With most of my video work out of the way on Day 1, Day 2 of E3 was the day to get the most gaming in. Plus it’s the day with the longest expo hours. So after scoping out all that E3 has to offer, I decide to start in the west hall where big name developers like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are set up and ready for action. But just before I do that… I wanted to sharpen my persuasion skills to level 40. I made my way to Gwent, the card game you could play in Witcher 3 that’s becoming a stand alone game.
It was located in a separate room from the main convention space, so this typically means these are APPOINTMENT ONLY demos. I walk up to the hostess to confirm an 11 am game play that I had “scheduled” the day before, mind you, I did no such thing. After convincing her I scheduled it through the E3 app, she jots my name down on the list. Yay! Little victories! Now with just a few minutes left til we swarm the game floor, I make my way back in line. As soon as doors opened at 10am (versus noon the day before) I make my way to the game I’ve been dying to play since seeing the game trailer: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
I get to where the game play line starts at 10:03am, I follow the line only to finally reach the end of it at 10:06a. Now here’s the sad part, they capped it off as soon as I get there. The wait time to play Breath of the Wild was even crazier… 5 hours. NOPE. Cancel that plan, I’ll just wait for it to come out next year. Now that I’ve got almost an hour to kill until my “scheduled appointment”. I decided to head over to the Playstation Theater and watch the God of War presentation!
Loved playing God Of War when it was first released in 2005, back on Playstation 2, clearly it’s been years since I’ve played it since then. After watching the demo, this game will be the reason I finally get a Playstation 4. Now, let’s get back to Gwent shall we?
I walk into my appointment with a small group of 15 and was greeted with my favorite B’s: breakfast and beer. I should also admit, I never played Witcher 3… so I really had no idea what the game was gonna be like but I was intrigued. To better explain the game, check out the youtube video below courtesy of Gamespot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=touz6gOvsQE?t=4m
After the first round being a draw and then me losing the last one. I decided to make my way towards more games in Microsoft’s booths. I see a few spots open and try out the following:
Trials of the Blood Dragon!
A mashup of Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon and Trials (the motorcycle game) that I completely sucked at. To be honest I was never really good with Trials to begin with but still fun to watch me crash and burn all the time. You can download it now on Xbox One and Steam.
Attack On Titan
I just recently started watching this anime and IT. IS. GOOOOOOOD. I was pleased to hear a video game rendition of was coming out and even more pleased that the game played like the fighting scenes in the show. The main con about the demo I played is it got repetitive. Between flying, hook shoting and slicing the napes on Titans… it felt like that’s all I could really do… Take a look at the gamplay trailer below and tell me what ya think about it. Attack On Titan will be released August 30th 2016 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Cuphead
I saw this trailer a year ago and the game play on this is AWESOME! Old timey, 1930’s cartoon-style graphics with a make a deal with the devil story line. Oh and it’s side scroll! Love that! No specific release date for it yet but it will be playable on Xbox One and Windows 10.
And last but not least…
ReCore
The trailer for ReCore first appeared at 2015’s E3 and it’s the game I didn’t know I was waiting for. The former designer for the Megaman series partnered up with the director of the Metroid series to create ReCore and it’s a perfect marriage. Check out some gameplay below, ReCore should be out later this year on Xbox One and Windows 10.
There were a few games I was hoping to test out but didn’t thanks to gigantic waiting lines. Buuuut I did get to check out gameplay presentations for TLoZ: Breath Of The Wild, Gears of War 4 and Watch Dogs 2 and in the links provided.
So as I near the end of day 2 AND my last day to spend at E3… I notice a big line forming outside the doors once again for Xbox only members. I’m not entirely sure what that meant but my names wasn’t on a list for it and I had not special badges for it. So I decided to test out my sneak level once again… Hangin back in the ladies room until I hear a crowd of people passing, I finally come out and find my way into the center of movement so no one notices I’m not supposed to be there. I walk past the first 3 security guards with no hassle, in fact, I walk around the entire game floor with no one asking questions. The entire event was catered, open bar and free game play for the chosen few. I stick around to hear some announcements, still hidden from security but then realize I gotta get my bags and head to the airport. As soon as I’m walking out the doors I get stopped by Microsoft security asking me for credentials and grilling me for being in the facility. No big deal. I was on my way out anyways… More sad that I wasn’t going to be there for the last and final day.
It was definitely for the best, me leaving a day early. I ended up getting nerd germs and got sick. I’m just glad I got sick towards the end instead of the beginning or my trip. I also learned a lot for next year, hoping they allow me back of course 😀
- Bring an external phone charger
- Make game play appointments with developers instead of waiting in long lines
- Book a place waaay early in advance so I don’t get stuck in a hostile again.
- Never take a cab ride from LAX to the LA convention center… Uber or Lyft it…
Thanks for reading about my little adventure! Let me know what upcoming games you’re excited to play. And if you missed my day 1 recap, click here.