Kicking off for the first time tomorrow morning, Gamescom is Europe's (latest) answer to the annual industry shindig, E3. Taking place at Cologne's Koelnmesse, it's a huge four-day videogame extravaganza attracting all the giants of the industry, keen to show off their Christmas wares before the insane scramble of the festive season begins.
As a heads-up, here are eight games likely to figure heavily on the show floor – minus Modern Warfare 2 which is so obvious it's not worth going over again (until Activision provide me or Greg with hands-on code, of course). We'll also be bringing you news of Sony's press conference, scheduled for later this evening, as well as updates and announcements throughout the week.
For now though, the current stars of the show...
Tony Hawk: Ride (Activision)
The latest title in the long-running skate series will be on display, complete with its motion-sensing skateboard controller, which looks like a sort of wobbly Wii Balance Board. Hawk himself will be at the event giving a live demonstration of the game on Friday afternoon.
Tekken 6 (Namco)
Here's another long-in-the-tooth series looking for rejuvenation on the current-gen consoles. Number six is the first in the beat-'em-up lineage to hit multiple platforms, and looks lovely. With Street Fighter IV proving there's life in the fighting game genre yet, this could be a popular presence in Cologne.
Dark Void (Capcom)
An interesting third-person sci-fi shooter, pitching a jetpack-wearing pilot against alien invaders. In the Bermuda Triangle. The interesting bit, is the vertical combat system which gives full 3D manourverbility within the environment, sort of like Gears of War mixed with a flight sim. Capom are bringing a 'Dark Void Body Flying Machine' to the event, allowing show-goers to, 'literally blast off in a vertical orientated airstream at 180km/h'. Sounds messy.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
The follow-up to DICE's successful squad-based shooter adds more vehicles, weapons and environmental destruction to the well-trodden WWII mix. EA is also bringing it's God of War-alike Dante's Inferno and the critically favoured rock adventure, Brutal Legend. Not a startling line-up then, so expect further announcements at this afternoon's press briefing.
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
The granddaddy of the RPG scene returns, and like FFXI, the latest iteration is going to be a massively multiplayer online adventure. Set in the vast war-ravaged realm of realm of Eorzea, it's due on PS3 and PC next year with an Xbox 360 version possible.
Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft)
Sure, Ubisoft has its Avatar tie-in and the genuinely promising Splinter Cell Conviction on display, but Assassin's looks just as astonishing as its predecessors and hopefully this time most of the gameplay glitches have been well and truly stomped on. Sure, our interest has waned a little since Danny Wallace was announced as the voice of a new character, but we can always turn the volume down.
Lego Rock Band (Warner Bros)
Two of the world's most financially reliable videogame franchises combine into one mightily intriguing package. Build your own rock group, manager and roadies then rock out to a series of classic numbers from the likes of Blur, Foo Fighters and Europe. Bound to be the unmmissable family party hit of the winter, and the kids will be //all over// this at the event.
Uncharted 2 (Sony)
There are those who think Naughty Dog's original Romancing the Stone-inspired romp is the finest third-person action game available on PS3, so the sequel is picking up plenty of interest. This time, treasure hunter Nathan Drake is on the look-out for Marco Polo's lost fleet accompanied by his new love interest Chloe Frazer, and tweaked combat and free-climbing mechanics.
