A VISIT TO THE E3 ENTERTAINMENT EXPO
by Peter M. Bracke - Monday, May 22nd, 2000

What a difference a year makes. At the 6th Annual E3 Entertainment Expo, DVD figured far more prominently than in years prior, and it was clear everywhere on the show floor that the format is the platform for next generation gaming. This year's Expo took place from May 11 through 13 in Los Angeles, where the leaders of the video and PC gaming industries all descended upon the LA Convention Center to hawk their wares and showcase their latest technological marvels. What follows is an overview of the more noteworthy happenings of the show from a casual game fan's perspective, and focusing on the DVD-related issues at the Expo. On with the show!

PIKACHU IS TOAST!

As I made my way down the crowded LA streets to the Convention Center, I had only one clear objective in mind, a task I knew I must complete if I was to survive this year's Expo with any sense of self-respect left intact: I must kick Pikachu's ass. I don't care if it is a big inflatable piece of plastic or some poor guy in a suit who is trying to feed his wife and three kids, that little pokemon bastard was goin' down! I had planned and plotted for this day for months now, ever since I was forced to review POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE for the site, and now was the time for payback. Vengeance would be mine for those two hours of my life that had been taken away from me, and it would be sweet.

	Don't stare at it too long...you'll turn to stone! Pikachu presides over the grand Nintendo exhibit.

But before Pikachu could meet his demise, I had a more pressing challenge in front of me: Convention Center parking. While it is normal for the great big capitalist machine to take over with scads of independent parking lots around the Center suddenly jacking up their prices, the outrageous sums of money being charged this year hit a new level of insanity. While the instantly-full Convention Center lots charge a reasonable $7-$10 bucks, a couple of independents right outside the Center were charging $50 bucks a spot, and that wasn't even for valet! I have a word for such brazen exploitation, and it isn't capitalism, it's extortion. While I eventually snagged a spot waaaay in the back of the Convention Center lot farthest from the Expo, I hope the E3 organizers next year will try to do something if possible about the sad state of event parking next time.

After finally trudging down to the Expo through the maze of parking garages, hallways and escalators (and prepping my Pikachu Extermination Kit for battle), the Great Hall Of E3 loomed above me. Unlike last year's VSDA show, also held at the Convention Center, the place was simply jammed packed this time. People, people and more people were everywhere, and also unlike VSDA, the press registration booths were remarkably well-organized and efficient. I was in, out and registered in less than five minutes. Bravo to the E3 registration staff, you guys rock! Anyhow, it was off to the first leg of our journey...the main Exhibition Center and home to the big boys of the video game industry. Are you ready to rumble?

RATING THE EXHIBITS...AND THE STATE OF DVD

The main function of E3 is undoubtedly to showcase all of the manufacturers and developers new products, and in the case of the "big 3" Sony, Sega and Nintendo (wait, make that 4, with Microsoft's new X-Box on the way), their humongo displays are a sight to behold. With costs for some of these displays rumored to cost in the millions of dollars, it is clear these guys spare no expense when it comes to making a big impression! And like years past, the positioning of each manufacturer's exhibits was key to understanding who is currently dominating all the buzz. Unlike last year, when Sega, Nintendo and Sony were arranged in a fairly even triangle inside the big square that is the South Hall, this year Sony was smack dab in the epicenter, flanked by Sega and Nintendo off to the rear sides. Sony was the definite "center channel" of this year's Expo, and their 10-minute Playstation 2 demo "experience" was also the hot ticket (literally) along with the X Box. Though the following pictures tell only part of the story, trust me, it was amazing. Lights, music, cool-as-hell gimmicks, sparkling graphics and the click clap chirp of tons and tons of video games. It was definitely nirvana for the video game geek.

The Sega Coliseum...pretty impressive!	Sony rules with its PS2 mega-show	Same old tired Nintendo display as last year

While no one expected last year to be a cornucopia of DVD, this year expectations ran higher. By now we've all heard the big news of the scheduled arrival of Sony's Playstation 2 in America on October 26, a day in which many a young video gamer will break into unending tears of joy. Announced the day before the show, Sony's unveiling of the PS2 (or PSX2, as some label it) wasn't much of a surprise, as the console has been out in Japan for a while now and everyone pretty much knew a U.S. announcement would be forthcoming at E3 anyway. The real news was in the software, or rather the lack of any real buzz surrounding it. While the number of titles planned for the U.S. debut of the PS2 and throughout its first year are impressive (over a hundred, according to Sony), would any of the games actually take advantage of all the capabilities the DVD format offers? And how cool would the add-ons for the Dreamcast, which doesn't currently boast built-in DVD-Video playback, actually be? And what of the DVD functionality of the still-MIA next-generation console from Nintendo (code-named "Dolphin," or better yet "Walrus")? At least the ever-mysterious Microsoft X-Box had a public unveiling, albeit in the littlest bits and pieces.

And just like last year, the main showfloor was really more full of PR fluff than any real substantive information. Lots of hawking of press kits and game demonstrations, and the aforementioned cool displays, but given the volume level and the sheer level of activity, having a conversation about anything was nearly impossible. But, your intrepid reporter marched on, determined to find out at least something about anything, or anything about something...

ON TO PART 2 »»