With E3 in a transitional phase the Games Convention, which kicks off in Leipzig this Wednesday, has suddenly become an important event in the gaming calendar. I went last year and it still felt very German - there's only so many PC Real Time Strategy games you can take - but this year the GC looks likely to step up to the next level. Around 200,000 visitors are expected - unlike E3 the show is open to the public - and all the main players are in town.
Much of the code shown is likely to be the same as E3 - not a problem for most European visitors who were locked out of the US event - but there will be show exclusives. The best bet should be Sony, the only one of the three hardware manufacturers holding a traditional press conference. Expect details of the PS3 TV tuner and - hopefully - some indication of a pre-Christmas price cut. Microsoft and Nintendo are focusing attention on their stands, with Halo 3 and Wii Fit likely to stand out. Fingers crossed we'll get some Super Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect too. The latter can't come soon enough for me. Likewise PES 2008, which will hopefully sort out the flaws of PES 6 on 360 - will we finally have online co-op play?
Elsewhere the focus is likely to be PC heavy. Crysis, the hyped shooter from the guys behind Far Cry, is likely to be swamped as is the first playable version of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. The online game is one of the few upcoming MMO's that stands a chance of siphoning off a sizable proportion of World of Warcraft's audience. Talking of which, Lich King, the next WOW expansion pack, is likely to be playable too. With an unprecedented amount of big titles arriving in the next few months - starting with Bioshock on Friday - Leipzig will help confirm whether they fulfil their immense promise.
