do.
This year's show haso attracted strong publisher support, including Activision, AFA Interactive, Atari, Electronic Arts, Funtastic, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nokia, Sony Computer Entertainment and Ubisoft.
Some of the games confirmed to be on display include Mirror's Edge, Gears of War 2, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, Resistance 2, Prince of Persia, Call of Duty: World at War, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, SingStar ABBA, Puzzle Quest Galactrix, Tomb Raider Underworld, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 and Shaun White Snowboarding.
In addition to publisher stands featuring plenty of opportunity for hands-on play of the latest titles, eGames will also feature regular stage presentations. Gamesmaster will be taking part in an industry panel on the main stage on Friday at 5.15pm that will explore a number of hot topics, as well as moderating a panel at 6.15pm on professional gaming.
Other stage presentations over the three day show include games demonstrations from Nintendo, Ubisoft, Atari, Sony and Nokia, while Intel will explain the benefits of the Core i7 Extreme Edition processor. There will also be Guitar Hero competitions and a trivia contest hosted by Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee Croshaw.
eGames will also play host to the FIFA Interactive World Cup live qualifier, with mini tournaments starting on Friday. The final will be held on Sunday and include an appearance by singer Brian McFadden. Visitors to the show will also be able to test their mettle against Team Immunity who will no doubt be jetlagged and weary from their heroics at the World Cyber Games in Germany this week. Attendees will also be able to learn about career opportunities in the games industry, or enjoy a kids gaming area.
One ticket provides entry to both eGames and the Digital Lifestyle Show, so in addition to checking out the latest games, attendees will be able to shop for a new LCD or plasma as well as items like amplifiers, headphones, notebooks, mobile phones and PCs.