Treit & True:

E3 Memories

By Ryan Treit

The five-day-long trip was mass confusion: a mix of roaring noise, sweaty bodies pressed up against one another, millions of watts of neon lighting, a whole lot of screaming, and just the right amount of scantily clad women. It wasn't Vegas (though there's rumor it might be there next year), it was E3—that orgy of marketing that primes us for the year ahead in gaming.

It was as exciting as it was tiring while I sped from appointment to appointment, desperately scrabbling my way through the throngs of convention-goers. Like any utterly unique experience, it had its fair share of memorable moments. From my first grasp of an Xbox 360™ controller to that last moment on the show floor in the SEGA® private theatre, E3 was a show like no other. I finally understand the knowing looks and smiles I've gotten over the years whenever I asked "What's E3 like?" You just have to experience it for yourself! While I can't truly express the experience, I can at least relate some of the more memorable moments.

Concept art from Prince of Persia 3.

PoP 3 Private Demo
I got to the show early Wednesday morning. I proceeded to panic when I couldn't find my recorder, then flooded with relief when I located it in my breast pocket. After that, I waited in line for a half-hour for a latte at the only coffee stand in the whole forsaken joint.

Next, I trekked on down to the Ubisoft booth, handed my card to the nice lady at the desk, and explained that I had an appointment. I had a vague idea of what to expect. I knew that someone from PR was going to give me a tour of the already busy booth (and by busy I mean jam-packed with several hundred people). But I wasn't prepared for full-on VIP media treatment!

The gentleman from PR took me up the stairs to a top level of the booth overlooking the entire show floor, where he introduced me to the producer of Prince of Persia® 3. He slapped a pair of headphones over my ears so I could hear what the producer was saying, and the next thing I know, I'm getting a 20-minute private demo of Prince of Persia 3. The game is stunning (see our impressions here, but the experience of the private and prolonged demo was just as great.

Condemned on Accident
On Thursday, I had a rare break between appointments, so I sauntered down to the mile-wide mini-city the Xbox® group had constructed (only a small exaggeration, I'm sure) to try and track down some co-workers and see how they were coping with the chaos. Halfway through the media-only section, I turned to see a gorgeous but gritty game on display. Looking up, I saw it was Condemned™ from SEGA®. The name sounded familiar, so I looked a little closer. Suddenly, a pair of headphones was extended and I was getting a narrated demo of the game.

This was my first experience with a playable Xbox 360 game. I was hooked from the first bit of first-person melee combat, where the protagonist ripped a lead pipe from the wall and beat the raving psycho in front of him to a bloody pulp. Even the gore looked textured. Impressive, most impressive.

Liable to scare the crap out of you.

Full Auto in the Morning
Before leaving on Thursday, I noticed a giant throng of people surrounding SEGA's Full Auto™ kiosks, and for good reason: It was one of the only playable Xbox 360 on the general show floor. Being the sneaky lad I am, I woke up extra-early on Friday so I could run to the booth and get some relatively uninterrupted hands-on time with the game.

Five turns and about half an hour later, I was a believer. There's never been so much maniacally fun destruction on the screen at any one time, and with spot-on controls, an already rock-solid frame rate, and visuals worthy of next-generation games, this is a blockbuster in the making.

Love me some explosions.

Kong Demonstrated
Lined up around the Ubisoft booth was a line at least a hundred strong at all times, with a wait time of an hour. The objective was a seat in the private Ubisoft theater for a trailer and demonstration of the Peter Jackson's King Kong™ game, an adaptation of the upcoming film.

I ducked into the theater with the help of the PR guy, but the game would have been well worth the long wait in line. Ubisoft has nailed it, and has given Kong the feel it needs. I was worried that the game would be a first-person shooter stuck onto a license that has no business with such a genre.

Instead, King Kong is a first-person survival game. It's not your job to run around kicking ass, but instead to simply survive from one gorgeous set piece to the next. Each moment is filled with intensity, and any connecting attack from any of the monsters (Kong comes from an island filled with giant dinosaurs) is likely to kill you outright.

I also got to see Kong himself in playable action. One sequence showed our weary heroes about to get gobbled by a giant dinosaur. Then, in flies King Kong, in all his bestial rage. Suddenly, Kong is the controllable character, and he lays waste to the angry dino. His movements and attacks feel tremendously powerful. The whole theatre literally shook with each blow.

Those that dig on monster beat-em-ups are going to be in gaming bliss (I'm looking at you, Mr. Herndon). It was also a treat to see a video introduction from Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and Michel Ancel (Beyond Good and Evil).

E3 2005 was filled with all sorts of thrilling experiences, but these will be the ones forever etched in my mind. These are the moments I'll be relating to friends and family when asked about my first-ever E3. Despite the week of no sleep, worry about deadlines, general mass confusion, and a constant and violent assault on the senses, I can't wait until next year.