Stay tuned for some [potentially] epic news.Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
E3 '08: Day Th...meh, I didn't even go.
I opted to skip day three of the E3 convention, it just seemed like too much of a hassle with no immediate benefit to me. I saw everything there was to see on Tuesday, which wasn't much.
So, instead, I opted to go to the office. I got some work done, talked to some of my editors, and got my CD player (and the Tool CD contained within) broken by IGN's valet service. "I shall strike down upon thee with great vengeance!"
But to keep this post on a positive note, despite the sadness and rage that was building inside me over my car stereo and CD, I ventured to downtown L.A. to attend Harmonix's Rock Band Bash at the Orpheum theater. I arrived to find the lobby of the theater a madhouse, filled to the brim with industry geeks all dressed up. Throughout the lobby and lounge areas Harmonix had set up Rock Band 2 stages where increasingly inebriated attendees could jam to some of the new game's "Meh"est tracks...well, at least the ones they chose.
But the highlight was most certainly that of the "guest performance" by The Who! I was somewhere around the 10th row in this tiny theater, getting my socks thoroughly rocked off by a pair of rock and roll legends at a private event.
I love my job.
(Pictures provided by Xbox360fanboy.com and Joystiq. I forgot my camera. Doh!)
So, instead, I opted to go to the office. I got some work done, talked to some of my editors, and got my CD player (and the Tool CD contained within) broken by IGN's valet service. "I shall strike down upon thee with great vengeance!"
But to keep this post on a positive note, despite the sadness and rage that was building inside me over my car stereo and CD, I ventured to downtown L.A. to attend Harmonix's Rock Band Bash at the Orpheum theater. I arrived to find the lobby of the theater a madhouse, filled to the brim with industry geeks all dressed up. Throughout the lobby and lounge areas Harmonix had set up Rock Band 2 stages where increasingly inebriated attendees could jam to some of the new game's "Meh"est tracks...well, at least the ones they chose.
But the highlight was most certainly that of the "guest performance" by The Who! I was somewhere around the 10th row in this tiny theater, getting my socks thoroughly rocked off by a pair of rock and roll legends at a private event.
I love my job.(Pictures provided by Xbox360fanboy.com and Joystiq. I forgot my camera. Doh!)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
E3 '08: Day Two Wrap-Up
Early predictions said that the 2008 E3 Expo would be a total let down--the hollow remnants of its former glorious self. E3-seasoned journalists assured the watchful masses that what was once an epic four day event with halls bustling with eager attendees, presentations rife with exclusive revelations, and swag-a-plenty, would inevitably be reduced to little more than a quiet, unremarkable, perhaps even frivolous event. It is with great reluctance that I confirm these predictions.
The glory days of E3
Although this year's E3 is the first that I have attended, and I lack first-hand knowledge of the E3's of lore, I have been watching various media outlets' event coverage for several years. You can imagine my disappointment when, after two or three solid weeks of seething excitement, I discovered that there was A. no swag, and B. no particularly breathtaking demos to be played.
My last visit to the LACC was for the Anime Expo only a week and a half prior. I was particularly happy to find that all signs of the masses of Otakutards that were in attendance earlier this month were completely swept away--the convention center was clean, odor free, and ready for a proper exposition. And a proper exposition E3 seemed to be....at first.
I arrived promptly at 10:30 a.m. to find the halls of the convention center practically empty. While 10:30 seems early, the convention had been going strong since 9:00, beginning with Nintendo's press conference. I eventually found my way to the concourse hall, where there were rows of exhibitor demo stations set up for attendees to play some of the year's upcoming releases. Highlights included: Rock Band 2, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, Resistance 2, Tom Clancy's Hawx, and Socom: Confrontation.
The sad, sorry remains.
I had an opportunity to play BIA:HH, which was as visually unimpressive as it was clunky. For those unaware, BIA:HH is an upcoming first-person shooter based in World War II, but unlike most other FPS WWII shooters, it relies on squad based combat. On the other hand Socom: Confrontation looks promising, the map designs are large and beautifully rendered, especially for an online exclusive.
