E3 2012: eyes on the inside

Continuing the E3 coverage from last month. Our (semi-) secret agent is back with her photographic documentation from the show floor. Just what we needed for the Gamedae Couch Coverage this year. It even looks like she brought some lovely assistants with her. Thanks for the thinking of and representing Gamedae for the masses, girls. Bask in the memories as we take you through the aisles of the Expo.

Hit the jump for the full gallery:

the new chinatown fair

Back where it always was, is the newly opened Chinatown Fair. I have known about this niche arcade since I moved to New York City, though I almost never visited. Having an arcade in town didn’t strike me as being all that novel, almost like, “of course” there is an arcade in town. When it abruptly closed last year was when I started paying attention. I was pretty shocked as it is, all but, a landmark in Chinatown.

Well it’s open again, a lot cleaner and brighter than before just a little light on the games. The new focus on younger, more casual players is evident by the layout of the arcade. There is a large touch screen Fruit Ninja machine as you enter. Following that is the service counter and many carnival-esque games like Hoops, Skeeball and the Drop-A-Quarter games. There are kids running around with streams of tickets in their hands hoping to trade in for candy. Almost hidden, in the way back, are a handful of common arcade fighters. I would say the highlight of the arcade is either the full sized dance machines or the air hockey table.

Pictures from the inside after the jump. Chinatown Fair is located at 8 Mott Street in Manhattan.

blizzcon 2011 by zoidberger

PLATFORM: Blizzcon 2011

RELEASE DATE: Oct. 21-22, 2011

LOCATION: Anaheim, CA

MY STATUS: Friday/Saturday

The sight of unkempt hair, the smell of questionable hygiene practices these are just a few of the sights and sou....errr smells of this years Blizzcon. Unlike most other conventions where a variety of fans gather (comic, video game, television, and movie) at Blizzcon only one type of fan attends, a Blizzard fan. Once a year as October draws to a close the fanboys of Blizzard Entertainment gather in Anaheim.

I have always been a fan of Blizzard from my first serious online addiction (Diablo 2, Starcraft, and Warcraft 3) to my current play of World of Warcraft and eventual crack addiction known as Diablo 3. Blizzard holds themselves to what I feel is the highest standard of game making on the market. They often use the phrase "when it's ready" when speaking in terms of a release date for their games, not because they aren't sympathetic to the needs of their fans but because they refuse to release anything other than what they feel is the best game they can make.

The weekend is all fan service for the games they have helped build over the 20+ years of game development. This year was filled with a new WoW expansion (The Mists of Pandaria), a trailer for the Starcraft 2 expansion (Heart of the Swarm), as well as more Diablo 3 news and a surprise look at the Starcraft DotA mod (Defense of the Ancients) all of which where playable at this years Blizzcon.

The games aren't the only thing at the convention though; they have a costume contest to award the devoted fans that decide to cosplay for the event. They hold Q&A panels for all of their franchises, tournaments are held for the elite players to test their skills, and a dance contest for those who want to make absolute fools of themselves.

Under the fold are pictures from inside the convention as well as a few pictures from INSIDE Blizzard HQ in Irvine (Thanks to my friend Chris for the hookup) and some after party pictures as well. I was actually able to speak to and take pictures with some of Blizzards game designers (I love you Chris Metzen).

new york comic con 2011

PLATFORM: NY Comic Con 2011

RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13-16, 2010
LOCATION: New York City
MY STATUS: Thursday/Saturday

You are not alone. There are 105,000 people just like you and unless your name is Felicia Day you're pushing through the crowd to get a good look around. Not that anyone minds all that much, every fan boy and girl within driving distance is here to gawk, learn and buy just about everything comic (and video game) related. Come for the big reveals or the niche collectables.

I'm emphasizing the crowd here. The large swarms of people are unkempt, dressed funny and in the way but that's Comic Con and that's how it goes. Luckily, those fans that engage in cosplay provide as much eye candy as at the featured displays. If I were to complain about something, I do believe I spied a lot of return cosplay costumes. Is there a term for this reuse of a costume? Respun... replay... whatev.

Under the fold, please enjoy some pics from most of the video game displays. Shout outs go to Rockstar Games with their cool GTA III The Aniversary stickers and to Transformers Universe for the make your own transformer picture booth. Oh and fuck you Felicia, a guy can't even get into the Dragon Age panel anymore. (JK your great).

family fun arcade

PLATFORM: Family Fun Arcade

DATE: Earlier this year
LOCATION: Granada Hills, CA
 

Located in a quaint shopping center next to a grocery store is a little bit of old school heaven. There are not that many arcades left, especially one that has been open for 37 years. Contrary to it's name this isn't really a "family" place. Family Fun Arcade may be a little run down, dark and a bit intimidating but it's set up perfectly for fighting games. In fact, most of the arcade machines are Street Fighter IV and SF Thirdstrike machines. It has Xbox Live stations with a LAN set up for 2 dollars per half hour. Marvel Vs Capcom 3 is set up on another Xbox machine with an over-sized projector screen, cozy chairs and dual fighting sticks. A DDR machine still cranks in the way back. The machines take quarters rather than those darn tokens. It is open really late and is a practice space for upcoming and veteran professional players. If you find yourself in the valley this is arcade of choice for serious gamers. Hit the jump for a peek inside.

