The most awesome things found at ESGS 2018

Every year, the Philippines’ Esports and Gaming Summit (ESGS) celebrates everything that’s new and awesome in the world of gaming.

This year was no different. From October 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia in Pasay, ESGS 2018 showcased new and upcoming games as well as the latest tech, high-octane eSports action, creative cosplay, loads of board games, and the whole kahuna. 

A list of all the awesome things found at ESGS 2018 is necessary.

Games… so many games!

ESGS 2018 certainly didn’t disappoint on the gaming front. Capcom brought playable demos of its two most eagerly anticipated titles, “Devil May Cry 5” and the “Resident Evil 2” remake. Those who tried the games out at the company’s booth not only got to fend off horrific monsters; they also got freebies in the form of high quality posters.

Many of the other booths also had games available for play. Fighting games like “Tekken 7” and “Street Fighter V” were everywhere, while MOBAs like “Dota 2” and digital card games such as “Hearthstone” were also generously represented.

Over at PLDT and Smart, attendees could try out the virtual reality (VR) sensation “Astro Bot: Rescue Mission” for the PlayStation 4.

Not to be outdone, major exhibitor Acer Predator boasted VR rigs, complete with headsets, laser guns, and suspended body harnesses that allowed attendees to run in place, spin in circles, and shoot at enemies only they could see through the VR screen.

On the local side of the game industry, Ranida Games showed off its fighting game “Bayani,” Monstronauts its endless swimmer “Rowan McPaddles,” and Dreamlords Digital its tactical RPG “Graywalkers Purgatory” and a new dark fantasy action RPG called “Ghost Knight Victis.”

Secret 6 had a series of activities revolving around its competitive shooter “Project Xandata,” while Synergy88’s “Barangay 143” area was fashioned like a perya, complete with perya-like games and prizes.

GMA NMI and its subsidiary Digify exhibited a bunch of mobile games such as “Encantadia Blast” and new side-scrolling platformer “Victor Magtanggol,” both based on GMA TV shows. They also showcased “Hop Pico Piko,” an endless hopscotch runner whose character designs they recently upgraded. All three games are already available for download for mobile devices.

Indie Fiesta and Game Developers Association of the Philippines returned, bringing with them a horde of innovative indie titles. The games on exhibit included mobile games such as “Brawl Quest,” “The Crop Circle Warriors,” and “Over Easy”; card games such as “Combatron,” “Lovestruck,” “BamZoozle,” “Bagani,” and “Pawikan Patrol”; and tabletop RPGs such as “Tadhana” and “Once Upon a Time in Jianghu.”

Speaking of tabletop gaming, ESGS 2018 and Ludus dedicated an enormous area to the hobby. Players sat at long tables laden with board games, card games, complex dioramas representing a variety of battlefields, and more.

Ludus’ booth was nearby, selling some of the latest and most popular games. Which brings us to…

Merchandise heaven

Oh boy, were there a lot of things to buy at ESGS 2018. Ludus had tabletop games covered. Hubbyte, Big Boys, and Great Toys offered a slew of action figures, anime statues, robots, and the like. There were Figmas, Nendoroids, S.H. Figuarts, Gundam models, superhero figures, and so much more.

Other booths sold shirts, jackets, caps, and other types of clothing, as well as accessories and bags.

Those into the more artsy stuff were in luck; the Artist Alley area had a rich variety of knickknacks for sale: pins, keychains, art prints, posters, and the like, all of them featuring beautiful renditions of popular characters from video games, comics, and anime.

One of the highlights was Kojima Productions’ booth, where attendees could purchase high quality stuff related to “Death Stranding” and all things Hideo Kojima. Fans couldn’t get enough of the t-shirts, tumblers, pins, phone cases, statuettes, and Norman Reedus’ bare-naked chest.

eSports extravaganza

ESGS 2018 was on fire with eSports action. The Road to The Nationals culminated in the Grand Finals that saw “Tekken 7” and “Dota 2” teams clashing for the championship – and the chance to be drafted into the first franchise-based eSports league in the Philippines: The Nationals.

On the other hand, the World Electronic Sports Games hosted the Philippine Finals, where the best “Dota 2,” “StarCraft 2,” “Hearthstone,” “Vainglory,” and “Counter Strike: Global Offensive” teams battled for the right to represent the Philippines in the Southeast Asia finals to be held at the year’s end.

The Mobile Esports Arena had the MESA Open, where the top “Hearthstone,” “Mobile Legends,” and “VainGlory” teams duked it out for the top spots.

PlayBook Esports’ Fighting Game Arena was the site of a series of fighting game tournaments, which awarded the “Tekken 7,” “Street Fighter V,” “Super Smash Bros.,” “Blazblue Cross Tag Battle,” and “Dragon Ball FighterZ” champions tickets to Fukuoka, Japan, where they’ll face the world’s toughest fighters in the biggest fighting game tournament of them all: EVO Japan 2019.

A technophile’s dream

An abundance of fancy tech was also on display. Major exhibitors HyperX, Acer Predator, ViewSonic, Omen by HP, and MSI had a slew of snazzy hardware at their booths, including powerful gaming desktop PCs and laptops, monitors, headsets, sound systems, and other devices designed to enhance your gaming.

These booths allowed attendees plenty of opportunities to test out said devices; for example, MSI had a racing game that boasted a triple-monitor setup to give the players a wider field of vision.

Like its fellow major exhibitors, ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG)’s booth showed off top-of-the-line gaming rigs.

But its greatest surprise was the reveal of the ROG phone – an Android smartphone with a huge focus on mobile gaming. Attendees fiddled with demo phones and their accessories; one of them being a pair of attachments that transformed the phone into something akin to a game controller.

Of course, there were lots of other things at ESGS 2018 worth celebrating. The cool cosplayers. The food. The lights, the sounds, the music. And of course, the community. Because at the end of the day, ESGS is a gathering of people brought together by their common love of gaming – and that’s what makes it so special. — LA, GMA News