DAY 1 - Game on!

First impression of E3 2013 is a good one. EA surely spent some bucks on this life-size animated display

My initial plan to go directly to the food truck lot after getting my badge is thwarted...because the lot does not exist this year. The only trucks present at this year's show are located on Convention Center property between the South Hall and West Hall

The only ones here that sound interesting are Me So Hungry and George's Greek Truck, neither of which I have had before. Greek sounds healthier than sliders, so I opt for George's.

I try the Lamb Super Gyro...essentially a gyro plate with fries and a salad, wrapped in flat bread. I would have enjoyed this more if the pita wasn't so chewy, but at least I am not going away hungry.

As has been thecase with most E3's, I start in the PlayStation booth. I no longer have any affiliation with Sony, but I have a lot of friends who still develop for the platform...and I hope I will cross paths with many of them while I walk around the booth

I immediately bump into both Jane and Charlotte, former coworkers who are still at Naughty Dog. They are hovering around their latest PS3 creation, The Last of Us...another Game of the Year contender. I do not bother checking it out since it will be on store shelves this Friday!

I also bump into Dogs Jeremy and Josh

Sony brought in a brand new C7 Corvette to attract crowds to the Gran Turismo 6 area (amusing since it the prototype is available to drive in GT5). Though this is the debut year for Sony's new console, they still have a lot of PS3 titles on the floor.

Every demo station for GT6 features a racing seat and steering controller. Not many tracks are available, but more than half of the options are new to GT6 (Silverstone, Matterhorn, Willow Springs)

Some of the cars available in the demo

Matterhorn on the left, Silverstone (from GT-R cockpit view) on the right

Matterhorn on the left, Silverstone (from GT-R cockpit view) on the right

I definitely recognize "Big Willow" at Willow Springs, one of the fastest tracks in the west. I have only driven the more technical Streets of Willow, so I would not be able to directly compare GT6 with any real world experience

When I finally play, I decide to try their E3 Challenge...beat 1:07 on Silverstone in the GT Academy 370Z on Sport Tires. I have never driven any configuration of Silverstone before, so I have no idea how hard this will be. Confidence grows as I complete my first lap in 1:07.40...the new suspension and tire model definitely improves the sense of traction and road feel. Then I bump the windshield wipers. The booth attendant tells me which button to press, but, as I look away briefly to find which button he is referring to (this is not a steering controller that I am familiar with), I go off road...invalidating my second lap. Time runs out before I can complete a third lap, so no hat for me. BOO!

As I continue my way through Sony's booth, I find former coworker Carlos giving an interview. I assume he is talking about The Last of Us, but I do not stick around to find out

Introducing PS4

The hardware debuted during Sony's Press Conference last night, so this is the first time we are getting to see this hardware up close

I wouldn't say I am 100% on board with PS4's design, but the parallelogram slant (which is not very evident from this angle) helps the system seem less bulky than Xbone

The PS4's Dual Shock controller is a nice evolution from PS3's, sporting improved triggers, sticks, and adding amenities like a touch pad, headset port, and tracking light (for Move-like motion interaction with PS Eye)

Mark Cerny's game!

I want to check out Knack, but the line is pretty long...and I am trying to avoid lines this year

The line does not seem very long for DriveClub, so I decide to check it out

At times, it looks quite nice...but not photorealistic like Gran Turismo. This is my first time holding the PS4 controller...feels very much like an evolution of Dual Shock 3, so I am happy with it. The game, however, falls into the void between an arcade racer like Burnout and a sim like GT or Forza. This is not a game I want to play