E3 2009. The Calm Before The Storm
Outside the green-glassed and white barred building, a few workers painstakingly attach random junk to a growing tower as if building a Christmas tree from a Salvation Army donation bin. Scissor lifts pepper the main foyer hanging banners or building the temporary structures that will house a gift shop. Workers mill about placing Bethesda branded stickers on the front doors, while still others unroll giant sheet stickers that will mosaic the stairs up to the main hall.
This is truly the calm before the storm. In less than 48 hours, industry professionals, media reps and gaming ultra-enthusiasts will rush the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2009, hands down the most important event for the electronic entertainment industry. Seemingly back from the dead, the show returns to form, though slightly smaller, to the epic overload of the senses it had been known for prior to 2007.
It’s almost eerie. It’s Sunday and the intermediary doors are open for registrants to pick up their badges. Exhibitors are inside finalizing network cable, lighting, video displays and the like. The tower of trash outside is a promo for Ubisoft’s new Rabbid’s Go Home title for the Nintendo Wii. DVDGeek and I get a chuckle at seeing an old blueberry iMac anchored towards the top. Back inside, there are maybe 2 dozen people mulling about and it’s quiet. A TV crew is filming intros for what will likely lead off coming coverage of the show.
As we head towards the media lounge in the West Hall we get a glimpse of the promo banners for Infinity Ward’s blessed return to the Call of Duty franchise with three banners featuring game graphics and the letters MW2 in a hanging procession. The side walls are covered all the way down the hall with a dozen posters for Need For Speed Shift, the latest in EA’s racing series. Caught a quick glimpse of workers hanging up a banner for the new Splinter Cell title on the way back, near an ad for Battlefield 1943 (offering free discs, no less).
Despite losing Kentia Hall’s smaller indie developers and 3rd party hardware groups, there’s still a lot to pack into 3 days to the point that many otherwise expo exclusive trailers have been released onto the web already:
Borderlands
Brutal Legend
DJ Hero
Need For Speed SHIFT
Ratchet & Clank Future: CT Gameplay Footage
Officially things kick off tomorrow (Monday) with the first of the big press conferences from Microsoft. Tune us in for our take on tomorrow’s announcements.