What I soon discovered, however, was that the conference's biggest titles were only on display in the depths of the convention center's conference rooms, guarded by bitchy receptionists who promptly informed that I was only allowed entry by appointment. What I came to realize is that this is fairly common practice for E3, however, it doesn't make it any less ludicrous. Given the fact that E3 is an exclusive, invite only event, I can hardly see the logic in further filtering attendees by requiring invitations to demo titles. As a result, I didn't get a chance to try some of the most anticpitated games of the summit, such as Gears of War 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Comics, or Fallout 3.
Through personal acquaintance of Gerry Block, editor-in-chief of IGN Gear, I was able to get a crack at a behind closed doors demos of Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV. RE5 looked absolutely amazing. It is, by far, one of the most realistic looking games I have ever seen. The control system was similar to other Resident Evil titles, in that the control system for movement and looking around was somewhat jarring and awkward. But after a good 10 or 15 minutes of getting used to, the game was an absolute blast.
I was joyously pumping round after round into some of the most detailed, and subsequently terrifying zombies ever. On the other hand, I was not nearly as impressed by SF:IV. Now, I may be a Mortal Kombat fanboy, but I was unmoved by SF:IV's retro-revitalized, pseudo-3-D graphics. But then again, my distaste for the game might have been fueled by having my ass handed to me by Ali Miller of the L.A. Times.
From there I moved on to the MTV Games conference room where Gerry, Ms. Miller, and I had a meeting with gaming accessory manufacturers, MadCatz. We went over the company's new line of very cool Rock Band 2 accessories which we will be reporting on tomorrow on IGN.com. While we went through a whole portfolio's worth of accessories, I periodically commented on them, to which the very nice rep replied "Well, we will have to make sure you get one." If all goes well, I should have some very cool accessories coming my way in the near future.
After concluding with MadCatz, I spoke to the MTV Games receptionists about collecting tickets to an exclusive Rock Band party that I had been invited to earlier in the week via email. The email stipulated that the party would be held at the Orpheum theater in L.A., and would feature a "Special Guest Performance." Reliable sources along with simple deduction have suggested that the guest performance will be from a certain LEGENDARY classic rock band, my favorite of all time as a matter of fact.
Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out WHO it is.
The glory days of E3My last visit to the LACC was for the Anime Expo only a week and a half prior. I was particularly happy to find that all signs of the masses of Otakutards that were in attendance earlier this month were completely swept away--the convention center was clean, odor free, and ready for a proper exposition. And a proper exposition E3 seemed to be....at first.
I arrived promptly at 10:30 a.m. to find the halls of the convention center practically empty. While 10:30 seems early, the convention had been going strong since 9:00, beginning with Nintendo's press conference. I eventually found my way to the concourse hall, where there were rows of exhibitor demo stations set up for attendees to play some of the year's upcoming releases. Highlights included: Rock Band 2, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, Resistance 2, Tom Clancy's Hawx, and Socom: Confrontation.
The sad, sorry remains.What I soon discovered, however, was that the conference's biggest titles were only on display in the depths of the convention center's conference rooms, guarded by bitchy receptionists who promptly informed that I was only allowed entry by appointment. What I came to realize is that this is fairly common practice for E3, however, it doesn't make it any less ludicrous. Given the fact that E3 is an exclusive, invite only event, I can hardly see the logic in further filtering attendees by requiring invitations to demo titles. As a result, I didn't get a chance to try some of the most anticpitated games of the summit, such as Gears of War 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Comics, or Fallout 3.
Through personal acquaintance of Gerry Block, editor-in-chief of IGN Gear, I was able to get a crack at a behind closed doors demos of Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV. RE5 looked absolutely amazing. It is, by far, one of the most realistic looking games I have ever seen. The control system was similar to other Resident Evil titles, in that the control system for movement and looking around was somewhat jarring and awkward. But after a good 10 or 15 minutes of getting used to, the game was an absolute blast.
