N-Sider @ E3 2K2

N-Sider @ E3-2K2

Gearing up for this years show, the staff seemed a little less excited than usual for a show of this caliber. Last years show had everyone excited to the point of almost hysteria with the true debut of the GameCube. This time the E3 crew seemed only marginally wound up for what was coming. Perhaps it was that we already have GameCubes so no matter what Nintendo could throw at us, it wouldnt be as great as last years hardware debut. Looking back, Im pretty sure we can all agree that we probably should have been ecstatic.

However, as the narrator of our story, I do need to tell you that not everything I say will fit the opinion of the individual staffers. For that reason, Im going to generalize as much as possible and even make some assumptions based on the reaction of the staff members and talks that we have had. Additionally at the end we have words to the readers from the individual staff members to give you a well rounded view of this spectacular show.

It all began with the first three N-Sider staffers arriving in LA at roughly the same time. Jeton, Brenden and I (Jason) had all planned to meet at the McDonalds in terminal one at the LAX airport. What we didnt know is that people from other terminals cannot enter a different one. Essentially Brenden and Jeton could not get into my area of the airport to meet me at the McDonalds. We never claimed to be the most intelligent bunch. After I asked one of the nearby guards about people getting into the terminal I realized this was going to be a disaster if we were to have three N-Sider staffers wandering around terminals not sure where to go. Lucky for us, Jeton was smart enough to wait at the baggage claim outside my terminal. After I saw him I felt relief flow through me since we were no longer alone. After exchanging greetings with Jeton, we began walking around in search for our third man. Luckily Brenden had been walking by and recognized Jeton from one of his online pictures. We had a great time getting acquainted with each other while walking for a cab.

In the taxi, Jeton, Brenden and I all talked about how odd it was to be finally through with the long waits and plane rides, and be heading towards the hotel in LA. Its a great feeling to have an anticipated moment within arms reach and resting peacefully in front of you. The rest of the afternoon basically involved Jeton getting our room from the hotel, and eating a meal at Dennys (which was lovingly referred to as Chez Dennys by the crew sometimes.) Once we came back from feeding our hungry human bodies, we were treated by the sight of none other than Glen Bayer, our fourth staffer. The four of us traded cab stories, whereupon Glen referred to his comedic attempt in trying to guide a cabby to the hotel. It was great to finally feel the precense of an almost complete staff team in LA. The last two on the list were going to be arriving simultaneously later that night. And when I say later that night I really do mean late. Two and a half hours after Cory and Emily were supposed to arrive, they were still nowhere to be found. We basically all came to the conclusion that their plane had been shot down, or they were dead in a dumpster ala Glen Bayer E3-2K1. At around one or two AM we were drifting off to dream about the coming show when we got a phone call. Sure enough it was Cory and Emily who had just shown up. The two of them looked like they had enough energy to run to San Francisco and back, while the rest of us were so dead we could barely hold our heads up. In reference to the late arrival, Cory told us simply that their plane was kicked in the ass. This was a good enough explanation, and at that we all tried to get some rest for the next days events. And just so you know, the picture of Cory (and many other staffers) in the staff pages really doesnt look like him. Cory is not a vampire like that picture would have you believe.

The next day we all woke up early to get ready for the pre-show. This is when we realized that when Emily sleeps, she might as well be sleeping on a pillow. When she sleeps she curls into something that resembles Samus morph ball and takes up 2 cubic millimeters of space (well maybe thats a slight exaggeration.) Everyone was a great sport about the jokes being thrown around though, so I dont think Ill get a mail bomb from her because I said that (or will I?) After kicking everyone gently to get them awake, we got all pretty and then headed out to the show. We walked about 7 blocks to the hotel and then made our way into the main hall. The first thing we noticed was how absolutely beautiful this place was. Everything about the location just oozed with elegance and had a great sense of class. That being said, we really didnt feel like we belonged there. Glen even went to go check out the bathrooms to see if there are people who hand you towels after youre done, dressed in tuxedos.

Outside the preliminary gates, we met up with some colleagues from other sites. Dragona (Zosha) was the first person we met up with, and we traded stories and impressions of the place. It was great to talk to her again, and I wished her best of luck for the rest of the show. Other people we met up with were people like Max Lake, who was very personable. Even PGC-Billy had a chance to share a word with us. After the gates opened we were allowed to go down to the next level where a small breakfast was served. Here we found site founder Fran Mirabella III who had about an hour or two of sleep in him. Even in his groggy state, he was very nice and traded a few words of kindness with us. It was at this point that the lines started to get into the show room.

After a long delay by Nintendo to get us in the room, we quickly found seats and got ourselves ready for what we came for: The big show. Im sure you all know by now what went on at the show, so Ill spare you the thick details. The highlights were definitely things like watching Miyamoto play Super Mario Sunshine and Zelda. Seeing the game being played on the big screen by the legend himself was almost too much for our little hearts to handle. After the show we wandered back to the hotel while talking about how cool the games on display were. At this point we started to realize that there wasnt just one big game to concentrate on. Rather there were many big games that caught our attention. Each one of us had our own views on what games looked the best. We still were slightly disappointed that no surprises were shown though. The biggest surprise of the show was really the high quality games that were shown. You wont really hear any of us complaining about that. The rest of the day we just spent lounging around and playing some SSB:M .

The next morning the real fun began. No I dont mean waking up at the crack of dawn. I mean being able to play the games first hand on the show floor. When we woke up we felt like kids on Christmas, and couldnt wait to get our collective butts to the LACC. Once there, we all stood in line for the media briefing. The speech itself was quite interesting and respectively brief for our anxious souls. Good points were raised on issues such as video game violence and piracy. This really could be a whole different story though, so Ill skip ahead. Once on the show floor, my own knees almost buckled at the sight of all these great games. At first we just wandered around looking at everything that we could soak in. There was just so much to see it was almost sick. We all split up and played games until our feet begged for mercy. This process repeated for the entire three day jam session, and we loved every second of it. Glen and I were usually able to be spotted around the Eternal Darkness booth (though not as long as last year since there was so much more to play this time). Brenden could almost always be found scooping up the new Metroid tidbits. Thus how he composed the most comprehensive Metroid Prime article on the web. Cory played the stink out of Zelda and Mario. The funny thing about him playing Mario was that he wouldnt give up the controller no matter what happened. It was quite funny to see really. He would play, die or finish the level, then replay. Emily was usually walking around and playing whatever tickled her fancy, without much attraction to one game in particular.

The nights were sometimes just as fun as the days. After coming back to the hotel from a long days haul, we would relax by having debates or fighting it out in Smash Brothers. One night we had former N-Sider editor Stephen Van-Neil over and traded stories and thoughts with him. It was great to see an old friend again. Another night Mike Orlando of PGC made his way down to see us. We talked with him for a while and then had a huge SSB:M battle. In case youre wondering, Cory and I kicked the snot out of him. For this reason, any N-Siders can now proudly say that we beat PGC at Smash Brothers (It might just not be the whole truth, or nothing but the truth though.)

In the end, we all had a blast. Having the N-Sider crew in a hotel room is helluva fun as Mr T. would say. Whether it was Glen hollering out the window at some woman, or discussing RBM (cookie to anybody who can tell me what that is.) The show floor also had so many great games to play, that I still wish I could go back and play some of the missed titles. I dont think Nintendo has ever had such a strong showing, and this year you get to see that for yourself. The worst part though, is having to say goodbye to everything here. Saying goodbye to both the staff and the great games that we got to play. Waiting another year to have the experience will be tough, but I suppose thats what the internet is for! Go to page two for words from our other staff.