E3 isn't completely, 100% about the games. It also gives certain publishers a chance to show off goodies that we'll run right out and spend our hard-earned cash on. Granted, these items don't take up a lot of space and most people blow right by them, but every little bit helps in both making us aware of what they have to offer and dressing up the booth just a little more than before. Add in that it gets me a free feature, and it's win-win all around.

Square Enix had a nice load of swag on display, from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children jewelry to action figure prototypes, there was something to catch anyone's eye if they weren't distracted by the blaring noise going on all around them. There's even useless trivia hidden in there: Cloud's motorcycle is named Fenreal, which is close enough to Fenrir to make me wonder about someone getting their hand bitten off by it.

So with Full Metal Alchemist figures, various bits of jewelry, and all sorts of characters, Square Enix had a great bit of swag to show off. The only thing that would have perfected it for me would have been Brave Fencer Musashi toys. The bitter, bitter irony there is that BFM toys were the extra collectible in the original game, complete with a unique action for each one. Maybe someday.

· · · James Cunningham