Friday, May 20, 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Today at E3
E3 isn't so much a trade show as it is an unending cacophony of noise, lights and people, all overlapping on top of one another to form some sort of orgy of videogame bliss.
But I get ahead of myself.
The day started at 7am (actually 8am for me, one of the nice parts of PST), so that we could make the 8am breakfast/media briefing. After a tumultuous cab ride to the convention centre (where the cabbie tried to drive us through a security blockade) we started to make our way to the briefing.
Once we were inside the building it was clear something was wrong. The lights were dimmed or off, the media room was locked down and there were far fewer wifi hotspots than normal. Yes, there was a power blackout in front of one of the most power consuming events in the world.
However, a mix of emergency power and the power company knowing they were screwed if everything wasn't up and running by the 10am opening time made sure that the show started as if nothing happened. I was more than impressed with this.
Also, by eight there were already a lot of people milling about the area.
The media briefing was interesting, the President of the ESA essentially said we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves and that the gaming industry still has a lot of room to grow (mainly with women and casual gamers). I stayed for the Q&A afterwards, which meant by the time I got out, the meager breakfast had an hour long line to it. I skipped it. I then made my way to the doors:
As you can see it was getting crowded very quickly. By the time the doors actually opened I was worried about getting trampled by the multitudes behind me. When the hour arrived, we moved forward as one, a throng of people with a single mind, and a single purpose.
Quickly scanning my surroundings I found an open console and started playing. It was a new Incredible Hulk game in the style of Grand Theft Auto. I lost myself in the smashing, and jumping, and jumping and smashing before finishing the objectives and turning around to try something else.
Unbeknownced to me approximately an infinite amount of people had come in after me. The showfloor was now a collection of elbows and sweat, almost impossible to navigate. I decided to change halls (one hall held SONY and Nintendo's booth, which was the one I was in, and the other had Microsoft and everyone else's booth). I made my way around this other hall while trying to find some PR images for Dan Lazin. Along the way I spied a statue for Blizzard's game Star Craft: Ghost.
After dropping the stuff off for Dan I attacked the hall once again. By this point the autograph session for the Fantastic Four movie had started (no Jessica Alba sadly) and the corner between the Blizzard, Activision, and Namco booths took literally ten minutes to navigate (and I do mean literally). I was able to capture one very blurry image of The Thing, but didn't go in for an autograph.
This is where the people really started pushing there way in. I checked out Ubi Soft's booth, they had a demo of Prince of Persia 3 running, and it seemed to solve at least some of the problems from the second one. The implemented a "sneak kill" system, so if you are acrobatic and stealthy you can get rid of enemies quickly without a fight, eliminating the most annoying part of the first two games.
I also saw Konami's booth and saw the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer. It was rendered using the Metal Gear Solid 3 engine, so it looked dated (the real game will be on the ps3 and will look a bunch better). It was also funny in a way that only video game nerds would find funny. Which was okay because everyone there was a video game nerd.
At this point I saw Tony Hawk signing autographs to promote his new Xbox 360 game.
I got burnt out at that point and went to the media flop room. Unluckily, I missed the free lunch. Luckily, the Wayans brothers were still in their press conference promoting their collectable cardgame/cell phone game based on "Yo Momma" jokes. They seemed very disinterested in the entire ordeal. The developer on the other hand was unnaturally enthusiastic. Note, not only were Marlon and Damon there, but Keenan Ivory was there as well.
After seeing the Wayans I ventured back onto the show floor and saw the Buena Vista booth. They were promoting the Narnia game, which seems like a total rip off of the Lord of the Rings. From what I've seen of the film I think that is a fair assessment.
Escaping from the hall once again, I went to the E3 merchandise stand, which lead to this, the only properly exposed photo of the day:
After the merch tent I was on a gaming rampage, sampling as many games as I could find.
