CINESCAPE hits E3

By: Patrick Sauriol
Date: Monday, May 17, 2004

Last week the tenth annual Electronic Entertainment Exposition (better known as E3) was held. For three days the massive Los Angeles Convention Center became ground zero for the world's video game manufacturers, distributors and creators, the place to see what the coming year has in store for gamers. It was my first time attending E3 and I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong.

Imagine what it would like inside the alien mothership from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND if the guys from Pixar had created it. Toss in 95% human males and 5% females in skimpy strange outfits (the "booth babes") and you've got an idea what it looks like inside the center. The noise is almost overwhelming; game music and sound effects flood your eardrums everywhere that you stand, and quite literally thousands of flat screen TVs flash a neverending barrage of game trailers, graphics and animation, all trying to attract your attention. Depending upon who you are, it's nirvana for someone with ADD or a level of hell for those born before the music video generation began. I fall somewhere in-between the two.

It is impossible to describe the sheer size of E3 unless you've been there to experience it. The halls where the game companies have their booths and displays are monstrous in their size, and three days isn't enough time to see and experience everything, which goes a long way to explain why there's so much sensory overload; these companies are spending a lot of money hoping to grab the eye of the comsumer (or in my case, the eye of the camera lens.) For the most part the giant companies tend to dominate. In the realm of E3, size matters: the bigger your plasma screen TV, the more attention it will get. In the case of Electronic Arts' booth this year, I've stood inside apartments that took up less square footage than EA's titanic video display.

A number of highly anticipated games were on display at E3, but by far the one that gathered the most attention by spectators was DOOM 3. Gamers could step right up and play working versions of the game at the Microsoft portion of the expo. The graphics look amazing along with the lighting which really seems to bump up the franchise's fear factor. I'm looking forward to playing it some more and on my own when it comes out this summer.

One of the games which had a major presence was the prequel to PITCH BLACK, ESCAPE FROM BUTCHER BAY: THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. On hand to promote the game and upcoming sequel movie was none other than Riddick himself, Vin Diesel. An admitted huge gamer (he owns Tigon Studios, the company that designed BUTCHER BAY), Diesel was closely guarded by his handlers and autographed posters for the crowd.

Hollywood was well represented at E3 this year with a number of companies showing off upcoming games based on movies in development. The new trailer for THE INCREDIBLES was already running on plasma screens even before the trailer debuted later that week online and in theaters. Activision had a SPIDER-MAN 2 display which showed off one of Doc Ock's mechanical arms from Sam Raimi's film. An intricate and beautiful display was over at Disney Interactive for their upcoming NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS game, and the trailer for LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS was in constant rotation at that game's display. Games for DreamWorks' SHARK TALE and sequels to old TV shows such as THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and NIGHT RIDER were also being promoted (in the case of the DUKES, with three booth babes made up to resemble Daisy Duke herself.) Look for an exclusive report later this week for an upcoming game based on a genre movie which will include never-before-seen screenshots from the game in question.

For me, hitting E3 this year felt like storming the beach during an all-out wartime assault. Contacts were made, new games were played months before they will arrive in stores and I survived it all somehow. During this week both myself and James will be writing our reports covering some of the games we saw and played, and in the months to come CINESCAPE's coverage of the world of video games will only intensify. In the meantime click on the photos below that I took from E3 and get an idea of what it's like to be inside the bedlam.


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