It’s almost that time of year again, where I descend upon a convention centre somewhere in the United Kingdom (this year, the NEC) and devour as many upcoming games as I possibly can in the space of four days.

EGX is almost upon us. This year I will, unfortunately, be flying solo. This doesn’t mean a slowdown in content, however. I’ll still be coming back with hands-on impressions of as many games as I can get time with. There will also be a post-show podcast and I’ve got a bunch of interviews lined up again too.

Look out for all of that from next Tuesday.

I had been hoping to share my appointment schedule, so you could see what interviews I’d be coming back with. However, I’m still trying to nail down a few bits and pieces. So that’s not happening.

What I’ve decided to do instead is present you with this list of the ten games I am most looking forward to getting hands-on time with at the show. Enjoy.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

This one is probably a given. I’ve been excited for Guerilla Games’ next project since it was first announced at E3 last year. When it popped up on the playable games list for EGX I almost lost it.

After seeing two very lengthy gameplay presentations for the upcoming open-world action game, I’m eagerly anticipating getting the chance to give it a go myself. It will be the first thing I go to play. And God help anyone that gets in the way.

World of Final Fantasy

While everyone is hyped about getting to try Final Fantasy XV at the show, I’m actually quite looking forward to trying out the other Final Fantasy game – World of Final Fantasy.

World of Final Fantasy was barely on my radar for a long while. It had the unfortunate honour of preceding the announcement of the Final Fantasy VII Remake at E3 in 2015, almost feeling like it was being swept under the rug. But the more I’ve heard about the game and how it works, the more I’ve been looking forward to getting to try it. Something I’ll be making a priority at EGX later this week.

Tales of Berseria

And while we’re on the subject of JRPG’s, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the next game in the Tales series will be making an appearance at EGX. It seems that Bandai Namco are bringing their A-game to the show in a way they haven’t done since I’ve been in attendance.

My love of the Tales series almost rivals my love of the Final Fantasy series, so the chance to get hands-on with Tales of Berseria. The changes that the Bandai Namco team are making to the way combat works has me very intrigued and I’m greatly looking forward to trying it out this week.

Little Nightmares

Speaking of Bandai Namco, they’re also bringing Little Nightmares with them. I fell in love with this game on sight, back when Tarsier Studios first announced it as Hunger last year. After fearing it was about to become vapourware, it was a relief to see it re-emerge with a new name and a new publisher.

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows

After speaking with one of the games developers at last year’s EGX, as well as getting to try the game out, I’ve had this game on my radar for the past year. Now I get to go back to EGX and play it again.

This year Witching Hour are bringing the Prologue with them, which I will be getting some time with. I also have an interview lined up and will be attempting to extract as many secrets as possible about the game.

Tokyo 42

After the excellence of Frozen Synapse I always make it a point to keep an eye out for any new Mode 7 game, because they’re usually very different and pretty great. Tokyo 42 is no exception. It’s got a striking, bold art style and looks like it will be great fun to play solo and competitively. I’ll let you know next week.

Yooka-Laylee

After releasing the Toybox earlier this year, Playtonic Games are bringing the first ever playable demo of Yooka-Laylee to EGX this week. As someone who grew up on the type of 3D platformers that Yooka-Laylee is paying homage to, and specifically the Rare games that the Playtonic devs had a hand in creating, that’s huge.

While I backed the Kickstarter, I didn’t back it at the level that would have given me access to the Toybox demo, preferring instead to wait for my first taste of Yooka-Laylee to be the actual game. Instead I now get the opportunity to go hands-on with a piece of the full game in Birmingham later this week.

Playstation VR

While I don’t know what I’ll be playing on PSVR (and I imagine I’ll get to try more than one VR game while I’m at the show), I do have an appointment booked to try it once again this Saturday evening, as well as a list of playable games. Usually, these games are assigned at random. However, Resident Evil 7 is among them.

I will be fighting tooth and nail to play that demo with a virtual reality headset strapped to my face. Hopefully, much like Kitchen last year, I will be able to make it happen through sheer will and determination. Truth be told, I’ll be happy as long as the game I get isn’t EVE: Valkyrie. Not that there’s anything wrong with EVE: Valkyrie, but I’ve been “randomly” assigned that game at the last two EGX’s…I’d really like to play something else this time.

Sonic Mania

I just have to know. It looks like everything I want out of a Sonic game. But I just have to know…

The Surprises

This isn’t one game. Every year EGX throws multiple surprises at anyone who attends. I had never heard of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows or Eitr before attending last year, but now they’re firmly amongst my most anticipated upcoming games. This year, I’m sure, will be no different.

The Square Enix Collective are announcing a brand new game that will be playable on the showfloor. There are plenty of games hidden on the playable games list that I’ve never heard of that I will no doubt get to try. And anyone who has ever been to the Leftfield Collection knows that you can never anticipate what you’re likely to find there…

With a lack of many games I was hopeful would be at the event, I’ll have more time to seek out these surprises