With last year's EB Games Expo breaking records and giving Australians one of their first experience with the PS4 and Xbox One, the 2014 expo is set to be all about the games.
Returning to the Sydney Showgrounds at Sydney Olympic Park between October 3-5, this year's show is destined to be the biggest expo yet, with organisers confirming that it will host a brand new pavilion, expanding to a whopping 35,000 square metres.
The fourth annual event from the games retailer is set to improve on last year's event in almost every way, with more exhibitors, more games and more engaging events for the whole family.
With only hours left until the show floor opens, here's a roundup of everything we know about this year's show
1. All aboard the gaming train
Now that we have the Xbox One and PS4 on shelves around the country, this year's expo is going to be less about the hardware and more about the software.
And with that in mind, the folks at EBGames are right on top of things, confirming that all the major publishers are confirmed for the event.
2K Games, Activision, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Nintendo, Playstation, Ubisoft, Warner Bros and Xbox will all be at the show, exhibiting their wares.
And the lineup of titles they are bringing with them is spectacular. Assassin's Creed: Unity, Far Cry 4, Evolve, Sunset Overdrive, Super Smash Bros., Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Battlefield Hardline, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, LittleBigPlanet 3 are all confirmed for the show floor, offering a wide spectrum of titles for the various next-gen consoles.
This will be the country's first opportunity to get hands on experience with some of the year's most anticipated games.
2. Early access
If you thought that collection of games was stellar, consider this: It doesn't even include the early-access titles that will be available for hands-on experience during the event.
Gamers looking to try their hand at some of this year's most anticipated titles will be able to, with Forza Horizon 2, NBA 2K15, WWE 2K15, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, The Crew, Alien: Isolation, The Evil Within and Borderlands The Pre-Sequel all confirmed as hands-on playable.
Of course, if the games you want to check out are due for launch in 2015, you may not go away disappointed, with Project Cars, #DRIVECLUB, The Witcher 3, Driveclub, Project Cars and Dragon Ball Xenoverse all set for the show floor.
3. Experience Evil
While the EB Games Expo falls a little bit early to celebrate halloween, that doesn't mean you won't be able to enjoy a few scares, courtesy of Bethesda.
Expo visitors will get a taste of the full Fright Nights maze Bethesda has produced with Warner Bros Movie World on the Gold Coast to promote upcoming horror game The Evil Within.
If getting your pants stained in the real world is a bit too intense for you, you'll also be able to get your hands on the game at the show.
4. Double jump with CoD: Advanced Warfare hands on
The annual behemoth franchise Call of Duty's 2014 entry is all set to bring some Titanfall-esque double jumping to the franchise, and that can only be a good thing.
Advanced Warfare has been confirmed for the 2014 EB Games Expo, with 36 multiplayer stations set up at the Xbox booth allowing players to shoot other players in the face competitively.
Four game modes (Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Hardpoint and a new mode called Uplink) will be on offer across four different maps, so there will be a spot of variety available to check out at the event
Sadly, it's unlikely you'll get to play as Kevin Spacey though.
5. Meet some next-gen developers
Anyone looking forward to upcoming next-gen titles Sunset Overdrive or Forza Horizon 2 will be happy to know that Microsoft is bringing the two games' devs over for the EB Games Expo.
Marcus Smith, creative director at Insomniac and Ben Penrose, art director at Playground Games, will be on hand to talk about the making of the two games.
Both will be key speakers at the event, and will probably be found hanging around the Xbox stand. Perhaps playing their own games, perhaps playing Call of Duty... Who can say?
6. Robot wars
All that extra space at this year's show needs to be filled somehow, and EB Games is filling it in quite possibly the best way possible: Fighting Robots.
Yes, that's right, the 2014 EB Games Expo is hosting the UK Robot Wars, including three of the UK's top fighting Robots on display.
The 100kg mega robots, Ripper, Thor, and Meggamouse, will all be on display, with free demonstrations, Q & As with the roboteers and photo opportunities happening every session.
On top of that, smaller 13.6kg feather-weight robots will also be on display, offering plenty of robotic entertainment for the whole family.
7. Laser skirmish
First person shooters are good and all, but nothing beats the true immersion of a great game of laser skirmish.
A custom-made battlefield is being constructed at the event, with teams selecting from a variety of weapons to fight for supremacy.
It's going to cost a bit extra on top of your admission, with tickets available from the EB mini store outside the EB Action stadium where the laser skirmish is being held.
