Here are my personal highlights from the games I was able to check out (in order of age appropriateness)…
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2
There was a standard demo playable at EB Expo which involved us playing Mickey who has magical paint brush that can throw paint to make things appear, as well as throwing thinner to make things disappear. This alone was an interesting concept in itself. There was so much more to the game than I initially thought. Part of the game can be played as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit but here’s the main highlight I did not get to see, there are musical numbers!
Out: November 22, 2012
On: Wii, PS3, Xbox 360
Sims 3: Seasons
But even I know after the first few expansion packs, it is not as exciting as it is simply the tipping point where we all start getting impatient and waiting the arrival of Sims 4.
The concept of Seasons is not completely new, having the exact same name as the Sims 2 Expansion Pack (which of course I own).
At EB Expo, I was lucky to play Sims 3: Seasons well over a month before the release date. However, as the Sims is an open ended game I really needed 10 hours to play not 10 minutes to really see all the new features, and I need to be wearing my super serious gaming outfit (pyjamas).
Since time was not on my side (and cheats were not readily available to toggle the seasons), I had a browse at the items available all I could find were Spring Showers… hmmm… not that exciting. Fortunately, the powerful internet advises that Sims can snowboard, use umbrellas, play soccer, take part in a kissing booth (oohh la la!) and the most exciting thing for me is the introduction of ‘seasonal festivals’!
Out: November 15, 2012
On: PC
Injustice: Gods Among Us
The mode we played in was simply fight mode – 2 players sorting to out. Superhero vs. Superhero.
Granted that I only had 10 minutes with the game, and being a serious button masher… was definitely not enough time to get understand the game and actually learn some moves as much as I wanted to but that being said I really loved playing the game and was promptly added to my wish list.
This game won the Game of Show as voted by the Media – Yes, I voted for it.
Fun fact: If you pick 2 of the same characters to battle each other in my case Superman, they look exactly the same. Not even the token colour change to distinguish between who is who.
It is not out for another 6 months, so unsurprisingly was one of the most highly anticipated games judging by the very lengthy queue to play.
April 2013
On: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U
South Park: The Stick of Truth
The game is an RPG (Role Playing Game) where you play the new kid with the motivation to make friends… Here’s a spoiler – regardless of what your name is, you will be known as Douchebag to the South Park kids.
From the snippet I saw of the game, it looks to be based on LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) with the game itself is just as crass as the show, and fortunately just as hilarious with a lot of South Park references from the obvious to the obscure.
Out: March 2013
On: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
You can pre-order all of these games from EB Games
You can find more EB Expo coverage here
I attended the EB Expo as a media guest
