// Special E3 2009 Report

INTOPIXEL Gallery: Warhammer Art

I was able to attend E3 @ the La Convention Center this past Tuesday on company time and it was a big deal since E3 went away from awhile and then all the sudden it came back this year. It's not as grand as it used to be (pre 2006), as it seems they are testing the waters and were holding back a bit. Most of the cool news came from the Press conferences, which is only open to press and execs. On the exhibit hall floor, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Square-Enix, EA and many more companies were displaying their latest products and games.



The biggest shockers for me at E3 are as follows:
- Microsoft: Natal technology
- Nintendo: Metriod Other M
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- LucasArts: Monkey Island
- Metal Gear Rising on Xbox 360
- Facebook on DSi and Xbox 360!

Most Impressive:
- EA / Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic
If you haven't seen the trailer yet, GO SEE IT!! To add even more awesomeness, EA had a bunch of Sith come out on stage during the press conference.




// MMO Report:
So..I am pretty shocked about Square Enix's announcement about Final Fantasy XIV. I thought they were done milking the series but I guess not. From the Q n' A, it appears that it is not based on the world of Vanadiel, but the character races are similar. Some people are skeptical since the game looks similar but we were only shown a short teaser trailer and there was no demo on the floor for us to try out. I'm guessing it will probably come out in 2011. I'm still happily playing FFXI so I'm not in a hurry to quit that game.

I haven't had much time to try out other MMO's besides Jade Empire, which was pretty mediocre but I liked the combo system. I also tried out Free Realms but I wasn't too impressed. The card game is confusing and boring. Then again, the only card game I liked was Triple Triad from Final Fantasy VIII and magic the gathering. Nothing Warhammer related was being shown on the floor by EA either. There was also a lack of Blizzard presence in E3, as they are probably going to show everything at Blizzcon.

//Exhibit Hall Photos:

Playstation's Both


Nintendo's sleek booth - They were demoing Wii Sport Resort and a bunch of DS titles such as the new bowser game.


The new King of Fighters XII!


Assassin's Creed II and Splinter Cell giant posters outside


FFXIII's Lighting Figure


INTOPIXEL Gallery: Guild Wars Concept Art