What happens in LA, stays in LA....not bloody likely. That motto might work for Vegas, but the rules are different in the City of Angels, when the world's biggest opinion-fest (E3) comes to town. by the staff at CCC

The Big Bang Theory Shot To Hell

E3 2006 started with a whimper with Sony's Press Conference held on Monday. The big Sony PS3 blitz that gamers, industry analysts, gaming media and stockholders was expecting, didn't materialize and that has definitely cast a shadow over the launch of what many prior to E3 considered to be a "sure thing" in the next generation.

What went wrong for Sony? Ask any number of E3 attendees and you'll obviously get a myriad of answers, however one re-occuring criticism targets their lackluster vibe during their press conference. Many felt Sony didn't give this new system their "all" especially when you consider they had a year of incredible buzz following last years unveiling of the PS3. Once the real footage of the games were shown (in video and on the show floor) it became obvious to attendees that visually the PS3 wasn't that much different than what we've seen on the Xbox 360. Considering forum boards were rife with arguments last year as to whether the PS3 Killzone demo was in realtime or pre-rendered, its absense at the 06 press conference speaks volumes. Now that we've seen many PS3 games in action, we can say that what we saw last year was definitely pre-rendered, and that has clearly disappointed gamers expecting a real next gen leap with the PS3.

Sony also hurt itself with offering two packages of the PS3, but with the lower end model being completely neutered technologically so that no one in their right mind would want one. The already pricey $499 20GB PS3 package will ship without an HDMI output, Flash memory card support or Wi-Fi capabilities. If you want all of the bells and whistles, and if you're going to spend that kind of cash you might as well pony up another $100 beans, you'll have to buy the $599 60GB model. The $499 model seems like a complete bait and switch item - they might as well have packaged up PSones and said "You can have the old PSone for $499 or the PS3 for $599". That's about the size of it right there.

Then there's the control issues. The Dualshock returns, but it's no longer technically a "shock" since the rumble feature technology has been removed. Sony cited the removal was due to interference with the controllers motion-sensing technology, but the Nintendo Wii-Mote features both rumble and motion-sensing. We think it's more due to the lawsuit with Immersion over the rumble technology than anything techno related.

Software-speaking, Sony's PS3 has great support and some really great titles on the way but nothing that we could site as true first party killer titles. All of the games we were foolishly hoping for as launch titles will be months away from the PS3 November launch. In the case of Gran Turismo HD (working title), possibly years away. Metal Gear Solid 4 has been pushed back to 2007. Killzone 2 seems to be MIA. The best game of the show in terms of next gen is definitely Assassin's Creed....but you'll be able to play that on Xbox 360.

Sony's promise of an almost worldwide simultaneous launch (Japan, US and UK), will definitely cause "system" shortages this year. Pre-order early if you want one.

Nothing will deter Sony fanboys from turning a blindeye from their faltering at this years show, but no one quite expected them to lose the thunder to an underpowered, previously mysterious system from Nintendo with the really silly name.

Nintendo's Back In The Game

Nintendo's unveiling of the name Wii a week before the E3 show, was the giggle heard 'round the world. Everyone had thought Nintendo had completely lost their minds. Those giggles and sputters turned to gasps when the world finally saw what Nintendo has been preparing. The Wii system with its revolutionary control system and plethora of franchise titles delivered a One-Two-KO punch to many who were expecting Nintendo to take it on the chin this year.

Nintendo's decision to target the "non-gamer" - along with the many millions of gamers who can't get enough of their first party hits such as Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros. etc. - is as unique as it is brilliant. Why bother chasing the markets the other guys (Sony & Microsoft) are going after? It's taken a long time for Nintendo to realize this and it might just work in their favor. Nintendo knows their strength is in their incredible collection of hits, some which reach back to the collective gaming consciousness 20 years or more. That's a lot of history and you can't argue that Nintendo is the best at what they do - which is protect the integrity and quality of their franchises. Unlike other game companies who ship sequel after sequel of their "mascot" games, many of which that are farmed out to all plaftorms, Nintendo doesn't waterdown their moneymakers. Nintendo's top franchises are treated as the divas of the gaming world. A new game isn't created for them until there is something unique to do with them; that will evolve their status. And to top it off, that game isn't released when the stockholders demand it (cough Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness cough) but ONLY when it's ready. That's why gamers all over the world are so loyal to the Big N. They're addicted to the quality and the entertainment value.

Clearly Nintendo is counting on familiarity alongside innovation to sell Wii. The system promises to be the most advanced step in control and interaction seen yet and most gamers don't care that the games won't look as awe-inspiring as the PS3 and Xbox 360. Will playing Wii finally break down social gaming barriers and find mom, dad, sis and bro playing games together? Will there be pockets of adults getting together to play baseball and tennis? You can bet on it. And if Nintendo fails to ignite the non-gaming audience, it won't really matter because Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and inevitably new iterations of Mario Kart, Star Fox, Kirby, Nintendogs and Donkey Kong are right around the corner.

