Flickr site now active, dropping photos as we speak!
Written on June 15, 2009 at 4:44 pm, by Casey
We have a flickr scrapbook active, feel free to visit as we update the pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39046469@N04/sets/72157619144102813/
So what’s new in gaming?
Written on June 10, 2009 at 9:05 am, by Mike
The questions I’ve heard the most since I’ve been back are: What’s new in gaming? What can we expect that’s neat and cool?
One of the benefits of attending E3 is that you get to see and experience things that are under development. New software titles definitely got a lot of attention, but we also heard about some innovations in hardware. There was no announcement about a new PlayStation, Xbox, or Wii. Instead, each company seem to be focused on the controller. For those of you that were born BG (Before Gaming - just made that up, but sounds good…), the controller is the item in your hands with all the buttons and switches that you use to interact with the characters in the game. Part of being a good gamer depends on your adeptness with the controller and it is also what seems so intimidating for new gamers.
In the past, Nintendo pulled in many novice players when they introduced the Wii system that uses a controller which detects motion as opposed to just relying on buttons and switches. I had the opportunity to test out the new “motion plus” attachment to the Wii controller which provides a more realistic experience. I actually held my own in ping pong and sword fighting! The motion plus attachment became available right after E3 was over and it will also be bundled with some new games such as a new Tiger Woods golf and Sports Resort. This will be a must attachment if you own a Wii!
Sony unveiled a new motion controller for PlayStation that will give the Wii a fight for its money. It’s supposed to be available around the spring of 2010. We saw a game player with a wand-like device in each hand and the character in the game followed the movements of the player. At one point the player was grabbing arrows from a quill on his back and shooting at a target. Of course later he was defending a castle from attackers with his bow and arrow! That was a very cool demonstration!
Microsoft announced Project Natal which will be a new attachment that is supposed to work with any Xbox 360. The idea is to do away with the hand held controller and instead detect your body movements making you the controller! I watched a demo on a big screen at the Microsoft area of E3 but I didn’t actually see the equipment at the show and Microsoft didn’t give a date that it would be available. While a player was jumping, punching, dancing, etc, the character in the game was doing the same things. If Microsoft pulls this off it may be the end of couch potatoes and give a new meaning to rug rats!
On the software front, there were many announcements which included New Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy XIII, Guitar Hero 5, and God of War III. The game that impressed me the most, story line and visually, was Dante’s Inferno. All I can say about it is: WOW! I’m sure the other guys can do the software titles better justice than I can since they have put in the hours playing. After all, us born BG folks need to sleep now and then!
Updates still in the making…
Written on June 9, 2009 at 5:01 am, by Logan
The past few days have been very busy, returning from Los Angeles, settling back into daily life, and also trying to finish everything necessary for finals. But have no fear! More posts/video/photos from the trip WILL BE POSTED. Look forward to a large post near the end of the week after I have had time to sort through some of the raw footage and (hopefully) upload some of it. Also, I’m currently working on putting together a short video summarizing the entire trip. This will not be a short process, as there will most likely be a lot of editing involved. It’ll be something to look forward to over Summer break. But for now, SLEEP!
Back Home, Corbett Edition
Written on June 6, 2009 at 7:48 pm, by Casey
So much info to crunch my head is hurting….. Well we are all safe back home and i must say what a great trip it has been. Yesterday was a rough day for me though as i ate something funky in LA that affected me all the way back home =(. So i am still feeling pretty wiped out at the moment.
The concert in Hollywood was amazing Thursday night. Most of us went to Video Games Live and had a chance to see the Greek Theatre in Hollywood as well as see many video game compositions played live via a full orchestra and choir. With a major signing after the show from many well know video game score composers. Amazing end to an already amazing trip.
I promise to work on pics and vids over the next few days and get the other guys to post their thought and ideas on the trip.
Thanks again to all of your support WSCC, WSCC Foundation, and others that helped to make all of this possible for our students and faculty. This was a wonderful opportunity to add people to my advisory committee that i would have never had the opportunity too, as well as given me more of an insight into the industry. I now know of some changes that need to be made to the IDT curriculum because of this trip and i now have the contacts i need to make our college program better to fit the needs of the employers.
