My own personal E3
Warning: the following is about my trip to the annual Gamestop conference in Las Vegas. It concerns my awesome adventures AND a lot of video games-- skim if you just wanna hear about my awesomeness!
OK, so about two weeks ago (I know the news is late-- I was recovering and making my store profitable, dammit!), I was flown with 5000 other managers out to the city of sin and debauchery that is Las Vegas. My flight left at 6:30 in the freakin morning from Willard and landed in O'Hare about 30 minutes later-- short jump, but the next flight from Chicago to Las Vegas took a good couple of hours. I, VERY SHOCKINGLY, actually slept a bit on the plane! IKR-- I never manage to do that!
So, we landed in LV at about 11 am, their time (insert magic TARDIS noises here to simulate the time change), where I welcomed the sight of the Konami building (visible from the landing strip!). This being my 3rd time in Vegas, I had little trouble getting my bag and heading over to the official Gamestop shuttle. This brought me to the FABULOUS Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, an opulant oasis in the desert. I headed up to get registered (which, although we had MANY people there only took about 20 minutes-- I'M LOOKING AT YOU, ANIME CENTRAL!!) They provided a boxed lunch (with a sammich, an apple, some chips, a little container of pasta salad, and a cookie-- om nom nom . . .) and they sent us to stations to pick up our official carrying bag, shirts, SWAG, and . . . bracelets?
It turns out that, after the mandatory general session that night, Activision was gonna host a concert at the Hard Rock Casino. You had to have one of those plastic bracelets to get in, so, not sure if I was gonna go or not, I got a bracelet. Turns out that was a good idea . . . more in a minute.
I had already checked in to the hotel (where I awaited my mystery roommate-- desperately hoping it wouldn't be a MAN by mistake-- yes that DID happen my first year, though it meant I had the room to myself for most of the conference when they moved him!) so, to kill some time, I stopped by the Microsoft hospitality suite. I played a little "Batman: Arkham Asylum," and gave "Mini Ninjas" a shot-- both quality games, by the way! I'm not much for "Halo ODST" or "LIPS," though, so I left after doing a little perusing.
On my way back from the convention center (which, BTW is a VERY long walk-- think the walk of doom at ACEN from the hotel to the convention center, only DOUBLED and through a noisy casino!) I started getting the "I'm in Las Vegas, I hate gambling, and I have to attend a LONG general session tonight" blues. I decided I should mellow out a bit, so I bought a Woodchuck cider at the hotel store-- overpriced but tasty and holding just a BIT of alcohol. I went up to my room (23rd floor-- view of the desert but not the strip D: ) and was a little disgruntled to find it was one of the smaller ones-- most have two king-size beds, but this one had a king size and a rollaway. I'll admit it-- I was ready to fight over that bed, but I didn't have to, since my roommate arrived-- this innoccous and forgettable girl from Indiana-- and volunteered to take the rollaway without prompting. ^.^
So, got changed and headed down to general session, which was just as boring as I feared. All sessions took place in the Mandalay Bay concert hall (if you ever see an event on TV that takes place at Mandalay Bay-- it's there) which smells like ASS. I'm not kidding. It smells like a port-o-potty that has been cleaned but is barely covering up its stench. I don't know HOW they host concerts there with that smell! Some people theorized that it was because of the proximity of the aquarium, but all I know is it STANK every session. Anyway, that night was about handing out awards to the top stores and talking about how we did as a company this year. Prognosis: we're weathering the economy pretty well-- while a lot of retailers are down a lot, we're just down from projections-- we're still up about 5%. Nice news-- now send me some fucking payroll already!!
Anyway, we get to the end and it's time to get on the bus if you want to hit the Activision show. After questioning the few managers in my district I get along with well and finding that they were curious as well, we all decided to just hop on over and leave if it got lame.
HOLY SHIT WAS I GLAD I WENT!!!
Get this--- as we walk in, they check our bracelets and our IDs "if you wanna drink." Well, says I, it may be overpriced, but I can dig it!" THEN, they attach a second bracelet to our wrist-- one with three removable tabs. Guess what-- each tab = one complimentary beverage of my choice! BWA!?
They also promised food-- we thought it would be some finger food that would be snarfed in a matter of seconds by hungry gamers . . .
