Sea of humanity, scent of electronics

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2010 (5888 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – I love the smell of hot electronics in the morning.

One of the first things that strikes you as you enter one of the two main halls at E3 is the smell of new electronics working overtime to entertain journalists and game sellers. I’d surmise that there is enough computing power in those halls to run the Pentagon.

I can only imagine the air conditioning bill for the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Take 45,000 people plus all of the booth presenters, add thousands of computers, game consoles, massive HD screens and effects lighting, and you get incredible heat that you need to battle.

Now for some random musings…

ZELDA’S SPELL: The hands-on demo lineup for Zelda: Skyward Sword was 500 people deep. There is a cult-like connection with this pedigree, and the looks of anticipation in the eyes of those even at the back of the line were amazing.

Speaking of long lines, if you wanted to get your hands on Microsoft’s Kinect demo, you were looking at a two-hour wait.

HOT TITLES: At the Ubisoft booth, there was a massive multiplayer session of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood going on… this is a visually stunning game that puts the focus on in-close combat. Designers paid special attention to atmosphere and mood in creating the vibe, and it greatly enhances the gameplay experience.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds drew heavy traffic as comic action fanboys lined up to go head-to-head as an in-booth announcer egged them on. Public competition is another good way to draw an audience.

SONY MOVE HANDS ON: We got to demo both Sony Move and John Daly’s Pro Stroke Golf today. The Sony Move controller feels very natural and intuitive. The main move button in the middle is the one you press to trigger the Move technology. In the Daly game, you do not need to hit buttons while swinging the club… a common complaint in some Wii sports games.

The Move technology, combined with the code in the Daly game, managed to perfectly capture my terrible slice. I was sending balls into adjacent fairways time and again. I’m pretty sure I hit the virtual parking lot with one shot…

One fun mode was Challenge John. This is where you try to outdrive John Daly’s character. All I can say is "good luck with that."

Not only is John’s in-game character able to pound the dimples off of the ball just as in real life, he also chats you up and encourages you as you try to improve.

John also sports his trademark crazy pants and a bit of a Molson Muscle in the game, just to keep things real.

Producer David Wiltshire walked us through the game’s features, and mentions that his team is still fine-tuning the putting mechanics as they are hoping to more accurately capture the pendulum feel in the putting stroke. I did notice when I tried to putt that it was oversensitive.

 

OFF THE BEATEN BOOTH PATH: One of the things I was looking for as I was setting up booth appointments was unique products.

We were in luck when we located the iGugu booth. iGugu is hardware and software that together enables you to stream high-defnition content from your computer to your TV. Now you can play all of your PC games, watch YouTube videos or update Facebook on your HD big screen display.

iGugu provides wireless transmitters and receivers and special remote controls and game controllers to give you everything you need to create the total multimedia experience in your living room, or wherever you have your home entertainment set up.

 

ROCK BAND 3 HANDS ON: I got my chance to play Rock Band 3 today. I joined a thrown-together collection of "musicians" and we tried our best to play Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

I nabbed the new keyboard controller and set it on the new Pro mode to get the full effect.

Let me say it is very difficult to try to play piano when you have never tickled the ivories previously. In Pro mode, you will actually play the real charts in two octaves on the keyboard. This is no dollar-store keyboard… it’s a real midi keyboard that you can use outside of the game.

Other Rock Band 3 notes… To fit in the chart path for the keyboards, Harmonix had to narrow the other instrument channels. It doesn’t seem to affect gameplay. In fact, it appears that the note channels are more crisp and easier to follow.

I asked lead designer Dan Teasdale if the addition of keyboards means all new downloadable content (DLC) would have keyboard parts, and he said "not at all." It gives them the full spectrum of pop rock music to feed from going forward.

We’re still waiting to hear pricing details from Harmonix, but Gamestop is listing the Rock Band 3 keyboard bundle for $129 US.

 

CELEB SIGHTING? As we scoured the floors for connections to Winnipeg, we noticed this guy walking past us who looked EXACTLY like actor Dean Haglund. The former Winnipegger is doing stand up in Hollywood so it’s plausible.

We quickly doubled back and met him face to face, only to see his nametag. Not even close. Mr. Former Lone Guman, you have a doppleganger like no other. Or, for some reason, you’re attending E3 under an assumed name. Hmmmm… conspiracy theory?

BOOTH BATTLES: As each booth tries to outdo the next in creating a spectacle, you often see elaborate sets or costumes. Any time you see authentic Stormtrooper costumes from Star Wars, you have to stop and get a photo. Eight-foot-tall warriors in full costume, carrying an axe? Yup, that’ll draw your eye.

Or, run your game trailer on a five-storey tall HD screen with IMAX quality image and sound… it’s impossible not to notice.

 

GOOD TIME TO GET OUTTA L.A.: With Game 7 of the NBA finals set for the Staples Centre Thursday night, I’m pleased we’re jetting out of here hours before gametime. It’s a sure bet that there will be rioting, win or lose.

After feeling an earthquake earlier in the week and getting stuck in gridlock on the freeway, riots are not welcome on this journey.