Play 2008's hottest games early!

So by now you must be aware of the PC Gamer Showdown. For a whole weekend from the 27th to the 28th of September, our sister mag (that's PC Gamer, naturally) is taking over Stoneleigh Park exhibition centre for two days of the finest competetive fragging around. But it's not just about the PC, despite the name. As well as the tournament, the event will be packed with some of this year's best as-yet unreleased console games, and all of them playable. And in the run up to the soon-to-be-legendary weekend, we're going to be featuring one of those games right here every day in order to whet your appetite.

If you want to get tickets for the PC Gamer Showdown - and we strongly recommend that you do; this is going to be the best UK gaming event of the year, after all - just click your mouse button over here. You'll be ever so glad you did.

ONE DAY TO GO: You could be playing FAR CRY 2 this coming weekend!
Far Cry 2 is going to be big. Literally. With a sprawling African savannah game world that spans nearly 20 sq miles, there's an epic amount of jungle and dusty ground to cover in what promises to be one of the year's most scorching first-person open world adventures. It's got mercenaries, lots of guns, some of the best fire we've ever seen in a game, arms dealers, a gruelling environment, hang-gliding, explosions and zebras. Sound good? Good. You know you want to play it, so why not have yourself a little expedition this weekend and get yourself to PC Gamer Showdown, where you'll be able to play Far Cry 2 before anyone else.

In-depth chat with the men from Ubisoft Montreal

Check our trailers and tech demoes for Far Cry 2 enlightenment

TWO DAYS TO GO: You could be playing LEFT 4 DEAD this coming weekend!
Zombie apocalypse. Two words that never fail to get gamers reaching for their shotguns (ie controllers). There's something about killing the already dead that we inherently love. And developer Valve's synergetic co-op romp through intense waves of infected, flesh-eating coffin dodgers looks set to deliver a rudely satisfying madhouse of death. And you'll be able to play it before anyone else at PC Gamer Showdown. Bring a friend or three and get your corpse-killing rocks off.

One GR writer's account of a terrifying hands-on experience

Four people shooting zombies

THREE DAYS TO GO: You could be playing MIRROR'S EDGE this coming weekend!
Without doubt Mirror's Edge is one of the most exciting prospects in gaming right now. With its hyper-bright visuals, breathless first-person platforming ethic and eye-catching dark-haired heroine, Faith, it has absolutely no problem standing out from the humdrum crowd. It's fresh. It's different. It's breaking moulds. And it'll be ready and waiting to be played at PC Gamer Showdown. If you want to go hands-on and get a heads-up with this sassy piece of software, you know where you need to be.

Why are people so pumped for Mirror's Edge? Find out here

Check out the new perspective on platforming in our fine selection of videos

FOUR DAYS TO GO: You could be playing FIFA '09 this coming weekend!
This new edition of the long-running football series looks like the best in ages. The revamped collision physics and improved pass and shoot accuracy are promising enough, but with 10 vs 10 online play and clan support coming via the new 'Clubs' system, and the Adidas Live Season mode bringing dynamically updated player stats to the game for the first time, it's something you're seriously going to want to get your hands on. And you can. Just turn up to the Showdown and play away on the FULL VERSION to your heart's content.

Fewer gimmicks, more solid, refined play. There's substance beneath the glamour

All our FIFA '09 videos
The trailer and making-of docs