There was a FULL BUFFET spread with a TON of fancy nom noms!! I think they had to throw food OUT at the end of the night!
So, when we're there, they had this girl (DJ Tina T) mixing music in the HUGE Hard Rock concert hall. Lining the halls and balconies were demo units of "Guitar Hero," "Band Hero," "DJ Hero," etc, with headphones to cut the background noise, and a bunch of Gamestop managers!
Once the main program started, they showed off some new features in "Guitar Hero 5," then, demoed "DJ Hero"-- which is shaping up to be a sleeper hit made of AWESOME! Then, who should appear but the frontman for DJ Hero: DJ Z-Trip-- apparantly he won the title of best DJ in the US, and he REALLY deserves it! He mixed tunes for a good 20 minutes, then did a 2nd set equally long-- AND a third!
But he was just the opening act-- after closing down the stage and setting up, out comes Camp Freddy-- a band made up of a ton of people from other bands (like Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver, Son of Donovan, Circus Diablo, etc)-- one of them looked like Christopher Walken in leather pants! ^.^
But even THEY were just an opening act-- because after ALL that, out come Ozzy Osbourne! DAMN-- you can't understand a single word he says, but he DOES put on a good show! And a very LOUD show-- at one point I covered my ears and I could STILL hear everything clearly!
Needless to say, we piled back on the bus tired, fed, and with no hearing. And that was day 1.
The next day was one of two vendor training days-- I'll hit the salient points for everyone who games in the order which I saw them.
South Peak: "Section 8" looks decent-- no hope for "Two Worlds 2"
Namco Bandai:"Tekken 6" is PURTY, and "Katamari Forever" has an UGLY graphics mode that I HOPE is optional!
Konami: "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories" won't be as good as "Silent Hill," but it does look innovative. Also, A METAL GEAR TEASER DOES NOT COUNT AS NEWS!!
Lucas Arts: "Lego Indiana Jones 2" should sell well-- the level creator looks like nice YouTube fodder if nothing else.
Microsoft: Meh-- we already knew the big releases. No shocker that "Halo ODST" is gonna sell like hotcakes and "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" is gonna top that. Also, new music channel on 360 looks pretty sharp-- because it's free.
Ubisoft: HOLY SHIT, I might end up buying "Splinter Cell: Conviction!" Looks really REALLY good-- like how you SHOULD have been able to play "24: the Game." "Assassin's Creed 2" has MANY good improvements (now you can swim, ZOMG!) that should have been in the original, etc. On the other hand, I don't get the focus on "Avatar"-- if someone out there could PLEASE explain to me WHY I'm supposed to care about a generic Sci-Fi flick whose only claim to fame is pretty CG, I'd be much obliged.
Warner Bros: Hot tip-- GO BUY "Scribblenauts." Do not pass go, do not collect $200. This game is freaking amazing-- I almost didn't stop to type this whole trip synopsis because of it!! Also, "Batman Arkham Asylum" is probably the first decent "Batman" game, "Lego Rock Band" looks adorable and easy to get into, and "Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4" . . . ditto!
Disney: Ugh . . . next please. Well, unless you like racing-- Split/Second looks to be a pretty unique title-- you can blow up parts of the track.
THQ: ZOMG "Darksiders!!!!" Wow-- I thought it was a "God of War" clone-- but it turns out it's a _"Zelda"_ clone!! If you made Link really brutal and game him a horse that breathed fire, that is! REALLY looking good-- I'd like a copy, please! Oh . . . and there's another WWE game coming out . . . woo hoo . . .
Brady Games: They make strategy guiides-- and they get to play games early, so when they tell me they can't stop playing "Borderlands" or "Darksiders," I pay attention!
PDP: They make game accessories-- and they're sending me a free Wii Remote INDUCTION CHARGER!!!!! SQUEEEEE!! Totally Awesome!!
Capcom: "Ace Attorney Investigations" looks AMAZING-- I got a free tin at this presentation emblazened with the logo . . . mmmmm . . . Miles Edgeworth = teh sex . . . "Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles" looks ok, so does "Dark Void" . . . "Tatsunoku vs. Capcom" could be a surprise hit!
