Stars
PC Demos
Console Trailers
Contests
Archives
About Us
News Pipe
Home
by NGV
After reviewing the past two versions of NGV�s DVD coverage of E3, it�s easy to see the improvements in this version. There are a lot more folks invited to the party this year, and the new title, “E3 Access,” is a more accurate description of both what we want and what NGV is intent on delivering.
Partnering with the folks at E3Insider.com, the most immediately noticeable new inclusions on this year’s installment are the E3 Floored segments. These were viewable online, posted in concert with the Expo, so savvy gamers with broadband access may already have seen these in all their streaming web glory. These segments are easily as good as anything else that passes for game coverage on G4 TechTV, which is to say that while they contain some good info, interviews, and game footage, they also include plenty of cheese. The additional FanCam feature, also carried on the E3Insider.com website, is not only crappy but vaguely offensive. Game fans are represented by some dork in a fluorescent jumpsuit and bike helmet harassing folks with dumb questions. Granted, these questions were submitted to FanCam via their website.
Ultimately there are two things that plague the whole genre of game-oriented television coverage: First, most game network shows, and especially special events on mainstream cable channels, are slaves to the advertiser. Second, most game coverage in general is more concerned with presenting gaming as a thing beautiful people like to do, and they try to package it like Hollywood or the music industry. In fact, gaming isn’t beautiful�we often love gruesome games and, as exhibited in online and community gaming environments, interactions with REAL PEOPLE. I appreciate that gaming is “chic” these days, and really this, too, is an illustration of how game “journalism” is enslaved to the advertising dollar. Presenting games as gamers know them, in all their regular, everyday glory, would probably be less successful at selling PS2s to folks who love MTV Cribs more than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. While Floored and FanCam feel like the same pandering coverage we’re used to from the cable networks, they enjoy a little more of an edge if only because of their low budgets and tight deadlines.
The really good stuff here is a much better rendering of the features we’ve come to expect from NGV over the years. The bulk of the DVD set consists of game trailers and game walkthroughs. These walkthroughs are often exactly the same demo that your favorite game reporters get (except you can’t ask questions), making E3 Access just about the only way to really simulate the actual E3 experience. Adding to that feeling of being there this year is the inclusion of the legendary pre-E3 press conferences in their entirety. This is especially good this year because Sony unveiled the PSP and Nintendo unveiled the DS during these press conferences, not to mention the excellent Halo 2 multiplayer demo in full quality glory. Adding to the utility of the discs is a much better insert that lists which games feature demo walkthroughs as opposed to simple trailers, as well as the sub-sections of the press conferences.
In previous years, it was apparent the NGV crew was shooting the screens and somUltimately there etimes the game images would deteriorate due to the insane lighting and activity of the E3 show floor. This year it looks like NGV patched directly into the video feeds, giving us much better quality of visuals. Now we can really see what the games look like.
In a year like this, a compilation like E3 Access is even more welcome. Many critics have panned E3 2004 because of the huge number of sequels and the domination of big titles like Doom 3, Halo 2, Fable, and GTA: San Andreas, all but one of which have been in development for over three years. The PSP and DS have audiences excited, but anything that fits in your pocket and doesn’t say “Game Boy” on it is going to be a difficult sell, no matter how cool it is. I’m not saying these new handhelds won’t be successful, but it’s not enough to carry an entire Expo. Fortunately, the variety of games on display in this DVD set includes titles that didn’t get top billing, that didn’t get written about in magazines, and which might just pique your interests.
Overall, E3 Access: The Future of Videogames is a major improvement over previous installments, and has finally become a real value, and a must-see, for dedicated gamers. Casual fans, or savvy people with broadband, may not need to invest, but if you want full quality, nicely organized, and easily viewed coverage of the games you’re drooling over, E3 Access is a good choice.