Split/Second coming to the Expo

Just imagine. Imagine a world where for just £6 you could attend a fabulous gaming show packed full of incredible games, organised by your favourite website and attended by all of your lovely friends. Wouldn't that be beautiful?

Well, do not imagine. Not only because it stunts your growth and give you hairy hands, but because there's no need - all of these things are the stuff of dreams no longer. The Eurogamer Expo is a ray of electronic sunshine, reaching down into all of your lives, offering hope and encouragement in a time of hard lessons and disappointment. The Eurogamer Expo is also going to feature Black Rock's brand new racing game Split/Second, plus super-sequels Mass Effect 2 and Army of Two: The 40th Day. It's like the incredible non-denominational annual celebration of your choice come early.

Split/Second is looking like increasingly big potatoes every time we see it, and we don't just say that because Black Rock lives within punching distance of the EG office. Featuring not only a fine racing model but also a series of massive explosions, Split/Second will hopefully close the gap between the satisfaction of a racing sim and the thrill of arcade driving. The game revolves around the concept of 'power plays', hugely explosive set-pieces which are activated by players as they hurtle around the track. These will range from exploding buses to collapsing airport terminals, altering tracks and detonating opponents. Not only that, it looks like it'll be pretty enough to take home to Momma, too.

Game Director at Black Rock, Nick Baynes, was literally frothing with excitement whilst he explained what makes the Expo so thrilling:

"I'm really excited at giving gamers in Europe the first chance to play Split/Second at the Eurogamer Expo! The Xbox 360 version will be playable and it's a great opportunity for everyone attending to take the game for a spin on the show floor. We won the Best Racing Game of E3 2009 at E3 which was a real honour and we're all looking forward to seeing the reaction we get here. We were disappointed not to be involved with last year's Expo with our previous title, PURE, as we'd just come off the back of an incredibly successful E3 and won the Best Racing Game of E3 2008, and wanted to show off the game to as many hardcore gamers as possible. The timings didn't quite work for us then but this year we're looking forward to sharing our game with the Eurogamer readers so far in advance of our release early next year. We'll also be taking part in the auditorium talks so come to tell us what you all think of Split/Second!"

And he's right - Black Rock will also be participating in the auditorium discussions which we'll be hosting, bringing the industry's brightest and best to talk directly to you, passing on solid gold fact nuggets like swine flu on the Underground. More details to follow, along with the other speakers, so stay tightly tuned.

Oh yes, and just as a casual aside - we're also going to be graced by the presence of two fantastic looking sequels on the show floor, both from publishing super giant EA. There's Army of Two: The 40th Day - the follow up to last year's testosterone-drenched PMC shooter. A very animated fellow gave us the low down on it at Gamescom in August, and if his excitement is anything to go by, it should be pretty special.

The other game? Oh that's just a little old thing we like to call Mass Effect 2. You might have heard of it. I've played it. Bet you haven't. Nyahhh.

What are you waiting for? Get to the chopper!