Ten Ton Hammer | E3 - The Show That Fun Forgot

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E3 is over. It went out with whimper, barely heard and certainly forgotten.

There were some highlights of course, and today our team brings you a previews of Age of Conan and Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, a look at the next big thing for Lord of the Rings and of course some interviews with the Vanguard and Everquest 2 teams. Fortunately for you, I'm not responsible for any of those pieces.

For those that haven't been following along, E3 was a shadow of its former self. I can best describe said shadow as a high-noon shadow cast over toothpick. Gone were the booth babes, large, loud and proud booths, the bustling masses and everything else that made E3 an in your face event that garnered the attention of the non-game media like CNN.

Gone were the minor players who often had some of the more interesting titles to view. This was a business conference and not a promotional conference and in my humble opinion the industry was hurt by it. As one astute Sony Online Entertainment rep told me, "We were competing on the same attention level as Hollywood, but this show makes us look small and insignificant." How true.

Last year we sent 13 writers to E3. This year we sent four and that was double what we required. Last year NCSoft sent 300 employees to the show. This year they sent 40. The only game that they were displaying in the "Hangar" was Tabula Rasa. NCSoft and SOE were the only MMOG companies to even have a presence in the booth area of the show. Vanguard and Gods and Heroes both showed in the Hangar one day, but by the time I had my chance to visit them, neither was live at the SOE booth. Fortunately Pirates of the Burning Sea was live and I was able to get a second look.

It was a disappointing show and I truly hope that they rethink the format or do away with it completely. From a press point of view it wasn't worth attending.

Not to be outdone by Coyote and his mammoth list of things you won't hear at SOE Fan Faire this year, I have, with Phil's help, come up with a list of 10 things that curiously we didn't hear at E3 this year.

10) There is so much to see. This conference really should be run over a whole week.

9) Let me step outside and call you back. The booths are so loud that I can't hear a word you are saying.

8) Wow! I've never heard of that game.

7) This conference food is healthy, great tasting AND inexpensive!

6) Pardon me, could I get you to step to the side for just a moment so I can get a picture of the booth?

5) I'll have to write the piece when we get back to the hotel. I couldn't find a seat in the Media Room.

4) This press conference was as interesting as it was informative.

3) Excuse me, your demonstration room is so large that I can't see the screen. Would you mind if I moved a bit closer?

2) When are they going to sacrifice the goat?

1) See you next year!

Comment in the blog (now with direct link goodness) or email me directly.

2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

E3: Age of Conan Preview
"Age of Conan from the crew at Funcom was showing at E3 in Santa Monica this year, and it was too good an opportunity to miss! Read on and see what Product Director JÃ¸rgen Tharaldsen presented in the deep, dark Eidos dungeon at the Fairmont hotelâ¦"
E3: Aion Artwork
"NCsoft is setting themselves up for a powerful 2007-2008 in the MMOG market, with a slew of titles on the docket over the next few months. One of those games is the quietly growing Aion: The Tower of Eternity, an MMOG that takes away the limitations of gravity and allows players to soar over landscapes on the wings of angels (or demons). It's a visually stunning approach to the massive marketplace, and Ten Ton Hammer is proud to display a selection of concept art straight from E3. Please enjoy the view!"
E3: Lord of the Rings Online - Book 10 Preview
"Ever think, "Man, my MMO gaming experience would be complete if only I could just play a chicken!"? Yeah, me either. But who can withstand the coolness of an attack named Threatening Cluck? Chicken play is among the many new features coming in the next free update of Lord of the Rings Online. Shayalyn serves up this preview direct from E3."
E3: Vanguard - Interview With Bill Fisher
"Vanguard: Saga of Heroes was hiding at E3, but Shayalyn tracked it down. She stopped by the SOE booth to chat with developer Bill "Tagad" Fisher about the game, and to learned more about the mysterious Ancient Port Warehouse, new end game raid content coming soon."
Hardware: Sandio 3D Mouse Reviewed
"Every gamer loves buttons and functions on their peripherals. Aside from a keyboard and/or a joystick, there are relatively few hardware devices that allow you to move freely in a 3D space without completely eliminating the functionality of the device. Sandio's 3D Game 0' gaming mouse changes that thought process by introducing "direction sticks" that give you the option of moving in 3D with only your mouse. Cody "Micajah" Bye puts the Sandio through its paces and determines whether the 16 different functions are worth it for the MMOG player."
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Custom Build - Jorasco Adjutant
"The Jorasco Adjutant is a master of keeping party members up and running. With the ability to heal and a wide variety of buffs and arcane additions, they are a useful member of any party. Read how to make one with Darkgolem's newest custom build!"
Warhammer Online: Player Armies
"We have a new page up detailing Player Armies in their full glory. Recently revealed in this month's newsletter; Player Armies
are the forces that players will be allied with during their time in WAR. From Oathbearers to the Raven Host, these armies cover the Dwarfs, Empire, Chaos and Greenskin forces."
World of Warcraft: Enchanting Leveling Guide
"Everyone knows enchanting is one of the hardest professions to level up. It is also one of the most costly, since you lose the ability to sell off all the green and blue items you pickup that you can not use. This represents a major loss of income along your way through the game. To minimize the time and effort that you need to spend to level this in demand profession we present this guide on the best way to âpowerâ skill the Enchanting profession in World of Warcraft. We've found the recipes with the least amount of materials so that you can level quickly! And, outside of the Outland recipes, all of these recipes can be obtained from trainers!"
World of Warcraft: 2k Gold In 2 Days!
"I recently had an idea with one of my alts. I wondered, how much money could I get from quests if I left as many as I could until I was level 70. Grinding for the gold for your epic flying mount sucks, we all know that. It takes time and effort. But what would happen if we made the most of the experience to gold conversion that happens on quests when you are max level?"
World of Warcraft: Shaman Guide To Fire Totems
"Our Shaman Guide's Totem Guide has been updated with a list of every fire totem and some excellent tactics. These tactics can be used to help you choose what is the best time to use each totem. End the confusion and check out our guide today! "
World of Warcraft: Eye of the Storm Guide
"Our Battlegrounds guides have been completed at last, with our latest addition, the Eye of the Storm Battleground Guide! check out what to expect in The Burning Crusade's new PvP battleground, as well as some tips and items you may buy with its tokens!"

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Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com

John "Boomjack" Hoskin

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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