1. What was your favorite game of the day?
Alex – Assassin's Creed
Andy – I would have to say that Capcom's Dead Rising held my interest more than anything else. I'm going to stick to my thought that this is going to be "the" hot new franchise.
Amanda – I have to say I spent the most time looking at Aion. I am newly enamored with Guild Wars Factions after playing Guild Wars Prophecy and Aion looks like another great title by NCsoft.
Brian – Crysis, the graphics blew my mind. I have to start saving up for a new PC to play that one.
Scott – Too Human looks A-mazing
2. What was your best moment of the day?
Alex – Interview with Blizzard
Andy – Without a doubt, the early access this year was awesome. Getting to see a head start on the show floor was an awesome new development.
Amanda – Walking past the regular media with my early entrance pass with my fellow MyGamers.
Brian – Sneaking into the SonyOnline Entertainment booth, I think I was the only press there.
Scott – Besides lunch and being lazy in the media lounge, I would say Our Silicon Knights appointment and Early Access Hours.
3. Did you have any celebrity citings?
Alex – One guy that looked like Robin Williams
Andy – Well, I can't say I saw anybody out of the ordinary…The G4 people were wandering around doing their thing, so I'd say those were the closest to celebs.
Amanda – Saw Tommy Tellarico and Tina Wood from G4 doing a broadcast on the stairs down to the South Hall.
Brian – I brushed shoulders with Tommy Tallerico ( make sure I spelled dudes name right)
Scott – I met eyes with Lou Ferrigno for about 1 and ½ seconds… The hulk people… the hulk.
4. What did you find most impressive?
Alex – Wii
Andy – I was glad after last years show to see F.E.A.R make an appearance on the 360, awesome.
Amanda – The sheer size of the convention center and everything they managed to pack into it just blew my mind.
Brian – The Wii that damn thing is small
Scott – I must say, although not being a PS3 fan, the MGS4 500+ hour (ok about 10-15min) trailer was pretty good looking. Also the wii size of the Wii and of course Too Human
5. What surprised you the most?
Alex – How the crowds changed after the early media hours were over.
Andy – Well, getting to go see a closed door demonstration of Silicon Knights' new title Too Human presented by head honcho of the company, Denis Dyack was very sweet.
Amanda – I honestly found the EA booth the most surprising – despite the amount of titles they have, they were only showing off a very few at their booth on the floor, but their booth is this HUMONGOUS round pavilion with a screen wrapping around the top of it. You stand inside and video games surround you… but shows the same footage over and over.
Brian – The Korea Gaming booths, they are trying to hit it hard with Americans this year
Scott – Huxley looking as good as it did and showing up in one piece at the convention after the subway.
6. What upcoming title that you saw today are you the most interested in?
Alex – Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Andy – Well, a lot of what I saw came from NCSoft, Tabula Rasa, the new Guild Wars Factions campaign (which hasn't been announced yet), and Metal Gear Solid 4.
Amanda – This is actually a tie between Aion by NCsoft (which you probably should have guessed) which is freaking sweet looking and Elebits by Konami, about which I know virtually nothing, but am very interested in finding out more.
Brian – Lost Planet was a very fun game to demo, I hope I get to see more of it.
Scott – Too Human and Chromehounds really impressed me.
7. What's the most important lesson you learned today?
Alex – Don't take a heavy backpack
Andy – Carrying too much is terrible for posture and general sanity…
Amanda – Today I learned that backpacks are no good. I kept getting SO hot underneath my straps and pack, which made me miserable while the rest of me was just fine.
Brian – Learn to read a map.
Scott – Don't type things like this at… wait let me check the time 3:02 in the morning… this is going to be the best 2 hours and 58min of sleep IN MY LIFE.
8. What were you surprised to find that you were interested in?
Alex – No Comment
Andy – I have to say that not to get too specific, I found that I was interested in a lot of MMO's, which generally isn't a genre I am a huge fan of.
Amanda – We went to an NCsoft showing and saw some footage from games they are developing for free download and free play (with optional paid additional content), and two titles, a really cutsie, girly looking tennis game called Smash Star and a vicious looking soccer/fighting game (that reminded me of my days playing Bill Lambier's Combat Basketball – though they're not really similar at all) called Soccer Fury.
Brian – The Xbox 360. Believe it or not I figured Sony would blow them out the water this year, but its not the case. Microsoft is coming on strong.
Scott – Aion, a MMO by NCsoft, is going to be pretty awesome, look out for it.
9. What was the most guarded secret or exciting innovation you saw or learned about a game today?
Alex – Flying mounts in WoW
Andy – I have to say, and I kind of covered it above, but I was really happy to get to see the new Guild Wars campaign. It looks really nice, and the new graphical style is certainly very interesting.
Amanda – We learned that NCsoft are going to start releasing 2 Guild Wars campaigns a year and they showed us some footage from their new, unannounced, wouldn't-share-the-title-with-us Guild Wars game. Much like Factions, it has a definite flair, this time a North African theme, and looks really awesome.
Brian – If I told you that then I would have to kill you
Scott – How good Too Human looks and the build isn't even all completed.
10. What was the best company or representative you met or spoke with today?
Alex – Blizzard, the only one I did.
Andy – Well, Denis Dyack was an absolute pro, and was very pleasant, and later on in the evening we got to attend a Saitek party where the sales rep was very friendly and had several humorous anecdotes which kept us amused.
Amanda – Immediately following the show, we went to a party hosted by Saitek where everyone was super nice. I learned that they make keyboards that are illuminated (and the Eclipse II they had on display looked freaking sweet) AND I got to drink some amazing wines (mine had gold flakes) and snack on their fruits and cheese.
Brian – Eh. One was no better than the other.
Scott – Silicon Knights for Too Human