Madcatz: I gotta say-- they have a GREAT presentation team! It's corny and goofy, and I really enjoyed talking to them before the presentation and at the eXpo. That being said-- they're making their own branded Wii-motes and Nunchucks . . . more on that later!!
Square-Enix: "Final Fantasy XIII" continues to look generic, "Final Fantasy XIV" makes me angry all over again about an MMO taking up a numbered slot in the FF games, "Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers" actually looks pretty good! "Kingdom Hearts: 356/2 Days" will rock you HARD. Oh, and "Dissidia" is pretty!
Activision: Wants to be an hero . . . an GUITAR HERO!!! Yeah, a lot more hero stuff-- no release date for "Starcraft 2" or "Diablo 3" . . . and "Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 2" is gonna sell like a bazillion copies.
Nintendo: Had Kevin Perrera from "Attack of the Show" as their MC! Pretty cool! "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" is made of win (4 player co-op Mario ZOMG!), "Wii Fit Plus" is standard, and "Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story" is ADORABLE and AWESOME! Do want! Also: "Zelda Spirit Tracks" will be typically awesome as Zelda games tend to be.
EA: GO OUT AND PREORDER "BRUTAL LEGEND" RIGHT NOW OR YOU WILL BE VERY VERY SORRY!!!! Game is FUCK WIN. No ifs, ands, or buts. Tim Schafer is teh sex . . . I wanna cut off his skin . . . and wear it to my birthday that's coming up . . .
Sony: "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is purty-- very nice! Slim PS3 is . . . skinny. "God of War 3" will sell a bunch of consoles, AND they're releasing a "God of War" collection of the first two games on Blu-ray for $40-- nice!
Sega: I got to wear a Sonic hat and go up against a guy in a Mario hat in a ski race from "Mario and Sonic: at the Winter Games." I CREAMED him and it was awesome! Also, Bayonetta is absurd but REALLY stylish-- think "Devil May Cry" meets "Bullet Witch"-- minus all the sucky parts. The girl has guns strapped to her HIGH HEELS and has a glasses-- very sexy librarian look. I'd LOVE a figure of her!
Atari: "Champions Online." "Star Trek Online." Not much to tell-- you either care or you don't.
SOOOO, after a long couple of days, I got to go to the eXpo. To give you an idea, imagine Anime Central's dealer room, except it has a ton of game demos set up, some free swag, and a pasta bar to feed you set up along the perimeter. The VERY FIRST THING I DID was get in line for the Tim Schafer autographs . . .
WOW, what a nice guy! It was early in the night and there he was, signing autographs and listening to us all tell about how we liked him! I was one of about 10 people I could see carrying copies of "Psychonauts" for him to sign-- I really hope he was pleased! Right before I got up there, I could see the EA personell pulling him aside for a sec, pretty much to tell him to hurry things up because the line was HUGE (again, glad I went there first!!). That didn't stop him from still being super-awesome! As he signed my cover, I told him how I preordered it and bought it day one. "This is that same copy?" he asked me-- "Oh yeah--" I replied.
I also told him how I had gotten Wilma to play this game (though it's not really her favorite genre) and how I was gonna have her play "Brutal Legend," too (which I also told him I had preorded and was gonna pick up day one as well. He really seemed happy about that-- if's a bit hard to read on the scan, but the signature reads "Hey Liz-- thanks for playing!" above Raz's head, his signature at the bottom, with the added captions "And thanks for having your sister play!!" After that, before leaving his illustrious presence, rather than recieve a handshake, I was audacious enough to ask for a hug-- which was quite happily receved and granted . . .
So . . . cash . . .
*basks in Tim Schafer glory . . .*
So after asking him to PLEASE never stop making games, I played a few games, going around the room to get my "eXpo passport" stamped so I could get this awesome T-shirt featuring our Gamestop Bunny (who was christened "Buck" -- yes, Buck the Bunny . . .) I gave "Ace Attorney: Investigations" a whirl (GREAT!), played "Scribblenauts" (didn't I tell you you needed to buy this game PRONTO!!??), tried out the "Saw" game (for fans and torture-porn peeps only--ick), tried this little underground game called "Dreamkiller" (an FPS about a psychiatrist chick who fights mental demons in her patients's psyche-- a bit generic but solid controls and visuals), played "Borderlands" (ZOMG AWESOME!), played "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" (I died a lot . . .), and, of course, played "Brutal Legend" (do you really have to ask?) I stopped by the MadCatz booth for their drawing, and happened to win a brand new PINK Wii-mote and Nunchuck!! SUPER AWESOME!