I was joyously pumping round after round into some of the most detailed, and subsequently terrifying zombies ever. On the other hand, I was not nearly as impressed by SF:IV. Now, I may be a Mortal Kombat fanboy, but I was unmoved by SF:IV's retro-revitalized, pseudo-3-D graphics. But then again, my distaste for the game might have been fueled by having my ass handed to me by Ali Miller of the L.A. Times.From there I moved on to the MTV Games conference room where Gerry, Ms. Miller, and I had a meeting with gaming accessory manufacturers, MadCatz. We went over the company's new line of very cool Rock Band 2 accessories which we will be reporting on tomorrow on IGN.com. While we went through a whole portfolio's worth of accessories, I periodically commented on them, to which the very nice rep replied "Well, we will have to make sure you get one." If all goes well, I should have some very cool accessories coming my way in the near future.
After concluding with MadCatz, I spoke to the MTV Games receptionists about collecting tickets to an exclusive Rock Band party that I had been invited to earlier in the week via email. The email stipulated that the party would be held at the Orpheum theater in L.A., and would feature a "Special Guest Performance." Reliable sources along with simple deduction have suggested that the guest performance will be from a certain LEGENDARY classic rock band, my favorite of all time as a matter of fact.
Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out WHO it is.
Monday, July 14, 2008
E3, done right.
I will be attending the world famous E3: Media and Business Summit at the L.A. Convention Center on July 15th and 16th for IGN's Gear channel. Stay tuned to scottmlowe.blogspot.com for my daily wrap-ups!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
(Mis)adventures at Anime Expo '08
I knew at that moment, as I walked through the automatic sliding glass doors and immediately noted the stale stench of ripened Otaku freaks wafting through the recycled temperature controlled air of the LACC, that all was lost.
I am referring, of course, to last week's 2008 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California.
When I was first asked to cover the expo, I was somewhat reluctant. My lacking knowledge of the subject matter, I believed, would render me somewhat unfit for the job. However, I was assured that my role at the convention would be to be to simply report the facts.
"I will take on this gruesome beast," I thought to myself, feeling somewhat reassured. "But I'll need backup."
The Lovely Ms. Loyola
It was at this point that I accepted the assignment under the provision that the company acquire press credentials for my companion and Otaku expert, Sirose Loyola. Her role was to be that of an IGN photographer, and my personal advisor on the ways of the weird.
We arrived at the LACC on Thursday, July 3rd at 11:00 a.m., IGN Comics editor Richard George and I had set a tentative randezvous time of 12:00 p.m., which he naturally interpretted as extremely tentative, arriving at 12:45 p.m. After we obtained our credentials and unnecessary bag of AX-branded swag, it was off to the first task of the con; an interview with J-Pop sensation Shoko Nakagawa.
Shokotan, as she is affectionaly called by her fans, was slated to perform at the Nokia Theater as part of the Anime Expo's weekend festivities, and served as a guest of honor at various events throughout the duration of the con. When Ms. Loyola and I arrived at the meeting room in which the interview was to be held, we found Shoko sitting patiently, elegantly dressed as one of her favorite anime characters (whose name escapes me), with her entourage and Sony-BMG representative.
After brief introductions, we kicked immediately into the interview. I asked Shokotan about her new album, upcoming performance at the expo, her interest in cosplay, and of course her impressions of the convention thus far. Shokotan seemed very impressed by the convention, and enthusiastic about her first live performance in the United States.
After the interview we rejoined Comics Editor Richard George, whom had been strolling the LACC's South Hall, collecting free stuff, and perousing the various vendor booths. It was then that we received one of our more amusing assignments: taking photographs of the convention's many costumed patrons.
