Its that time of year again, with Pax Aus looming on the Melbourne horizon, Sydney has become the first stop for entertainment news. This weekend nerds have been flooding in from across the country to get the first news and top listed game demos all here at EB Expo. With a massive three days of content and nerd news, let’s cover what was inside the Sydney Showgrounds this October.
Fallout 4
First up is of course the fan favourite for this year’s E3 Fallout 4. Bethesda is known for taking the time and effort to polish, and actually finish a game, before releasing any details and this year at the EB Expo is no different. With the release date only five weeks away Bethesda is hesitant to release any new news, not that the series needs anymore hype really, this merely gave fans a second and more personal showing of the E3 presentations. Slices of gameplay and trailers were presented with commentary from Australia’s own Simon Alty from Bethesda ZeniMax.
Most of the game still is shrouded in mystery but I know one thing from this booth; I am not a natural blonde.
Star Wars Battlefront
The game that causes many Star Wars and Battlefront fans to toss and turn in the night is finally playable in exhibition. Featuring a large multiplayer map on the iconic snowy planet named Hoth where the first instances of gameplay and death are open to the public. Battlefront feels like it did back on the Playstation 2, and not just like a re-skin of a Battlefield. The vehicles and mechanics are enormous and expansive, just how I remembered as a child playing Battlefront 2.
EA seems to have refined Battlefront to be the game that fans have been dreaming of, since the early days of the Star Wars Battlefront series, bringing it soaring into the new generation.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Another year equals another Assassin’s Creed and this year is now different. With players being thrown into the midst of London in the 1800’s, only now, instead of just climbing over London players can zipline and drive horse drawn carriages.
This may not be the right substitute for a pirate ship, as many fans are still raving about it, but it does seem to help break up the large sections of climbing that can quickly become monotonous. The introduction of two main characters, a brother and sister duo, seems to also change up the repetition, with each having a different combat style to fit into the more 1940s gangster aesthetic Ubisoft is going for. With more fistfights than hidden blades – combat has been remade. Whether or not this is a good thing comes down to one’s own combat preference.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Lara Croft and the Incredibly Bad luck Day seems to continue in Lara Croft and the Incredibly Bad Day 2, as she sets off in search of a tomb to raid. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue, and things quickly start going downhill for poor Lara once again as she takes many more wince inducing injuries in quick time.
The gameplay and world seem much the same, with intuitive controls, combat, and a curious story underline of Lara Croft’s new adventure Rise of The Tomb Raider seems to be much the same as the previous title, and that sounds perfect to me.
Uncharted 4
In Uncharted 4, Nathan Drake and friends seem to be in a bit of a pickle as an entire militia come raining down on the poor treasure hunters once more. Sony presented the same video as shown at E3, only this time without the technical issues, and much more. Where the E3 video stopped this one kept going, showing how players would save their friend and find the map to the next booty, all while looking incredibly handsome.
The video ends on a cliff hanger that many fans in the audience were left yelling about, I won’t spoil it here so you will have to see for yourselves.
Nintendo
Not much is going on over in the Nintendo booth as their big players are set for unconfirmed dates in 2016, something we will be writing about next year most likely. The booth was an excellent area for kids and parents to take a break and enjoy the interaction and showcase of Nintendo’s next line up. With squishy bean bags and Splatoon the Nintendo booth provided a well needed rest for my poor feet.
Guitar hero
If you were watching the news on Channel 7 you may have noticed a nerdy girl shredding on a Guitar Hero guitar, that girl was indeed me. Unfortunately I cannot ‘shred’ a guitar and am terrible at musical games. That being said, Guitar Hero was surprisingly fun with some catchy rock’n’roll music and an easy to understand control scheme. For music game lovers this is a must.
Just Cause 3
Just Cause is back with all new ways to destroy and wreak havoc in the new release. With some stunning explosions and all new physics engine, the world of Just Cause has never been so destructive and beautiful. With more grappling hooks than anyone could use, players have new and creative ways to destroy and explode like never before. Here’s hoping for a multiplayer experience.
Halo 5
With Star Wars Battlefront being the second largest contender for EB Expo, it was no surprise that the biggest lines were to play the new 343 title, Halo 5, on Xbox One. Fans waited over two hours to have a turn at the new and expansive multiplayer maps, with 12 players a side. Wielding the brand new Xbox One controllers, players rushed out into the enormous field called Warzone for an intense 20-minute death match.
Halo 5 is shaping up to have the most intense and amazing multiplayer experience of the year.
The Division
The long awaited title finally has a release date of March 2016, and the demo lives up to the expectations. In a world of chaos and disease players search the blackzone for loot and resources to continue fighting. Divided into groups of three and surrounded by enemies, and ally teams, who can turn on you at any moment. The Division is a suspenseful MMO that I didn’t know that I needed until the Expo.
These are of course just some of the demos and showcases that are on at EB Expo 2015. If you have a chance to go check it out, do so. If not I will see you at Pax Melbourne!