I also had a picture taken at the Disney Interactive booth:
Mmmmm . . . dat car!
Anyway, it was a nice eXpo and I went to bed feeling a little sad that there was nothing left but the regional meetings (to prepare for Christmas and stuff ) . . .boy, was I in for a surprise!
Let me set this up: there was a contest running, where the top 120 districts in the company (ranked by preorders on "Rock Band: Beatles") were given complimentary tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's "Love" (the show built around Beatles songs, you see what they did there?) Well, our district was in the running early on, but slipped just out of range as if finished. I was very sad-- I really like the Cirque and wanted to see them in person. I might have bought tickets, but they cost over $90 sometimes, and I'm not that affluent.
So, I leapt at the chance to get a ticket of my own: at the regional meeting, our RM Rich said he had a ticket to give away, but we'd have to humiliate ourselves a little.
C'mon guys-- I've done karaoke at an anime convention! Do you think I hesitated even an instant!?
So, I popped up front with about 4 other managers, where Rich informs us we are to sing "I'm a Little Teapot". . . and the other guys shove the mic over to me . . .
I was a little disheartened (you always want to go last in things like these, you know) but I decided to give it my best. I belted out an operatic version, complete with holding a high note on the "When I get all steamed up/hear me SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUTTTT!" I even did that rapper thing at the end where they hold the mic out and drop it as if to say "I am THROUGH" . . .
Every other person practically RAN offstage! ^_^
So, I won a ticket! I was just OVERJOYED! Since it was for a 9:30 show, I had some time to kill, so I headed over my room, got changed, then thought about dinner.
Maybe I didn't mention it, but, at the beginning of the show, we were each given a $60 gift card to cover two "meals on our own." The other meals were one dinner with our district (where we went cheap on food with Little Ceasar's and spent the rest on booze-- I had a yardgarita!!) and the pasta on the eXpo floor! Since I went to the Hard Rock event, I still had the whole card intact. Making extreme Mooneyes, I decided to head down to the casino-- and I ordered roughly $50 worth of DELICIOUS sushi!! Oh MAN, that was GREAT! I had some yellowtail, some salmon . . . just amazing! I was thoroughly stuffed!
I boarded the shuttle and headed over to the Mirage, where I had a little time I killed playing "Rock Band Beatles" in the gift shop, then they let us in. Let me tell the uninitiated-- going to a show where primarily adults will be is SO much better than the typical fare! The snack bar was making mixed drinks-- I got one called "Here Comes the Sun" featuring rum, mango juice, and pineapple! It was about $14, true, but it came in a commemmerative cup and I didn't finish it until the end of the show! HUGE, man!
Oh, the show? It was UNBELIEVABLE!! If you've never seen the Cirque, check out Bravo sometime-- they run tapings of their shows which are not as awesome as the real thing but can give you an idea. Wheras Za is the really stuntriffic show and Zumanity is the *ahem* ADULT show, "Love" was all about acrobatics and dancing! It was in the round, and started with four sheets dviding the stage and the audience. As the first number strarted, some London rooftops emerged from the floor (chimmney pots and such) and TONS of performers came out ot dance and do flips and such-- others fell from the ceiling on bungies and others swung on ropes-- the only complaint I had was that there was SO MUCH going on, no matter where you looked you were missing something! They yanked the sheets down and ran them offstage, then continued with the show, absolutely wrecking the set! "Bricks" flew everywhere, demolishing the setpieces and making way for a new set! I was flabberghasted at the performance-- these guys were REAL professionals! To make a long story short (too late!) they had my jaw glued to the floor. Of particular note-- "Help" accompanied by rollerbladers on two halfpipes, "Come Together" with syncopated light and shadow, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" as an aerial act with sparkley lights hanging everywhere, and "Octopus's Garden" with dancing jellyfish!!
Did I mention I really liked the show and I'd go again in a heartbeat!? CUZ I WOULD!!!!
To sum things up, this was the BEST conference I'd ever been to! As I boarded the plane to go home, it was with satisfaction and fulfillment-- here's hoping next year is HALF as good!