After supping more games than I can count, I decided to bite the bullet and move on to the giant line that had formed outside of Nindendo's booth. You could tell it was Nintendo's by the monstersized logos and super-mushroom sized Mario standing tall over everyone:
Now you see, I was entering this line mostly on faith. I guessed we were going to be ushered into the back of Nintendo's area to play the new Zelda (officially titled The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess), but I wasn't sure. It wasn't marked anywhere, and the people in front and behind me in line were about as sure as I was. A Nintendo lackey came over to us and said "we might get it before closing time" and we all decided to stick it out. After being corralled into the back we found we were indeed playing the new Zelda and after the ten or so minutes I spent on it I can definitively say that is definitely Zelda, with the same basic engine that has powered the last three games, only with cooler looking graphics.
After that I left E3 and went back to the hotel, ate for the first time today and half napped/half watched Riddick on HBO.
But I get ahead of myself.
The day started at 7am (actually 8am for me, one of the nice parts of PST), so that we could make the 8am breakfast/media briefing. After a tumultuous cab ride to the convention centre (where the cabbie tried to drive us through a security blockade) we started to make our way to the briefing.
Once we were inside the building it was clear something was wrong. The lights were dimmed or off, the media room was locked down and there were far fewer wifi hotspots than normal. Yes, there was a power blackout in front of one of the most power consuming events in the world.
However, a mix of emergency power and the power company knowing they were screwed if everything wasn't up and running by the 10am opening time made sure that the show started as if nothing happened. I was more than impressed with this.
Also, by eight there were already a lot of people milling about the area.
The media briefing was interesting, the President of the ESA essentially said we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves and that the gaming industry still has a lot of room to grow (mainly with women and casual gamers). I stayed for the Q&A afterwards, which meant by the time I got out, the meager breakfast had an hour long line to it. I skipped it. I then made my way to the doors:
As you can see it was getting crowded very quickly. By the time the doors actually opened I was worried about getting trampled by the multitudes behind me. When the hour arrived, we moved forward as one, a throng of people with a single mind, and a single purpose.
Quickly scanning my surroundings I found an open console and started playing. It was a new Incredible Hulk game in the style of Grand Theft Auto. I lost myself in the smashing, and jumping, and jumping and smashing before finishing the objectives and turning around to try something else.
Unbeknownced to me approximately an infinite amount of people had come in after me. The showfloor was now a collection of elbows and sweat, almost impossible to navigate. I decided to change halls (one hall held SONY and Nintendo's booth, which was the one I was in, and the other had Microsoft and everyone else's booth). I made my way around this other hall while trying to find some PR images for Dan Lazin. Along the way I spied a statue for Blizzard's game Star Craft: Ghost.
After dropping the stuff off for Dan I attacked the hall once again. By this point the autograph session for the Fantastic Four movie had started (no Jessica Alba sadly) and the corner between the Blizzard, Activision, and Namco booths took literally ten minutes to navigate (and I do mean literally). I was able to capture one very blurry image of The Thing, but didn't go in for an autograph.
This is where the people really started pushing there way in. I checked out Ubi Soft's booth, they had a demo of Prince of Persia 3 running, and it seemed to solve at least some of the problems from the second one. The implemented a "sneak kill" system, so if you are acrobatic and stealthy you can get rid of enemies quickly without a fight, eliminating the most annoying part of the first two games.
I also saw Konami's booth and saw the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer. It was rendered using the Metal Gear Solid 3 engine, so it looked dated (the real game will be on the ps3 and will look a bunch better). It was also funny in a way that only video game nerds would find funny. Which was okay because everyone there was a video game nerd.
At this point I saw Tony Hawk signing autographs to promote his new Xbox 360 game.
I got burnt out at that point and went to the media flop room. Unluckily, I missed the free lunch. Luckily, the Wayans brothers were still in their press conference promoting their collectable cardgame/cell phone game based on "Yo Momma" jokes. They seemed very disinterested in the entire ordeal. The developer on the other hand was unnaturally enthusiastic. Note, not only were Marlon and Damon there, but Keenan Ivory was there as well.
