DAY 1 - After a two year absence, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center
I pick up my badge from South Hall just five minutes before the exhibition begins
It's showtime...though I am not exactly sure what kind of show to expect. The past two years were downsized from the previous spectacle...and now the whole economy has been downsized!
Electronic Arts, as in past years, is the first thing you see upon entering South Hall...it is very familiar, yet seems not nearly as over-the-top
Attendees can win this BMW Z4 in EA's Need for Speed: Shift tournament
Microsoft's booth is behind EA's
DAY 2 - I bump into Jeff McNurlin, someone I worked with at Adrenalin Entertainment 13 years ago! Since I last saw him, he had become a 3D environment modeler...and recently attended masseuse school.
I seem to cross paths with Noah Stein quite frequently...even before working with him at Naughty Dog
I head over to the PlayStation booth in West Hall to see how much the last game I worked on at Naughty Dog has changed since I last saw it
IGN has nominated Uncharted 2: Among Thieves as one of the best games at E3
God of War III, developed by Naughty Dog's neighbor Sony Santa Monica, is also up for one of IGN's Best of E3 awards
I wait in line to check out Gran Turismo for PSP running on the upcoming PSP Go (both to be launched on October 1, 2009)
This new UMD-less model is definitely smaller and lighter than other PSP models, but I feel the controls are too tightly spaced for comfort (especially when using the analog thumbstick)
I cannot believe Gran Turismo 5 is not here in playable form (and without a firm release date)...EPIC FAIL!
Ominous clouds loom over the L.A. Convention Center...June gloom appears gloomier than usual
When I found out I would be attending this E3, I knew one place I absolutely had to stop for lunch: Charlie Kabob in the food court at 7th and Fig. I grab my favorite lamb and beef combo...it never disappoints!
L.A. Live features many new restaurants including The Farm of Beverly Hills, Flemings, Lawry's Carvery, Rock'n Fish, but Charlie's pull was too great (even though it meant walking in the rain). BTW, I think this is the first time it has rained during E3.
The Ritz-Carlton logo is up...the building nears completion. On an unrelated note, a former coworker who I've been trying to meet up with is, unbeknownst to me, eating at the Rock'n Fish as I snap this picture
I stand in line to try Forza Motorsport 3 at Microsoft's booth.
Unfortunately, I did not notice that this particular setup is using Microsoft's crappy wireless wheel. For me, it is 900 degrees or nothing!
After trying Forza 3 with both the Microsoft wheel and their standard control pad, I wait nearly 45 minutes to try the new Fanatec wheel. If they can get ride of the deadzone lag, this will definitely be THE way to play this game.
After I try the Fanatec wheel, I meet up with Toby, a former coworker who is now at Sucker Punch in Bellevue, Washington. He's here to help show off inFamous at the PlayStation booth
DAY 3 - Another overcast day in L.A., but will yesterday's thunderstorm return?
From here, you can see that construction at The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live is not quite finished (and that the building has an unusual design)
