Day 3 - The End is Here...I Get to Sleep Again!

Ah, the last day of E3. This is the day where I basically get to play all the games that I didn't get to earlier. I'm so amped up, that I don't even miss sleep at this point. I have the free energy drinks, that are dispersed by the lovely young ladies below, to thank for this. Thanks ladies!

When I'm not playing games on the last day, I also get to really take in the sights and sounds of E3. In effect, I get to truly enjoy all the nuances that the different exhibitors are trying to expose my brain to.

My first stop, was to get my picture taken with the Playboy Playmates at the Mafia II booth.
Now, the very fact that they secured actual Playboy models as their booth babes, is impressive enough. (Note: In fact, in 11 years of E3 attendance, the only other company that I can think of who accomplished this was Eidos, back in the day). However, what was most impressive, was that they switched Playboy models on us every day! These were the models for the last day:
Yowch! Playmate of the Year for 2006?! There are models in Los Angeles that would kill for those credentials.

I spent a lot of time in South Hall, looking at all the nuttiness around me. The next stop was the Luche Libre booth. Where they had set up an actual wrestling ring, and had invited many actual Luchadores to entertain us. Check out this surreal picture of the wrestlers in their outfits, playing their own game.
Then there was an autograph signing, where they were giving out full-replica Lucha Libre wrestling masks. Now I have a friend who bought one as a gift, for another friend, and even at a discount wholesaler, it was roughly $23-35. Meanwhile, at E3 they were giving them away!
Now, did you think that they would have a ring set up, and not give us a wrestling match? Yeah, the match was basically a given. However, the unusual cast of characters were a surprise to all. I challenge you to make sense of this series of pictures. If you can, then whatever you're doing for a living is a waste. Because, you should either be head of the CIA, or at the very least working for NASA.
I still can't figure out why a videogame website's mascot, a psychopathic teddy bear, or a Luchador are in the same ring. Then again, I was too busy laughing to figure it out.

Afterwards, I went to the Square Enix booth, to see the new downloadable games that people were going crazy for. The ladies were loving The Tales of Bearsworth Manor.

The guys seemed to be more into the new Space Invaders: Infinity Gene game, which had old school graphics, but very variegated play mechanics. One level was Tempest-like, while another would look like classic Space Invaders, but in three dimensions. Very cool stuff.
However, the pièce de résistance was a blast from the past, and it was nothing more than a demo, running on an iPhone mock-up.
Tell me that doesn't instantly take you back. They're going to make a mint off of these games.

Finally, I spent a lot of time playing the heck out of the new Koei musou-type game. They've already done a musou Gundam game, now it's time for a new frachise to carry the torch; Fist of the North Star: Ken's Revenge.
I must admit, that while it was everything a Fist of the North Star game should be, like all musou-styled games it falls flat after a while. Waves upon waves of enemy soldiers, lining up to die simply ends up in boredom after awhile.

Oh, I forgot to do a "Celebrity Sightings" list. So I'll do one now:

• Elijah Wood.
• Steven Spielberg.
• Levar Burton.
• Jon Heder.
• Clifton Collins Jr.

I won't add celebrities that were there to do business (i.e. Method Man, Redman, etc.).

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully, we'll meet again in the future, and I'll have many more new E3 stories to tell. Until then, take care and happy gaming!

Day 2 - Still Going Strong!

The second day began with our descent onto the Nintendo booth first and foremost. I played Kirby's Epic Yarn, due to a friend's recommendation, and soon understood why he kept raving about the game. The level designs are brilliant! I mean, Shigeru Miyamoto brilliant. I played a 2-player coop game, and loved the teamwork aspect of conquering a level. The entire universe of the game is presented as a quilt, where enemies aren't killed so much as de-threaded. The artistry therein was so imaginitive, that I kept thinking about it later in the day.


Have you ever wished that your FPS's had more realistic, haptic feel to them? Are you a lunatic with too much money on their hands? Here's the controller for you! The Novint Falcon, not only gives you a gun to hold and shoot, but rumbles beautifully as well. It's actually more of a kick, than a rumble. Much like shooting a real gun.
As a result, I ended up playing House of the Dead on a laptop, for MUCH longer than I ever would have expected too. This definitely a "if I ever win the lottery" type of purchase.

Okay, now I know a lot of you want to know about the new Nintendo 3DS. Unfortunately, as much as I played it extensively, I was not allowed to take pictures of the unit in action. Sorry guys, but they were very strict about this. What I can tell you is that the 3D does indeed work without glasses, and can be adjusted to your specific eye-sight via a slider switch on the right hand side of the console. Also, most of the games were just demos, and weren't playable. There was no price or release date set yet. So all in all, it's still in the vaporware category for now. But, hopefully not for long.

