Not only have I played games my whole life, but I also have a big pile of shame. Never having been to a big games fan convention before was definitely on that pile. But not anymore!
I feel like I’ve won a golden ticket, like Charlie, but as an Oompa Loompa: I was working at the Gamescom! So, I want to give you some insight into the role of a small exhibitor, why the business area was such a cool experience, and, of course, my impression of the rest of Gamescom and of the games I saw. Let’s start.
What You’ll Find in This Blog About Gamescom:
- Exploring the Gamescom Business Area
- Game Demos to Watch For
- Gamescom Merch Area
- Tips for future Visitors
Business Area
For us (a team of 3), Gamescom started on Tuesday. None of us had ever been to Köln (Cologne) before, so finding the correct entrance to the right hall of Koelnmesse GmbH was hard.
If you have this problem too, we figured it out after the first failed attempt by putting “Koelnmesse Gate 3” directly into Google Maps, but we still missed taking 2 weird lanes again.
When you leave the bridge (quite a curve to the right), you need to switch to the right lane; do not continue straight ahead!
After that, you need to take the left lane and drive up the hill. Note that this is only the exhibitor entrance, so if you’re just a normal visitor, you’ll have to park somewhere else.
But enough about parking. What did I do there, and why was I an exhibitor?
How to be a Gamescom Exhibitor?
This year, the state of Saxony in Germany had its own stand. My company, VRketing, was part of the XR & Games stand.
We showcased games like MusicVR and Mixed Reality Football (check out our Insta!). We shared our stand with Actrio Studio and Wanderweg Games, who presented a puzzle game and a tower defense game.
One special thing about the business area: it is flooded with alcohol 🍺
No matter if it’s the Bavaria stand or the big Korean Pavilion next to us, you will hear “Do you want a beer?” all the time. Easier to make business this way, I guess.
Most people actually joined the business area on Wednesday when Gamescom was only open to the press and specialists. Hall 4 closes on Friday, but the congress continues over the weekend.
Gamescom 2024 takes place in Cologne from August 21 to 25, kicked off by Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 20.
How to Be a Gamescom Visitor?
To attend Gamescom 2024 as a visitor, make sure to buy your tickets early. Me and my colleagues on the other hand had normal access with our business ticket, like any other visitor.
So in my free time, I was able to look around a bit and check out other companies and their games.
I was most impressed with the “Korea Pavilion.” They presented a bunch of innovative and cool projects. My favorites were Hidden Pictures: Agent Q, a cute MR game on Quest 3; Another Door: Escape Room, a co-op horror escape room; and DIDIM. Didim is not only the sound the Netflix-Logo makes, but also a laser projector area for 1 to 4 players. You can choose between a variety of games, from brain skills to fitness. This was very fun!
I also liked the VR dungeon management game named Underworld Overseer on Quest 3. Throwing goblins to create them and make them work for you was a nice touch.
Gamescom 2024 New Games
Luckily, two more people joined our team, so I finally got a little tour on Friday morning to check out some of the biggies as a visitor.
Star Wars Outlaws
The first game I could actively test was Star Wars Outlaws. You play as the character Kay with her alien pet, Nix, and can select up to 3 missions to try out.
I chose the first one, where you are on board an Empire starship and have to manipulate some controls. The first part was sneaking around, but of course, it didn't stay that way for long: time to shoot them lasers *pew pew*!
You’re equipped with a small revolver-like gun, Han Solo style, which can shoot normal blasts or electric shocks.
I immediately liked the brutal sound of this blaster. You could really feel the impact on white stormtrooper helmets (also, the headphone volume was turned up a lot).
Anyway, I killed some stormtroopers with another machine gun blaster and a sniper rifle. Additionally you can give Nix some commands to distract, attack, or even steal from guards. I couldn't figure out all of the controls that quickly but it did not matter, because the Empire got the best of me shortly after.
So much was happening in the UI, and I couldn’t really figure out what was what. It was an overload of controls and interface visuals for the first try. Was it because you get thrown into the game at a later stage, or was it simply just too much?