--Senmurv
OK, so about two weeks ago (I know the news is late-- I was recovering and making my store profitable, dammit!), I was flown with 5000 other managers out to the city of sin and debauchery that is Las Vegas. My flight left at 6:30 in the freakin morning from Willard and landed in O'Hare about 30 minutes later-- short jump, but the next flight from Chicago to Las Vegas took a good couple of hours. I, VERY SHOCKINGLY, actually slept a bit on the plane! IKR-- I never manage to do that!
So, we landed in LV at about 11 am, their time (insert magic TARDIS noises here to simulate the time change), where I welcomed the sight of the Konami building (visible from the landing strip!). This being my 3rd time in Vegas, I had little trouble getting my bag and heading over to the official Gamestop shuttle. This brought me to the FABULOUS Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, an opulant oasis in the desert. I headed up to get registered (which, although we had MANY people there only took about 20 minutes-- I'M LOOKING AT YOU, ANIME CENTRAL!!) They provided a boxed lunch (with a sammich, an apple, some chips, a little container of pasta salad, and a cookie-- om nom nom . . .) and they sent us to stations to pick up our official carrying bag, shirts, SWAG, and . . . bracelets?
It turns out that, after the mandatory general session that night, Activision was gonna host a concert at the Hard Rock Casino. You had to have one of those plastic bracelets to get in, so, not sure if I was gonna go or not, I got a bracelet. Turns out that was a good idea . . . more in a minute.
I had already checked in to the hotel (where I awaited my mystery roommate-- desperately hoping it wouldn't be a MAN by mistake-- yes that DID happen my first year, though it meant I had the room to myself for most of the conference when they moved him!) so, to kill some time, I stopped by the Microsoft hospitality suite. I played a little "Batman: Arkham Asylum," and gave "Mini Ninjas" a shot-- both quality games, by the way! I'm not much for "Halo ODST" or "LIPS," though, so I left after doing a little perusing.
On my way back from the convention center (which, BTW is a VERY long walk-- think the walk of doom at ACEN from the hotel to the convention center, only DOUBLED and through a noisy casino!) I started getting the "I'm in Las Vegas, I hate gambling, and I have to attend a LONG general session tonight" blues. I decided I should mellow out a bit, so I bought a Woodchuck cider at the hotel store-- overpriced but tasty and holding just a BIT of alcohol. I went up to my room (23rd floor-- view of the desert but not the strip D: ) and was a little disgruntled to find it was one of the smaller ones-- most have two king-size beds, but this one had a king size and a rollaway. I'll admit it-- I was ready to fight over that bed, but I didn't have to, since my roommate arrived-- this innoccous and forgettable girl from Indiana-- and volunteered to take the rollaway without prompting. ^.^
So, got changed and headed down to general session, which was just as boring as I feared. All sessions took place in the Mandalay Bay concert hall (if you ever see an event on TV that takes place at Mandalay Bay-- it's there) which smells like ASS. I'm not kidding. It smells like a port-o-potty that has been cleaned but is barely covering up its stench. I don't know HOW they host concerts there with that smell! Some people theorized that it was because of the proximity of the aquarium, but all I know is it STANK every session. Anyway, that night was about handing out awards to the top stores and talking about how we did as a company this year. Prognosis: we're weathering the economy pretty well-- while a lot of retailers are down a lot, we're just down from projections-- we're still up about 5%. Nice news-- now send me some fucking payroll already!!
Anyway, we get to the end and it's time to get on the bus if you want to hit the Activision show. After questioning the few managers in my district I get along with well and finding that they were curious as well, we all decided to just hop on over and leave if it got lame.
HOLY SHIT WAS I GLAD I WENT!!!
Get this--- as we walk in, they check our bracelets and our IDs "if you wanna drink." Well, says I, it may be overpriced, but I can dig it!" THEN, they attach a second bracelet to our wrist-- one with three removable tabs. Guess what-- each tab = one complimentary beverage of my choice! BWA!?
They also promised food-- we thought it would be some finger food that would be snarfed in a matter of seconds by hungry gamers . . .
There was a FULL BUFFET spread with a TON of fancy nom noms!! I think they had to throw food OUT at the end of the night!