E3 2011: more eyes on the inside

Do to the popularity of our last post, I present the second batch of pictures from our amazing secret agent on the floor at E3 2011. Looks like someone got hands on with the PS Vita and Wii U.

E3 2011: our eyes on the inside

We may not have all gotten to E3, in fact most people don't. I'm excited to introduce our new secret agent. The secret agent will remain anonymous for now, but your welcome to see the hoard of photos from the floor at E3. Hit the Jump!

little big planet 2: guinness world records event

PLATFORM: Sony Style Store

RELEASE DATE: 01/2011
LOCATION: New York City
MY STATUS: Early

In a sad case of my reporting losing out to lack of patience, I give you a Gamedae On Location report of the setting up of Little Big Planet 2's launch event at the Sony Style store in NYC. Imagine if you will, you have a three day weekend, it is 20° outside with dirty snow on the ground. The Playstation Blog is reporting a live streaming event of Media Molecule guys breaking Guinness World Records. Do you stay in bed all day or get up there and snap some pics? I get up there in the cold (albeit far too early) and snap some pics for you the few, the loyal, the Gamedae readers! Pics after the jump.

independent games festival @ babycastles arcade

PLATFORM: Babycastles Arcade

RELEASE DATE: 11/2010
LOCATION: New York City
MY STATUS: Missed the opening but played the games
 

Right here in midtown NYC we have a little piece of the 2010 Independent Games Festival happening. There is a pop up art space on 42nd Street, split as the Showpaper Gallery/Babycastles Arcade. This great spot features about 6 very unique old school arcade cabinets each decorated with its own style. Running on these are highlights from the 2010 IGF. While I was there I got to play Joe Danger, Tuning, Super Meat Boy, Star Guard and Continuity.

The Showpaper Gallery also features the sculptures of Mark Stilwell who I had the pleasure of briefly meeting. He explained that some of his sculptures are actually costumes for a performance magnificently titled Mega Beast vs Mega Defense Force. Pictures are after the jump enjoy.

nycc cosplayers

PLATFORM: NY Comic Con 2010

RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8-10,2010
LOCATION: New York City
MY STATUS: Wish I was still there

Getting in the mood for Halloween with the fancy new zombified Gamedae banner up top. I hope you dig it I had fun making it. Also, there was so much to see at this year's comic con I thought I would dedicate another entire post to pictures I have of the cosplayers this year. People have been dressing up for years for these kinds of conventions but these days it is referred to as cosplay; short for "costume play", it is a type of performance art. Participants dress in costumes that represent a certian character or idea. Often they mimic characters from Japanese manga, American comic heroes and video games. However, anything goes. There was even a pricey book documenting the rise of cosplay in America for sale at the con that looked worth picking up. Enjoy the gallery starting with the Bioshock Big Daddy (above) after the jump.

new york comic con 2010

PLATFORM: NY Comic Con 2010

RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8-10,2010
LOCATION: New York City
MY STATUS: Friday/Saturday

Welcome to a partial look at NY Comic Con. In case you've been sleeping under a rock this event has gone completely mainstream becoming the hub for all things movies, television and of course video games. It is impossible to actually try to recap it all for you. I'll be reporting on all the games I saw of course but even still it is tough to get to see them all. This year there were major booths for a lot of top brands and some great games being showcased. Comic Con can get very busy and crowded, the crowds were estimated to be close to 100,000 over the three days. However whether it was some guy sporting a giant backpack of a half naked fairy princess bumping into you as you try to find your way down the "alleys" everyone seems to get along very well. It is a strange paradise that celebrates all things sci-fi and fantasy. I took as many pictures as I could of the action.

grand turismo 5 event

Running off a tip from the PlayStation blog I found out about a surprise event in Times Square, NYC. Honda was throwing this massive event focused around their car and 3D tech. Walking up to the heavily branded event sponsors were on hand. Maxim girls were passing out 3D glasses and the current issue featuring Anna Kournikova in 3D. Honda was showing off their new CR-Z Sport Hybrid coupe which is one of the playable cars in Grand Turismo 5. Of course, there was a Grand Turismo 5 station at the event. With custom "racing sled" set ups where you could try out the new game in 3D. Hardly enough time to do a decent review but the lines were fairly short. The highlight of the event was a free concert by N.E.R.D. which sounded pretty good. The event hosts also showed the first 3D comercial featuring the CR-Z which was impressive but still just a commercial. Also, wearing 3D glasses outside in public is a little weird.

More photos of the event (and models) after the jump: