The cab pulled up to the curb and we headed inside. Just as we all got seated, we found that Dave had not yet got in, nor was he going to be allowed to. The cab sped off several meters away, leading us to believe that he was actually going to be left behind. Apparently the driver felt he was too overweight to fit! We all chuckled while Derek commented that he would be quite upset. I tried to reason with the driver, while Dave went so far as to request that I allow him to sit in the front seat. The driver refused to make any compromises, which compelled Ali to head to the conference with Dave as the rest of us took off. Clearly the driver had something against overweight people. He continued to issue more random comments about Dave's size, among other things that I am not at liberty to repeat.

We arrived at the Xbox press conference, which . . . wasn't far away from the LACC at all. It turns out we could've walked there after all with plenty of time to spare. Oh well. The crew and I bid adieu to our eccentric cab driver, who gave me his business card in the event we needed his services in the future.

By now, reports from Reno and Teddman have given you a taste of what the conferences were like; thus, certain details don't need to be expressed for a third time. This year's Xbox press conference was enjoyable in more ways than I expected. The event was hosted in a theater filled with myriad pretty women adorned with the trademark Xbox green/black colors, beer, and food. There was also a vendor serving sushi (which I never bothered sampling - yes, my tastes are particular like that). After taking a few shots of the Xbox hostesses and picking up some refreshments, we took our seats on the upper level. There, I ran into yet another attractive vendor, whose name I never got around to asking. So I ended up privately acknowledging her to the team as "Sista Grrl". Suffice it to say, she was extremely sweet (and yes, I ended up flirting and requesting a pic with her - a process that, by the way, became pretty natural throughout the entire week with a number of other attractive women.) Prior to the program starting, Sista Grrl hooked us up with practically every type of snack they had available, including goldfish, cookies, and ice cream. We asked her if she was on commission, being that she was so thorough.

The program overall was great, as we got our first glimpses of upcoming Xbox Live titles - including a new application classified under what Microsoft calls the "digital lifestyle." Hm, I don't know about this Music Maker thing, to tell you the truth, and it's unlikely you'll ever find me picking up the mic to sing karaoke. To each his own. Rare presented some of its upcoming games, among which was an all-new Conker multiplayer title. It's too early to speculate that Conker fans will gush all over this one, but personally I expected the company to release a new adventure installment. The program concluded with a demonstration of Halo 2 that brought the entire crowd to its feet. A perfect way to bring the presentation to an end, and clearly the incentive to get excited for one of the most highly anticipated FPS sequels to date (well, besides Half-Life 2). As we made our way out of the theater, I ran into Sista Grrl again, who asked me if I personally enjoyed the program. I smiled and confirmed to her that I had a great time (despite the fact that we had not been issued a bag at this year's event, like we had been the year before). Then she hugged me and we took another pic. Say what you will about women being paid to smile, but this affection was on the house!

The team had been scattered about and it took us a few minutes to find each other in the crowd. Shortly after all of us were together, including Press Start editor Teddman, Ali joined up with us and expressed how we all just passed by Yuji Naka. My eyes lit up and I reached into my bag to find my copy of Sonic Advance 2 and headed over to get it autographed. Lucas Barton called me up, looking to make arrangements to hang out (he had already called a bit earlier in hopes that we could all chill at one of the arcades in the area). Unfortunately, that endeavor didn't materialize that day. The crew and I talked a bit more with Teddman and I took this time to pick his brain regarding his upcoming tasks for E3. I learned that aside from a few appointments, he was basically free to float around and do whatever, so I invited him to hook up with us to help out.

Teddman drove a few of us back to the hotel, while Reno, AFX, and Sleeveboy got in line to wait for a cab. We spotted Yuji Naka also in line, which we noted to Ali. According to him, this was normal (well, he didn't quite put it that way, but we'll leave it at that).

This second day was one of the busiest, since we would be attending three press conferences all in one shot. After briefly taking time out to pick up our badge holders at the Convention Center, we made our way to Sony's press conference - on foot. AFX, Reno and Sleeveboy were walking on the opposite side and eventually got tired of walking and grabbed a cab. Okay, actually it was because we were running a bit behind schedule and they wised up. The rest of us continued on foot before finally losing our sense of direction. Running short on time (and patience), we decided it was best to signal a cab of our own. Initially I called one up, but the dispatcher seemed pretty clueless as to our location (things were so much easier back when I was in N.Y. - in L.A., I am nothing short of a tourist). We headed back and I waved at a cab heading in the same direction, which pulled up on the corner ahead.