So, when we're there, they had this girl (DJ Tina T) mixing music in the HUGE Hard Rock concert hall. Lining the halls and balconies were demo units of "Guitar Hero," "Band Hero," "DJ Hero," etc, with headphones to cut the background noise, and a bunch of Gamestop managers!
Once the main program started, they showed off some new features in "Guitar Hero 5," then, demoed "DJ Hero"-- which is shaping up to be a sleeper hit made of AWESOME! Then, who should appear but the frontman for DJ Hero: DJ Z-Trip-- apparantly he won the title of best DJ in the US, and he REALLY deserves it! He mixed tunes for a good 20 minutes, then did a 2nd set equally long-- AND a third!
But he was just the opening act-- after closing down the stage and setting up, out comes Camp Freddy-- a band made up of a ton of people from other bands (like Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver, Son of Donovan, Circus Diablo, etc)-- one of them looked like Christopher Walken in leather pants! ^.^
But even THEY were just an opening act-- because after ALL that, out come Ozzy Osbourne! DAMN-- you can't understand a single word he says, but he DOES put on a good show! And a very LOUD show-- at one point I covered my ears and I could STILL hear everything clearly!
Needless to say, we piled back on the bus tired, fed, and with no hearing. And that was day 1.
The next day was one of two vendor training days-- I'll hit the salient points for everyone who games in the order which I saw them.
South Peak: "Section 8" looks decent-- no hope for "Two Worlds 2"
Namco Bandai:"Tekken 6" is PURTY, and "Katamari Forever" has an UGLY graphics mode that I HOPE is optional!
Konami: "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories" won't be as good as "Silent Hill," but it does look innovative. Also, A METAL GEAR TEASER DOES NOT COUNT AS NEWS!!
Lucas Arts: "Lego Indiana Jones 2" should sell well-- the level creator looks like nice YouTube fodder if nothing else.
Microsoft: Meh-- we already knew the big releases. No shocker that "Halo ODST" is gonna sell like hotcakes and "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" is gonna top that. Also, new music channel on 360 looks pretty sharp-- because it's free.
Ubisoft: HOLY SHIT, I might end up buying "Splinter Cell: Conviction!" Looks really REALLY good-- like how you SHOULD have been able to play "24: the Game." "Assassin's Creed 2" has MANY good improvements (now you can swim, ZOMG!) that should have been in the original, etc. On the other hand, I don't get the focus on "Avatar"-- if someone out there could PLEASE explain to me WHY I'm supposed to care about a generic Sci-Fi flick whose only claim to fame is pretty CG, I'd be much obliged.
Warner Bros: Hot tip-- GO BUY "Scribblenauts." Do not pass go, do not collect $200. This game is freaking amazing-- I almost didn't stop to type this whole trip synopsis because of it!! Also, "Batman Arkham Asylum" is probably the first decent "Batman" game, "Lego Rock Band" looks adorable and easy to get into, and "Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4" . . . ditto!
Disney: Ugh . . . next please. Well, unless you like racing-- Split/Second looks to be a pretty unique title-- you can blow up parts of the track.
THQ: ZOMG "Darksiders!!!!" Wow-- I thought it was a "God of War" clone-- but it turns out it's a _"Zelda"_ clone!! If you made Link really brutal and game him a horse that breathed fire, that is! REALLY looking good-- I'd like a copy, please! Oh . . . and there's another WWE game coming out . . . woo hoo . . .
Brady Games: They make strategy guiides-- and they get to play games early, so when they tell me they can't stop playing "Borderlands" or "Darksiders," I pay attention!
PDP: They make game accessories-- and they're sending me a free Wii Remote INDUCTION CHARGER!!!!! SQUEEEEE!! Totally Awesome!!
Capcom: "Ace Attorney Investigations" looks AMAZING-- I got a free tin at this presentation emblazened with the logo . . . mmmmm . . . Miles Edgeworth = teh sex . . . "Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles" looks ok, so does "Dark Void" . . . "Tatsunoku vs. Capcom" could be a surprise hit!
Madcatz: I gotta say-- they have a GREAT presentation team! It's corny and goofy, and I really enjoyed talking to them before the presentation and at the eXpo. That being said-- they're making their own branded Wii-motes and Nunchucks . . . more on that later!!
