E3 2009: Chuck's "Heading out to LAX" post

by: Chuck - posted: 5/31/2009 12:52:00 PM

This is the traditional E3 post that I send while I wait for my flight to LAX for E3.  It only happens when the flight is at a decent time, I'm awake, and don't have a million other things to do in case you wanted to check the archives.  I had intended to write up an entire E3 preview but life got in the way of that so this is the short version of the post.

This year's E3 is a bit of a different bird as I'm not sure anyone knows what to expect from the show.  Is it going to be a true return to the pre-2006 years, a watered down version like we've seen the last two or something else entirely.  Personally I think we're going to see the full spectrum as not every company has the cash to throw a huge shin-dig.  I do think that the big event format is what the industry needs although I will miss the quiet format as it was a lot easier to cover from a press perspective.

From a predictions perspective here are a few from the article:
 - Expect a sharp contrast between the haves and have-nots - I think there are going to be some big spenders at E3 this year and there are going to be companies that are there in name only.  Activision is sitting on mountains of cash so I expect them to have a huge presence at the show whereas a struggling company like THQ might have a more muted presence. 

- Mobile is the new casual - I expect to see a huge push into mobile games this year with the iPhone/iTouch becoming a major platform for developers.  I do expect we'll see a push from Microsoft with the Zune HD this year as well as they are finally starting to realize the Live Anywhere vision they announced back in 2006.

- Sony makes a big push but falls short - I think Sony is pulling out all the stops for this year's show.  We've already gotten the word on the PSP Go and while I was personally underwhelmed I'm interested to see what Sony is bringing to the software front.  I'm hoping we'll get dates on God of War 3, Uncharted 2, MAG (at least a beta) and a few other big names as well as a new exclusive or two.  Sony also needs to announce a price cut or new SKU to help get the PS3 out in front of people.

- We know Nintendo is going to announce a new Mario game and a new Wii fit but honestly there's nothing else more they have on their plates that I'm even remotely interested int.  Nintendo will continue to milk their fanboys and the casual market because they are cash cows.  I would be surprised if I even touch a Wii remote at the show this year.

- Microsoft is claiming to have something big and honestly they need it as their cupboard for this holiday season is a bit bare.  Sure they've got HALO:ODST but I'm guessing we'll get a teaser for Gears of War 3, Alan Wake, and a new game from Lionhead.  I'm also looking forward to seeing what they are doing with the Zune HD and if they've got more games like 1 vs 100 coming.  If MS didn't have something up their sleeve I don't think they would have announced the 1 vs. 100 beta and the Zune HD the week before the show.  I also get the feeling that we might get one or two Games for Windows announcements as Microsoft is having an offsite presence for the software at the show as well as a new Twitter account specifically for gaming on windows. 

- It's going to be weird not to have Duke Nukem Forever to bash.  I'd say that Alan Wake is going to take it's place but I'm hearing buzz through some back channels that we're going to be seeing a lot of the game this year with maybe a fall release date.

- We're getting a new Metal Gear title despite what Cyril says.  It's also probably coming to the Xbox 360 so PS3 fans should sharpen their pens before the MS press conference on Monday.

- I did think that OnLive was going to be a topic at the show but they aren't going to be at the show this year.  This either means they don't have anything or don't want to become Phantom 2.0 in the eyes of the fans.

Let me know if I missed anything in the comments.  It's just going to be John and I this year and we're trying to cover everything we can.  We've got almost 40 appointments between the two of us so expect a ton of coverage next week.  We're also going to be experimenting with video this year.  If there's anything you want to see let us know.