The Wii buzz is fever pitch at E3. The hours long wait to get into Nintendo to play the Wii will become legendary for a show that has always featured long wait for the hottest titles. But the wait is worth it. Almost everyone who gets their hands on the Wii-mote is blown away at its intuitive and unique control. That kind of buzz is what every company at E3 wants....and rarely gets. Nintendo has long been the underdog, and it's nice to see them get the recognition and love they deserve from the gaming community. Of course, Nintendo is a business and it doesn't take a genius to realize that creating a bunch of new games based on their popular characters are going to sell systems like water at a fire sale. Couple that with the announcement of Twilight Princess launching with the Wii and you have an unparelled success right off the bat.

After playing the Wii, it's obvious that the more gimmicky games such as Tennis, Golf, Baseball etc. are just that - novelty games designed to show off the technology and entice non-gamers to pick up and play a video game. We doubt they'll have long lasting appeal with already seasoned hardcore gamers, outside of the honeymoon phase of new technology. Lindsay, our senior news editor, played Madden NFL 07 and was extremely excited by its pick up and play feel. "I can play this game and it was fun and easy to get the hang of Instead of avoiding sports games like I have in the past because they were too complicated, the Wii has completely changed that!" You can't get a better endorsement than that. Again, we don't think the Wii is going to steal hardcore sports gamers away from their X360's or PS3's, but one can see the potential in making gaming accessible to those who usually would avoid certain genres due to the control difficulty.

From the buzz on the show floor, the Wii is the system to get in 06. We weren't expecting that outcome a week ago. You probably weren't either. Sony and Microsoft sure as hell weren't either. Imagine how they feel? Did anyone expect a system called Wii to have the such sought after X factor?

Xbox 360 Solid

Thank heavens Microsoft wasn't knee-deep in Hip Hop culture during their E3 press conference, preferring to focus on the product rather than the glitz and glam. With the PS3 finally revealed to play games that look very much like what you've been playing on the X360 since last November, all of a sudden it doesn't seem so crazy to want Microsoft's next gen system. You can almost bet on your life that Bill Gates and co. will organize a $100 price drop on their next gen system to coincide with the launch of Sony's next gen system in November, which will further distance gamers and their wallets from the PS3.

Sony may not be walking headfirst into Halo 3 on launch day as Bill Gates suggested somewhat coyly last year, but a $100 price difference between Xbox 360's premium package and Sony's "who in their right mind would want this watered-down PS3?" 20GB package, and it might just have the same affect.

Microsoft has proven that the Xbox 360 system is a rock solid choice. It's got a great growing library of games and will definitely keep up with anything that the PS3 can do. It has an already established online model, which Sony is hoping to emulate - which means Microsoft has been doing something right. The inevitable 1000 lb gorilla which goes by the name Halo 3 certainly doesn't hurt to have in your corner and while Bungie teased us with a short trailer of things to come, we're almost certain the next Master Chief shooter-fest won't see the light of day until November 2007. You can print that! Oh wait, I already did.

Of course Microsoft is going to have to contend with Nintendo's Wii system as well and as I already mentioned, they probably didn't think they'd have to. If Nintendo can put the Wii on store shelves for $199 or $249 with The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess beside it, it's definitely going to present gaming hungry consumers with a very real dilemma. If mommy or daddy are the ones with the wallets open, we think we already know the answer. As Peter Moore of Microsoft suggested himself, why not buy an X360 and a Wii for the same price as the PS3 60GB package? That's not a bad idea...

By November 2006, it is expected that there could be 10 million installed Xbox 360 users. That's quite a headstart for Microsoft this time around. Japanese support of the system is chilly at best, so both Nintendo and Sony will have sales on both sides of the ocean to bolster sales figures.

Hot Hot Hot

For a show that's all about the games, you'd be surprised at how the buzz seems to form just around a few select titles. The game garnering the most attention is one most E3 attendees won't even get to see as it's only shown behind closed doors. Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft Montreal (Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia) is being heralded as a 12th century GTA meets Prince of Persia. Featuring incredibly lifelike animation and detail, Altair our assassin protagonist will be able to roam 3 different cities in the pursuit of his murderous agenda. Walking through a crowded market, milling with dozens of NPC's all looking decidely different is impressive enough. But watching as Altair can either blend into the crowd, moving casually among them or taking a more aggressive approach by pushing and shoving passerby is something to witness. If Altair gets too physical, a fight breaks out and he'll find himself up against a few pissed off 12 Century bad-asses, which may be even too much for our buff hero to deal with. From what we've seen of Assassin's Creed, you'll want to put this on your pre-order list as of yesterday.