Square-Enix: "Final Fantasy XIII" continues to look generic, "Final Fantasy XIV" makes me angry all over again about an MMO taking up a numbered slot in the FF games, "Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers" actually looks pretty good! "Kingdom Hearts: 356/2 Days" will rock you HARD. Oh, and "Dissidia" is pretty!
Activision: Wants to be an hero . . . an GUITAR HERO!!! Yeah, a lot more hero stuff-- no release date for "Starcraft 2" or "Diablo 3" . . . and "Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 2" is gonna sell like a bazillion copies.
Nintendo: Had Kevin Perrera from "Attack of the Show" as their MC! Pretty cool! "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" is made of win (4 player co-op Mario ZOMG!), "Wii Fit Plus" is standard, and "Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story" is ADORABLE and AWESOME! Do want! Also: "Zelda Spirit Tracks" will be typically awesome as Zelda games tend to be.
EA: GO OUT AND PREORDER "BRUTAL LEGEND" RIGHT NOW OR YOU WILL BE VERY VERY SORRY!!!! Game is FUCK WIN. No ifs, ands, or buts. Tim Schafer is teh sex . . . I wanna cut off his skin . . . and wear it to my birthday that's coming up . . .
Sony: "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is purty-- very nice! Slim PS3 is . . . skinny. "God of War 3" will sell a bunch of consoles, AND they're releasing a "God of War" collection of the first two games on Blu-ray for $40-- nice!
Sega: I got to wear a Sonic hat and go up against a guy in a Mario hat in a ski race from "Mario and Sonic: at the Winter Games." I CREAMED him and it was awesome! Also, Bayonetta is absurd but REALLY stylish-- think "Devil May Cry" meets "Bullet Witch"-- minus all the sucky parts. The girl has guns strapped to her HIGH HEELS and has a glasses-- very sexy librarian look. I'd LOVE a figure of her!
Atari: "Champions Online." "Star Trek Online." Not much to tell-- you either care or you don't.
SOOOO, after a long couple of days, I got to go to the eXpo. To give you an idea, imagine Anime Central's dealer room, except it has a ton of game demos set up, some free swag, and a pasta bar to feed you set up along the perimeter. The VERY FIRST THING I DID was get in line for the Tim Schafer autographs . . .
WOW, what a nice guy! It was early in the night and there he was, signing autographs and listening to us all tell about how we liked him! I was one of about 10 people I could see carrying copies of "Psychonauts" for him to sign-- I really hope he was pleased! Right before I got up there, I could see the EA personell pulling him aside for a sec, pretty much to tell him to hurry things up because the line was HUGE (again, glad I went there first!!). That didn't stop him from still being super-awesome! As he signed my cover, I told him how I preordered it and bought it day one. "This is that same copy?" he asked me-- "Oh yeah--" I replied.
I also told him how I had gotten Wilma to play this game (though it's not really her favorite genre) and how I was gonna have her play "Brutal Legend," too (which I also told him I had preorded and was gonna pick up day one as well. He really seemed happy about that-- if's a bit hard to read on the scan, but the signature reads "Hey Liz-- thanks for playing!" above Raz's head, his signature at the bottom, with the added captions "And thanks for having your sister play!!" After that, before leaving his illustrious presence, rather than recieve a handshake, I was audacious enough to ask for a hug-- which was quite happily receved and granted . . .
So . . . cash . . .
*basks in Tim Schafer glory . . .*
So after asking him to PLEASE never stop making games, I played a few games, going around the room to get my "eXpo passport" stamped so I could get this awesome T-shirt featuring our Gamestop Bunny (who was christened "Buck" -- yes, Buck the Bunny . . .) I gave "Ace Attorney: Investigations" a whirl (GREAT!), played "Scribblenauts" (didn't I tell you you needed to buy this game PRONTO!!??), tried out the "Saw" game (for fans and torture-porn peeps only--ick), tried this little underground game called "Dreamkiller" (an FPS about a psychiatrist chick who fights mental demons in her patients's psyche-- a bit generic but solid controls and visuals), played "Borderlands" (ZOMG AWESOME!), played "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" (I died a lot . . .), and, of course, played "Brutal Legend" (do you really have to ask?) I stopped by the MadCatz booth for their drawing, and happened to win a brand new PINK Wii-mote and Nunchuck!! SUPER AWESOME!
