2 major events happened last week
both know as E3. There’s E3 (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the
Sith) and E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo). E3 is a harsh mistress.
3 days of actual Expo is not nearly enough time to experience
everything one would like to experience. It’s over before you know it
and then it’s time to go home. I think the worst part is that when it’s
time to go back, the place I have to go back to is Kansas.
Standing about 30 feet away from the likes of Reggie, Eiji Aonuma,
Satoru Iwata, and Shigeru Miyamoto at the Nintendo press conference was
incredible. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. I couldn’t believe
that I waited in line by people like Morgan Webb (who is 10 times
hotter in real life). One aspect of E3 that surprised me the most was
the people I met. I knew I was going to have a blast playing games that
wouldn’t be available for months, but I also had a blast meeting people
that I only knew through the writings of articles on websites and
through message boards. Talking with companies like VMC I learned
about the behind the scene development aspects of gaming, and as boring as it may
seem, I found it fascinating. I saw the future direction of gaming and
I saw half naked women pretending to be halfway interested in gaming.
Not a bad week, but to top it all off, I finally experienced the Star
Wars movie that I always wanted to see since the end of the original
trilogy. I think somewhere midweek my brain exploded as I had multiple
orgasms.
Mark, and Richie for giving me the chance to go to E3. By the way,
In-N-Out Burger is great. Next time I visit one, I think I will eat a 4
patty burger.
(Note: You’ve already seen some of these pics)
Inside the entrance to the LA Convention Center. You can see the G4 booth in the back.
I’m playing and awesome new Sonic game for the DS called Sonic Rush.
The interesting aspect of the title is that game play shifts from the
top and bottom screen to expand playing field.
Shadow the Hedgehog says "I’m gonna pop a cap in yo ass mutha fucka!"
Tina Wood from G4 punching me in the face.
We Love Katamari, the sequel to the original.
Walking in the Stargate.
Oh look an X-Box 360 on display.
Konami had a stage where they were showing off new Bemani titles. Right
before I was about to play Beatmania (which is finally getting a US
release) the games crashed.
I’m trying to sing and dance to Take On Me for Karaoke Revolution Party. My ass is fat. I need to get off of it and exercise
more.
Huge NES controller that was previously shown on G4’s Attack of the
Show. It looks really nice, but the buttons are really hard to push.
I pretty sure this is Shawn Wayans. I get the Wayans mixed up. I scared
away Marlon because like the Tina Wood picture, I asked him to act like
he was punching me, but he was all like "man, we could get a law suit
for something like that,"
Nintendo’s booth.
This Gameboy Micro is tethered to the booth babe. Man, I think that’s
my dream woman, a hot chick with a Gameboy attached to her. Yeah, after
we have sex, instead of the typical post-coital cigarette, we’ll have a
post-coital game of Tetris!
5 Gameboy Micros, one for each night of sex during the week.
I played quite a bit of Killer 7 and it’s killer (sorry). No, really,
it’s very unique and it’s impossible to not get intrigued by the
strange storyline. I fought this one bad guy that was just like that
one monster in Resident Evil 4, you know, the one where you have to use
that special scope to shoot the certain spots on its body.
Part of the show floor. It’s mostly Capcom’s booth. You can also see Koei’s.
Richie and I played this new Mortal Kombat title. It was actually
pretty cool. It plays like a beat em up but you can still use all the
special moves for your character. The fighting system reminded me of
something similar to Prince of Persia.
Kingdom Hearts 2. BreakmanX and Richie warned me about Square Enix and
how strict they are about filming and pictures. I had my camera out to
take a picture and some guy tells me "no film." So I went to the other
side where there were more Kingdom Hearts 2 set ups and took a picture.
The soul definitely still burns. I played a match of Soul Calibur III
and from what I could tell, it’s basically a better looking Soul
Calibur II with more characters. Funny thing is, that’s not a bad
thing.
Okami by Clover Studio. The visuals in this one are amazing.
Here’s a pic for Verence.
Huge banners from Nintendo’s booth.
I downloaded Meteos from this and brought it home.
Waiting in line to play multiplayer Mario Kart DS. It seemed to be a
mixture of Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash. From what I played, it could
be my favorite Mario Kart ever.
Blurry One Piece. I guess the action is so intense, you can’t see it.
Inuyasha. Truthfully, I haven’t watched the anime, but I hear it’s great.
An Atari 5700. Yes, you heard me right, a 5700. It was never released,
but it did have one very interesting aspect, something that next gen
consoles are all about…wireless controllers.
A Sega Neptune, also never released. This was basically a Genesis with
a built in 32X. Personally, I liked the whole planet scheme. Maybe
Dreamcast would’ve succeeded if it was called Uranus.
Why is that storm trooper taller than Boba Fett? Shouldn’t they technically be the same height?
Larua Foy and Tina Wood from G4.
This Pac Man was high on crack.
A real life Katamari.
E3 Game Highlights
Here are some titles at E3 that I thought stood out.
-Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2
PS2
Once again, you can use the Eye Toy in conjunction with the dance pad.
Game play is still pretty much the same as it ever has been and of
course there are new songs.
-Beatmania
PS2
Beatmania is finally coming to the US! This version is the IIDX version
in which you can play with 7 keys. I’m assuming Konami will also be
releasing the turntable controller. The controller didn’t feel quite
like the arcade though. Mostly it’s the keys that feel different. The
arcade keys are much easier to tap, but the console controller has some
slight resistance.