EA's Army Of Two is also sucking in its share of positive energy. Two players can play in Co-op or one player can rely on Partner AI as you shoot your way through some of the political hotspots ripped from today's headlines. CCC played it and it was a blast. Think of it like a realistic version of Contra and you'll be close.

We're pumped about MGS4, simply because it looks like Kojima is taking the series into completely uncharted territories. The trailer is packed with more emotion than most Hollywood movies. Now that's a game.receive

Heavenly Sword. Great fun. PS3. Buy it when it comes out.

Wii'd be lying if we said we weren't excited about some of the Wii games coming out. We're suckers for Mario, Zelda, Metroid....but we were very blown away by the announcement of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Not because we weren't expecting it...duh...but because of the inclusion of third party characters, the first of which is none other than Solid Snake on loan from Konami. Now that's exciting. Could Sonic be far behind? We'd bet your life on it. Playing as Wario with his fart attack seems classy, doesn't it? Disaster: Day Of Crisis has definite potential, primarily because we believe in what developers Monolith can do. Stay tuned on that one. Also an exclusive Resident Evil for Wii that will differ from RE5 and utilize the wii-mote? Say no more. Sonic Wild Fire is wicked fun. Sonic The Hedgehog on the next gen systems, not so much.

Capcom's Lost Planet has potential, as a mindless shooter. The effects were great and the blinding snow had us reaching for our parkas. Lots of excellent, and we mean excellent, explosions and realtime destruction. Sound is awesome too. We're told you can download the demo for X360 on XBL. Too cool.

The Nintendo DS managed to impress us as well, with literally a plethora of 'Wow" titles, where the PSP didn't...and we like the PSP a lot. We do want Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins though. We played New Super Mario Bros. and it's worth buying a DS Lite for. No arguments there.

Not Not Not

For every game that you are immediately dying to play once you see it for the first time, there are literally dozens that are contrived, "me too", rehashes which are destined for the bargain bins. It's not fair to call them on their crapability now, as some of them are only a few months old. We'll reserve final judgement when they're released.

We were disappointed with Activision's Spider-Man 3 demo. The game is a year away from release. Shouldn't we be able to actually see it in action? Last year we were told the character model of Spider-Man on the PS3 would look like the CG of Spider-Man from the movies. This wasn't the case in the demo we saw.

Sony's God Of War 2 was a little disappointing in that it didn't seem to be much different than the first one. Obviously a lot will change between now and Feb 2007, but we were really hoping to be blown away by it...and we were not sadly.

Sonic The Hedgehog is as convoluted as ever. Shadow's driving a truck now. The game is too fast to actually play. Needs tweaking. Hated it.

The Sights, Sounds and Smells of the Greatest Show on Earth

E3 is gigantic. It's held in three rooms - Kentia Hall kind of counts and they are massive. Lots of walking mixed with tens of thousands of people multiplied by the heat = body odor up the ying yang. Nerds aren't bred for their skills in hygiene and mommy isn't here to remind them to wash their entire bodies, so sometimes the stench is overwhelming.

Overheard on the showfloor "I think this shirt makes me look fat." Correction. The fat makes you look fat. The Pikachu shirt and the fact you're at least 25 makes you look stupid.

People who are only at E3 for the free stuff, running from booth to booth looking for keychains, pens, shirts, frisbees.... should be shot and then have their bags of swag stolen and sold on eBay, with all of the profits going to me. I thereby decree this mode of vigilantism acceptable.

I've always called E3 an epileptic's death sentence. Buzzing, ringing, flashing lights, loud music...and it gets worse each year with companies trying to outdo each other. With all of those warnings in the front of manuals about seizures, I have yet to see one show goer swallowing his tongue while writhing in pain on the floor. Maybe next year.

Standing in line is now an accepted E3 pasttime. Not for me though. If Heaven had lines this long, I'd be calling Satan to make a reservation.

Is Gary Coleman dead? Where the hell is he? We haven't spotted him and it's already Day 2. He certainly couldnt be working somewhere, could he? Maybe Target wouldn't give him the time off. Just kidding. We like Gary, it's just that we like cheap shots at his expense slightly more. "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Mr. E3 Confidential writer?", indeed.

E3 without Booth Babes helps me respect women and myself. Mostly myself. The last thing I need is to take a picture with someone in a bikini who wouldn't normally otherwise be with me in a picture wearing a bikini. You know?

Behind Closed Doors

Country singer Charlie Rich sang "Behind Closed Doors", go ahead, google it. I'll wait. See? Anyway, he must have been singing about E3 and how the game industry has been getting into this disgusting habit of showing their most "important" games behind said closed doors. I don't know about you, but that's a huge piss off. Sometimes we actually get behind these closed doors but other times, we don't. I spent a lot of money to come to LA to cover your product and you won't show it to me? You just earned your game a 2.0 when it comes out, my friend. That's how game journalists really operate. Oh you thought we played the games? Ha ha. Amateur.

