E3 stuff
Posted by jgiors on 2006-05-22
I know…over a week after E3 ends is a little late to be writing about it…
The exciting part
Mercenaries 2 was being shown to the press at our Pandemic (and Bioware) booth. I'm always excited when the project I'm working on is at the show. It's nice to meet people who are interested in what you're doing, especially after you've put in so much effort getting your game ready for the show.
Impression
My impression (which is shared by many attendees I spoke with) is that there wasn't anything that "blew me away". Sure, there were some especially nice looking games/trailers (e.g., Crysis, MGS4, Assassin's Creed) and some innovations (like the Wii controller), but there wasn't anything that seemed stand-out amazing.
My theory is that games have matured to the point where everyone is pretty much state of the art. So, most products have great graphics, fluid gameplay, outstanding SFX, etc. The people that are ahead of everyone else aren't that far ahead any more–there just isn't enough headroom left to make a giant leap.
Celebrity sighting
My celebrity sighting of the show…
I was standing near a kiosk when I notice security guards scurrying about. Then, I see some guy walking and a herd of people following him. I think to myself "He looks familiar…but who is he? Warren Spector? Why would so many people be tailing Warren?"
Then he walks by, just a few feet from me. I spot his nametag:
Steven Spielberg.
So, that explained the crowd (and the security). A pretty cool celebrity sighting in my book. Yeah, he was probably there to promote a game, but it was neat to spot him on the show floor.
