Alright, the time is upon us. E3 is in full effect. Booth babes scattered about, video game characters ready to pose for a pic, and of course the latest and greatest video games. If you have read my previous entry about my E3 history, you could see why I have been so apprehensive about this years “revamp”. Well, I will be honest and say I am completely satisfied. Read on and you will see why.

This blog post will be broken up into 3 parts. The BIG announcements will fill up most of the first part. The 2nd will involve my impressions on the games I managed to see and play. As well as anything I may have missed in the 1st post. The 3rd will be an overall review of this years show. So sit back, get your reading glasses on, and enjoy.

The first thing I will mention has been a PS3 vs. 360 battle for quite a while now. At least a year. Kojima and Konami’s newest Metal Gear game. Kojima’s announcements are almost ALWAYS the biggest ones of the show. This year did not disappoint. If you have been following gaming sites lately, you would have been lead to a teaser site. A stormy plain with flashes of lightning every so often revealing a new number or letter. That is until you were lead to countdown after countdown. Finally, the moment came. Every attendee was on the edge of their seats, waiting for that special moment. Metal Gear Rising will be available for the Xbox 360. There was a quick moment of silence, almost coming off as confusion as if we were waiting for them to say, “Ha Ha, just kidding.” However, they were completely serious. PS3 owners were furious and 360 owners had something to gloat about. Or did they?

Later on details emerged that MGR was also coming out on the PS3 and PC. It only fanned the flames of debate. 360 owners feel their version will be better due to processing power among other things. PS3 owners say it will be better due to the blu-ray capability and how 360 owners will have to play on multiple discs. At this point, none of that was talked about. Only time will tell up until the release date. The game will be following Raiden’s entry into the MGS universe. That honestly excites me. It has always been a story I know I have been interested in. The story has yet to be fully addressed beyond that. If you would like to view the trailer for the game you can view it here.

On top of the MGR mania that went on. Kojima had another trick up his sleeve. To some, even BIGGER than MGR. Kojima’s studio will be lending a hand to Mercurystream Studios to make the next console version of Castlevania. The official title, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows will be released sometime in 2010. From what I was able to gather, the feelings are mixed about another 3D version of the franchise. I don’t think I need to go into the N64 and PS2 details. The game will be released on both the Ps3 and 360. To view the trailer, it can be viewed here.

Sony’s big announcement, for many, was the official unveiling of Team ICO’s new game for the PS3, The Last Guardian. For those of you who don’t know Team ICO. They’ve made two of the most awe inspiring and artistically spectacular games Shadow of the Colossus and of course, Ico. If you haven’t played them, go out and get yourself a copy right now. They are games that were completely underrated and should be enjoyed by all. Rather than type ou the entire break down of the game check out this article posted on IGN’s website to get an idea. Also, the debut trailer is located here.

Next up, God Of War 3. What can I say, this game looks amazing. In game graphics are some of the best I have seen so far on the PS3. From the demo I was looking at, there was VERY little to no frame rate dips. Some of the enemies are simply huge and very detailed. The environments are lush and colorful given the surroundings. Control came off very solid. There will be a demo available at some point before the games release in early 2010. There are numerous gameplay videos on IGN and Gametrailers.com. I will link you to IGN’s for now. Check it out here.

Along with the showing of God of War 3, people flocked to check out Uncharted 2. Which looks amazing and plays very well. My only issue is it seems to come across a little more run and gun that I would like to have it. Seeing as in the first Uncharted you would be wiped out if you played like that. Either way, it looks amazing, easy to control, and very engaging. This will definitely be a must buy for all PS3 owners.

When it comes to Microsoft there was only one title on every one’s lips. ALAN WAKE! Finally, after years of waiting, we have gameplay footage, information, and a release date. Remedy has given a Spring 2010 window. I know it seems like a long time to wait. However, you have to take that compared to their old answer of, “It will be ready when it is ready.” If you are unfamiliar with this title, basically, it is about a horror writer whose stories begin to become a reality all while trying to find his wife who had strangely disappeared. Yes, this is a survival horror game with a promise of something new. We will have to see. It’s just nice to have something to go on.

Microsoft also released their new motion camera. It had been only a rumor for a while. Basically, it is similar to the PS3’s PSEye. At first I wasn’t really sold on “Natal” at all. I felt like it had all been done before. It’s just another camera to hook up to the 360. I already have one of those. Well, I had a chance to experience Milo. I will say, it was great. While standing in front of the camera, I was able to speak with him. I told him my name and he responded to me, repeating my name back to me and asking how I was doing. It was also able to understand the tone of my voice. As well as clothing colors. While he did this for other people checking it out, we were all wearing different colors. It almost reminded me of the Stitch attraction at Disneyland where you could talk to him. I was looking around for a guy with a microphone somewhere. Obviously there wasn’t. It was reacting to me. He didn’t understand everything I said, but he understood enough to peak my interest. Maybe I was wrong about this new motion camera.

As for Nintendo, they really pushed their conference with the unveiling of a new Mario game and showing off the Motion Plus controller. Super Mario Brothers Wii seems to also include the Koopa kids from SMB3. Yoshi seems to also make a comeback here as well. It is a 2D game. Just like New Super Mario Brothers was. Not much else has been revealed at this point. It will however release at the end of 2009. Most likely closer to November in time for the holidays.

The big Nintendo offering for me was the re-imagining of Silent Hill. This is a completely different take on the PSOne version of Silent Hill. Instead of the combat you experienced in the original, you use the Wiimote to explore as your flashlight. There are still plenty of scares are every corner. You are still searching for clues as well as trying to solve those brain bending puzzles you had originally. If you are a SH fan, you will definitely want to pick up Silent Hill: Shattered Memories when it comes out later this year.

