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Stranger in a Strange Land--Cindy Does E3
By Cindy KM
I had the good fortune to attend the 1998 E3 when it was here in Atlanta. I drove down, spent eight hours in sensory overload, and went home with an armful of T-shirts and a serious case of exhaustion.
Attending this year required a bit more of a commitment, since the show has moved to the opposite coast. I bought my plane ticket, reserved a hotel, and prepared to meet up with the Just Adventure crew ... people I knew only through email. My husband was baffled. "So," he said, "you're spending hundreds of dollars and several days of vacation to go hang out with people that you've never even met?" To this I responded, "Yep ... that's the plan!"
I flew into Los Angeles on Wednesday night and joined up with Randy and Ray. After a wonderful, "get-acquainted-over-Mexican-food" dinner, we agreed to meet at E3 the next morning. Upon arrival at the LA Convention Center, we proceeded to the media center and obtained our passes with the coveted red ribbon that marked us as official members of "The Press." Very cool ...
Randy and Ray Disguised as Blondes
Day 1
We started to cruise the show and, within five minutes, I had lost the group and was on my own. I wandered around in a daze for a bit; taking in the enormity of the sights and sounds. Then I got my bearings and began to explore in earnest. My previous E3 experience paid off--instead of going into shellshock, I was able to construct a plan for covering the various halls and was much bolder in my approach.
Our first organized appointment was with Piranha Bytes--a German firm that is currently developing Gothic. This turned out to be a serious action/RPG with lots of hack, slash, and gore in a futuristic "prison" colony. But there is an interesting twist to the game that allows you to align with one of three "camps" within the Gothic world. Your choice then drives the story and character interactions. Replaying the game and making a different choice will provide a new storyline.
The next official stop was to meet Megan Gaiser, the president of Her Interactive. We had a demo of Message in the Haunted Mansion--the third installment in the Nancy Drew Interactive Mystery Games. We were very impressed with the improvements they have made in the series ... Look for a preview on this one!
After being on my feet for 10 hours straight (thank goodness for comfortable shoes!), it was time to head out for a "share-exhaustion-over-Cuban-food" dinner with Randy and Ray.
Day 2
The next day started off with an appointment at Dreamcatcher Interactive. This company had a wall of adventure titles that looked terrific. I had not seen Traitors Gate or Dracula: Resurrection and was especially excited that these two titles are about to make it to this side of the Atlantic. We also got a peek at Jeff and Karen Tobler's Riddle of the Sphinx.
Then, on to Cryo for a demo of their upcoming action/adventure titles: Casanova: The Duel of the Black Rose and Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses. The artwork on both is absolutely stunning, and these titles appear to be good bets for the adventure gamer who does not mind a bit of combat. We also stopped by Index+, another French developer, who showed us Paris 1313 and Louvre: The Final Curse.
Our next meeting was with Ubi Soft Entertainment. I went without expectations and was delighted to find Charles Cecil from Revolution Software showing his new espionage title, In Cold Blood. This adventure/action game has stunning visuals and a style that reminded us of the Broken Sword games. To have Mr. Cecil himself talk to us was a real honor. We also saw the demo of Stupid Invaders--an animated (and very silly) traditional adventure. The final surprise at Ubi Soft was their adaptation of Dragon Riders--Chronicles of Pern, based on the Anne McCaffrey novels. For more details and screenshots from Ubi Soft's offerings, see part 1 of Ray's E3 coverage.
Our last appointment for the day was at Mattel Interactive. Greg Uhler of Presto Studios wowed us with information about Myst III: Exile and the rerelease of the original Myst in a new, 3D format. More details on this can be found in our preview early next week.
Roaming the show on my own, I found two more games to get excited about--Anne McCaffrey's Freedom: First Resistance by Red Storm and Vampire: The Masquerade--Redemption by Nihilistic Software. Both titles are action/RPG-oriented but appear to have strong storylines and characters. I was also impressed by demos of two other RPG titles--Arcatera: The Dark Brotherhood from Westka Entertainment and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura from Troika Games.
Day 3
On Saturday, the clock struck 4:30 a.m. and I turned back into a pumpkin on my way to the airport. As I headed back to my real life and my day job, I reflected on all that is E3 and started counting the days until some of these great titles start showing up in stores! Although there are limited offerings for the adventure purist, those who are willing to cross into the realm of the "adventure hybrid" have some amazing game experiences to look forward to.