Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

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Tagged e3

Blog bragging: I’m kind of a big deal

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At E3 2009 in Los Angeles last week, I went for the games, but I ended up seeing two musical acts that I think are tops: The Beatles (specifically Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr), and DJ Shadow. Though at opposite ends of the musical spectrum, both artists were/are pioneers in the their own right.

I sat about 150 feet from both McCartney and Starr, as they unveiled the upcoming Beatles Rock Band game. “The game is good, the graphics are very good—we we’re great,” Starr said to roaring laughter. Since they quit touring in 1966, it was an honor to be in their presence. Continue reading…

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Video games bigger than their biggest expo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_txF7iETX0[/youtube]

LOS ANGELES—Video games have finally grown up. As evidenced by this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, the medium is no longer a boys-only club. And in an effort to appeal to all audiences, the race for a better user interface has officially overtaken the race for photorealistic graphics.

“The show was a bit of a turning point for games,” said George Jones, senior vice president at GamePro. “Games, products, and hardware are expanding like never before, and there was a lot of excitement for the future at this year’s show.”

Continue reading…

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Stop and go: I’m sick for the big sun

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Lindsey and I are taking the girls to San Diego for a few days of sand and sun, after which I’m headed to Los Angeles for E3 through Thursday. I’ll stay offline if you do. Have a great week, readers. (photo)

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Few, if any, Smooth Harold updates this week

I will be in Los Angeles for E3 this week and will not be updating the site. Upon my return, however, I’ll scoop you kind readers on my trip, how the show was, if it will continue (it’s rumored this will be the last year due to inefficacy), and what the best games were. Have a great week, everyone!

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Off to Santa Monica for E3

I’m off to Santa Monica tomorrow to cover the Electronic Entertainment Expo again this year. It’s a lot smaller now because the conference ballooned into a pit of money and glut last year, but it should still be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some fresh games. As a refresher, here’s what happened since last year’s E3:

  • Nintendo’s stock has doubled to almost $50/share off unthinkably high Wii sales. The thing really is great; I had two 80 year-olds at my house today having a blast on it. It doesn’t fully satiate my core gamer appetite, but some big titles are expected later this year.
  • Sony is in a world of hurt; their PS3 continues to struggle, and it is expected to continue that way despite its newly reduced $500 price, about $200-$300 more than it should cost for a gaming machine. (A majority of people still don’t consider it a blu-ray player and/or a computer and largely never will because it’s sold in the video game department at retail. Oh convergence!)
  • Microsoft is doing solid in terms of attracting new games and establishing a respectable install base, but even they can’t catch a break. They’ll lose a billion dollars this year on service repairs alone due to abnormally high 360 failure rates. That’s what you get for outsourcing both your manufacturing and design. Add that hefty chunk to the already estimated 5 billion in total losses since launching the first Xbox, and investors have every right to be pissed, regardless of Billsoft’s absurdly deep pockets.

Games I’m most excited for: Assassin’s Creed, Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Skate, Little Big Planet, and a handful of fresh new titles in that order. Predictions: Wii will outsell both Xbox 360 and PS3 by early next year, Xbox 360 will get a price cut to $350 off the heels of the PS3 drop, Halo 3 will be the biggest selling game of 2007, and Sony will continue to underwhelm. All in a year’s work of the $14 billion dollar industry.

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