Overheard at E3: A trumpet fade out

by Ross Miller { May 12th 2006 at 7:45PM }

At approximately 3:59PM PST (7:00PM EST), a noise entered the show floor that trumped all other soundwave. It was a trumpet, signaling the end of E3. A woman's voice comes on, telling us to exit the premises and to come back next year.

We're gone, it's over, but we still have much to write up. Stay tuned over the weekend and next week as we continue to post our impressions and experiences at E3, and give you our picks for the best of show.

Tags: e32006, farewell, goodbye, so long, SoLong

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Cloud @ May 12th 2006 7:50PM

You still have 9 minutes left! QUICK! Head towards the Wii while everybody is leaving =3

Congrats everybody for a really cool e3 ^_^

Steven @ May 12th 2006 7:57PM

don't forget to steal stuff on the way out.......

dsub @ May 12th 2006 7:58PM

I already posted this, but it's more relevant here, so I'll repost it...

I just felt let down overall this year. There were alot of things that I thought would be announced gamewise that never happend. I was hoping that capcom, after nearly a year of development work, could shed some light onto RE5 for us, but they never did.

After hearing MS's announcement that GTA4 was coming to 360, I was expecting Rockstar to let the cat out of the bag and tell us at least what the city will be called in the game and give us a trailer or something. They never did.

I was hoping that Itagaki/Tecmo would give us some tidbits on Ninja Gaiden 2, they didn't, instead they just showcased DOAX2.

In regards to the PS3, I was hoping for some info or playable stuff from some actual desirable titles like DMC4, once again, capcom didn't deliver. Same for nintendo...they didn't really have any big name titles availble for play besides Twilight Princess.

I was hoping to hear a launch date and price on the Wii, and I was dreaming in thinking that they'd be making a new Punch Out! game for the Wii, that was my dream of nintendo's big announcement...or at least announce that the new controller would work with some of the older games (like punch-out) tell me that wouldn't be cool?

This E3 just seemed kind of blah to me. Granted last year MS, Sony, and Nintendo all announced new consoles, so there was alot of excitement there, but I feel that for a YEAR later, especially what Sony showed us, but a huge let down. Nintendo wasn't really a let down, but I (like many others) were hoping they'd have one last surprise for us. I was at least hoping for a list of games coming to the Virtual Console, or maybe a price?

Oh well. I'm sure alot of my hopes and dreams (especially the games) will be answered next year.

Talbot @ May 12th 2006 8:09PM

Ah, another E3 gone and past. This year was certainly one of the best. The Wii, I believe, surprised everyone with it's collosal performance. Microsoft also had some great software additions with Fable 2 and Halo 3. And lastly Sony introduced it's "new" controller along with Final Fantasy XIII. Great job everyone!

Jerry Seinfeld @ May 12th 2006 8:09PM

Sucks to be the next guy in line for the Wii.

triforce9 @ May 12th 2006 8:40PM

"Same for nintendo...they didn't really have any big name titles availble for play besides Twilight Princess. " Posted at 7:58PM on May 12th 2006 by dsub

So you're saying Mario and Metroid for the Wii aren't big name titles?

Moogle @ May 12th 2006 8:46PM

dsub, there's a lot to be said for enjoying what you get in life instead of mourning what you don't.

Some amazing stuff happened. Everyone got to play PS3 and Wii, Sony announced a tilt controller, a lot of good games were shown. I really want a video tour of Kentia, and I know there had to be a ton of stuff no one mentioned yet. I look forward to the next week as news trickles out. (I don't fault Ransom-Wiley for his opinions, but I do hope we get more a lot more viewpoints on the Wii games!)

Someone can always gripe about what they wanted but didn't get, but there's no point. Complain about WAS there, not what wasn't.

And #5: I was the first loser for the half-life 2 trailer. They had said no more showings and I waited in line anyway, just to kill time. Some fat lady broke in line to sit on a chair and I asked if she was getting in line or just resting, she ignored me. I shrugged, figuring we wouldn't get in anyway. Then they started letting people in for a final FINAL showing! The crowd rushed in, they packed everyone in, standing room only... There were 3 people ahead of me! Damn! The bouncer says 2 more, then next two guys get in. The bouncer says 1 more! The fat lady strolls in as I bemoan my fate. The guys behind me in line were arguing with the bouncers that I should have gotten in, and they could fit another 3 people instead of her. Thanks guys, it dulled the sting of being denied. :)

jaemz @ May 12th 2006 9:43PM

Thanks for all the hard work and great stories, Joystiq.

I didn't get a whole lot done this week, but what's a gamer to do?

Sachiel7 @ May 12th 2006 9:50PM

Although not present in person, I observed e3 constantly over the past 3 days over live connections and reviews. From the standpoint of someone not even present, It's pretty clear the big 'N' took the crowd.
I also have to hand it to MS for a unexpected game lineup that held them right behind Wii (if not alongside at points) and PC is hovering behind 360 somewhere.

What the heck was up with Sony???

First off, It hurt to sit through the conference. I didnt appreciate boasting and numbers being thrown at me for quite a while.
And then they reveal "watch closely" as they show that they mimicked the Wii controller! Wow. They demonstrated they can copy someone elses idea. Big handclap there. And no rumble? $600?!?!
I'm sorry, but Sony lost me. Even despite Enix's incredible FFXIII trailer, and several of the other titles I was looking forward too.

Overall:
-Nintendo shows the world that both their console's new name and radical control scheme work great, and they still have a strong software lineup/base
-MS suprised everyone with a solid software lineup, showing that they're still a strong contender and have lots of developer support
-Sony showed the world that they want alot of money for incremental upgrades (ok, leaps, but still, just advancement) and stealing nintendo's idea. OK, they had some nice game demos and trailers...but they've fallen out of sight in my book right now. Come on, the developer for Warhawk stated that they recieved the 'new' controller axis info less than 2 weeks before the conference and implemented it. You're not fooling anyone Sony.

Nintendo - A
Microsoft - A-
PC - B+
Sony - C (or lower...but I'm a nice guy.)

-=Sachiel7=-

Milton Bradley @ May 12th 2006 11:36PM

Thank You Joystiq Crew!
This site has been my #1 source for E3 happenings. I enjoyed the "Overheard at E3" articles, giving the readers a bigger perspective to the event and such a feeling that no other site would able to offer.

Awesome impressions, great pictures & videos(Nintendo Booth Tour being a highlight) and most of all, the reviews from each company's press conference.

Here's to next year!

Jacob @ May 12th 2006 11:40PM

The closing of the show is always a bit melancholy.

You reflect on the things that you wanted to see, but missed... but you alo remember what a time you had.

flyNN @ May 13th 2006 5:19PM

Thanks Joystiq!!! I wasted many work hours reading up on the Joystiq E3 coverage, which has spoiled the 15 hours of G4 coverage I TiVo'd (it sucked) and is also why I'm working on Saturday today.

First impressions with screenshots, Overheard at E3, Interviews, ... the only thing I would have liked to see more of is video (get a super secret spy camera in a fedora hat already, would you) :)