Like gazillions of other folks, I picked up my collector’s edition FFXII tonight and man am I loving this new packaging style (it’s the same case they used for Resident Evil 4 collector’s). Definitely worth the extra 10 bucks IMO + there’s a bonus DVD. I’m also glad that despite ignoring progressive scan, they added a true widescreen mode. Sadly, I’m knee deep in Valkyrie Profile 2 (beginning of Chapter 4), so I probably won’t get to this for a couple of weeks. Can’t wait to try out the new battle system and see if this truly does live up to the hype.

When Lowenstein mentioned big changes for E3, many of us tried to look at bigger picture optimistically. It’s been obvious over the past few years that the direction of the trade show began to lose focus. Instead of sticking mostly to a business oriented event, E3 felt like the equivalent of a Hollywood production gone astray. Developers agreed they were losing lots of money that was being poured into creating huge extravagant booths and hiring attractive models as a means to draw attention to their upcoming lineup. And then there was the issue with the population level which ultimately made it extremely difficult for media, publishers and retailers to effectively conduct business.

Finally, the ESA said enough was enough. E3 2006 was the last hurrah at the LACC (which can’t possibly be good news for the city of Los Angeles who’ve come to rely on the annual event) in favor of a smaller, more controlled setup: hotels. In a recent interview with GameIndustry.biz, Lowensten states the following: “By combining suite-based meetings with the software showcase in a controlled and business-like environment, we believe we will successfully fulfill our primary objective of giving high-level media the best of all worlds — the chance to engage in highly personal, one-on-one dialogue with leading game company executives, as well as the chance to demo games on their own time and to check out offerings from both the best known and emerging game publishers and developers,” said Lowenstein. “It will also provide an excellent opportunity for meetings with retailers, developers and other audiences.”

Reading between the lines, this basically says “unless you’re one of the major destinations like IGN, Gamespy, 1up, GameSpot, TeamXbox, Joystiq or Kotaku…you’re out of the circle”. Previously known as E3 2007, the new official name is entitled E3 Media and Business Summit, scheduled to be held on July 11-13 in Santa Monica, CA.

I applaud ESA’s objective to streamline E3’s overall focus, but I not too fond of the idea about the presentations being hosted in hotels. Even more disappointing is the fact the “major showcase” for attendees will be held in Barker Hangar. Sorry, it doesn’t matter how well they pimp that place out — holding a gaming showcase in a hangar is extremely cheesy in my opinion.

I’m curious as to what the gaming enthusiast community think about this since a large chunk of us will now be missing out one on the most exciting annual events in North America. It seems that most of us will end up giving our patronage to events like PAX (which saw a HUGE increase this year) and VGXPO. Perhaps this is all for the best… it’s too early to decide.

All I can say is: WOW.
http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=3901&

This is what happens when online retailers can’t play nice with videogame corporations. Some will say “they had it coming.” Others will not be pleased by this at all because Lik-Sang has been an exceptional resource for all their consume needs. Either way, their absence will be felt. Could Play-Asia be next?

Special thanks to Q for royally screwing everyone over with Lumines Live and its ridiculous pricing scheme. That’s not to say that I won’t be buying it. I guess I’m just part of the problem.

I actually wouldn’t be a complainer had they released it with the original track list (including Mondo Grosso and Eri Nobuchika) from its PSP papa, but I suppose that’ll probably come later in a “Triple Bonus Pack” for the price of a ridiculous $7.50. Awesome.

This doesnt make ANY sense to me. Unfortunately, I’m too tired to elaborate further (for now). I’ll let the press release speak for itself.

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The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®), owner and producer of the International Consumer Electronics Show® (CES®), today announced that it will not launch a 2007 gaming event.

Based on industry feedback and a recent ESA announcement, Karen Chupka, senior vice president of events and conferences, CEA, issued the following statement:

“At the request of our board, CEA spent the past few months soliciting industry feedback, via advisory committee meetings and a research survey, to determine the need for a new gaming event. During this process, we found a strong desire for a gaming event that included a broad array of the gaming industry, including PC and wireless gaming companies.”

“Although CEA was prepared to launch a new event, the recent announcement by ESA that it would open its event to both ESA and non-ESA members and would include PC and wireless gaming, led us to conclude that a new spring West Coast event would likely not serve the best needs of the industry. At this point, we will continue dialog with the industry to determine if the need for a broader gaming event exists for 2008.”

“We believe that consumer electronics are a vital part of the gaming experience. Broadband access, quality surround sound, large HD screens, portable video devices and cutting-edge furniture, all can make the gaming experience immersive. Gaming and consumer electronics are inseparable and we continue to look for ways to work together in our mutual interests.”

The 2007 International CES, scheduled for January 8-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, has announced a new Gaming TechZone for interested exhibitors. Located in CES’ Sands/Venetian exhibit space, the Gaming TechZone will allow gaming companies to showcase their products and technologies to the 2,700 exhibitors and more than 140,000 attendees from 130 countries that attend CES each year.

For more information on the 2007 International CES, including conference sessions, TechZones, keynote speakers and registration information, visit http://www.CESweb.org, the interactive source for all International CES information.