The Game Trust at E3

It’s one of the sad facts of E3. Eventually you’re gonna wind up flaking on an appointment. No matter how hard you plan there’s always an event that goes on longer than you thought it would. Or a journey more grueling than you expected. This morning’s two press conferences were held on opposite sides of Los Angeles. Nintendo was at the Kodak Theater smack in the middle of Hollywood and Sony, only an hour later, was in the Shrine Auditorium by USC — South of downtown. Logistically attending both was doable. But making it to my Rock Band 2 appointment just after Sony didn’t happen.

And I’m bummed.

Were the two conferences full of whiz-bang moments, wow surprises or even an iota of entertainment value, I might feel a little differently. But Nintendo seems fairly resolute in their position that the the hardcore, having already chewed through every one of their “evergreen” games, won’t mind waiting for the next meaty Wii game. And the new Animal Crossing isn’t the top-down sequel I had hoped it would be. Way to phone it in.

Sony’s Jack Tretton put it best when he admitted that every press conference takes two years off ofunblinking Sony LCD screens staring him down, burning holes in the back of his crisply pressed shirt.So yeah, both press conferences left me feeling down. Slightly bummed his life. Sony didn’t have much new to show. Still waiting for Home. Still waiting for Little Big Planet. Not a peep about The Last Guy. Resistance 2 looks cool though. Cloverfield during WWII. Can’t complain about that. But watching Jack Tretton onstage, I could practically see the poor guy’s life flashing before his eyes. At least last year he had Chewbacca backing him up. This year it was just him, his developers and a zillion that Nintendo and Sony couldn’t or didn’t or wouldn’t rise to Microsoft’s challenge. Only loud music and a booze buzz can cure this funk.

Luckily, Mr. Jones has come to my rescue. He’s going to let me tag along with him to an after-hours event where Rock Band 2 will playable. A beer and “Let There Be Rock” sound like just what the doctor ordered.

Tags: Animal Crossing, Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, Nintendo, Resistance 2, Rock Band 2, Sony, The Last Guy