After seeing the Wayans I ventured back onto the show floor and saw the Buena Vista booth. They were promoting the Narnia game, which seems like a total rip off of the Lord of the Rings. From what I've seen of the film I think that is a fair assessment.
Escaping from the hall once again, I went to the E3 merchandise stand, which lead to this, the only properly exposed photo of the day:
After the merch tent I was on a gaming rampage, sampling as many games as I could find.
After supping more games than I can count, I decided to bite the bullet and move on to the giant line that had formed outside of Nindendo's booth. You could tell it was Nintendo's by the monstersized logos and super-mushroom sized Mario standing tall over everyone:
Now you see, I was entering this line mostly on faith. I guessed we were going to be ushered into the back of Nintendo's area to play the new Zelda (officially titled The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess), but I wasn't sure. It wasn't marked anywhere, and the people in front and behind me in line were about as sure as I was. A Nintendo lackey came over to us and said "we might get it before closing time" and we all decided to stick it out. After being corralled into the back we found we were indeed playing the new Zelda and after the ten or so minutes I spent on it I can definitively say that is definitely Zelda, with the same basic engine that has powered the last three games, only with cooler looking graphics.
After that I left E3 and went back to the hotel, ate for the first time today and half napped/half watched Riddick on HBO.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Surprisingly Unrevolutionary
The Nintendo press conference was today, and they failed to show what was really so revolutionary about their console, despite codenaming it the "Revolution" (other than the idea that it can somehow compete with the other two consoles that are almost an order of magnitude more powerful than it).
Anyway, I've signed up for all my media passes and stuff and then walked around the expo site, which is still being set up (even though everything starts tomorrow).
The first thing that struck me was how huge everything was. Massive signs covered every wall and hung from high on the ceiling:
Some of the highlights of the show floor right now ...
The Batmobile
and
Zelda Stairs
We then caught the train to Hollywood, strolled down the walk of fame and caught a look at the famous Chinese Theatre. It is actually rather impressive in person, and it makes sense that the Academy awards could have been held there. Next to the theatre was the Star Wars lineup:
A rather sad display in actuality. Most of these fans have already seen the movie, and the opening night stuff is taking place at another theatre entirely. Also everyone can stay in shifts and your total time in line equals your position. They are only lining up here because it is the famous "Star Wars" theatre.
Hollywood boulevard in general is more normal than I expected. It seems much more glamorous on TV. In general it feels like Granville street in Vancouver, only a larger portion of it is run down and it has more sex shops.
Then we went back and ate some Chinese, and prepared for our early day tomorrow. Eight AM media briefing baby!
Anyway, I've signed up for all my media passes and stuff and then walked around the expo site, which is still being set up (even though everything starts tomorrow).
The first thing that struck me was how huge everything was. Massive signs covered every wall and hung from high on the ceiling:
Some of the highlights of the show floor right now ...
The Batmobile
and
Zelda Stairs
We then caught the train to Hollywood, strolled down the walk of fame and caught a look at the famous Chinese Theatre. It is actually rather impressive in person, and it makes sense that the Academy awards could have been held there. Next to the theatre was the Star Wars lineup:
A rather sad display in actuality. Most of these fans have already seen the movie, and the opening night stuff is taking place at another theatre entirely. Also everyone can stay in shifts and your total time in line equals your position. They are only lining up here because it is the famous "Star Wars" theatre.
Hollywood boulevard in general is more normal than I expected. It seems much more glamorous on TV. In general it feels like Granville street in Vancouver, only a larger portion of it is run down and it has more sex shops.
Then we went back and ate some Chinese, and prepared for our early day tomorrow. Eight AM media briefing baby!
Leavn' on a Jet Plane
Since this isn't all that nerdy I'll post my travel stuff here.
May 15: 4:35 PM (MST)
As I come through customs, my theory that the people who work at the security stations are instructed not to talk to make small talk or smile in any way is confirmed. This makes sense because they want the people coming through to be as nervous as possible and make mistakes if you are being disingenuous.