For those unfamiliar with anime events, many convention goers come dressed as their favorite anime, manga, tv show, movie, video game, or comic book characters, generally, but not exclusively, from Japanese properties. The phenomena is identified as "cosplay" (Costume-Play), and typically involves mimicing not only the appearance of any given character, but also the personality of any given character. The result is an initially surreal, often laughable, and at times, irritating spectacle.
Naturally, the convention-spanning task of cosplayer photography was relegated to Ms. Loyola, whom took to the task with much gusto. Over the span of the three days that we were in attendance, Ms. Loyola took over 700 pictures of cosplayers of the good, bad, and downright terrifying persuasions. Anime/manga enthusiasts of all varieties were dressed as nearly every type of character imagineable--men were dressed as women, women were dressed as men, both sexes were dressed as robots--it was bizarre. Some attendees went all out, wearing quality detailed, professional or homemade costumes. Others did not. One particular instance involved a rather unhygenic looking lad in excercise shorts and flip flops, wearing only a cardboard box with a single line of words scribbled across in marker, for a costume. All the while I was assigned to various industry press-conferences and panels where the biggest publishers announced their lineup for the remainder of 2008, and early 2009.
With our work days starting as early as 8 a.m. and lasting until well near midnight, by the second day, Ms. Loyola and I's enthusiasm was beginning to dwindle. That is, of course, until we witnessed and eventually met the convention's saving grace, one Mr. David Hayter. For those who aren't familiar with Mr. Hayter, he is the voice of the character Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid video game series, and the screenwriter of both X-Men 1 and 2. First, we attended a panel that Hayter hosted wherein he enthusiastically and politely entertained fans by answering their questions and reciting various phrases in the iconic voice of Solid Snake. It was about 20 minutes into the panel that I realized how incredibly personable, patient, and friendly Hayter was with his fans. He sat on a stage for over an hour answering outlandish questions and reciting lines for over an hour, without even showing a moment of irritation or frustration.
It was only the next day that we were able to meet Hayter during a press-exclusive conference. When Ms. Loyola and I arrived in the small meeting room, Hayter was up and about the room signing autographs, and shaking hands. Shortly after we sat down, Hayter approached us,
introduced himself and asked for our names. He asked if we wanted anything signed, which I had hoped he would ask, and had him sign the sleave of my copy of Metal Gear Solid 4. As the conference commenced, Hayter exemplified his humble nature even further by addressing me and others by name when calling upon us for questions. During the panel, I asked Hayter some information about his new projects--a film adaptation for the popular video game Lost Planet (See: Solid Snake Discusses Lost Planet), and action/adventure film which he is set to direct, but could not comment on. Hayter also discussed working on the Metal Gear series and his treatment for the potential film adaptation (See: David Hayter Talks Metal Gear). Finally, the conference concluded and Ms. Loyola grabbed a last minute photo of Hayter and I.
For the last day of IGN's coverage of the anime expo, I was assigned one final interview with David Bowers, the director of 2005's Flushed Away and the upcoming animated film starring Nicholas Cage and Donald Sutherland Astro Boy. I won't go into too much detail on the interview as you can read it here. To sum it up, we got free shirts and Bowers was pleasant...Didi I mention the free shirts?
Anyways, moving on, the final event that we were charged with attending and photographing was the expo's big production, the masquerade. The masquerade took place in the stunningly beautiful (and relatively new) Nokia Theater. The masquerade Ms. Loyola knew, and I soon discovered, consisted entirely of cosplaying enthusiasts performing original skits related to various anime series to dubbed audio dialogues and soundtracks. Ultimately, however, the event was a wash. The consistently annoying AX staff would not allow Ms. Loyola, whose photographs would have been published to an audience of over 31 million readers, to move out her seat to take pictures. So, in the absence of a flash photography and varying angles and subsequent blurry photographs, we sat back and attempted to enjoy the show. Which, for me, proved to be impossible. After the show concluded, we walked to mein auto in a haze of exhaustion, delerium, and defeat.
