Events, events, and more events.

It's that time of the year when the marketing machines of game companies start moving in to a higher gear again after the holidays - the result is a lot of events to attend.

I spent last Thursday and Friday in the company of Paradox Interactive as they kicked off the year with their annual convention. Tomorrow, I'm taking a look at EA's free-to-play titles and Friday sees me looking at Mass Effect 3 and Syndicate. In between, I'm visiting a couple of independent developers and Monday has been pegged for a Prototype 2 event.

Lots to do, but lots of fun. Naturally, Mass Effect 3 has me giddy with excitement, but there is a lot more to be excited about during this stacked first quarter.

Events are typically somewhat force feeding us with your typical PR spiel, but sometimes video interviews are a way to get away from that. It's harder to just repeat PR lines when you're asked a question with a camera filming you and a mic shoved in your face. Not that we're trying to unearth any dirty secrets, but getting relaxed and honest answers are often desirable for all parties involved. Anyway, you can look forward to a lot of stuff coming online over the next couple of weeks.

Pictured: Yours truly hunched over his laptop at the Paradox Interactive Convention outside of Stockholm.