What the....? Is this a joke, or a mistake? Didn't the Dreamcast debut in the 90's? Well, it's no joke. All of your favorite Dreamcast games, are being released as downloadable content, for the Xbox 360, and Apple iPod/iPad! Remember what the theme of my blog post yesterday was? Exactly! The games ran wonderfully, and definitely have held up over the years. As long as the pricing is affordable, I can't see why they won't be a success.
Oh, by the way, Super Monkey Ball was playable on the iPad, and it was wonderfully executed, as you tilt the pad itself to move your character. Much better than even an analog joystick, which was all the rage, when this game originally debuted.


Hey, what's all that noise? What's going on at the DefJam booth? OMG! Is that Redman and Method Man of Wu-Tang? Yes, it was a free concert!


After, all that auditory goodness, I needed to give my eyes something to feast on...
I loved this. It was a television, that had been outfitted to produce a 3D picture, without the aid of special eyewear. The name of the company was 3D Fusion. I hope to hear more from them in the future.

At every E3, there is one game whose theme makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. This year's game that haunts my memory the most is Homefront. The premise is that North Korea has successfully invaded America, and taken over the western half. The add campaign for this game has been very "in your face," and terrifyingly executed. Their booth was basically a prison camp for Americans that needed to be re-educated. They handed out pamphlets that asked you to snitch on anyone who resists, and also teach you basic Korean phrases. Their ad department gets an A+ from me in all categories. Hopefully, the game lives up to the hype.

Sorry to leave on such a somber note, but I must get some sleep. Hopefully, I can cleanse our palates with tomorrow's posting. Until then, take care and get some rest!

Day 1 - Back to the Future?!

Have you ever heard the saying, "Everything old is new again?" Well that kind of sums up what today's show was like. It was like shaking hands with an old friend, who's still the same overall, but a little bit different. Let me explain.
You see that? It's the new Light Cycle from the new Tron movie/game (Tron Legacy). The basic concept is the same, but the execution is just a tad bit different. Even modernized, you could say. Get used to this analogy, you will see it again.

But, before I digress, check out these awesome Tron-inspired peripherals. The blue striping that you see, actually lights up! It looked beautiful. Sadly, my flash all but washed-out the pretty cobalt lighting.

Another blast from the past was Splatterhouse.
Remember this gross-out game for the Turbografx-16? Ah, the sweet memories of blood and guts, splattering when hit with a 2x4! Well, don't get too misty-eyed, as the original will be included with the new game! I saw the game being played, and the answer is "Yes, there will be blood...and lots of it." Bodies don't just explode in this game, but rather pop like a water balloon filled with blood and sinew. Hopefully, the gameplay will be fun in the second and third hours as much as it is in the first.

Now, for my greatest moment of today's E3 show:
No word on whether it will be censored like Yakuza 3 was. I know they said that it was a time-constrained burden to add all the minigames, but I believe it to be plain, old-fashioned censorship. Come on Nagoshi-san, you're better than that! In fact you can write him a message here, to tell him so yourself!

Back to the "old becoming new" theme. Look who's got a new game.
In fact, Sonic even has another new game that uses the new Xbox 360 peripheral, the Kinect. Which will require you to direct sonic down a snowboard-like track using motion-controlled movements. Honestly, they can keep their expensive peripheral, and just let me enjoy Sonic, while I sit on the couch. Either way, both games looked great. No word yet on whether or not, they included "Blast processing." ;)

The new Zelda game for the Wii, was also shown. I got to play it briefly, and liked it much more than the previous effort, Twilight Princess. I liked the controller movements more, and the overall theme of this title. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.

The best fighting game of the show, was none other than, Marvel vs. Capcom 3. They didn't have all the characters ready to play, but what they did have was drool-inducing. I played with Chris Redfield (from Resident Evil), Captain America and Deadpool (both from Marvel comics), and even Dante (from Devil May Cry). God, it was fun. The graphics are amazing! It's like the comic book characters came to life. Honestly, I was very critical of this game before I played it, but I'm a true convert now.

The game that gave me the greatest taste of nostalgia was oddly enough, a game from my college days! Goldeneye has been revamped for the Wii. It feels just like the N64 game, but has many new elements that utilize the fact that it's designed to be an online game. There will be leaderboards, and all sorts of honors bestowed upon the players in each game, based on how they kill their opponents. Very cool stuff. Not to mention that the replay value of these games is huge.

The best of the rest: Hell, I'll let the pictures do the talking.
If any of you rolled your eyes at "yet another Metroid game," keep in mind that Metroid Other M, is not just a FPS, but also a side-scroller! Yes, it's about time. I commend Nintendo for this decision.

Now for the most coveted sequel of all:
Have you ever wanted to use improvised weapons to kill zombies? How about using a teddy bear to kill the undead hordes? Now you can!

Oh, poor guy, it says in his chart that his Zombrex innoculations aren't working. I sure hope he gets better soon.... Nevermind!

That's all for now. See you tomorrow!