Fierce Loathing
In the end, working the Anime Expo was perhaps one of my most physically, psychologically, and emotionally grueling assignments to date. Unfortunately, the quality of Ms. Loyola and I's work was such that it apparently caught the eye of some higher ups, and I am now actively being considered for further convention-oriented assignments.
Damn it all to hell.
I am referring, of course, to last week's 2008 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California.
When I was first asked to cover the expo, I was somewhat reluctant. My lacking knowledge of the subject matter, I believed, would render me somewhat unfit for the job. However, I was assured that my role at the convention would be to be to simply report the facts.
"I will take on this gruesome beast," I thought to myself, feeling somewhat reassured. "But I'll need backup."
The Lovely Ms. LoyolaWe arrived at the LACC on Thursday, July 3rd at 11:00 a.m., IGN Comics editor Richard George and I had set a tentative randezvous time of 12:00 p.m., which he naturally interpretted as extremely tentative, arriving at 12:45 p.m. After we obtained our credentials and unnecessary bag of AX-branded swag, it was off to the first task of the con; an interview with J-Pop sensation Shoko Nakagawa.
Shokotan, as she is affectionaly called by her fans, was slated to perform at the Nokia Theater as part of the Anime Expo's weekend festivities, and served as a guest of honor at various events throughout the duration of the con. When Ms. Loyola and I arrived at the meeting room in which the interview was to be held, we found Shoko sitting patiently, elegantly dressed as one of her favorite anime characters (whose name escapes me), with her entourage and Sony-BMG representative.
After brief introductions, we kicked immediately into the interview. I asked Shokotan about her new album, upcoming performance at the expo, her interest in cosplay, and of course her impressions of the convention thus far. Shokotan seemed very impressed by the convention, and enthusiastic about her first live performance in the United States.After the interview we rejoined Comics Editor Richard George, whom had been strolling the LACC's South Hall, collecting free stuff, and perousing the various vendor booths. It was then that we received one of our more amusing assignments: taking photographs of the convention's many costumed patrons.
For those unfamiliar with anime events, many convention goers come dressed as their favorite anime, manga, tv show, movie, video game, or comic book characters, generally, but not exclusively, from Japanese properties. The phenomena is identified as "cosplay" (Costume-Play), and typically involves mimicing not only the appearance of any given character, but also the personality of any given character. The result is an initially surreal, often laughable, and at times, irritating spectacle.
Naturally, the convention-spanning task of cosplayer photography was relegated to Ms. Loyola, whom took to the task with much gusto. Over the span of the three days that we were in attendance, Ms. Loyola took over 700 pictures of cosplayers of the good, bad, and downright terrifying persuasions. Anime/manga enthusiasts of all varieties were dressed as nearly every type of character imagineable--men were dressed as women, women were dressed as men, both sexes were dressed as robots--it was bizarre. Some attendees went all out, wearing quality detailed, professional or homemade costumes. Others did not. One particular instance involved a rather unhygenic looking lad in excercise shorts and flip flops, wearing only a cardboard box with a single line of words scribbled across in marker, for a costume. All the while I was assigned to various industry press-conferences and panels where the biggest publishers announced their lineup for the remainder of 2008, and early 2009.