We managed to find some seats next to Reno and the others shortly before the press conference got underway. Kaz Hirai greeted the entire audience and then proceeded to throw out sales figures and other invaluable details to demonstrate the system's current success. Yawn. Honestly, if Sony could deliver the same gusto that it puts into its marketing campaigns and such, everyone would take notice and its events would remain memorable throughout the week. That's not to say there weren't some surprises and amusement. Some of the highlights included:

• A first look at Gran Turismo 4, featuring - yes, more cars, tighter AI, and improved car physics that will allow for easier handling. Up to 100 new courses, including New York City and the Grand Canyon among others - all of which can also be raced in reverse, ŕ la Ridge Racer.
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - the newest installment in Hideo Kojima's successful franchise was announced as a PS2 exclusive.
• A new USB peripheral known as the Eye Toy will be released this October. The device utilizes motion-capture technology to record the user's movements and instantly translate these images into on-screen interaction. The result allows for limitless possibilities for a new form of interaction and fun. The Eye Toy will include twelve mini games, including such titles as Wishy Washy (players simulate cleaning a dirty screen by moving their hands around) and Kung Foo (players must eliminate all the enemies on screen in the allotted time). Good stuff that's both user-friendly and appealing to players of all ages. I definitely want to pick one up in the near future.
• SOCOM 2 was announced, and the press was given a few brief details as to what Zipper Interactive has delivered for its dedicated fanbase. Other major first-party titles announced included Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, NFL Gameday 2004 and NBA ShootOut 2004.
• Rise to Honor, the upcoming action game staring Jet Li, was briefly introduced, creating an abundant number of oohs and aahs in the crowd. Yes, this is the game to watch, and you will want to keep you eyes on this title for sure.
• A new USB headset was announced, featuring a sleek redesign and retaining much of the original Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functions developed for the first headset, which was developed primarily for use with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. Titles such as the aforementioned first-party games will make full use of the new headset, as will Sega Sports and EA Sports titles.
• Tiger Woods and Cedric the Entertainer provided some comedy relief in conjunction with EA's newest golf installment, Tiger Woods PGA Golf 2004. I was impressed that EA took the time to meticulously render Cedric into the game for the featured skit. It brought a lot of laughs to an otherwise mild event.
• PSP, Sony's newest piece of hardware designed to shake things up, was announced, opening another channel of competition with Nintendo, which currently has the handheld market to itself.

The announcement of the PSP was easily one of the best kept secrets unveiled by any company this year. SCEA didn't show off the actual hardware, but the audience was given a sprinkling of tasty specs of the system's performance and capabilities. SCEA is calling the PSP the "Walkman of the 21st Century." Based upon its technical figures, the PSP looks like it will be anything but your basic portable gaming device. I see it as functioning as a portable MP3 player, PDA, and more. But how much will it cost? Only time will tell.

After picking up our press kits, (which, much to our collective disappointment, were not in the form of a backpack, but a stylish leather notebook planner), we took a cab to the Nintendo press conference held at the Grand Ballroom in Hollywood (the same location a few of us would visit later in the week, but more on that shortly). I had expected Nintendo to come out with a bang, but it was more or less like a pop.

The way the presentation started off, you'd think that Nintendo was announcing its departure from the industry or something. Thankfully, the pace became a bit more exciting when we were presented a myriad of upcoming titles - many of which focused on the GBA-to-GC connectivity. Zelda: The Four Swords will soon be available for the GameCube and Shigeru Miyamoto eventually came on the stage for a playful skit in which he expressed his fondness for Pac-Man. In fact, he loved it so much that he decided to create an edition of his own. The Pac-Man game was cool (I gave it a whirl during the last day of E3) and it brought some cheers from the audience. We also got a blitz of gaming images, featuring a look at Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, and a very brief clip of the new Metroid Prime sequel in which Samus was struck down by a cloaked pirate. Just enough to leave everyone's mouth agape (and leave everyone somewhat confused as to what the new installment of Metroid will deliver). Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a new Pokémon pinball game, and Rebel Strike, the new installment in the Rogue Leader series, were also showcased.

I can't speak for the rest of the team, but, personally, I was disappointed by this year's lineup. It's a sign that there are some problems brewing in the Nintendo camp. Even though EA has offered its support of a few titles and there's a slight spike of third-party titles on the way, it's clearly not enough to stop the onslaught of better games heading to the Xbox and PS2 platforms.