I also get my cellphone tested for “substances” and get frisked. Nice. This is probably because I’m a single male with a beard traveling alone. Since I have nothing to hide it doesn’t really bother me.
May 15: 6:28 PM (MST)
Before we take off, the captain tells everyone it will be a bumpy flight. The guy behind me informs me that since we are in the back of the plane, we will be “it the back seat of the roller coaster.” Apparently, the turbulence where we’re sitting is so bad that when we are being tossed around in the back it can be smooth sailing in the front. Fun.
May 15: 7:32 PM (PST)
I see the clerk in the airport magazine store stare down a shoplifter and get him to put back the chocolate bar. All he needed to say was: “Seriously, it isn’t worth it dude.”
May 15: 9:05 PM (PST)
We start boarding the second plane. I notice that I'm on the “Tinkerbell” plane. Basically it meant that the outside of the plane had a giant Disney Tinkerbell painted on the side, and they played Disney musak when we were being ushered in and out of the plane.
May 15: 11:58 PM (PST)
As we make the final approach to LAX I get a good glimpse of LA. It sprawls below me endlessly, lights scattering into infinity. It’s also shockingly flat. Very few buildings seem to top five or six stories except for those in the (relatively) small downtown. As the plane readies for landing I hear the snap of a camera behind me, and I’m proud that I can tell it was a film camera from the sound. The last thing I see before we hit the tarmac is an In-and-Out Burger.
May 15: 1:08 AM (PST)
After waiting for the plane to park for almost 45 minutes, I finally get into LAX. The terminal that I’m in was build between 1955 and 1971, at least looking at the architecture. It looks a lot like the Edmonton airport did before they renovated it. I exit the airport.
May 15: 1:17 AM (PST)
While I’m waiting for a cab, the guy who organizes the cab lineup asks me if I’m going to the “Conference.” I say yes. We then talk about videogames for 10 minutes.
May 15: 1:25 AM (PST)
As my cab flies through the city, I’m shocked by how much I’m digging LA. The architecture has this sort of dirty deco feel to it. The city also has a lot of ugly buildings from the seventies, which makes me feel less displaced (because Edmonton has a lot of ugly seventies architecture too) than I do in New York.
May 15: 1:35 AM – 3:33 AM (PST)
Talk to Dan Lazin about video games.
May 15: 4:35 PM (MST)
As I come through customs, my theory that the people who work at the security stations are instructed not to talk to make small talk or smile in any way is confirmed. This makes sense because they want the people coming through to be as nervous as possible and make mistakes if you are being disingenuous.
I also get my cellphone tested for “substances” and get frisked. Nice. This is probably because I’m a single male with a beard traveling alone. Since I have nothing to hide it doesn’t really bother me.
May 15: 6:28 PM (MST)
Before we take off, the captain tells everyone it will be a bumpy flight. The guy behind me informs me that since we are in the back of the plane, we will be “it the back seat of the roller coaster.” Apparently, the turbulence where we’re sitting is so bad that when we are being tossed around in the back it can be smooth sailing in the front. Fun.
May 15: 7:32 PM (PST)
I see the clerk in the airport magazine store stare down a shoplifter and get him to put back the chocolate bar. All he needed to say was: “Seriously, it isn’t worth it dude.”
May 15: 9:05 PM (PST)
We start boarding the second plane. I notice that I'm on the “Tinkerbell” plane. Basically it meant that the outside of the plane had a giant Disney Tinkerbell painted on the side, and they played Disney musak when we were being ushered in and out of the plane.
May 15: 11:58 PM (PST)
As we make the final approach to LAX I get a good glimpse of LA. It sprawls below me endlessly, lights scattering into infinity. It’s also shockingly flat. Very few buildings seem to top five or six stories except for those in the (relatively) small downtown. As the plane readies for landing I hear the snap of a camera behind me, and I’m proud that I can tell it was a film camera from the sound. The last thing I see before we hit the tarmac is an In-and-Out Burger.
May 15: 1:08 AM (PST)
After waiting for the plane to park for almost 45 minutes, I finally get into LAX. The terminal that I’m in was build between 1955 and 1971, at least looking at the architecture. It looks a lot like the Edmonton airport did before they renovated it. I exit the airport.
May 15: 1:17 AM (PST)
While I’m waiting for a cab, the guy who organizes the cab lineup asks me if I’m going to the “Conference.” I say yes. We then talk about videogames for 10 minutes.
May 15: 1:25 AM (PST)
As my cab flies through the city, I’m shocked by how much I’m digging LA. The architecture has this sort of dirty deco feel to it. The city also has a lot of ugly buildings from the seventies, which makes me feel less displaced (because Edmonton has a lot of ugly seventies architecture too) than I do in New York.
May 15: 1:35 AM – 3:33 AM (PST)
Talk to Dan Lazin about video games.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Leaving for E3 in six hours.
Just getting ready to leave for LA. Hopefully three shirts is enough (I expect to get at least one shirt as "swag"). This will be my first time visiting the left coast, so I'm not quite sure what to expect.
I will, unfortunately miss both SONY and Microsoft's press confrences. Hopefully that won't be that much of a blow as the press confrences are excessively covered on the web. The main reason I'm going is to soak up the ambiance and to check out the little things that slip through the cracks.
I will, unfortunately miss both SONY and Microsoft's press confrences. Hopefully that won't be that much of a blow as the press confrences are excessively covered on the web. The main reason I'm going is to soak up the ambiance and to check out the little things that slip through the cracks.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
News Roundup: Penny Arcade VS Casual Gamers
There is a new videogame confrence going down and several notable people have been elected to its advisory board here is the dilly from Gamespot news.
Okay, seriously, what's the business dude from Penny Arcade doing there? The guys at Penny Arcade talk about casual gamers as if they were another species. You couldn't get more hardcore than them.
Color me confused.
While no speakers have yet been announced, the Game Initiative has appointed an advisory board, which consists of:
Chris Early - Studio Manager, MSN Games
Dan Prigg - Producer, Real Networks, Inc.
James Gwertzman - President, Sprout Games
Jessica Tams - Director of Partner Development, Trymedia Games
Juan Gril - Producer, Yahoo Games
Robert Khoo - Director of Business Affairs, Penny Arcade
Kristina Erickson - Program Manager, Film and Interactive Media, Washington State Film Office
Okay, seriously, what's the business dude from Penny Arcade doing there? The guys at Penny Arcade talk about casual gamers as if they were another species. You couldn't get more hardcore than them.
Color me confused.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Welcome to Electric Dreamstate
Sunday, May 01, 2005
about me
- I'm Daniel Kaszor
- From
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previously on ...
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people and places
- Almost Famous by the Gateway A&E staff
- The Agony of Defeat by the Gateway Sports staff
- Civilization as we knew it by Don
- Covered in Oil by Mike, David B and Chris Bt
- The Crap Shack by Iris, Tyson and Chris O
- Four Bad Men - A Manjournal by Chris H, Daniel, Leah, Anna, Matt B, Aaron and, well, I guess Steve
- Electric Dreamstate by Daniel
- Einfahrtphotographen by the Gateway photogs
- Gateway News World by the Gateway News staff
- Pseudo Psyence by Adam R
- The Girl House Blog by Chloé, Natalie, Amanda, Jenny and Kim
- Hot Oil by Alana, Heather S and Erin L
- An Intellect Rivaled Only By Garden Tools by Ross
- Leah hates Kris: A Doversport by Leah C and Kris M
- Newspaper called Gateway by the Gateway editors
- Plain Simple Jake by Jake
- Premature Nostalgia by Jessica L
- Real Talk With Larocque by Mike Larocque
- Semper Commutans by Chris H
- Some Cats are Bigger than Others by Chris B, Kristine, Dave A, Heather A, Mike W and Neal O
- Ten Thousand Monkies by Scott L, Scott B, Mike K, Ramin and Mike S
- Wasabi Cowgirl by Alana
- What is the point of this story? by Steve S