Alright guys, that is all for Part 1 of this blog post. I’ve seen a lot more and am looking to see what you are interested in reading about. Let me know what you are interested in and I will post about it if I have seen it. That is what the comment section is for. I hope you enjoyed it.

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Summer is upon us. Waterparks, BBQ’s, and swimming pools. Feels like I am forgetting something. Oh! That’s right. Only the biggest video game event in the history of gaming. At least it used to be. With the recent years on scale backs and STRICT invitation only terms, what does that mean for this year? Let’s take a look at the history of this amazing event.

To go into E3, you have to start with CES (Consumer Electronic Show). CES showed off all of the new technology and electronics that were on their way out. Some made it some didn’t. Only problem was, video games weren’t really a part of the show. They were house far in the back. Passed all of the televisions, radios, and car stereos, you might get lucky and find a room in the back where all the video games are at. It was a gamers paradise. Unfortunately, the paradise was small. That was all about the change.

One year, a single gaming magazine editor came up with an amazing idea. Pat Ferrell felt it was time for a change. He felt video games could definitely carry their own weight for a show exclusively for the industry. He had no idea how right he was. So he got a small group of people who pushed their way to make E3 itself. Together with the IDSA (now the ESA) the show was finally given the green light and history was made.

Fast forward to 1995. A few key developers and publishers dropped out of CES’ line up. Gamers were confused for a bit until E3 was officially announced. Finally, in Los Angeles, it was time. The show was an instant success. With the unveiling of the Playstation, Sega Saturn, and the Neo Geo CD came out. Nintendo announced the “Ultra 64″ but didn’t have anything to show for it. Just building the hype. The show was attended by close to 14,000 people. It continued to grow through the years. The industry was happy and the fans were happy.

In 1997 E3 was moved to Atlanta. It was not a good move according to the gamers themselves. It was in a bad location and more or less inaccessable to to those wishing to attend. So in 1999 it went back to the LA Convention Center. Once it returned, it was bigger and louder than it was before it left as well as the time it spent in LA. Over 60,000 square feet of the convention center floor was taken up by video games and all of the fanfare that went with it. Surprisingly enough, only 30,000 of that was taken up by the actual games themselves. The rest of the floor was taken up by the music, stage work, and of course the booth babes. With a small concert going on in almost every major developers booth area, it was sure to get your attention.

It worked for years. People came from all over the world just to attend. Not to mention, every major figure in the gaming industry could be come a rock star. For proof of that, just look at Tomonobu Itagaki. The rock star of them all. Shigeru Miyamoto is always a fan favorite as we has something amazing to announce at the show. The movie stars come out, models, musical artists came out. It became a place to been seen.

Once 2005 came around, attendees started to notice something. The show was growing too fast and there were too many people. The focus was hardly on the games anymore. Instead fanboys would rather stand around and argue why their system is the best. Others would crowd around the G4 booth hoping for a couple seconds of face time so they could brag to their friends they were there. You could hardly walk around without getting hit by the horrible stench of someone who hadn’t showered the whole show. The freebies that used to flow like water, were near impossible to get unless you clubbed someone over the head to get that last Link inflatable sword. It had just gotten to be too much. The E3 heads were taking notice.

You have to keep in mind. E3 had ALWAYS been an invite only event. That was one of the other reasons E3 came around. It held up pretty well. Only members of the video game industry were allowed to attend. It kept the crowd down and allowed everyone an equal chance to play the games and to go to the press conferences. Then all of a sudden people who worked in the electronics section of Target were allowed in. The numerous people who worked at Gamestop were able to get in. Hardly any credentials were checked. All you had to do was know someone. Which ended up pushing the number of visitors to a record 70,000 people.

In 2006, E3 was scaled WAY back to a small 10,000 people. Due to rigorous credential checking and general developers who weren’t in the upper tiers of the industry. Most of the “press” attendees were random bloggers and small site people trying to claim they were members of the press or media. Registration began to exclude the individuals from the show. In 2007 this was pushed even further by sending out invitations directly to people they felt should attend the show. This left out many indie developers. Some still made it through. Some key figures weren’t even allowed to attend the show with their in house colleagues. Many people felt this to be a huge blow to the show. Simcity creator, Will Wright, compared the show to a “Ghost town” and feeling like he was “a zombie” concerning to the abrupt scale back of E3.

For the 2009 year, things are going to be different. They are opening it all back up. For anyone and everyone. That’s right. If you work at Gamestop or target, you get to go to the show again. Maximum attendance will be 40,000. It doesn’t seem like a lot of people but when you are crammed in with expanding booths and developers, it is for sure. The floor will be expanded to accommodate the size of the show. Is it really enough? Will it be like it was, or will they structure it in a way where you will still be able to get around and actually enjoy the show without having to step over some person who has vomited on the floor from the partying the night before? Only time will tell.

Coming from a person who has been to 6 years worth of E3 shows, I think the cap is a good idea. Of course it will come down to how they lay out the floor. In 2005 I almost couldn’t stand being there. It had gotten way too big. Mostly due to television media being allowed to pretty much run the show with no rules or regulations. You had channels at E3 who didn’t need to be there at all. G4 was really the only ones who should have been there. MTV, MTV2, VH1, Spike TV, and a few others. They were blocking paths and stopping a single person right in the middle of the stampede to ask them a question that was pretty much worthless. In the end, it made it unbearable for many people who attended.

So what do you think? What are you hoping to see from this years E3? Who are you hoping to see? If you have attended, share your experiences in our comments section. I will post a follow up article after I return from this years show.

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