Electronic Entertainment Expo brings together most-awaited games such as 'Borderlands 2' and 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 2'
By Colin Reid
June 6, 2012 1:20 p.m.
After multiple inquiries as to where the exhibition hall was located in the Los Angeles Convention Center and half an hour spent aimlessly wandering the same lobby floors, I finally found my way to the Southern Exhibition Hall and my fantasy on Tuesday. Since it seemed larger than Drake Stadium and the Intramural Field combined, I am surprised I didn’t find the hall sooner, though that didn’t matter once I felt the pure hysteria of having arrived at E3.
Not unlike a child, I stared in awe. Rainbow floodlights, life-sized statues and blaring music assaulted my senses, but I welcomed it nonetheless. As a video game fan and rabid follower of all gaming news, this was the Superbowl for me and all others who love video games. Arguably the largest and most prestigious gaming convention in the world, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (also known as E3) features the most-awaited gaming announcements of the year, showcasing demos and trailers, as well as revealing release dates for up and coming games.
Before letting these wonders wash over and drown me, I remembered why I had come. I was a professional journalist looking to report on the newest video games, not a little boy entering Disneyland for the first time, no matter how much I felt like it. I had appointments with 2K Games and Activision that I had to attend. But before that, I needed to explore.
Game publishers from across the country and around the world were split into about 20 television-covered booths, with their most recently announced games on display for show and hands-on demonstrations. Unveiled at the previous day’s press conference, “Far Cry 3,” “Assassin’s Creed 3″ and the Wii U exclusive, “ZombiU,” were all playable at Ubisoft’s booth. However, the game of the show nominee, “Watch Dogs” by Ubisoft Montreal, was only available in the poster variation. Konami and Capcom brought their full roster for a viewing, displaying triple A and less well-known titles alike, presumably catering to both American and Japanese audiences.
Many more games such as “Epic Mickey 2,” “Hitman: Absolution” and “Spec Ops: The Line” were playable as well, but unfortunately exhaustion and long lines kept me from trying my hand at everything. I did get a good workout though, going from each end of the hall multiple times, where I checked out the impromptu set for G4tv’s X-Play, collected free swag, and even brushed past Snoop Dogg, who I assumed was either checking out games or attempting to collect a large trail of stalkers. He succeeded at both.
After my plentiful exploration hours were over, I met with 2K Games for a hands-on demo of Gearbox Software’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game “Borderlands 2.” Hooked up with an Xbox 360 and a less than desirable co-op partner, I worked my way through the provided level, destroying robotic mechs with a plasma shooting pistol, all while my useless partner ran off to the distant corner of the map. Afterward, I was invited to watch “XCOM: Enemy Unknown” during a behind-doors screening, which I found to be a fancy way of sugarcoating dark rooms and confined spaces.
Later I showed up for my last meeting of the day with Activision for another behind-doors screening, this one being a little more comfortable because of the leather-bound lounge chairs. I was shown Treyarch’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2″ in what seemed like a 30-minute demo of the futuristic shooter. While the scenery and time period have changed, this title is at its core still recognizable as a sequel in the “Call of Duty” franchise.
I still have a few more days to go and have only just scratched the surface of what the E3 convention floor has to offer. I was lucky to experience all of this on my first day, but I still need more gaming excitement. Stay tuned, and here I come Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. I’m ready to conquer the West Exhibition Hall.