-Killer 7
GC & PS2
I spent some decent time with this one. Visuals are awesome as well as
super gruesome. It’s definitely original and the storyline forces you
to play more and more. I will be getting this one on release date.
-Soul Calibur III
PS2
As I said before, it’s pretty much Soul Calibur II with a bit better visuals and new characters. But that’s not a bad thing.
-We Love Katamari
PS2
Yes, we do love Katamari Damacy. The sequel will be featuring versus as well as cooperative modes.
-Viewtiful Joe DS
NDS
I’m amazed at how Clover Studio put Viewtiful Joe on the DS. Everything
is there and everything looks like it should. There’s a cool new
feature where you use the DS touch screen to split your screen in half
and drag the screen to do different things. For example, there was a
fire hydrant on screen that when split, shot water out if its top. You
shoot the water at an area that is unreachable because there is a fire.
-MegamanX Collection
PS2 & GC
Contains MegamanX 1-6 as well as the unreleased-in-the-US, Megaman Battle and Chase. ‘Nuff said.
-Pac ‘n Roll
NDS
This one reminded me of Marble Madness for NES. As you can see, Pac Man
is on the touch screen where you roll him to direct him on the upper
screen.
-Okami
PS2
This game really shines in visuals. I didn’t get to get too deep into
the game, but this is definitely something I’m anticipating. Another
example of Clover Studio’s awesomeness.
-Capcom Classics Collection
PS2 & X-Box
Contains 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai, Bionic Commando, Commando, Exed Exes,
Final Fight, Forgotten Worlds, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Gun
Smoke, Legendary Wings, Mercs, Pirate Ship Higermaru, Section Z, Son
Son, Street Fighter II, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Trojan, and Vulgus.
Some of these are arcade versions and some are SNES versions.
-Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
NDS
Dawn of Sorrow is in the same vein as the GBA Castlevania titles. It’s
basically Aria of Sorrow with slicker graphics. Game play is pretty
much the same, but like Soul Calibur III, that’s not a bad thing.
Personally, I think the any of the GBA Castlevania titles are better
than the PS2 ones.
-Advance Wars Dual Strike
NDS
I think tactics titles like this are perfect for the NDS and its touch
screen. It’s especially great for navigating through the menu
interface.
-Kirby Canvas Curse
NDS
I was surprised at how easy it is to control Kirby in this title. I
thought it would be more of a hassle, but it was actually really fun
and innovative. The other thing that surprised me was that the game is
a full fledged Kirby title and not just some experiment or tech demo.
-Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 2
NDS
The sequel to one of my favorite titles ever released on GBA. Looks like Baby Mario and Luigi are also playable characters.
-Mario Kart DS
NDS
A good mix between Double Dash and 64, this is probably the biggest NDS
I’m anticipating. The best part is, it will be playable online.
-Metroid Prime Hunters
NDS
Nintendo vastly improved this one over the demo version that was packed
in with the DS. You can now play as other characters besides Samus,
there are more weapons to pick up, level design is much better, and
there is also a capture the flag type mode. Basically, it’s turning
into a full fledged FPS. They even put in a free roaming camera mode
like in PC FPSs that you can use when you die. I think I might be
anticipating this one as much as Mario Kart DS.
-Metroid Pinball
NDS
I know what you’re thinking…Nintendo is now whoring out Metroid, but
personally, I love pinball games. Ever since Revenge of the Gator on
the original Gameboy, I’ve been a fan of handheld pinball games.
Pokemon Pinball brought the addition of a rumble feature and apparently
the E3 show floor version of Metroid Pinball had a rumble cart that was
in the GBA slot of the DS.
-New Super Mario Bros.
NDS
I played a multiplayer mode and it was awesome. I beat the guy I was
playing against and won a Mario DS stylus. I almost shed a tear
when I found out that at the end of the level, you jump on a flagpole.
-Battalion Wars
GC
This one was previously known as Advance Wars Under Fire. It’s not turn based, instead it’s more action oriented.
-Chibi Robo
GC
An interesting title that for some reason reminds me of Katamari
Damacy. From what I know, you go around and pick stuff up and you have
battery power which you have to recharge every once in a while, hence
the dragging power cord.
-Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
GC
From what I’ve played, it’s a solid tactics title. With the popularity
of Nippon Ichi tactics titles, Fire Emblem could definitely be a big
hit for GC.
-Odama
GC
This is one of the most unique titles I played at E3. Upon first look,
it just seems like a pinball game with troops. But there’s a new
feature added which uses the Gamecube microphone. Instead of just
destroying enemy troops with the Odama (big rolling cannon ball), you
now have you own troops which are controlled by voice commands such as
“Charge!” and “Go go go!”
-The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
GC
That mysterious hooded person is the princess. How do I know? Well,
there was a downloadable DS program called “Zelda Gallery” that showed
screenshots and had little text blurbs.
-Meteos
NDS
A puzzle game that plays a bit like Panel de Pon (Tetris Attack or
Pokemon Puzzle Challenge), made by the creators of Rez and Kirby. I
have the demo downloaded onto my DS and multiplayer is a blast.
-Metal Slug
GBA
This is not Metal Slug Advance, instead, it is actually an arcade port of the original Metal Slug.
-Lost In Blue
NDS
Holy cow! You can milk cows!
