Menu Close

E3 Attendance Revealed, Event May Leave Los Angeles

E3 2011 is over and the annual event will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year.

However, that may not be the case in 2013. According to a new LA Times report , the current contract between city officials and the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) will expire after the 2012 show, and while the ESA would prefer to keep E3 in LA, they are considering other possible locations. For now, though, it's a "wait and see" situation. As for attendance, E3 2011 was the best-attended event in the past five years: a total of 46,800 people showed up, which brought in an estimated $25 million in revenue for the city. The attendee number is up a little over last year, which saw 45,600 journalists, retailers, industry bosses, and analysts. For the record, the 2006 show holds the attendance record of over 60,000; remember, the PlayStation 3 – set to launch later that year – was on tap.

Personally, I say forget LA. Do Paris. I wanna go.

E3 2011: Is Sony’s Focus On Vita A Sign Of The Future?

I think we all knew Sony's new portable would be a major highlight during the company's E3 presentation.

But I was a little surprised at the amount of time spent on this new handheld unit. Heck, they essentially closed their conference with a ton of Vita-related details and games, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, after seeing the Wii U revealed and checking out some recent statistics , I realized the gaming landscape, market and atmosphere is changing faster than we might've imagined.

Everything is getting smaller and it's as if everything has to be mobile, too. Considering that we can have a gigantic amount of power in the palm of our hands these days, and everyone is playing games on their cell phones, perhaps this switch is inevitable. Maybe that Vita focus is a prophecy. While I don't see portable gaming replacing standard console gaming on a TV any time soon, the emergence of certain new technologies has made me think. For a while, I was going, "is the Vita that big of a deal?" And then I looked around, realized I'm sort of a dinosaur and realized that, "yup, it is."

By the way, I managed to pull off the ultimate gaming contrast. It struck me as I was watching Vita during Sony's conference: I took out the original GameBoy (that's right, the big ol' gray thing) and started playing Super Mario Land 2. No, I'm not kidding. For whatever reason, I wanted to experience the single biggest handheld contrast in video game history. Come on. Tell me that isn't awesome.

E3 2011: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Explodes Onto Show Floor

Let the discussion begin.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 really can't be ignored at E3, and we're bringing you several different looks at the RPG sequel. First up is the official trailer, which shows off the expected CG mastery and a whole lot of slick special effects.

Then there's some gameplay taken from the show floor; the first involves what appears to be a lengthy boss encounter and…is that one of those QTEs? In a Final Fantasy ? Did we see that correctly? Well, at any rate, the rest of the gameplay ought to seem somewhat similar.

In this third piece of footage, you can find more combat footage and exploration, which looks decent. Remember that Square Enix has continually stated that they've "listened to the fans" after FFXIII garnered plenty of feedback and criticism.

Okay, open the floodgates. What do you think?

Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII-2

E3 2011: Sony Conference Reflections And Thoughts

Sony's E3 press conference has come and gone for another year, and it's time to offer our thoughts.

First of all, they actually didn't spend as much time addressing the PlayStation Network fiasco as I would've expected, and interestingly enough, I didn't notice much of an apology. We got a lot of thanks to consumers and partners from SCEA president Jack Tretton for sticking with Sony, but "I'm sorry" wasn't really part of the speech. I was surprised and a little miffed, to be honest. But recently, I've been thinking about it another way-

They've apologized like crazy. Kaz Hirai did so when the PSN came back. They did it in every post at the PlayStation Blog. And once again, we have to remember to place the blame in the correct location. That was the fault of criminals and nothing more. While we could argue all day about the susceptibility of the Network, past weeks have essentially proved that nothing is safe, as both Nintendo and Microsoft has experienced hacking issues. And really, it was a good idea for Sony to step past that and focus on the games.

And speaking of the games, those were definitely in abundance at the conference. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception looks absolutely ridiculous and at this point, there isn't a single other game that is even remotely close to competing on that technical level (at least, not so far as I can see). I also liked the look of Resistance 3 , Starhawk , and DUST 514 , despite the fact that I will probably never play the latter. Oh, and you gotta love the return of Sly Cooper !