With our work days starting as early as 8 a.m. and lasting until well near midnight, by the second day, Ms. Loyola and I's enthusiasm was beginning to dwindle. That is, of course, until we witnessed and eventually met the convention's saving grace, one Mr. David Hayter. For those who aren't familiar with Mr. Hayter, he is the voice of the character Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid video game series, and the screenwriter of both X-Men 1 and 2. First, we attended a panel that Hayter hosted wherein he enthusiastically and politely entertained fans by answering their questions and reciting various phrases in the iconic voice of Solid Snake. It was about 20 minutes into the panel that I realized how incredibly personable, patient, and friendly Hayter was with his fans. He sat on a stage for over an hour answering outlandish questions and reciting lines for over an hour, without even showing a moment of irritation or frustration.It was only the next day that we were able to meet Hayter during a press-exclusive conference. When Ms. Loyola and I arrived in the small meeting room, Hayter was up and about the room signing autographs, and shaking hands. Shortly after we sat down, Hayter approached us,
introduced himself and asked for our names. He asked if we wanted anything signed, which I had hoped he would ask, and had him sign the sleave of my copy of Metal Gear Solid 4. As the conference commenced, Hayter exemplified his humble nature even further by addressing me and others by name when calling upon us for questions. During the panel, I asked Hayter some information about his new projects--a film adaptation for the popular video game Lost Planet (See: Solid Snake Discusses Lost Planet), and action/adventure film which he is set to direct, but could not comment on. Hayter also discussed working on the Metal Gear series and his treatment for the potential film adaptation (See: David Hayter Talks Metal Gear). Finally, the conference concluded and Ms. Loyola grabbed a last minute photo of Hayter and I.
For the last day of IGN's coverage of the anime expo, I was assigned one final interview with David Bowers, the director of 2005's Flushed Away and the upcoming animated film starring Nicholas Cage and Donald Sutherland Astro Boy. I won't go into too much detail on the interview as you can read it here. To sum it up, we got free shirts and Bowers was pleasant...Didi I mention the free shirts?Anyways, moving on, the final event that we were charged with attending and photographing was the expo's big production, the masquerade. The masquerade took place in the stunningly beautiful (and relatively new) Nokia Theater. The masquerade Ms. Loyola knew, and I soon discovered, consisted entirely of cosplaying enthusiasts performing original skits related to various anime series to dubbed audio dialogues and soundtracks. Ultimately, however, the event was a wash. The consistently annoying AX staff would not allow Ms. Loyola, whose photographs would have been published to an audience of over 31 million readers, to move out her seat to take pictures. So, in the absence of a flash photography and varying angles and subsequent blurry photographs, we sat back and attempted to enjoy the show. Which, for me, proved to be impossible. After the show concluded, we walked to mein auto in a haze of exhaustion, delerium, and defeat.
Fierce LoathingDamn it all to hell.
Bloggerhaul Redux
I realized last week that my blog was lacking something, something rather important.....posts! Prior to now I had been using scottmlowe.blogspot.com solely to provide links to the articles I have written for IGN.com, and I had no place designated for personal or professional discourse. Which is rather counterintuitive, I think. So, scottmlowe.blogspot.com has undergone yet another blogggerhaul.
You will notice a near identical aesthetic to the scottmlowe.blogspot.com of yesterview, but minus the long list of links. Which have been moved to a new blog of residence: scottmlowelinks.blogspot.com. But don't go altering your bookmarks just yet--you can access the article listing blog by simply clicking the link to the right.
As for content, I intend to fill this blog with detailed recounts of my misadventures in entertainment journalism, personal updates, pictures, and perhaps an occasional rant. My first post of which will follow shortly, which will recap my experiences covering last week's Anime Expo 2008 in Los Angeles. Soon thereafter I intend on posting a recap of next week's E3 Media and Business Summit at the L.A. Convention Center which I will be covering for IGN Gear.
You will notice a near identical aesthetic to the scottmlowe.blogspot.com of yesterview, but minus the long list of links. Which have been moved to a new blog of residence: scottmlowelinks.blogspot.com. But don't go altering your bookmarks just yet--you can access the article listing blog by simply clicking the link to the right.
As for content, I intend to fill this blog with detailed recounts of my misadventures in entertainment journalism, personal updates, pictures, and perhaps an occasional rant. My first post of which will follow shortly, which will recap my experiences covering last week's Anime Expo 2008 in Los Angeles. Soon thereafter I intend on posting a recap of next week's E3 Media and Business Summit at the L.A. Convention Center which I will be covering for IGN Gear.
Until then,
SML
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