by Cody “Micajah” Bye
Germany may be commonly known as the destination for
individuals seeking amazing beer and quality lederhosen, but it has
also grown to be one of the prime destinations for computer and video
game aficionados. The Leipzig Games Convention, based out Leipzig,
Germany, is one of the largest gaming shows in the entire world. With
over 134,00 in attendance for the 2005 show and183,000 in 2006
convention, the 2007 convention is expected to be just as immense, if
not more so. If 200,000 attendees were waiting at the Leipzig doorstep
it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone and the tourist shops
would clap their hands with joy. Steins for everyone!
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We're journeying to
the beautiful Leipzig, Germany.
Everything gaming related is being displayed at the show,
anything from console to PC to mobile. Showcased mostly via European
developers and publishing houses, the games will certainly be a far cry
from the standard titles we see in the North American gaming stores.
Small European titles rarely see the light of day on American soil, so
for the American press (like us) it’s a trip into a whole new
world. From an industry standpoint, the Leipzig Games Convention has
been on the lips of every executive, PR firm, and press network. Where
the E3 convention used to be the event that everyone prepared for, it
has now become the Leipzig Games Convention. The whole event seems like
a week long extravaganza, similar to what the pre-2007 E3 used to
entail. Even with the “shady James Bond-esque
parties” to the numerous beer halls throughout Leipzig,
business will still be attended to while officials from developers and
publishers look for more publicity or try to sell their product to
potential customers or investors.
For the first time, Ten Ton Hammer will be sending an entire
crew of reporters to the event in Leipzig. John Hoskin, Phil Comeau,
Jeff Woleslagle, Garrett Fuller and Cody Bye will be making the ten
hour plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean, making a few stops in
airports along the way before finally arriving in Leipzig.
It’s going to mean some early mornings for several of us (I
get to be at the airport by 6:45 a.m.) but we’re willing to
get you the coverage that we all think you deserve.
So what kind of coverage should you expect from the Ten Ton
Hammer crew?
First and foremost, the unveiling of the last two
style="font-style: italic;">Warhammer Online
playable races will be covered in its entirety by the Ten Ton Hammer
team. Anything and everything you’ll ever want to know about
the two new races will be pouring out of our fingers and into detailed
descriptions of what you should expect from the two newest entries into
the Warhammer Online
world.
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The Leipzig Games
Convention Logo.
By quickly glancing over the rest our schedule, I can assure
you that every day will feature new articles that will head straight on
to Ten Ton Hammer. Some of the appointments we have scheduled include
chats with the developers of World
of Warcraft, EVE Online,
style="font-style: italic;"> The Chronicles of Spellborn,
Age of Conan
and Fury.
You’re going to be receiving a full round of information from
Dreamlords
and you should be on the look-out for some new tidbits from the folks
at Entropia Universe.
Even with all our scheduled appointments, there will still be
several developers and games that surprise us with their ambitious
ideas and incredible goals. They’ll catch our eye, and
we’ll be sure to write all about these new projects. Rest
assured, new games will be unveiled at the event, and we’ll
make sure that you’re the first readers to hear about it.
That’s our job…that’s what
we’re paid to do.
On top of articles, we’re going to have a whole load
of video available on the website during and after the event.
We’ll do our best to get you sneak peeks at anything and
everything we find interesting. Developer interviews, fan interviews,
gameplay footage, fresh looks at older software, it’s all
going to be pushed through our servers. Our tech folks will cry at the
bandwidth we’re eating, but it will be worth it for you to
see what we see. Our camera hands will be steady, and it’ll
be a fantastic week long look at Germany.
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Expect a ton of new
information concerning the last two race's in EA Mythic's
style="font-style: italic;"> Warhammer Online.
Finally, you know that we’re going to have oogles
and joogles of pictures. We had over 100 at FanFaire and 400 at
BlizzCon. With a whole week of pictures to display, I’m sure
we’ll be pushing close to a thousand pictures by the time
everything is said and done. It may sound like a lot, but there are
tons and tons of things to look at during these shows. And
we’re going to capture it all on our digital prints.
Aside from the Leipzig content, you can always find your MMOG
needs throughout the rest of our Ten Ton Hammer network. Our Vanguard
forums continue to smoke with activity, the WoW site churns out content
at a breakneck pace, and the LotRO site is full of terrific guides and
materials to learn from. If you get tired of reading about Leipzig and
our Games Convention absurdity, you have those materials to fall back
on.
By the time we finally reach our homes in the New World again,
we’ll have looked at hundred of games, spoken to dozens of
developers, consumed a large quantity of beer, and slept for only a few
hours. It’s going to be a grand a glorious trip, and I
encourage you all to stay tuned as the Leipzig coverage rolls out!
Make sure you check out all
our Leipzig Games Convention 2007
coverage!