We quickly made our exit from the briefing after picking up our modest press package, which contained a press folder and an Ikaruga T-shirt that I believe was available in grey and black in assorted sizes. Oh, and there was no backpack offered this time around. It's a good thing I've taken good care of the bag that we received last year or I may have started crying right there on the spot.

The crew and I located the shuttle buses, the same type of red double-decker that you'd find in London and Paris. Once we jumped on board, I spotted one of the Nokia reps, who had an Ngage in his hand. My eyes lit up and I requested some personal hands-on time. Red Faction, one of the dozen games scheduled to be released concurrently with the handheld was inside. The frame rate was quite smooth, better than I had expected any portable edition of an FPS to perform at. Adjusting to the controls was an entirely different matter altogether. Regardless of how impressive most may find Nokia's system, the extensive number of face buttons is not only awkward, it's downright intimidating. It wasn't long before the others wanted their chance with the Ngage, so we took turns playing it during our trek to the press conference.

Nokia definitely was aiming to make a good impression, and it was quite evident once all of our registrations were confirmed and we were allowed inside. Huge smiles came across our faces as we made our way into the conference room. It was much smaller than I anticipated. Apparently only a small number of media outlets had been invited compared to the other conferences. The room was adorned with various hues of red, and to our surprise, there was a stylish backpack waiting on every attendee's seat. Sweeeet! The entire presentation had this whole urban, hip-hop thing going for it. Can you dig it? The Nokia reps hoped we did as they gracefully relayed the launch details and the bomb that left the entire audience in a state of silence. The price - $299. Now, when you stop to think that the Ngage will function as both a portable gaming device and a cellular phone, this isn't an unrealistic price. But who will this system cater to? The games alone will range from $30-$40 a pop. Parents definitely won't be throwing out that type of money for their younger children, and only the most diehard gamer that needs to possess every new type of gaming technology is likely to invest in his own when it's released this October. Hopefully Nokia will be able to establish the niche it's looking for. Though I don't foresee the GBA SP being in any danger anytime soon.

E3 Highlights (May 14-16)

Much like the majority of this year's attendees, I find the memories of E3 somewhat of a blur, short of a number of significant highlights that occurred over the next three days that I fondly recall.

Day 1 - Relax. Relate. Repeat. . . .

Overall, things went relatively smoothly; however, this day was also the first official day I'd be on assignment for IGN. My first appointment was a "SOCOM 2 Breakout Session" with the Zipper Interactive development team. Shortly before the appointment began, I ran into Paul Semel, the editor I report to at Max Bikini (think Maxim without the celebrities and nonsensical humor), and we talked for a bit. I did some extensive research on the game to prepare me for any noteworthy details to report in a follow-up article. Unfortunately, the entire session reiterated details that I had already been adequately edified with. Although I took notes, I eventually realized that this was more or less a breakdown for editors that never had the opportunity to learn details of the sequel. I headed back to the IGN press room to explain to Doug and Jeremy what went down. Originally, they asked me to just comment on what was emphasized the most. I also was assigned a few press releases to compose (Sammy announcing Seven Samurai 20XX and Eminem's first official video game title).

I was a nervous wreck (and as I would later learn, it was quite apparent both to Doug and Jeremy). There was a lot to take in that day as Reno and I watched the motley crew of editors carry out their assignments. And when they weren't working, they were dishing out jokes of impeccable taste (or uncanny, depending on whom was talking at the time). I've always known Jeremy to be a riot, but I was able to personally witness his antics firsthand as he wrestled with Matt Cassamassina on the press room floor while the others cheered them on and recorded the entire playful battle.

Later that night, after finally managing to escape the realm of work, I decided that I needed to fully unwind. I had picked up my nVIDIA party badge earlier that afternoon and made plans with Teddman and Ross Fisher (also from the Press Start fanzine). We also caught up with Eric a bit later during the party. The event was held at the same location, not too far from where Nintendo hosted its press conference. The party was quite a blur, mainly because, um, I got wasted. Though I remember that Smashmouth was performing all of their songs (my favorite being All-Star). Then shortly after that, an international "actress" known as Catalina arrived with an older escort. Well past the state of being sober, I stumbled over to get a closer look as she made herself comfortable.

Well, maybe "comfortable" is putting it lightly. She decided that it was too hot and she needed to cool off. So she took off her dress, revealing a thin bikini and her bare top. Zing! Man, I've never seen so many guys do a double-take in my life. Catalina started strutting her stuff as the music got funkadelic, and let's just say that her arrival took the party to an all-new level. I took several photos with her (all of which I am totally buzzed in). Teddman, Ross, and Eric told me the following day that from there I went off to party till I dropped, snapping photos with practically every woman in attendance. I have yet to see all the pics that were taken, but I'll have them featured in an upcoming column.

