Increasingly expansive, last week's Gamescom, the annual video games expo in Cologne that welcomes both the industry and the public, now features audience numbers that rival the size of the world's biggest music festivals. It also shares their bewildering choice, stands spewing noise and neon competing for the attention of 275,000 attendees and creating an atmosphere where only the finest titles stand out.

Quality hands-on time did reveal the show's highlights, however, one of which was the Vita, the new hand-held from Sony. As more titles are confirmed for the device – which is to play host to Resistance: Burning Skies, Call of Duty, BioShock, Fifa and many other giants of mainstream gaming culture – it looks more exciting by the day.

At the booth of publisher 2K, Borderlands 2 and BioShock Infinite presented some of the most visually splendid games of the show, while at Nintendo Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was looking like it might actually live up to the hype.

Gamescom also offered a stage for less high-profile games, the best of which included indie-developed Hollywood stuntman game Joe Danger: The Movie, and the European edition of superb Japanese arcade 2D shooter Dodonpachi Resurrection; both look like they are not to be missed.

There was also space for mobile and iPad games, the best of which was Chillingo's esoteric iPhone puzzle release Contre Jour – a good example of the vast range on offer here in Cologne and indicative that Gamescom is coming to rival the size and scope of the mighty US trade show, E3.