Top 3 Meet Top 10

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1. Daily Column

I have returned. I must express my gratitude to to Cody and Phil for fulfilling my duties with respect to Loading... while they were knee-deep in MMOG news and content I was knee-deep in legal manuals investigating the German penal system and bailing Jeff out Deutschland's stockades. I for one could not believe that a rodeo clown could get into so much trouble. Colour me naive.

Concerned readers have flooded my mailbox with questions about Leipzig. I can answer the dozens of letters here, in this column, once and for all starting with the following three things that are extinct in Germany.

1) Air conditioning.
2) Bottled water. They call it mineral water and apparently it has been filtered through swine dung before being bottled and capped.
3) Deodorant.

There you have it. The largest game convention in the world is hosted in a gigantic building with no air-conditioning. Did I mention that the building also happens to be constructed out of glass? I felt like an ant under some giant's magnifying glass as I traipsed through this human greenhouse drinking swine-water and praying that the mob of sweating humanity before me had stumbled into a lavender field on the way to the show.

Those three irritations aside, the show was an uplifting experience. I was astonished by the amount of new information that the devs delivered. A big round of clap to the developers and publishers for pushing the show to the limit.

Once again it was a delight to attend an event on behalf of our readers. TenTonHammer.com represents you. For all intents and purposes we are you at these events. We ask the questions that you would ask and we feel the same emotional responses to the games that you would feel. Dealing with a common entity, whether it be at work or at play tends to desensitize a person. Fortunately, our team loves games and loves the industry with a fervour that continues to leave us in awe of what is set before us. We are truly kids in a candy store at these events and I trust that our enthusiasm and our raw emotion comes through in what we produce for you to enjoy. Capturing the essence of a gaming event is a daunting task. I truly hope that we have succeeded in giving you a taste of what it was like.

Leipzig is an event that gamers really should experience. Two and a half times the size of the once mighty E3 it concentrates our passion in a foreign land where gaming is the common language. Next year I would love to meet more of our fans at the show, or at any of the shows that we attend for that matter.

But alas, Leipzig is far away and travel is expensive. Not everyone can attend. That is where we come in. With this in mind I give you my Top 10 Must View Leipzig Nuggets.

10) EVE Online Interview With Arend StÃ¼hrmann
9) Age of Conan Screenshots
8) Vanguard SoH: Update 3 Video
7) Vanguard SoH: A New Beginning (Update 3 - All hail the dragon)
6) Booth Babe Photo Gallery - (That looks like it's sprayed on!)
5) Warhammer Online Press Conference Video
4) Lord of the Rings Online: Book 11 Preview (Let there be Balrogs!)
3) Age of Conan: Siege Interview With Tharaldsen and Ellingsen
2) Tabula Rasa: Video With Starr Long and Paul Sage
1) Warhammer Online: Video Interview with Barnett and Hickman