E3 2005 - Day 1
What's the first thing you'd expect to find at a trade show called the Electronic Entertainment Expo? An expo? Entertainment? Nah… electronics. Which, by their very nature, require electricity. Funny thing, because when we showed up at E3 this morning, there was none. The main entry halls seemed okay, if a little reliant on the natural light streaming through the windows. But the farther we walked into the Los Angeles Convention Center, the dimmer it got, until we arrived in front of the closed press room doors shrouded in darkness. We were told to get in line and wait for the problem to be resolved. Thirty minutes later, expo staff started issuing badges by hand. Cranky reporters camped out in the hallway, trying in vain to get online and contact their editors (web access was down, too). Some members of the press were still waiting for their badges at noon.
But the show must go on, and even under these unusual circumstances, E3 opened with a burst of black lights and a cacophony of music and static. Although the overhead lights were dim over the expo floor, the booths were fully electrified. Christina, Laura, Berian, and I made our way from meeting to meeting, getting some exciting sneak peeks at upcoming projects and collecting inspiring sound bytes from some of the adventure industry's biggest players.
You'll be experiencing the fruits of our labors for weeks to come, but in the meantime, here's a roundup of what we've seen so far.
Journey to the Center of the Moon
Our first day at E3 started with an up-close look at Kheops' Studio's latest game. Based on novels by Jules Verne, this game captures a 19th century vision the yet-unexplored lunar surface. We'll have a full report on the game's ins and outs soon. Benoit Hozjan, Kheops' CEO, also let us in on the studio's desire to develop a third-person game, possibly with pre-rendered 2D backgrounds and 3D character models. Given Kheops' history of building on past successes in each of their new products, this tidbit leaves us anxious to see where they'll go with this concept.
Our 10:00 meeting with Myst co-creator Rand Miller and UbiSoft producer Ashley Bushore provided ample time to ply the pair with our many questions, which were answered thoughtfully and enthusiastically. Rand was relaxed and accessible, talking positively about End of Ages and the inevitable conclusion of "a family saga." He's excited to start again with a "blank slate" and see what the future will bring. We are, too. Stay tuned to Adventure Gamers to learn exactly what he said that left us feeling this way.
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Ashley Bushore and Rand Miller with Myst V |
Spectators at the Dreamfall booth |
Indigo Prophecy on display at Atari |
So much has been written about Dreamfall already, it's hard to say anything new. The section Ragnar Tornquist demonstrated for us this afternoon contained some new scenes—most notably, glimpses of April Ryan's old stomping grounds, ten years later—and further reinforced the strong foundation in storytelling and player control that Funcom has promised all along. What made a bigger impact was the booth itself, which screamed Dreamfall from every corner. Although Funcom is also showing off their new online action RPG Age of Conan, Dreamfall is being promoted just as heavily, through life-sized posters, hanging signs, and three flat-screen televisions running a new trailer. The display shows Funcom's commitment to promoting this game—a refreshing sight in an expo dominated by the big-budget glitz that often passes adventure games by.
Our hands-on experience with Indigo Prophecy (still to be called Fahrenheit in Europe) started in Atari's crowded showcase, where playable demos were available on freestanding arcade-style consoles. We then moved into the "back room," a sophisticated lounge with hints of Japanese decor, where we spoke to Quantic Dream in depth about the game's development, focus, and projected release. In spite of a private party going on around us, the team from Quantic Dream spent a generous amount of time discussing the game and the genre in general—a conversation that left us incredibly optimistic. You'll be hearing much more about this conversation, including insight into the productive relationship between Quantic Dream and their new publisher, in the weeks to come.
Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock
We'll be doing a full preview of The Secret of the Old Clock soon, but in the meantime, we have a few new">https://www.adventuregamers.com/gallery.php?id=471">new screenshots to whet your appetite. We also got to hear a bit about the upcoming Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys adventure, which will allow players to take control of one of the Hardy Boys, in addition to the familiar heroine. From the way Her Interactive described the venture, we got the distinct impression that if the game does well, it could be a stepping-stone to a spin-off Hardy Boys series.
Our last stop of the day was at The Adventure Company's showcase—and we weren't the only ones. The room was teeming with reporters and others checking out the publisher's newest offerings. Among the playable demos were ECHO: Secrets of the Lost Cavern, Journey to the Center of the Moon, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Still Life (the Xbox version), and one other game that's still in negotiations, but will certainly make North American players happy if all goes well. The highlight was this glimpse of And Then There Were None, after so many months of tight-lipped development—but we aren't ready to dish the dirt until we have time to do it justice. You've waited this long; what's a little while longer?
Although the power came back in the press room late in the afternoon, we almost wound up in the dark again. It was well past closing time when we finally straggled out of the convention center with our goodie bags and interview tapes in tow. After a bite of pizza and a few hours' sleep, it will be time to start all over again on Day 2. Here's hoping the electricity cooperates.
Christina Gmiterko, Laura MacDonald, Doug Tabacco, and Berian Williams contributed to this piece.
