EGX 2018 - Personal Highlights

“It’s been emotional.”

So EGX 2018 has been and gone, showcasing some of the biggest AAA releases as well as a standout collection of indie titles from the industry’s best and brightest over the course of the 4 day event. The Game Hype collective was out in full force over the entirety of the event, chatting up the Developers, Publishers and PR guys while also taking the time to nerd out, bust each other’s balls and try out some of the games that were on offer this year. Over the course of this article I’m going to be covering my personal highlights of EGX 2018, specifically the games that stole the show for myself (the gratifying tale of heroism of Kyle Doherty and Ryan Perrow and their hunt for the mythical EGX Press Lounge is a tale for another article dear reader).

EGX 2018 unfortunately came to a close Sunday evening, after 4 days of non-stop gaming shenanigans, showcasing some of the industry’s best and brightest. This year’s EGX marked the first year where the Game Hype collective was out in force as an eleven man (and woman) team, trying out some of the biggest and best titles that this years’ expo had to offer, while making the experience all the more groovy this time around. While the collective is hard at work on their own highlight articles as well as a collaborative article to celebrate our time at EGX, I thought I would also take the time to give a few honourable mentions to the games that stole the show for me this year:

Game: Tannenberg (Eastern Front 1914 – 1918)

Developer: BlackMill Games, M2H

Publisher: BlackMill Games, M2H

Release Date: 17th November 2017 (Steam Early Access)

After the recent media backlash against Battlefield V in recent weeks after it’s somewhat lacklustre beta, the one thing I was hoping to see at EGX was a period-accurate first-person shooter, and boy did Tannenberg not disappoint. Being a standalone expansion to 2015’s Verdun, Tannenberg takes the focus away from WW1 France and focuses on the Eastern Front, specifically the battles of Tannenberg (1914), Bolimov (1915) and the Brusiliov Offensive (1916) while presenting the conflict in a squad-based shooter format offering 3 different modes and supporting up to 64 players. The game was on constant rotation over the course of EGX, and myself and a good few of the GH guys kept coming back over the four day period. Keep up the stellar work BlackMill and M2H!

Game: Man of Medan (Part of the Dark Pictures Anthology)

Developer: Supermassive Games

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Release Date: 2019 (PS4, Xbox One & PC)

Probably the last thing I was expecting to see at EGX was a spiritual successor to 2015’s spectacular Until Dawn in the form of Man of Medan; a horror cinematic adventure game of the same vein as its predecessor, boasting high production values, stellar visuals and the amazing choice mechanic that made it’s predecessor’s narrative so engaging. Man of Medan follows a group of five friends as they go on a diving trip in the South Pacific, in search of a rumoured WW2 wreck right as an unbreakable storm sets in. While the demo was short, it was enough to whet the appetite of this hardened horror veteran, doubly so when it revealed that Man of Medan is part of the Dark Pictures Anthology; a new series of horror shorts (think Tales from the Crypt for the modern generation) from Supermassive Games that are due to release every six months after the release Man of Medan in 2019, potentially ushering in a new golden age of high production horror. Definitely one to sink your fangs into once it releases folks.

Game: Those Who Remain

Developer: Camel 101

Publisher: Camel 101

Release Date: 2019 (PS4, Xbox One & PC)

Probably my favourite game on offer out of the Rezzed indie section at EGX this year was the psychological horror title: Those Who Remain by the creative minds over at Camel 101 studios. Playing through the expansive demo that was on offer, it was clear that Those Who Remain was a horror game made by horror fans, with references from Stranger Things, Alan Wake, Silent Hill and even Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece: The Shining (if you know, you know). The game places you in the shoes of Edward Turner, an ordinary bloke with a somewhat troubled past who finds himself in the quiet town of Dormont, where everything isn’t as it seems (queue fog entry from stage right). Featuring puzzles that actually require you to use your brain and a haunting atmosphere to boot, Those Who Remain is definitely one to keep an eye on in the coming months, especially so if you’re a fan that have the potential to scare the living shit out of you.

Game: Soul Calibur VI

Developer: Dimps, Bandai Namco Studios, Project Soul

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Release Date: 19th October 2018 (PS4, Xbox One & PC)

1995’s Soul Blade is one of those games that I’ll always hold near and dear to my childhood, with Taki being my favourite demon-slaying badass ever since. While I lost touch with the series after Soul Calibur IV (Unpopular opinion: Star Wars sucks ass) the hype train has been in station for Soul Calibur VI ever since they announced that Geralt of Rivia would be joining the 2018 roster, alongside a plethora of classic characters such as Zasalamel, Taki, Siegfried and Sophitia (just to name a few). The stage demo at EGX featured a select number of characters (Taki is still my number one girl) to choose from and allowed you to play against an opponent in the games’ signature versus mode (sorry Ryan!). Featuring classic stages, amazing visuals and a control scheme that feels both classic and fresh at the same time, I can already say that Soul Calibur VI is going to be a day one purchase for myself based on the production quality alone; Geralt of Rivia just sweetens the deal somewhat.

Game: Metro Exodus

Developer: 4A Games

Publisher: Deep Silver

Release Date: 22nd February 2019

While there was a more than stellar ensemble on show at this year’s EGX conference, in my opinion there was one title that stole it all away for me personally; 4A Game’s Metro Exodus. Following on two years later from the climatic showdown at D6 (the good ending) sees Artyom, Anna, Miller and the rest of the Spartan order travel across post-apocalyptic Russia on a beefed-up steam locomotive called the Aurora in search of shelter outside of the crumbling metro tunnels. Featuring a 20 minute stage demo that allowed you to freely explore an open level, it became apparent almost immediately that 4A games have gone overboard when it comes to pumping Metro Exodus full of immersion; taking the best features of its prequels while placing a strong focus on exploration, crafting and item management shaping it up to be one of the most immersive survival horror titles ever made. Artyom and his Dark Ones can’t come back soon enough!