8. EB Community
Want live shows? Enjoy panels? Curious about Q and As? Then the EB Community is for you.
A new mega-stage will seat 1000 showgoers, and will host Cosplay competitions, a Q & A with the crew from the ABC's Good Game program, and a couple of shows from comedian and gamer John Robertson.
A smaller stage will also offer insights on games journalism, trivia sessions, debates and other panels.
More details are sure to be revealed as the event gets closer, but there are already some key events you won't want to miss.
9. EB Live
If you own a next-gen console, you may be lamenting the lack of amazing next-gen exclusive titles.
That's all set to change towards the end of the year, and while we don't know exactly what to expect from the publishers on the show floor yet, we do know that the EB Live stage will offer publishers big and small an opportunity to show off their titles.
The fully-decked stage will show of HD sneak peeks of gameplay, trailers and more, presented by international and local developers and publishers.
The final lineup will be announced closer to the event, but expect some blockbuster bombshells.
10. EB Megastore
The EB Games Expo may be the biggest gaming event we have here in Australia, but let's not forget that EB Games is, at its heart, a games retailer.
So it's no surprise that EB is bringing back its Megastore to this year's show.
The biggest EB Games store in the world, the Megastore will offer the latest games, iconic collectibles, and the ability to pre-order upcoming titles from the show floor.
EB is also offering the ability to pay a small fee to have purchases shipped home, so you don't have to carry it around the show floor all day.
11. Family Day
Games aren't all face-shooting violence, remember. They can also be a great way for families to spend time together. Enter the EB Games Family Day.
A dedicated Family Zone will offer face painting for your kidlets, alongside caricature artists, magicians and more.
A new play area will let the kids burn some energy, while a new Family Zone cafe will help parents get a much-needed caffeine hit.
3DS users will be able to wrack up the street pass hits at the new Lovesac Handheld Lounge, while competitions will be held throughout the show.
And if all that's not enough, there's also going to be a special family-themed Good Game show, a one-of-a-kind video game parade, and the ability for kids to meet and greet their favourite video game heroes.
There's also guaranteed gaming goodness for the kidlets, with Just Dance 2015, Singstar: Ultimate Party, Lego Batman 3, Disney Infinity 2.0 and Skylanders Trap Team all playable on the show floor.
And if you want another reason to take the young'uns, each ticket holder who plays Skylanders Trap Team will receive a free Gearshift Trap Master Character. Given the character won't be available to purchase until next year, it's a pretty good incentive.
12. Freeplay City
While the emphasis of the EB Games Expo is going to be on those bright and shiny new AAA titles landing in the leadup to the all important Christmas period, it's important to remember your roots.
To do that at the expo, there's Freeplay City, where retro consoles and arcades reside for you to take that trip down memory lane.
It's not all old games though, with a section dedicated to the next gen consoles, allowing you to experiment with the PS4 and Xbox One.
13. Home Grown Gaming
Australia isn't just a country full of Kangaroos and Koalas and venomous everything - it is also home to a fantastic local developer scene.
The Home Grown Gaming area of the EB Games Expo is the area to showcase that local talent, with over 20 of Australia's best and brightest developers showcasing their wares to the public.
A dedicated tech zone will also allow gamers to see all the things that make the production of local games possible.
Thanks to the Indie Dev showcase, a series of development workshops are on offer from educator AIE to help promising young devs get a start in the lucrative career of games development.
14. X-citing X-Men stuff
An exciting opportunity for X-Men fans at the Expo on the Sunday, as Digital Effects Supervisor Adam Paschke of Rising Sun Pictures will explain exactly how they managed to create that awesome Quicksilver scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Iceman actor Sean Ashmore will also appear via webcam for a Q&A session with the crowd in the EB Arena.
While the connection to games is a little thin here, the upside is that there will also be X-Men prize packs to win, as well as a special screening of Days of Future Past, while props and costumes from the movie will also be on display.
15. Just 'Cos
What would a games expo be without a touch of Cosplay?
Just 'Cos is an open, casual cosplay competition, where amateur and professional cosplayers can compete for a whole bunch of EB Games prizes throughout the expo.
Participants will be able to compete solo or in groups, with registrations happening between 9am-10am each day.
There's also an opportunity to be part of the EB Games Expo Video Game Parade on the Sunday to finish off the event.
As always, TechRadar will be there to keep you up to date with all the news as it happens, but in the meantime, let us know what you're most excited to see from this year's EB Games Expo.
