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.