Eurogamer 2012: In Pictures

Games and speeches are not the only things Eurogamer is for. Here are some pics of the other side of Britain's biggest games expo.

Queuing - with thousands of people attending Eurogamer over its four-day run, the huge queue is like a loading screen to get inside. Take sandwiches. Or a press pass

Neon lights, sports cars; women with no trousers on. With so much competition at Eurogamer, companies resort to flashy and inventive ways to get punters to play their games. This very fast car was being used to promote F1 2012.

This computer game...pod...thing was available to sit inside at the Gran Turismo 5 stand. Other peripherals and gaming chairs included a hydraulic driving seat for GRID, and of course...

Yes. Nintendo's motion-sensitive money machine had Eurogamers queuing round the whole show floor to play it. Rayman Legends, New Super Brothers U and Zombi U were all available for hands-on demos.

Rather than hire conventional bouncers, Nintendo was keeping the rowdy Wii U queue in line with these two colourful, terrifying gentlemen. Of course, they weren't the only game characters wandering around...

Here we have Otacon and Sniper Wolf from Metal Gear Solid, just two of the many, many game cosplayers wandering around the show floor. There was Lara Croft and Nathan Drake (cute couple), Issac Clarke from Dead Space, the Minecraft guy, and about twenty blokes dressed as Altair. Of course, some people tried harder than others...

Nice work dude.

It wasn't all new releases. Courtesy of Replay Events, Eurogamer 2012 was host to a veritable timeline of olden days consoles and classic games. Despite the Black Ops II stand wailing nearby, these guys know where it's at, sitting down for some split-screen Goldeneye

Even this little guy made an appearance, looking, actually, quite big.

Competitive types at Eurogamer could prove their mettle in a few rounds of Tekken or Pro Evo, with an ongoing league table up for all to see on a big screen. Winners got t-shirts, and pride (sort of).

Samsung, NVidia and Razer were all on hand to show off their latest laptops and gizmos. Sony put on the biggest hardware show, filling the floor with this gigantic area full of Vitas and PS3s.

If you got bored of looking sensible, you could head over to the Just Dance booth to jump and down in the back of a van. Onlookers ranged from amused to baffled.

It's not all Black Ops and Halos: Eurogamer 2012 boasted a healthy turn out of amateur and indie games, all showcased in their own special area. Highlights included Proteus and The Button Affair

Of everything on show at Eurogamer, Crystal Dynamics' reboot of Tomb Raider was easily the best. Smart, strong, but believably vulnerable, the new Lara Croft could be the best computer game female character ever. Be sure to get it when it comes out in March next year.

Everything was going great until somebody took their eye off the Resident Evil 6 booth and the zombies got out. This poor bloke didn't stand a chance; everybody else made for the fire exit

Back in the light of day, it was time to bid Eurogamer farewell until 2013. With plenty of games on show, and some great presentations from the development teams, it's well worth booking your tickets for next year. See you there!