Day 1 Madness!
Published June 03, 2009
Yesterday did not disappoint. The moment I walked into South Hall my senses were immediately assaulted with the sights and sounds of E3. Imagine if you will everything you love about games crammed into one giant world of LCD screens, game consoles, and every game franchise you’ve ever been excited for. Have that image in your head? Now multiply it by ten. That’s kind of what E3 is like. Add to that the lineups that snake around uniquely designed booths to see games like Assassin’s Creed 2 and Rock Band Beatles and the experience is complete.
E3 2009 2 minute Video Tour
To say Day 1 was busy would be an understatement. Having several appointments throughout the day we always had someone new to talk to or a new game to see. Highlights of my day included talking to EA Canada about NHL 10 and FIFA 10, discussing what new projects Eidos Montreal is working on (Thief 4 and Deus Ex 3), meeting up with Canadian community members like DJDatz from 360sync.com and fellow canuck Xav de Matos from Joystiq.com (both who were experiencing E3 for the very first time). Look for video soon on Xbox.ca and Inside Xbox.
Here are a few of my favorite pics from yesterday.
Interview with Eidos Montreal
Fellow Canadian DjDatz from 360sync.com
I can't wait for Mass Effect 2
The Ubisoft Rabbids attack!
Gigantic Assassin's Creed 2 banner
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Info overload - I saw the future
Published June 01, 2009
Holy *$@&%! That's all I kept saying to myself during the hour and a half long Xbox Press conference. It was probably one of the most feature packed festival of announcements I've ever seen. Full coverage of all the announcements can be found here, but lets take a look at my personal top five "things that blew my freaing mind" list (In no particular order).
1. Forza Motor Sport 3 - I've been a huge Forza fan since Forza Motorsport back on the original Xbox. No game has ever captured the physics of the sport as well as Turn 10. Forza 3 brings incredible visuals, more community features, and more ways to play. What is not to love? And the new HD Video in game editor blew my mind.
2. Crackdown 2 - Even though Crackdown continues to taunt me with my 4 missing agility orbs (I have looked for years), it still is one of my favorite games. The sequel looks to bring that experience to the next level. Skills for kills! The trailer teased a new sort of enemy that could give our wayward superhero a run for his money.
3. Joyride- Joyride seems to be a free to download virtual racing playground for your avatars. The possibility is endless and this game will help bring your avatars to life in a fun and approachable manner. Other than that, it just looks freaking cool!
4. Face Book and Twitter - Everybody seems to be using Face Book and Twitter and both of these services are a perfect fit for Xbox Live. Integration is coming, and this is a good next step. This announcement should help expose a whole new generation of Xbox Live members to these social media darlings, while on the other hand getting the Xbox Live network more integrated into our day to day loves (we are everywhere). Oh, and follow Jade and me on Twitter already would you?
5. Project Natal - The future of gaming! As Steven Spielberg said, "we aren't re-inventing the wheel; we are getting rid of it". I will admit severe skepticism when I heard all of the rumors over the past few months. Seeing the demos on stage and how revolutionary the technology really is made me a believer. Give Project Natal some time to bake with some of the most creative minds in the industry and the possibilities are endless. Controlling the dash and Auto signing in your user based on facial recognition were two of my favorite Natal highlights. My buddy Johnny Hopkins would love this if he actually would buy an XBox! (hint hint)
So there we have it! What an incredible day. The best part is, the actual show hasn't even started yet! Tonight I am off to an Xbox Canada reception on a roof top patio in downtown L.A. where we will be talking to our Canadian community and press about what they saw. Look for video of that sometime tomorrow on Xbox.ca and on your dashboard. After that, I will try to get some sleep and prepare for our 3 days of Interviews and appointments with Canadian Developers here at the show and of course some Canadians here at E3 for the first time. It's a tough life, but somebody has to do it!
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Anticipating greatness!
Published June 01, 2009
Today is the big day. Thousands and thousands have gathered in the City of Angels (Mannywood!) and in a few short hours will be seated at the Galen center ready to watch the Xbox 2009 E3 press conference. Anticipation on what will be announced is at an all time high. Today is the day where we can finally talk about the future of Xbox 360.
My favorite part of E3 has always been the press conferences. Since the inception of E3 I remember watching these conferences with heightened excitement, my gamers mind twitching with each mind blowing announcement or “mega-ton” surprise. Every year I would find a way to watch the Xbox Conference, no matter where I happened to be. If I was at the office (before I worked for Xbox), I would be sure to have a stream on hand or read along with a live blog. If I was by a television, I would scan the channels for live coverage. One year I think I even changed travel arrangements so I could be there when the news happened. The bottom line is that I wanted to be there when the news happened.
At E3 06 I had the pleasure of attending the Press conference in person, which still stands out in my mind as incredibly memorable. Being back in L.A. for today’s big show, I couldn’t be happier. Don’t worry too much if you can’t be here though, as there will be a ton of news later today. Just you watch. I can’t wait to hear what everybody thinks of our announcements. See you on the other side!
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