London MCM Expo 2011 Preview
This weekend the London Excel centre will play host to the UK’s biggest anime, games, film and TV convention, the MCM Expo. With the huge line up of games heading our way in the closing months of this year, this year’s expo will feature some of the biggest titles to ever grace the event. Read on for a special gamer’s preview of the event, including what to look for if you’re attending as well as what we’ll be bringing to you from the Expo.
The London MCM Expo is now in its tenth year, with the upcoming event marking the big number twenty as the Expo runs twice yearly. I’ll be attending the Expo this year for GamerGaia and from what we’ve seen so far there’ll be plenty of games to play and see. The list of publishers includes 2K Games, Capcom, Nintendo, Namco Bandai, Square Enix and THQ to name a few. Of course the event is headlined by Warner Brothers’ Batman: Arkham City, which released Friday here in the UK. We’ll have our review up very soon, but you’ll have to head down to the expo of you want to try it out if you haven’t already.
Ezio Auditore De Firenze will also be attending this year’s Expo alongside his great great great great grandfather Altair, as Assassins Creed: Revelations will be playable at the event. No word yet on whether this will be a demo of the single player or another look at the rejuvenated online multiplayer mode, but whatever the case it’s sure to be a great attraction.
The MCM Expo is, at its heart, an anime expo, so how could we get through a games preview without a look at the fighting games that will grace the Excel Centre next week? Capcom will be bringing their best this year with Street Fighter X Tekken, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 as well as Asura’s Wrath all playable on the show floor. The first title in particular has built up a huge following over the past months and for many this will be the first time they get their hands on the game.
That’s not the end of the fighting game news, however, as British publisher PQube will also be making their presence known with a playable demo of upcoming PSP and 3DS title BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2, which is shaping up to be a great update of the somewhat ‘under the radar’ fighting game. As well as this, the developer will be putting on a series of tournaments for both Arcana Heart 3 and the original BlazBlue Continuum shift, with limited edition prize packs available for the winners. If you’re not up to competing with the best, never fear; there will be casual sessions to game against fellow fans.
Personally, the most exciting fighting game news is that Namco Bandai will be demoing Soulcalibur V at the event, alongside stellar new games such as (take a deep breath) Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja storm generations, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi and Saint Seiya: Sanctuary battle. It’s a great list of playable and watchable fighting games, so we’ll have at least one hands-on preview coming your way.
Some of the most exclusive titles this year come from 2K games and THQ. 2K will be showing (for one of the first times to the public) the slashing, mafia based eat-‘em-up The Darkness II. We haven’t heard much about the re-booted title, so it will be good to see how Digital Extremes (the developer behind the PS3 Bioshock and Homefront) is handling it.
THQ, on the other hand, will be showing off the rather mental Saints Row: The Third, which is sure to be a popular attraction. We’ll have the latest on these titles shortly after the event so stay tuned for that. As well as the plethora of fighting games I’ve already mentioned, Namco Bandai will also be bringing Ridge Racer: Unbounded to the expo for the driving fans who may feel a bit lost amongst all the violence. You can check out the official poster below, but be sure to read on, there's plenty more!
Undoubtedly the publisher with the highest headcount is Nintendo, who will be bringing seven big titles to this year’s MCM Expo. Super Mario 3D Land will available to play, as well as the hugely anticipated titles Mario Kart 7 and Zelda Skyward Sword, the latter of which is looking up to be one of the best titles to ever grace the Wii. On top of that, MCM visitors will also be able to get a first look at Luigi’s Mansion 2, a play of Kirby’s adventure as well as a gander at Go Vacation. Gander is definitely the right word.
It seems to be an unwritten law that you can’t have an anime expo without Final Fantasy, so keeping to that rule Square Enix will be bringing Final Fantasy XIII-2 to the Expo for a hands-on special. On top of that, the Japanese developer will be showcasing next year’s Hitman: Absolution, which is likely to be a demonstration of the library scene portrayed in recent trailers.
Of course, the games themselves aren’t the only gaming related sights to see. Top grade voice actors will also be attending the expo, with names such as Gideon Emery (Batlhier from FF XII, Fenris from Dragon Age II and protagonist Sgt. Blackburn from Battlefield 3), Philip Shahbaz (also known as Altair) and Vic Mignogna (who voices Broly from Dragon Ball Z) set to grace the event. Other guests include Adam Howden, Eve Miles and Aaron Ashmoore, so any kind of gamer is sure to find someone they know or admire.
That’s a rap for now; of course I’ve just covered the gaming centred info, but if you’re also interested in what else you can see at this year’s Expo then head over to the official MCM Expo site. We’ll have the latest hand-on previews and news direct from the Expo when it opens next weekend from the 28th to the 30th of October, so be sure to check in with us. Tickets are still available if you’re interested in attending - I hope I can see you there!
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