WORLD EXCLUSIVE: GAMEFest: Eyes-On Impressions

So, we've just passed the weekend where Great Britain's new major video gaming convention, GAMEFest 2011, took place in the Birmingham NEC. I was there for a full day, and in the next few posts will encompass my findings on some of the biggest upcoming games this year and next. First up, the titles I saw for a brief time, getting some first impressions on a mixture of major and minor entries...

• Forza Motorsport 4: Same old Forza but with snazzier graphics and Kinect controls, looking like the peak of video game racing! (October 14th)
• Kinect Sports: Season Two: Enjoy last year's Kinect Sports? You'll love this- darts, golf, American Football etc round off a great package full of charm and humour, the perfect Christmas party starter. (October 28th) 
• GoldenEye 007: Reloaded: Last year's Wii GoldenEye 007 shooter was ace- this is your chance to play it on 360/PS3 in dazzling high definition. Not much new other than the visuals, obviously. (November 4th)
• Mass Effect 3: One of my most anticipated games of 2012, this epic conclusion to the sci-fi trilogy features a refined version of ME2's shooter engine, looking sublime in the opening level. (March 6th, 2012)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations: The multiplayer modes (returning from Brotherhood) were on show at GAMEFest, and while there was very little notable difference fans should enjoy playing with the new characters and environments. (November 15th)
• Mario And Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games: Predictably, if you played the 2008 Olympic Games version, you'll very much know what to expect here. All the events from the competition, and stadiums with a typically British theme. (November 29th)
• Street Fighter X Tekken: This mash-up of two big fighting franchises looked surprisingly subdued in the demo, featuring little in the way of innovation or selling points. Let's hope Capcom can provide some real incentives for cash next year...(Summer 2012)
• Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection: There isn't much I can say about this one you don't already know- the classic MGS PS2/Xbox games, remade with slightly better graphics (nothing groundbreaking, mind), complex and convoluted as ever. (November)
• Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D: One of the HD Collection's games gone 3D for DS, nothing revolutionary yet a good one for the franchise fans to savour. (Spring 2012)
• The Lord of the Rings: War In The North: Easily one of the goriest, hacky-slashiest games on show, War In The North looked like a decent RPG, but this year is going to struggle with the likes of Dragon Age II, Dead Island and Skyrim here to stay. (November 25th)

In the next few days and posts, I'll round up my hands-on impressions with the games I got better and longer looks at last weekend! (Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/ME3cover.jpg)