E3 2007 was a change from the past; an intentionally downscaled event intended to put the focus back on the games, and away from the glitz and glamour of the past. It may have succeeded, but the reception from the people in the industry itself has been mixed if nothing else.

E3's shift from the high production costs of the Los Angeles events to the more casual and laid back Santa Monica event. The indoors was exchanged for fresh, outdoor locations, and convention centers were replaced with such diverse locations as the Santa Monica High School the Starlight Room in the Fairmont Miramar, and most impressively, the Barker Hangar; an actual hangar converted into a venue for the event.

Unfortunately, the new change of location and the use of multiple venues turned out to have its own share of problems.

Although Microsoft's E3 conference and Nintendo's E3 conference were barely a hair's breath from each other, Sony's E3 conference was miles away from the two, forcing attendees to pass through the location of last year's even - Los Angeles, to get there!

Other confusions came in the form of the Fairmont Miramar, with attendees being required to stand around and wait outside between events as the venue was "reset" for the next presentation. It was an awkward situation that frustrated many.

It was the main E3 floor in Barker Hangar though, where all the games would be officially playable at the event, that causes the most confusion. It was a sharp reminder to E3 veterans of just how scaled back the show has become; there simply weren't a lot of games on show. Especially frustrating for many was the harsh summer weather and the poorly ventilated hangar, which made for an uncomfortable experience for many.

The views of the industry veterans?

"This is pretty weird," said a representative for one company with a booth, speaking to GameSpot under the promise of anomymity, "I'm not sure if we'd do it again, if there's an E3 next year."

One attentee saw the advantages of the event, "[It] beats having to fight your way through a crowd of GameStop clerks each day.", commenting on the fact that the waiting time for playing games was ony minutes now, instead of hours like pasting events.

It seems many were fearful of making their opinion public. Another anonymous representative was extremely hash. "Are you kidding? This whole thing is a joke. All our interesting stuff is back at the hotel."

A senior employee at a major third-party publisher waseven harsher, "They blew it. The stuff at the Fairmont was so badly organized--everyone, even the broadcast people had to file out of that same room every time. And the hangar? Ridiculous. There's no point in even having a show floor, if that's all it's going to be."

It seems that even the chance to show off your latest games is no substitute for a comfortable enviroment in which to do so, which is what seemed to lacking the most from this event. Only time will tell what the industry thinks.

It's difficult to gauge quite how receptive the general public was to this event either. This is where you guys come in. What did you think of the event? Was it a disappointment to you? Did it live up to your expections, or were you hoping for more?

If you want to share your thoughts on the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo 200, don't hesitate to [url=http://forums.videogamechat.net/register.php]register on the VGC forums[/urls] and share your thoughts with us, or email me at [email]wordofivory@gmail.com[/email] we will share your thoughts with the rest of the community at a later date!

Tags : E3 2007 : microsoft : Nintendo : PlayStation 3 : playstation portale : santa monica : Sony : Wii : Xbox 360

Comments

By: Corrine On: 04:50 Jul 14th, 2007 Offline	I was watching some videos of the event on TV, and perhaps I wasn't there to experience it but it seemed very focused on the games; the way the aisles were so organized. However, if the hangars were poorly ventilated and everything was rather far to walk to that really ruins the experience, I think Sony and Nintendo rather disappointed me this time around; Sony for the lie about the price cut and the lack of anything interesting, and Nintendo for the general lack of anything interesting. I think the event was really just between Sony and Microsoft this time around. I didn't really hear much out of Nintendo and what I did hear was just boring. Microsoft impressed me, and some of the games that are coming out really make me interested in getting a 360.

By: Matt On: 08:09 Jul 14th, 2007 Offline	I was pretty much pleased with this year. I can understand why people [that was there] where upset, I mean Cal. in summer out doors? Now that was stupid.

