E3

Yesterday, I visited E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles which is the event for video games. Just as every other year, it was a full day of being herded through crowded exhibits all the while being in awe of the high end graphics displayed on the newest and most expensive screens run by the latest machines that I won't be able to afford until the next next generation systems come out. In short, it was a blast.

I was disheartened to see that my favorite from last year, Capcom's Okami, was still there and not in stores. But it was easily the most beautiful game there with a very Nintendo-like look for a Sony exclusive. In the game, you are a manifestation of a Japanese god and your 'weapon' of choice is a paint brush (hence the title Okami which means god and paper in different contexts [and can also mean hair]). Expect a lot of creative and artful puzzle solving.

Nintendo came out with a slightly different, and slightly improved version of their newest hand-held the Nintendo DS Lite. Of course, this is the same up-sell strategy used with their Gameboy Advance to Gameboy Advance SP to Gameboy Advance Micro releases so I would hold off on shelling out anymore money for a handheld that hey are likely to replace in a year.

On the other hand, Nintendo has also changed the name and color scheme of their next-gen console from the black Revolution to the white Wii. The Wii does still have those cool Nunchuck controllers with motion-tracking features which seems to be the way to go.

Sony has ditched last year's PS3 'boomerang' controllers for some PS2 look-alikes that are wireless and motion-tracking. Finally, my old habit of moving my controller in timing with my character will pay off and I won't get the jokes about looking like a four year old who hasn't grasped the concept of the jump button.

In bigger news for Sony, the price of the PS3 was revealed. There will be two different hard drive sizes: a 20GB for $499 and a 60GB for $599. The first release will have 2 million consoles world-wide, which, if tradition holds, will not be nearly enough consoles. So, you have until November 17, 2006 to save up and by a few if you can to resell on ebay and double your money.