Keep posting those comments!!!! The more interest we see the more we will post =)
What a long strange trip…
Written on June 6, 2009 at 5:33 am, by Logan
Well, we’re finally back home. I wish we could have posted more while we were actually in L.A., but as I mentioned before, the wi-fi was having issues to begin with, along with all of the other people in our hotel from various different media groups attempting to use it at the same time. But fear not! Videos and pictures from the show will continue to be posted, as we have plenty to show off (including travel pictures and some random shots around downtown L.A.). I can’t speak for everyone else, but I know that I personally had a great time. I also got contact information for about 10 people from several different companies (Activision, EA, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Blizzard, Luxoflux…) all of whom seemed interested in helping an average guy who trying to get his foot into the industry.
Well, that’s enough of an update for tonight. I’m unpacked, tired, and ready to sleep. Pictures and videos should start going up on the site very soon, so keep checking back. Also, more detailed reports on individual aspects of E3, along with a summary of Day 3 and the closing concert.
E3 Days 1-2
Written on June 4, 2009 at 4:57 am, by Logan
So far this trip has turned out to be WAY more than I expected. The initial trip out was a bit rough, as we practically spent all day cooped up in a plane, but after finally getting in to L.A. we were all finally able to relax a bit.
E3 Day 1 - Tuesday
When I got to the convention center I was overwhelmed. Sensory overload. What had I gotten myself into? As I walked in the doors I was met with a wave of people, zigging and zagging all around me; some looked like they were stressed to the max, others looked entirely lost. I suppose “chaos” would be a good term. After finally settling in amongst fellow gamers, I began feeling a bit more relaxed and less intimidated by everyone around me. I mean, we’re talking MAJOR game companies and their developers; Activision, EA, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft…but I’m getting off topic. I haven’t even gotten to the actual show floor yet. We’ll skip ahead to that.
Right at noon the actual convention doors opened and the herd of gamers began flocking onto the show floor. My original plan of attack was to head straight to the Bethesda booth, as they have always been one of my favorite companies…I’ll get back to that in a moment. Upon entering the show, my entire strategy changed. I literally walked around for about 10 minutes just grabbing raw video footage of the monstrosity that is called E3. Giant screens, TV’s, lights, all sorts of crazy gaming devices, console systems, gadgets, people dressed in all sorts of costumes representing characters from games…I’m fairly certain the words “Oh my God this is amazing” came out of my mouth more than 20 times within the first 10 minutes or so. I’m working on uploading the videos, but we’ve had some major issues with the wi-fi here in our hotel. Also, there are a few technical issues with the videos as far as the format they are in. I’m trying to figure out an alternate solution as far as getting them posted, but for now we have some pictures of L.A. and just a fraction of what has been seen at E3 so far.
To finish up about day 1, I will just say this:
Pirates really do exist (this will be explained in a later video) andsome booths are only open to the media (another reason my initial plan of attack for seeing the show dramatically changed, and why I felt let down by Bethesda). Next year we really need all access media passes.
E3 Day 2 - Wednesday
This morning I had breakfast at Denny’s and while I was there I overheard two guys wearing E3 badges discussing “Max” and “Maya”. Being in the course of study which I am, I recognized these as 3D Studio Max, and Maya, both of which are software used to do 3D animation, modeling, rendering, etc., and both of which we also use in our classes at WSCC. I’m not a shy person, so I struck up a conversation and told them who I was, where I was from, and what I was doing at E3. I soon found out that one of the gentlemen was a senior environment artist at SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America). After talking with them for about 10 minutes, I got their business cards and added them to my collection (so far I have about 12). This place is GREAT for networking, and also for picking up tips and tricks on how to work your way into the industry. Some people are kinda rude…but for the most part everyone is really down to earth and will actually talk to you. So once I get to the convention center I resumed my walkabout. I played some more of the new games coming out soon, but I more or less just walked the floor for an hour or so looking at all of the new releases. This is where things took a turn for the amazing.
I went outside for a smoke and randomly jumped into another conversation with more random people wearing important looking tags. The reason I say “important looking tags” is because one of them said “Activision” on it. After talking with this guy for a bit, I found out that he was the producer of the new Transformers game slated for release on June 23. We talked for about 10 minutes or so, and he invited me in to try it out and see what I thought of it. By the way, this guy was by far the coolest guy I’ve met since I’ve been here. After playing the game, I began talking with him again, and was introduced to his assistant producer and his lead creative artist for the game. Now stop for a minute and think about this…because it took me a while to process it.
