At the Dubai Esports and Games Festival, or DEF 2024, we had an incredibly enjoyable time this year. This event, specially prepared for gamers, featured a wide array of games and numerous fantastic stands.
At DEF 2024, one of the biggest gaming events in the Middle East, as BPT team we selected the best of the event in various categories.
These categories are:
- Best Indie Game
- Best Game
- Best Publisher
- Best Stand
We determined the best in these four different categories according to our experience. Without further ado, let’s move on to the best of the event.
Best Stand: Samsung
There were indeed many stands at the event, each more impressive than the last, but the Samsung stand truly deserves a special mention. Not only could you experience the latest Samsung products and technologies, but various activities were also organised. As a gamer, you could participate in numerous events at the Samsung stand and win various prizes. For example, I joined the FIFA tournament and won the Galaxy Fit3 by winning all the matches.
In the FIFA tournament, where the winner was determined among eight participants and continued throughout the day with other attendees, numerous Samsung products, from watches to monitors, were awarded to the winners. But that wasn’t all. Various gifts were distributed to visitors through Q&A sessions and many other activities.
Of course, as mentioned above, aside from these activities, the pleasure of playing games on Samsung’s state-of-the-art products was unparalleled. The Samsung Gulf team meticulously planned everything, offering us gamers the best experience combined with various activities and rewards, so I would like to extend my congratulations to them once again.
Best Publisher: Xbox
You could play games almost everywhere at DEF 2024. Throughout the event, I played more than 20 games for hours. Each stand was specially designed for gamers, so there were tons of PCs, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles around.
In the Gaming District area, two publishers stood out for the best publisher award: Xbox and PlayStation. It was a bit challenging to make this choice because PlayStation and Xbox offered almost the same things: Before you purchased the latest games, you could play them as you wished.
For instance, I played games like Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin for hours on PlayStation consoles. However, Xbox had a richer variety of games, and the Xbox games genuinely appealed to us more. Therefore, our best publisher choice was Xbox.
Best Game: Call of Duty
In an event hosting numerous games, our best game choice was Call of Duty. Yes, the story of the latest Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 shocked us too. It was very short, and the forced integration of Warzone mechanics into the story was not pleasing at all.
However, as we had to make a choice among the games at the event, and knowing it wouldn’t be fair to evaluate the game solely based on its story, we chose Call of Duty. The Call of Duty games released in recent years have generally focused on the multiplayer experience. We also miss the days of immersing ourselves in Call of Duty’s story campaigns for hours.
Additionally, it would be dishonest to say that the exclusive stand, isolated from other games with curtains, did not impress us. Dedicating an entire section to Call of Duty was a nice touch. Also, the fact that the game is still one of the best action games in the world cannot be ignored.
Best Indie Game: Darkness Road
The importance of the gaming industry in Dubai is growing with each passing year. Particularly, the incentives and investments offered in game development are significant. We also participated in the DEF 2023 event as a media partner last year and there has been a significant increase in the number of indie games since last year.
Among these indie games, Darkness Road, which we also saw at DEF 2023, was our choice for the best indie game for DEF 2024. The features added to the game since last year are truly impressive.
Darkness Road, a psychological survival horror game, is developed by Foxrito Studios. Set in 1996 in the town of Dar Al Hai located in the Arabian Gulf, we control a 34-year-old character named Hamdan from a TPS perspective, solving various mysteries throughout the game. You find yourself getting immersed in the atmosphere.
Considering that the game has not been released yet, it has a promising future ahead. If you want to add the game to your Steam wishlist, you can do from here.
For us, the BPT team, these were the best of the event. We look forward to seeing you at the next DEF event!