he Electronic Entertainment Expo has finally come to a close and now Chris and I are both very sad and very tired. It has been a few days and we are still catching up with everything that we did at the show. Overall, it was an incredible experience for a first-timer like myself. My veteran E3 partner-in-crime, Chris, had a blast as well. I'd say the return of the gaming convention that everyone always wants to go to is officially back.
Considering the reasons that E3 was transformed into the Business Summit for the last two years, it makes sense why the ESA would want less to be spent on a show whose public use is mainly to drive the hype and excitement for the industry. But the sad reality is that this industry needs it! The reason these types of trade shows exist is not just for networking. E3 is legendary amongst gamers across the globe, and to reduce something like this to a mere business conference destroys that legacy.
So much to see: we left E3
very sad and very tired.Why is this expensively fancy booth style of show more successful than the simple Business Summit? Walking around the show, it is hard to avoid getting excited, even for games I normally wouldn't play. The lighting, the beautiful setups, the artwork on display, all of these create an atmosphere that immerses you into the heart of the experience — just like a video game.
When you first walk into the convention halls, you are overwhelmed with the creativity that goes into the booth designs. Never in my life have I seen their likeness. Some were so elaborate, like the Batman playing areas whose level of detail I spent a few minutes admiring: the worn tile, the rusty metal beams and grates, and even the soiled stretcher in the middle of the floor. I felt like I was in the Disneyland for video games. Chris says that the booths were noticeably smaller than in 2006, but they definitely served their purpose.
By far the most impressive booth was Warner Bros. With several games available, they had very elaborate demo stations for each one. Check out photos of these areas for Batman: Arkham Asylum, LOTR: Aragorn's Quest, Fear 2, and LEGO Rockband in our E3 gallery. The award for the flashiest booth goes to PlayStation. With chrome-lined demo areas and roped-off sections, you almost felt like you were in a nightclub. Both the Microsoft and Wii booths were very simple, but also very functional. Their purpose was to allow as many people to play many different titles as possible, and I think the lines and crowds of people waiting to play is proof of their success.
Playing these games was truly a privilege, especially considering that some games weren't even finished. Choosing a favorite is really difficult, but because I have to, here are my top three games: Overlord II, Taikodom, and Darksiders. Chris's top three are Batman: Arkham Asylum, Lost Planet 2, and Bayonetta. I cannot tell you how many times the answer to "What should we do next?" was "Let's play Batman."
The balance of function
versus glitz was perfect.But there were so many other titles that we played! Both Section 8 and Parabellum look to be very promising FPS games. We got our hands on the Halo 3: ODST demo, and despite the general look and feel of Halo, it is a very different game. Both Chris and I felt unimpressed by the fact that most of the added features to the game were not being shown: no use of vision effects due to the daylight map, no need for team-based tactics because of the Horde-style Fire Fight game mode (and we couldn't hear one-another), and the HUD was changed to include the Stamina/Health system that made no sense to us at all.
Then there were games like Batman, Darksiders, Ghostbusters and Bayonetta. These games were just pure indulgent fun. Batman plays smoothly, and the onscreen commands work flawlessly. Not to mention the fact that you are Batman, running around an overrun asylum and hitting guys with your fists, your batarang, and occasionally jumping from perches to kick bad guys in the face. Darksiders and Bayonetta are typical hack-n-slash types games where you satisfyingly slice, dice and pummel monsters til the cows come home. Based on what Chris and I played, we know Ghostbusters is heading in the right direction and will be a hit with fans. It plays just like you are watching a movie!
Many of the Wii playable demos, like the new Super Mario Bros. Wii game, Wii Sports Resort, Red Steel 2, TMNT Smash-Up and Twisted Towers, all looked incredibly fun and addictive except that Red Steel 2 was probably the worst out of the list. The Super Mario game was a blast to play co-op with three other people, and since it is local play only you can at least relish in the fact that smack-talk is most fun in person. Wii Sports Resort adds many more mini games to play, like canoeing (I totally killed Chris at this), archery, skydiving, and table tennis.
Since I am a big Xbox fan, I tried to test out some of the PlayStation 3 games. We played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which was pretty fun to play despite having a weird cover system. I also had this tiny issue with the terrain, but it is otherwise pretty cool. I like co-op games, so if I owned a PS3 I would definitely want this game. I played Darksiders on PS3 and Chris played it on 360. I noticed it was a bit choppy compared to the 360 version, but it still played well. I watched some people play White Knight Chronicles, a highly anticipated RPG. It has very large boss battles, a theme I saw repeated in many other games at E3.
There were some disappointing experiences at E3, such as the very minimal presence of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or BioShock 2. In fact, I never saw or heard a thing about BioShock 2, and it was the one game I was looking forward to the most. Sometimes that is just how it goes. Many companies like Bethesda, CodeMasters, and Take-Two all operate completely behind closed doors.
Among my top three: Overlord II.Some games were only playable by their exhibitors. Our favorites were Alan Wake, Aliens vs. Predator, Ruse, and Splinter Cell: Conviction. These games all appear to play really well and have that certain polish to them that only the best games present. Sadly we weren't allowed to record footage of the Alan Wake demo, but if you are into games like Silent Hill then you definitely need to keep an eye out for this game. Aliens vs. Predator is an excellent homage to the original PC game, filled to the brim with gory, acid-spraying, blood-spilling action. The new Splinter Cell game is seriously in a league of its own. All pertinent information is no longer displayed in a pop-up window. Instead, details about characters or mission goals are projected onto the environment itself. This new system is meant to keep the player in the game while displaying this important information, but it also adds a unique layer of depth by creating what seems to be Sam Fisher's thoughts or memories right there in the game. It looks absolutely superb!
The question on my mind as we walked around sampling whatever game we could, was whether or not E3 was "back." Chris was always commenting on the lack of hour-long lines for food, the fact that Kentia hall was not being used this year (an underground hall the same size as the two main halls), and the general overall feeling that E3 was smaller and quieter than in the past. But scaling back didn't appear to hold back the exhibitors from bringing more games to play than you could shake a stick at. I think that the best thing we have to look forward to is that they know what works now. The balance of function versus glitz was perfect, creating the perfect atmosphere for all members of the gaming industry to enjoy themselves.
E3 is all about the experience, whether it's listening to developers fondly discuss their creations, playing a game that isn't available to the public, or sitting back and watching first time reactions to a heavily anticipated demonstration — nothing compares to the first-hand excitement that fuels shows like the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Here's to many, many more!
(Special thanks to Steven Heijster for additional photographs.)
