Man, forget about what IS there to say about E3, what ISN’T there to say about E3? I’ve rounded up five things that stood out the most to me and made E3 the experience that it was. Yeah, I know, the actual games aren’t a part of this list. While the games *obviously* are what make up 99.9% of E3, I just went with the one game I enjoyed the most!

The Industry Bigwigs

As soon as I heard I was in the same room as Hideo Kojima, I nearly ate shit HARD as I attempted to climb and stand atop a chair. When Shigeru Miyamoto appeared on stage at the Nokia Theatre wielding a Wii Remote and Nunchuck I squealed. When I saw Keiji Inafune—I think you get it. I mean, here are all of these gaming GODS appearing before your eyes, the same guys and gals you’ve been admiring and reading about in magazines, books and the internet for years, and…here they are! It was like I was in 5^th grade at a Backstreet Boys concert all over again.

The Press Conferences

If you’re not physically at E3 and are anything like me, moments before the E3 Press Conferences you’ll find yourself huddled around your computer monitor, anxiously awaiting for the conferences to begin while anticipating juicy revelations, and most importantly, praying for no LAG.

But for me, this year was different. To actually plop my butt in a seat at the Nintendo and Sony Press Conference was an indescribable feeling. Actually being there and witnessing the first gameplay footage of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the revelation of the 3DS, the unveiling of Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn (just to name a few) was incredible. And that’s just from Nintendo.  While I was at Sony’s Conference, albeit a tad dull at times, I saw Kevin Butler, Twisted Metal, and GT5 finally got a release date. That’s enough win for me.

The New Twisted Metal

As soon as Sweet Tooth rolled up and David Jaffe took stage near the end of the Sony Press Conference, I knew right then and there that Twisted Metal would be my game of the show. Some of the first PlayStation games I owned were Twisted Metal 1 and 2, and to this day I’ll randomly pop in Twisted Metal 2 to get my automobile destruction fix. I’m extremely thankful that Jaffe is heading this one. Even though I didn’t HATE the direction 989 studios took Twisted Metal 3 and 4, it definitely didn’t feel the same, and unfortunately after Twisted Metal 4 I never returned to the series. But even after the TV  on which I was demoing the new Twisted Metal burned out on the show floor, I just told the lovely guys of Eat Sleep Play that it was no biggie; after the first few minutes I knew I was buying the game anyway.

The Hardware

Yep, this is one of the obvious ones. The push of this year’s E3 was motion control and 3D technology. Folks were flailing their bodies about with Microsoft’s Kinect, those in the Sony booth were waving their arms around with Move and eyes were going wide at the Nintendo booth with the 3DS. This is definitely an interesting time for the industry, as more and more developers are arching their brows, rubbing their chin and considering implementing this technology into their products. While some are more adamant than others in their belief that motion control and 3D are the next steps for the industry, others are more cautious and are waiting to see how things pan out and checking the install base before jumping on the bandwagon. Obviously, reading about something and actually going hands on with it are completely different. Having dinked around with the 3DS, Move and Kinect, I still can’t say where exactly I stand with motion control and 3D gaming; however, without a doubt, I have a clearer perspective on what it can deliver. And let’s face it, the fact that I can TELL people I’ve experienced all three is a perk too!

The Atmosphere

Most if not all of my friends don’t contain an iota of knowledge when it comes to the gaming realm (but I still love them dearly). So when Gabe Newell showed up on stage during the Sony Press Conference announcing that Portal 2 was coming to the PlayStation 3, and went so far as to declare that it would be the best platform to experience Portal 2 on, I knew it would only end in fail if I tried explaining it to them. But people at E3 get it. To be contained in a convention center with thousands and thousands of people, as unpleasant as that sounds, whether they be developers, publishers, members of the media, or retail employees—who share equal amounts of passion and excitement for the same industry as you do, is really what makes E3 what it is.