It is around this time every year that all of the news reports from E3 and pre-E3 conferences begin to come out, filling gamers everywhere with euphoria as they wait and pray that their favorite games will actually come out before the same time next year. This year seems to be particularly hot and heavy because we are in the midst of the next generation console battle, with Microsoft having their system well out the door and yet still unsatisfactory to many, Nintendo’s oddly named system on the way, and Sony’s heads collectively shoved up their own arses. But is the E3 Expo still doing what it was originally started to do, or has it become a monster of a completely different design?
For the uninitiated or for those who are simply out of the videogame community “loop”, E3 stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo and is a large trade show for the computer and videogame industries held in California every May. This year’s is taking place right now, from May 9th to May 12th, and the news from the early conferences is already pouring out. It had seemed that the expo was becoming more and more mainstream, with its booth babes and extravagant display costs growing larger and larger each year (I think you know what I mean), and the flashy displays could easily ostracise many anti-social gamers. However, recently the expo has sadly removed the booth babes in what might be an attempt to re-focus the expo on the subject matter at hands, which would be the games. Perhaps that or the companies simply realised that no matter how many attractive women you have selling your game, if the product doesn’t live up to the hype then your sales will suffer.
Does E3 really provide the industry with a nice expo to display their next year’s worth of product, or has it become an overglorified armwrestling competition where the major companies attempt to 1-up each other and steal ideas back and forth? The booth babes may be gone, but the astronomical expenses of every single booth are still present. Is the Electronics Entertainment Expo friendly and open to independent publishers and designers? We know that the guys from Penny Arcade get to go, as well as most press and industry professionals, but that all could change when the public eye falls upon the Expo and every single average joe decides they want a peek. This may be a long way off, I would probably place it alongside the day when videogames are accepted as an artform and the mass-media influential accusationatron turns its attention to the next big target. Origami. Children are already taking paper guns and knives to school, with folded paper swastikas pinned to their backpacks. Is it really an art form? It’s just folding paper, for the love of god!
Now on to the actual news from E3 so far: Gamespot speculates that the FASA website is hinting at a game based upon their old roleplaying system Shadowrun, which would be a welcome trip down memory lane as quite a few of us liked the system a lot, it just could never quite wrench itself into our regular gaming sessions. The system recently showed up as an ilconcieved clix game using larger figures in one on one combat, but perhaps a PC game based on the franchise will bring about a kind of rennaisance, where dwarves and trolls happily hack computers and cast spells in all their cyberpunk glory!
On a much less speculative note, a next generation Turok: Dinosaur Hunter game has been announced for X-Box 360 and PS3 coming out in 2007. Ever since the first N64 game I have loved this character, possibly for the simply ridiculous concept of a native american inspired character who fights with dinosaurs and aliens in a vast land of jungles and temples. It is ridiculous in such a way that makes it particularly awesome, as you see arrows loosed into the charging body of a raptor. The older comics were never top notch, and any of the game sequels fell far short of the innovation and character of the original, yet after a few years of dormancy perhaps next year will become affectionately known as ‘Turok Time’.
A summation of other news coming from E3: Jade Empire coming to the PC, Metal Gear Solid action title coming to the PSP, Sony ripping off Nintendo’s motion sensitive controllers for the PS3, versions of the PS3 costing $499 – 599, a total of three games for Final Fantasy XIII, and the announcement of a World of Warcraft feature film. (Gamespot Article)
Wait…what was that?
The WoW movie would have a built in audience of /*insert large number here*/ and might allow them to reduce the load on servers for a week or so. Brilliant!
I can’t wait to see Ben Kingsley as the imperious generic villian!
Is anyone willing to shell out $500+ for a video game system when you’re halfway to a pretty nice computer?
Want to see the Sony E3 conference?
Here is the link: http://media.ps3.ign.com/articles/705/705941/vids_1.html
While I have never attended E3 personally, I remember how, years back, the greatest perk about attending was how there was a pornstar convention/event at the same place and time ::nerd honks::. I remember this from my years of Gamepro subscrition as they’d show pictures from E3 of gamers with the female stars. Needless to say, I’m sure there was awkwardness was at record levels.
On a different note….ZOMG a WoW movie??!!11oneoneeleven11!!!11 GTFO noob!
…..sorry, couldn’t hold it back ::twitches eyelid::
Remember? They already made a WoW movie: http://www.expectnothing.com/pub/posts/attached/0002k1cc.gif
Nintendo’s E3 conference is done, looks like they didn’t announce anything completely unexpected, though they declined to say how much the Wii will cost. A couple sources are saying it’ll be around the $250 mark. Man, that’ll be sweet compared to the others.
You think the game will feature characters freaking about losing bind on pickup items and Leroy Jenkins attracting huge mobs?
“versions of the PS3 costing $499 – 599”
Insanity. And E3 itself costs about $600 for a ticket, right? Though most of the people who get to go because they’re in the industry go free, I think.
Their companies either pay for their tickets or they get in free, from what I understand. The more press that’s there the more advertising E3 and all of the games get, so I’m not really sure. Probably lots of envelopes going back and forth and under-the-table ‘favors’ just like every business.
Yea, I’m definitely getting a Wii, the PS3 is going to have to earn it for me to even think about getting one. Although Blu-ray might be the thing to have in the next year or so…
Want to see Nintendo’s confefence?
Here is the link: http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/706/706429/vids_1.html
My overall impressions:
Wii = WOW! Not as in the video game, but as in wow. Looks like the Wii will be the most interactive and least inexpensive.
PS3 = Too expensive. That was my first thought after the price was revealed. However, the games on PS3 look compelling and downright beautiful. Having a Blu-Ray player is going to be a must within a couple of years, and I am willing to bet that a stand alone player will run around $300. That alone might make PS3 worth serious consideration.
As it stands, I am hoping to purchase a Wii this year and a PS3 sometime next year. I have already passes on XBox 360, and now I do not see myself ever purchasing one.
Want to see Microsoft’s conference?
Here is the link: http://media.xbox360.ign.com/articles/706/706460/vids_1.html
I just saw the Halo 3 trailer and it made me want to buy a 360. Damn I’m a consumer whore….
I also suppose I’m the only person on here who would buy an Xbox before any of the other systems, oh well!
Are you still holding out some hope that Starcraft: Ghost is coming out?
Nope, not at all as sad as that makes me. I’m not really interested in any of the franchises on the other console systems as I haven’t been much of a console gamer ever. Perhaps I’ll just stick to PC gaming.
What is Blu-Ray? I dont read video gaming articles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu_Ray
You can go there to read all about it, but basically it’s supposed to be the next step of media up from DVD’s, with better storage for High-Def.
Does that mean my DVDs are going to be worthless soon?
Your DVDs will be worthless, along with any old video games and books you might own.
Seriously, I wouldn’t worry about it. It remains to be seen if Blu-Ray will become an industry standard, especially since Microsoft is supporting a different, your-dvds-are-worthless format.
This could easily be the topic for a new article, but it remains to be seen if this is a new VHS/Beta or a new DVD+R/DVD-R.