By: Mobius Zero On: 10:13 Jul 15th, 2007 Offline	I felt this year's E3 was extremely underwhelming, as for me, none of the parties had nothing truly ground breaking. Sure the PS3 now has games that will be seen next year, it's WTF price cut controversies, and a smaller PSP (woop dee freaking da! All we wanted was a second analog nub!). The 360 is mostly just adding fuel from the fire that was started last year and not accomplishing much at all except stealing exclusives and sticking with all the downloadable BS that Sony has been suckered into. The Wii, more Nintendo all the time, as I did not see too much good third party reception and Nintendo coming out with even more accessories than their demand of consoles and goes to show you, that if you get a Wii, get a DS, you'll have just as much fun. Mostly, for it's hard to get excited when as if all that is not even enough for me, it was like they were not truly focused on what "we" want but what they believed was right for us. The event itself just looked boring to watch with all this media/hype surrounding it. I don't want to hear about it, I want to frelling play the games myself and reserve judgment for myself.

By: dragongee On: 01:21 Jul 16th, 2007 Offline	I agree, there wasn't really much difference between the consoles, therefore there wasn't really one to stand out of the crowd. Price cuts seem to be on the horizon along with "good" games being released. But as for the Expo itself, the focus was more on the gameplay which i liked rather then the story. If E3's main objective was to show the games then i'll give an 8/10. On other notes; I can't believe we've been left out again. Sony is not cutting the price of the PlayStation 3 in Europe, but will offer free games and accessories instead. I've been a sony playstation man since the beginning and they treat me like this! Im disappointed...

By: ApplesauceNinja On: 05:41 Jul 16th, 2007 Offline	All in all, I was wholly disappointed with this year's E3. Very few new games were unveiled. (c'mon...Wii Fit?!) Microsoft didn't unveil anything that won't be here by the end of the year. Sony had the "not really" press conference. They unveiled the redesigned but not really PSP and the PS3 price cut that's not really a price cut. Nintendo...I don't even wanna go there. Hopefully next year's show (if there is one) will focus more on the longterm future of games as opposed to only the coming few months. I thought the big three all played it a little too safe for it to be terribly interesting.

By: Dragonfly On: 10:12 Jul 18th, 2007 Offline	The question now lies... where can the ESA hope to take things from here? The industry clearly wasn't happy with this move, and the upcoming E for All Expo (a name which is a deliberate punch in the face if ever there was one) is determined to fill the gap left by the "old" E3. Personally, I like the new focus, even if the execution wasn't perfect.

By: Corrine On: 11:15 Jul 19th, 2007 Offline	I think the new type of E3 just needs organisation and work, it really didn't seem DEAD. Throwing a middle finger to it by naming a new gathering against it is petty and doesn't solve anything. Nothing's perfect the first time its changed. I bet the first E3 wasn't the greatest either, but it probably improved, then as it stagnated they wanted to change it. Shit cycles.

By: Magus On: 04:07 Jul 20th, 2007 Offline	I dunno what to think about this year's E3. This year was actually the first time I watched one of the press conferences. I usually just read the first impressions of certain games that I find interesting. But I did notice that there were fewer games being reviewed this year. Especially games from Nintendo. Most of what they did during their press conference was brag about sales, but I guess that's part of any E3 conference. All in all, I wanted to see more games.

By: Azar On: 01:16 Jul 24th, 2007 Offline	I think underwhelming was definitely the word for this year. It wasn't that it was bad, but there was really nothing that grabbed me and made my brain do backflips in total glee. No new Zelda announcement. No Halo announcement (of any importance, anyway). WiiFit is okay, but not worth getting super excited about. MGS4 looks great, how unsurprising. It really just seemed like an E3 of "Look at all these cool games you already knew were coming. Don't they look a little cooler than they did last time you saw them?" I think the new design probably hurt more than it helped, since there appeared to be a lot less focus on playable demos on the game floor. More videos and talking and less reports of hands-on contact and impressions.