It is done. rAge Expo 2016 was a phenomenal experience. South African gamers came out in droves to celebrate this favourite pastime of ours. Here’s our opinion of the show.
rAge Expo 2016 was a rather interesting prospect. Not in a bad way mind you. I’m of the opinion that the direction that was taken this year made it a better gaming expo. It was packed to the rafters with fans as is always the case every year. But the floor plan felt better suited to handle the large numbers. As a result, it felt less claustrophobic this year. So well done to the organisers for addressing the issues of previous expos.
Our very own little E3-esque experience
rAge Expo 2016: The Games
Let’s get to the reason we all came to our gaming mecca. Games. Lots of games. There were a ton of varied titles for fans to try out. All the big publishers had a playable showing. Some were restricted to behind closed doors viewing, while a lot of the titles that are about to be released were front and center on the show floor. The team had a couple of rounds of Gears of War 4 MP and Horde. It was really fun taking on some of the fans. One minor complaint is that the game was running on an OG Xbox One instead of Xbox One S. Furthermore, they had it on 1080p displays. A missed opportunity. This would have been the perfect place to showcase the Xbox One S and Gears 4’s HDR features on a 4K display. Still, we enjoyed our sessions with the game.
The Gears of War 4 booth, many fans were slain by the SkyGamers Team
In addition to Gears, we tried out some Fifa 17. I’ll admit, we’re not that great at sports games, so it was a slaughter fest. 2 of the team members had a go at the eagerly awaited Gran Turismo Sport. The game is just gorgeous. I’m totally in love with it as a racing fan. rAge had a full steering wheel set up and a standard Dualshock 4 set up. I’ll be honest, the build that was on the show floor felt off-ish. As a resident GT fan in the team, I was a bit let down. The handling felt floaty and the cars tend to push wide regardless of drivetrain. Perhaps it was good that the game is delayed so Polyphony can make it as great as it can be.
The Epic Gran Turismo Sport, steering wheel set up. Try it once, Fall in love forever.
Our Team member trying his hand at GTS, and failing to hit the apex!
rAge Expo 2016: Cosplay
Cosplayers were at the show by the numbers. We got to see a ton of varied characters and designs. Beautiful, detailed costumes were on show. One of the best showing yet. Not to mention the Cosplay competition where skits were performed for the fans. Very entertaining stuff. A big round of applause to all the guys who put in so much effort in making those stunning costumes.
Talk about attention to detail!
rAge Expo 2016: VR
rAge Expo 2016 pièce de résistance was the numerous VR setups displayed. We’re talking HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. Fans who’ve never had the opportunity to try out VR finally got to experience it. From all the major players in the segment. The only caveat being the ridiculously long lines you’d have to wait to play a game for a few minutes. I finally got to try out PlayStation VR for the first time. Hands down, I’m sold on the device. Expect a full impression post about the device soon.
Getting immersed in the virtual world
In conclusion, rAge 2016 was a glorious geek experience. Due to the exceptional event organising and the awesome gaming deals on show. This is by far my favourite rAge to date. If you guys did attend what did you enjoy the most about rAge? Share your comments with us in the comments below or on our social media pages. As always keep it locked to SkyGamers.co.za.
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