As for the PlayStation Vita, I've often talked about it in the past: no matter how slick it is, I remain on the fence simply because I'm really not a portable gamer. That being said, Uncharted: Golden Abyss looked incredible and the launch lineup of titles is impressive (love me some Wipeout ). Obviously, the Vita was the highlight of the conference, which is both good and bad. Personally, I was looking for an unknown PS3 exclusive that would finish the conference with a bang.

I really thought Sony started strong and put on a good conference for the majority of the time, but they sort of went out with a whimper. It really was lacking that one total surprise to blow us all away. And where the hell was God of War IV ? Or Final Fantasy Versus XIII , for that matter? I really expected to see GoWIV. It seems Quantic Dream isn't ready to present their next project just yet, but I also wanted to see more from the PSN titles…what about Journey ? Kinda wanted that one.

All in all, I'd say the conference was well-paced and I always appreciate an emphasis on the games, which has always been Sony's strong point. The Vita also looks like a winner and Uncharted 3 is just going to dominate the world. Just lacking a little oomph at the end, you know? If I had to assign a grade, I'd say a solid B.

Activision’s E3 Lineup: New Spyro, Elite Beta Start Date

Activision has sent over their E3 slate today, and that includes a start date for the Call of Duty Elite beta test.

Unsurprisingly, the new subscription-based service will be part of the publisher's E3 presentation; they're excited about the program that "will unite and ignite more than 30 million Call of Duty players worldwide." They're also ready to unveil Prototype 2 and something called Skylanders Spyro's Adventure , which…well, it's weird, but it sounds kinda cool:

"…an innovative new universe that brings the world of toys, video games and the Internet together in an unprecedented way. Through an inventive use of technology, players use the Portal of Power™ to bring their toys to life in a mystical new universe called Skylands. The Skylanders come to life inside the game across multiple gaming platforms including console, handheld and mobile devices and on the web, remembering achievements and level-ups wherever they go. The starter pack will include the game, three Skylanders figures and the Portal of Power™. The starter pack lets players experience the full adventure but there will be more than 30 other characters which further expand and enhance the experience."

Hmm…that sounds interesting for the kids, doesn't it? Activision goes on to note that Modern Warfare 3 pre-orders are already coming in at a "record-setting pace," so it may eventually top the most pre-ordered title ever; last year's Black Ops . Finally, they wanted us to know that the invitation-only public beta for Call of Duty Elite begins on July 14. Here's some additional info for those planning to be try it out.

"While the full capabilities of the service will not be on display until the launch of Modern Warfare 3, the beta will give users a taste of the experience and allow the service to be tested by gamers currently playing Call of Duty®: Black Ops multiplayer. In its five days since announcement, the beta has already surpassed over 1 million registrants."

Why the heck are we more intrigued by a Spyro game than anything else Activision has to offer? Maybe we just like sweet new tech.

Journey: “De-empowering” The Player And Emotional Chords

It's one of our most anticipated downloadable games of the generation, mostly because thatgamecompany is at the helm.

The developers of flOw and Flower are working on an innovative new adventure called Journey , and we've received the fact sheet before Sony's E3 press conference. For the record, fact sheets are pretty standard fare amongst journalists; we use 'em all the time. And for your reference, you can view a copy of it here .

They're talking about "simple gameplay and accessible controls in a rich environment" but beyond the basic stuff, it's the philosophical content that piques our curiosity. For instance, that bit about exploring and experiencing "emotional chords" that aren't typically found in video games. Players will walk, glide, and fly across a barren yet "awe-inspiring landscape" on a search to uncover the history of an ancient civilization. We're encouraged to find our own path but we can also travel with other players.

Personally, one of my favorite listed features is this:

"Players can explore without standard game conventions of 'violence.' Unlike most games, Journey also features the concept of 'de-empowering' the player to make feel helpless and tiny in vast world, experience awe and wonder."

See, that's the kind of thing that makes us love teams like thatgamecompany (and Quantic Dream, for that matter). We can't wait to see and hear more about Journey today.

Related Game(s): Journey