EA splashes nine games over the Expo

Well, it's that time again - more top quality titles have been announced for the Eurogamer Expo and, like some kind of cross between Gareth Barry and an BidUp TV infomercial, we're passing the facts on to you with unerring accuracy.

Stepping up to the plate today is big hitter EA, whose recent catalogue has been chock full of new IP. Being one of the world's biggest publishers, EA has packed a particularly sumptuous picnic-basket, with nine games being announced today and a not-so-subtle hint of more to follow. Ahem.

First up is Need for Speed, newly diverged into two separate variations. SHIFT for PC, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360, and Nitro on DS and Wii. We'll have two each of the PS3 and 360 versions of SHIFT and four pods with Wiis for those who feel tempted by a bit of Nitro. Happy days.

Also spreading its love equally between PS3 and 360 will be Pandemic's Irish racing driver/French resistance member/part-time plumber and social activist vehicle, Saboteur. Ellie previewed it for us not too long back, and came away impressed - particularly by the "hoses of death". Of course.

Perennial favourite FIFA will be in full effect, as 10 finally recognises that Aston Villa's statistics have been horribly nerfed over the last 48 iterations of the chart-topping footsieballer and accordingly turns Ashley Young into a man with iron thighs and ballerinas for feet. Can't blame them for not doing it sooner, really - only fair to give the others a chance.

For the more medievally-orientated amongst you, BioWare's decidedly grown-up RPG Dragon Age: Origins will be playable on both PS3 and 360. If you're unfamiliar with the low-fantasy extravaganza, check out our extensive coverage to get yourself in the mood.

Joining Dragon Age in the gruesome fantasy corner will be probably the most faithful videogame adaptation of 14th century Italian poetry ever conceived, as well as the only one: Dante's Inferno. It's looking grand, so man-up and dive into the depths of Hell for a taste of what's to come.

Also featuring demons, and segued smoothly as a result, is the increasingly awesome-looking new game from industry legend and all-round nice guy Tim Schafer: Brutal Legend. Double Fine rarely puts a foot wrong, being the studio which produced previous EG Top 50 topper Psychonauts, so hopes are very high for Brutal Legend. The inclusion of Rubenesque funnny-man Jack Black adds a little bit of Hollywood glitz to proceedings too. Sit down for a cosy chat between Tim and our very own Johnny Minkley and then try and tell us he's not a nice man. JUST TRY IT.

Moving on down the list, or up it, depending on your preferences, we're also overjoyed to announce fully playable copies of Rock Band: Beatles on the show floor. It needs no introduction whatsoever, and if you can manage to lever Johnny and Kristan off it long enough to get a go we're sure you'll be thrilled. However, please limit performances of Yellow Submarine to one a day upon pain of social exclusion.

Finally, and it's a big finally, we have the sequel to the most popular game of last year's show, Valve's Left 4 Dead 2. Set in New Orleans and featuring a whole new array of zombies, weapons and characters, Left 4 Dead 2 will probably be generating the sort of queues usually only at the bar on payday, so ready your frying pan and prepare to spang your way to victory. Luckily, EA has pre-empted the huge levels of gooey excitement we expect it to generate and allocated a tremendously generous 12 pods running it on Xbox 360 to the plight of the survivors - meaning waits should be minimal.

Which is probably enough excitement for now, actually. Just try not to spend too long thinking about what those extra announcements might be. Stop it. Go and buy a ticket instead.