I’m an average guy from a small town in Ohio, who loves playing games, and really had no idea what I was ACTUALLY getting myself into in coming to E3…I get here and I’m hanging out with these guy who actually made this video game. Literally. Made it. From the ground up. I probably talked to them for a good hour or so, and once I again I made sure business cards made their way into my hands. Later in the day, we actually ended up getting an interview with Jason Ades, the producer. That will be posted as soon as we work out the kinks with our video uploading issue.
Sean and I decided we would go to the G4 booth for a while, since they have been covering E3 live the entire time. On day one I actually got a stern warning from their security about me recording their live broadcast, so I had to put my video camera away. (This didn’t make much sense to me, as it was live on the air anyway, but it was still neat to see the show being done). I did get some good pictures of the hosts, however. Today I got a little extra though. At one point in the broadcast, I somehow managed to work my way up toward the front of the crowd and I was standing beside of a TV monitor. Long story short…I guess Sean’s brother saw me on TV. Apparently one host, Olivia Munn, was in front of the monitor (I knew the camera was on HER…) and the background of the shot was the TV monitor and me. So I guess now I can say I’ve been on live, international TV with only myself and the host on the screen.
Hey…I thought it was neat.
Those pictures will be posted tomorrow, but for now it’s 1:30 am and I am TIRED. For now, we’re just going to dump some pictures into a flickr account and link it from the blog. Hope you enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39046469@N04/sets/72157619144102813/
Imprevissive
Written on June 4, 2009 at 3:00 am, by William
Some pretty impressive games out there on the E3′09 lineup. Definatly worth mentioning as the best game in so is New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This game has some solid multiplayer co-op that will really flesh out the fun when four players are present. Also an honorable mention is Transformers Revenge of the Fallen The Game. Sure movie based game usually suck, but you do find those rare gems. And this is one of them. With a great multiplayer versus mode that pits the Autobots against the Decepticons in a fast place third person shooter/driver where the transformations are quick, fluid, and beautifully animated. Overall there are plenty of new games this year for you to look out for.
Internet Issues
Written on June 4, 2009 at 2:40 am, by Casey
We are currently having internet issues at our hotel and will post when we can. Sorry for the delay =(
E3 Day 2 (Tyler)
Written on June 4, 2009 at 1:47 am, by Tyler
Of all the booths I have come across so far at E3, Square Enix was one of the most interesting. Being the makers of the Final Fantasy francise, there is quite a bit of advertising for Final Fantasy XIII all over the Convention Center (and even all over the city). One of the more interesting ads is this one, which is pasted in strips across the front of a set of stairs.
FFXIII Stairs
Square also displayed many of the products that they sell. Many of these products are somewhat expensive, but would probably be worth it to a collecter. Items like plushes and action figures, keychains, and even statues where all on display.
Some of Square Enix's Merchandise
One of the most impressive things in the Square booth, however, was the fact that Final Fantasy VII was released for the PSP. Now you can take Cloud around with you wherever you go. There where also many other game trailers shown on a very large HD screen, such as Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV Online, and a World War II Real-Time Strategy game called Order of War.
So Far, Square Enix is my favorite booth. Hopefully as time goes on, more things will be displayed there, and I will let you know if they do.
E3 day 2 Review
Written on June 4, 2009 at 1:02 am, by Sean
Dragon Age: Origins Statue
OMGzzzzz!!!! E3 might be one of the most amazing events in the history of AMAZING events.
The first day was packed with people and TONS of TVs! Talk about sensory overload! There was so much to see I didnt know where to start. Madden 10 was actually a nice supprise considering the gameplay was slower to give a more realistic feel. The PSP lineup for the fall was impressive, featuring at least 5 titles I have to buy including Final Fantasy 7 (the remake).
Check us out at E3!
I think SONY had one of the best booths featuring God of War 3 which was, according to the rummor mill, the best game of the show. I didnt get a chance to play it but watching the game was rather impressive.
DJ Hero is the number ONE game on my must own list. It is like Guitar Hero but with a turntable. Featuring around 50 unique songs, it looks like a blockbuster in the making.
The games are sweet, but meeting famous people is almost just as cool! I went to the G4 booth and met Olivia Munn!!!!!!! OMG that was one of the coolest things ever. I also ran into POSH SPICE! The first famous person Ive ever met is not officially Victoria Beckham; not a bad way to start.
Walking to the convention center was fun as well. I got a picture with the Magic Johnson statue outside the Staples Center.
Just like Magic
I will have more pictures to put up in the near future of all kinds of fun stuff from the show.
Until then,
You stay classy San Diego.
-Sean