From the outside, E3 seems to be the land of milk and honey, where games and promo goodies are there for the taking and every oddball publisher brings bushels of toys for everyone. Well, that's nowhere near as true as it might seem, but there are a few nice things to be had here and there. Konami had two notable items this year (unless I missed a Gradius or Ys handout, either of which I think I'd have heard about and tracked down with the grim resolve of your average action-flick protagonist seeking revenge for the death of his partner, killed on the last day before his/her retirement) and this is the first of them, the Enthusia portfolio.

At first glance it doesn't really seem like much, but it actually is a pretty nice little package. The sturdy white plastic bag holds a matte-black folder, 10.5" x 14.5", containing a nice assortment of items. There are two small items, an Enthusia mouse pad and decal, but it's the three plates that are the big draw. Each plate is made of good quality cardstock, only slightly smaller than the folder it comes in, and printed on both sides with different views of the same car. Basically the automotive equivalent of high-class porn, it's left a few car nuts nearly drooling when I showed it to them.

Next week: Konami giveaway part two. How can Konami possibly equal this while keeping the price of the giveaways down? Tune in next week for our next exciting episode, same Snake time, same Snake channel.

· · · James Cunningham