I also had a picture taken at the Disney Interactive booth:
Mmmmm . . . dat car!
Anyway, it was a nice eXpo and I went to bed feeling a little sad that there was nothing left but the regional meetings (to prepare for Christmas and stuff ) . . .boy, was I in for a surprise!
Let me set this up: there was a contest running, where the top 120 districts in the company (ranked by preorders on "Rock Band: Beatles") were given complimentary tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's "Love" (the show built around Beatles songs, you see what they did there?) Well, our district was in the running early on, but slipped just out of range as if finished. I was very sad-- I really like the Cirque and wanted to see them in person. I might have bought tickets, but they cost over $90 sometimes, and I'm not that affluent.
So, I leapt at the chance to get a ticket of my own: at the regional meeting, our RM Rich said he had a ticket to give away, but we'd have to humiliate ourselves a little.
C'mon guys-- I've done karaoke at an anime convention! Do you think I hesitated even an instant!?
So, I popped up front with about 4 other managers, where Rich informs us we are to sing "I'm a Little Teapot". . . and the other guys shove the mic over to me . . .
I was a little disheartened (you always want to go last in things like these, you know) but I decided to give it my best. I belted out an operatic version, complete with holding a high note on the "When I get all steamed up/hear me SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUTTTT!" I even did that rapper thing at the end where they hold the mic out and drop it as if to say "I am THROUGH" . . .
Every other person practically RAN offstage! ^_^
So, I won a ticket! I was just OVERJOYED! Since it was for a 9:30 show, I had some time to kill, so I headed over my room, got changed, then thought about dinner.
Maybe I didn't mention it, but, at the beginning of the show, we were each given a $60 gift card to cover two "meals on our own." The other meals were one dinner with our district (where we went cheap on food with Little Ceasar's and spent the rest on booze-- I had a yardgarita!!) and the pasta on the eXpo floor! Since I went to the Hard Rock event, I still had the whole card intact. Making extreme Mooneyes, I decided to head down to the casino-- and I ordered roughly $50 worth of DELICIOUS sushi!! Oh MAN, that was GREAT! I had some yellowtail, some salmon . . . just amazing! I was thoroughly stuffed!
I boarded the shuttle and headed over to the Mirage, where I had a little time I killed playing "Rock Band Beatles" in the gift shop, then they let us in. Let me tell the uninitiated-- going to a show where primarily adults will be is SO much better than the typical fare! The snack bar was making mixed drinks-- I got one called "Here Comes the Sun" featuring rum, mango juice, and pineapple! It was about $14, true, but it came in a commemmerative cup and I didn't finish it until the end of the show! HUGE, man!
Oh, the show? It was UNBELIEVABLE!! If you've never seen the Cirque, check out Bravo sometime-- they run tapings of their shows which are not as awesome as the real thing but can give you an idea. Wheras Za is the really stuntriffic show and Zumanity is the *ahem* ADULT show, "Love" was all about acrobatics and dancing! It was in the round, and started with four sheets dviding the stage and the audience. As the first number strarted, some London rooftops emerged from the floor (chimmney pots and such) and TONS of performers came out ot dance and do flips and such-- others fell from the ceiling on bungies and others swung on ropes-- the only complaint I had was that there was SO MUCH going on, no matter where you looked you were missing something! They yanked the sheets down and ran them offstage, then continued with the show, absolutely wrecking the set! "Bricks" flew everywhere, demolishing the setpieces and making way for a new set! I was flabberghasted at the performance-- these guys were REAL professionals! To make a long story short (too late!) they had my jaw glued to the floor. Of particular note-- "Help" accompanied by rollerbladers on two halfpipes, "Come Together" with syncopated light and shadow, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" as an aerial act with sparkley lights hanging everywhere, and "Octopus's Garden" with dancing jellyfish!!
Did I mention I really liked the show and I'd go again in a heartbeat!? CUZ I WOULD!!!!
To sum things up, this was the BEST conference I'd ever been to! As I boarded the plane to go home, it was with satisfaction and fulfillment-- here's hoping next year is HALF as good!
--Senmurv