Anyway, I just played for a short time because greater things were waiting for me.
Crimson Desert
I am a HUUUGE fan of FromSoft Games, so trying out Crimson Desert was kinda mandatory. I didn’t wait long in line (it was before 10 a.m.), and around 30 people could enter at the same time.
First, we watched a 20-minute intro video that explains the playable demo. In this, you can try out 4 bosses and the main feature of Crimson Desert: the Combat.
Your character is a fighter of some sorts in the world of Pywel, and you usually play with a sword and shield, but (surprisingly for me, because I didn’t play Black Desert) you can also perform some martial arts moves.
I have no idea about the franchise, yet I am intrigued to find out much more about the world and story.
Next to that, several interesting skills are available, like turning into some crow state for flying or launching a fatal fist blow, just like One Punch Man.
Your basic sword gameplay also looks really nice.
“I am familiar with this gameplay,” I thought when I saw the demo video. But I was already a bit confused about why they took so much time to explain the controls.
The following play session was 30 minutes, and we could try to beat 4 different bosses: the Staglorn, Reed Devil, White Horn, and the Queen Stoneback Crab (which reminded me a bit of Shadow of the Colossus). I chose the first two and was ready for some action.
Well… I died. And died. Got a hit in, rolled a few times, and died again.
Bottom line, I got beaten up more times than the B-Button when I faced The Dancer in Dark Souls III.
Not only (but mostly) due to my lack of skills, the game is hard! You have some elements like a stamina bar, which you need to keep track of.
But the wide variety of moves just has to be learned. And the enemies were feisty. I tried to parry or riposte the first boss, but I could only manage to do it sometimes with the Reed Devil.
Perky little bastard. I felt like the timing was unforgiving. It seems like a fast game with stubbornly slow input, if that makes sense?
The Souls Games have some similarities, but a big difference is the style and looks, especially the effects. My screen was full of awesome performance killers like lights and particle effects, which made every (landed) attack look freaking incredible.
And here we are at graphics. To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed because I expected more from the trailers, but overall it was very decent. And you will not focus too much on that when you play the game, trust me. You will be busy trying to survive somehow, for hours to come.
Please, other game reviewers, say this is a hard game as well, so I don't look like a noob!
Anyway, I had a fun gaming session and received a nice bag. And I also really liked Crimson Desert! My kind of game!
Gamescom Merch Area
Back to less frustrating (but still thrilling) experiences, I went to Hall 5 for some sweet merch. Lucky me, I could be there before they opened and got 3 shirts, freshly printed with my favorite designs. They were for my girlfriend, a friend, and me. Here you can see what I got. The whole place is basically nerd heaven if you can afford it. In my opinion, the prices were okay; I actually expected to pay more.
For the 3 shirts, I paid 50€, as a special offer. I saw more expensive and cheaper prices too, depending on what you like. Maybe you are more interested in a figure of your fav game or a plush Kirby. Don’t miss out on getting your loved ones some gifts.
Tips for Future Visits
Gamescom is one of, if not the most visited game fan congresses in Europe. There are a lot of people visiting, which also brings some negative things with it.
I had one experience where I was stuck in a mass of people who wanted to go up, but security had only one escalator lane for upstairs (and three lanes down), and they cut that way a minute before I could go back up again. So, I had to find my way around to get back to my group, which took some time.
Some tips: take something to drink with you and something (or someone) to entertain you while waiting in line. And go to the toilet before you decide to try out a game.
Conclusion
Other than that, I had a really nice time. As a games nerd, Gamescom is a must-go. The business area has been in Hall 4 and Merch in Hall 5.
Hall 9 was probably the highlight with Monster Hunter Wilds and others. In Hall 6, I saw Crimson Desert, next to Assassin’s Creed, and Star Wars.
What I missed (but hopefully can play soon) is the Gothic Remake, the game I basically grew up with. The original is from 2001 by Piranha Bytes, and I think I’m going to make a whole blog post about this. So keep posted.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and enjoy Gamescom!
