BRINGING the biggest games show in the UK to Birmingham has been a great move for fans in the north.

EGX (Eurogamer Expo) was first launched in London in 2008 with 4,000 people attending the first gathering.

The event's reputation quickly grew with 75,000 attending Earls Court in 2014 and it is thought that even more than that turned up to the NEC for this year's show held over the weekend.

It not only shows the huge demand for games and their significance as a cultural phenomenon but also that there are people all over the country eager to play upcoming releases.

But it is a good job the show is held over four days because many visitors queued for up to two hours to spend around 15 minutes with each game.

The basic idea behind EGX is that it gives people access to the games that everyone will be playing in three to six months' time as well as the chance to meet many of the developers behind them.

Everything is exclusive with photography and recording banned in many of the areas so there is always that buzz that you are part of something special and you feel part of a community of like-minded people.

There are also insightful industry talks and when Weekend attended EGX last Thursday one of the most fascinating sessions was about the rise of virtual reality (VR).

Patrick O'Luanaigh and Jackie Tetley from nDreams spoke about the headsets like the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR that will begin to rise in prominence and described VR as the new frontier of gaming.

They are developing a conspiracy thriller game called The Assembly for VR headsets and explained how your emotional response to games in VR increases tenfold because it is so immersive.

That is the future of gaming but back in the present there was the chance to play upcoming blockbusters like Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

You have to pick and choose because the queues are so gigantic but the reboot of Star Wars Battlefront was worth it.

Due out on November 17, EGX offered fans in the UK the first hands-on experience of the game in an incredible 20 versus 20 multiplayer match on the ice planet Hoth – complete with AT-ATs which you can control.

Developed by DICE, who are behind the Battlefield series, the game ran smoothly, the mission-based gameplay seemed frantic but balanced and the music was rousing and nostalgic.

Another pleasant surprise was the chance to play the long-awaited prequel to the free-running game Mirror's Edge.

It is not out until February but a section of the game was open to explore in the original game's familiar stark and stylised shades of white and red.

All the signature wall-running and ledge-shimmying rooftop antics are back but the combat has been beefed up.

The game has also been been expanded offering an open-world and plenty of side missions.

This should work well for Mirror's Edge because where else would be better for free running than wide open spaces?

At the Xbox stage there were talks every hour and there was interesting one by 343 Industries about creating Agent Locke, a new nemesis for Master Chief in the hugely anticipated Halo 5.

Over in the Nintendo area, there was the chance to try out space shooter Star Fox Zero, due out in March.

It felt familiar to Star Wars 64 (Lylat Wars) from both a gameplay and style perspective but made use of the Wii U's tablet screen for precision shots.

It should please fans who have waited about eight years for a new game in the series.

EGX may feature all the big triple-A games but it is also a celebration of developers of all sizes.

The indie scene was flourishing at the show and among Weekend's favourites were Rive and Fast Racing Neo.

Rive is a shoot-em-up where you play as a robot who can crawl through pipes and hack other machines. It was simple but a lot of fun and a throw back to the shooters of the 90s.

Fast Racing Neo does what it says on the tin – it is essentially a very fast and very streamlined futuristic racing game with a big nod to Nintendo's stalled F-Zero series.

That was just what could be seen in one day and with so much to see and do, EGX is a must for anyone passionate about games – if you handle the queues that is...

For more information about EGX visit egx.net

DAVID MORGAN

Pictures: Tom Horton