Video Game Celebs

The only real video game celebrity would have to be Shigeru Miyamoto and maybe, Hideo Kojima. There are others, but my point is, there aren't many. That's not stopping the video game jouralism industry though. Oh no. They are attempting to create new video game celebrities and the best part? These "celebs" aren't even involved in the creation of video games. I was sent a plethora of email invitations to interview some of the G4 people, who cover games on the G4 gaming network.... Why on earth would I want to waste my time at E3 interviewing the people who interview the people who really matter in this industry? How far does the figurative head of the gaming journalism industry have to be up the figurative ass, for this to make any sense?

So after I interview Ned Peabody or whomever from G4 and ask him such important questions like "So what's it like to interview Dave Perry from Shiny Entertainment?" can I expect a lesser-known journalist to interview me and ask "So what's it like to interview Ned Peabody who interviewed Dave Perry of Shiny Entertainment?"

Kentia Hall

Kentia Hall is like the basement of E3. People have to go downstairs (or an escalator) to get there. The exhibits are much more, shall we say, economical and chances are you'll find products down there being hawked by people who have never even heard of the English language. I don't like Kentia Hall very much. It always seems like an Amway convention down there and I'm honestly unsure of my personal safety in some of the back rows, which are hidden from view, most likely on purpose. Where else do you think some of these game companies get their motion capture of bodies being riddled with bullets? The Havoc engine, you say? That doesn't exist! Oh no!! I've said too much!!

Eats

I went to the doctor last week and with his rubber glove on, he did to me literally what the cafeteria prices at E3 do to your wallet figuratively. I keep checking inside my burger for the Google stock shares the kitchen staff must have certainly inserted for them to charge that for a piece of dead cow on a stale bun. What a screwover. "Excuse me, there must be some mistake. I ordered a Sprite, which came out of a fountain, and I think you charged me for a case of Dom Perignon."

As media we get to eat free in one of the rooms upstairs. Unfortunately, next to playing video games and spewing forth their opinions, the gaming media like to eat, which means good luck getting anything if the half-beards and goatees get to the tables first. The food at E3 is pretty good actually and I mean no disrespect to our gracious hosts. I'm still wondering why they treat the gaming media so well? It's not like 99% of them even deserve to be there. If your website was started anytime within the last 5 years, you shouldn't be there. No one is going to your site, let's face it. At CCC everyone knows us, but we meet up with other websites that were started last night and they're in there as media trying to line up interviews with Shigeru Miyamoto. Ultimately what they really do is just clog the aisles AND eat food rightfully meant for the big kahunas of the game industry: namely us and the other big dogs. There aren't many big dogs in the game industry, which means there is no reason for the giggling pimply-faced moron from "www.gamingiscool.com" (made up domain, feel free to register it) to be sitting in the media lounge eating my free sandwich.

If getting a free sandwich is hard, you should try getting near the free media PC's that the dude at my fictional www.gamingiscool.com and his equally useless friends are hogging so they can read the latest Penny-Arcade comic. "I have to post about Spyro 12 as my forum member will want to read about it." Forum member. Singular. Take note.

Nerd Speak on the Bus

Listening to nerd speak on the bus on the way to and or fro, the convention is the worst way to either start a day or end one. In the last few years I began taking the subway which delivers me quickly there and back. I would rather take my chances with LA subway crime and an earthquake than listen to a debate about whether the elves in Zelda could beat the elves in Lord of the Rings. It's mentally draining and it makes me feel "less than manly" to have to listen to it.

If you take a PSP or DS you've always got some guy who wants to join in and play with you. It's not that I'm anti-social, it's just that I don't want anything to do with you or anyone else...ever.

LA

Am I only the one who is pushing for E3 to be in Boise, Idaho next year? I hate LA. It's a grotesque shell of a city with absolutely no soul. The only thing it has going for it is Hollywood, Disneyland and Universal Studios....all of which are fictional. That has to tell you something, doesn't it? Everything is dirty. The people are dirty. The cabs are dirty. The money is dirty. The streets are dirty. The air is dirty. The water is dirty. Even the area codes for the phones seem dirty. Get me out of here.

E3 Parties

We get to attend the best parties out here. We'll post a report about them this weekend, so stay tuned. Literally stay tuned, don't go out to the movies, don't fall asleep...keep refreshing the page over and over again.

E3 Confidential Wrap

So you've been given a real taste of what E3 is all about it. Of course that only scratches the surface, but you can clearly see that it's not everything its cracked up to be. It's a lot of hard work, with little to no sleep and many hours of frustration and exhaustion, But each year we go back for more..... and we have yet to figure out why.