Day 2 - Understand (understand) the concept of fun!

The second day resulted in a much more relaxed (and thankfully sober) Bahn. Nothing really significant other than helping IGN to record Reno's Soul Calibur II tournament performance. He destroyed the competition in the GameCube edition. I checked out a few games during the course of the day, including Gradius V, Drakengard, and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Playing Gradius V is truly a hardcore shmup fan's dream. The visuals are kick-ass, the gameplay is challenging, and the controls are solid, intuitive, and responsive. I want it right now. . . . I wish I could get a demo of the game. Oh well, I still need to finish up Ikaruga anyways.

I ran around the LACC with Teddman (and occasionally Sqoon, Ali, and AFX) to take a few photographs with members of the booth babe ensemble. At times, I had to really go looking for women to take pics with. It seems that this year, various developers/publishers had cut back on the babeage provisions. Thankfully, Diana Kauffman was there once again to promote The Future of Video Games 2K4. I've never bothered to investigate what exactly the DVDs' focus was, and being in her presence didn't give me any added incentive to care, either. Diana recalled my face from the year before and we chatted for a bit as AFX got the picture ready. I apparently got photographed by a few other attendees snapping away like paparazzi in the process - which was cool in itself. I wasn't in any rush to release Diana's waist anytime soon.

Updating in the press room wasn't as stressful as it was the previous day, but I still found myself trying to adjust to the atmosphere. Teddman had called up shortly after the expo had closed down for the day to finalize plans for the Sony party, which I wanted to attend. Well actually, there were two parties I wanted to go to. But how can you be two places at once? Well, if you end up at the wrong Sony party hosted for another region that just so happens to be connected to several other parties, the concept becomes pretty simple. Ross and Tedd demonstrated some of their own negotiation skills to get me into the Sony Australia party and they advised me to just chill and make the most of it. Well, that didn't take very long as I came across a set of fine women that I wanted to pose with. They seemed surprised more than anything, but it wasn't long before the photo was taken, followed by a brief inquiry about the party they just left. As it turns out, the Max Bikini party was just below us. I headed back to the bar to grab another Corona and led Ross and Tedd to the party. There was a brief misunderstanding at first, but we slipped the bouncer a few compliments and some money and we were on our way.

Buzzed status notwithstanding, I proceeded to take even more pics and get crazy with the female partygoers. It's a good thing that we were in a party setting or I'd imagine everyone would've thought I was crazy. Oh, and Ms. Catalina showed up again with her escort, Max Hardcore, who was off doing who knows what. At this point, Tedd ran into a few online buddies from the Gaming Age and The Enthusiast web sites. We told them the story about Catalina briefly after I walked up to get another photo-op with her. *ahem* Fully clothed this time.

It would seem that this time around I got a bit carried away with my social drinking and shortly after the party, I began to feel a little dizzy. We'll leave it at that. . . .

Day 3 - 2 Fast 2 Serious (Yeah, Right)

The final day basically consisted of me making my last rounds to follow through on the remaining IGN/TNL appointments. Of noteworthy mention: Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, Prince of Persia, Seven Samurai 20XX, and Final Fantasy Chronicles were all very exciting to play. I already knew about what SOCOM was going to offer, so I never bothered to spend time playing it fully. I also checked out Whiplash and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, both of which I look forward to playing in the near future when they're released.

Reno and I ran into Diana again (this time with her friend) in the cafeteria during lunch break. I booked an appointment to get . . . another photo-op. Okay, isn't it obvious I like taking pics? I think that Tedd's camera got used more often taking pics on my behalf than pics of the show itself. He deserves a special gift of some sort, don't you think?

I headed back to the press room as E3's final day came to an end. I breezed through most of my articles, most of which I initially felt were total crap. I wanted to do more, but frankly, the experience was a first for me. It was overwhelming to actually work the entire expo and then compose articles in detail of every company that was visited. It made me appreciate just what IGN and every other major outlet goes through. And to think, much like Reno pointed out - very few people truly appreciate the level of work that they produce. Even though they're paid to do the job, they come away being wholly exhausted mentally and physically. I developed a greater sense of respect for their collective efforts. Oh, and Reno didn't leave at 9 o'clock every night - he apparently was still on Toronto time.

Until next year . . .