الموقع الرسمي لـ G.A.M.E.Event celebrating gaming and music underway at San Francisco's Moscone Center.
SAN FRANCISCO--Aside from camping out for consoles on launch days, the rare massive LAN party, and Mountain Dew blowout sales, gamers rarely congregate face-to-face. However, when a convention hall is rented out, filled with the newest games and hardware, and accompanied by some of the Bay Area's musical acts, gamers huddle by the thousands.
The Game and Music Experience, G.A.M.E., kicked off today in San Francisco's Moscone Center to the delight of Bay Area gamers. The event, hosted by GameSpot, is designed to give gamers hands on time with the latest releases in the gaming industry, and exposure to some of the area's up-and-coming and established musical acts.
For gamers, hundreds of stations are set up to demo today's greatest hits, including more than a dozen Xbox 360 titles, tomorrow's blockbusters such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and some old classics for good measure. The show floor features just about any system a gamer could want, from the most recent handhelds to today's current-generation systems to the recently released Xbox 360.
Attendance was steady all night, as packs of the golden demographic, gamers ages 18-34, streamed through the front doors. G.A.M.E. isn't for the faint of heart, as enough stimuli was packed into the hall to draw comparisons to a mini-E3. In addition to the hundreds of gaming systems available for public use, other happenings drew plenty of attention.
GameSpot Live took over the center of the floor to do what it does best--providing live coverage of the event for gamers who couldn;t make the trip. Producers invited audience members on to the stage to battle GameSpot editors in games, held tournaments for a variety of prizes, including a tricked out GameSpot Scion replete with a plasma screen and game consoles, and talked with game developers about their titles.
But it wasn't just about games. A main stage featured DJs and bands performing half-hour sets of tunes for audiophiles, taiko drummers performed a traditional (and loud) demonstration of the Japanese art, and Twentieth Century Fox gave free screenings of Grandma's Boy, a comedy from Adam Sandler's production company scheduled for release next year.
Most gamers spent their time huddled around the new Xbox 360s, getting some hands-on time with Microsoft's next-generation console. No matter what the game, it was rare to see a white controller without a pair of hands on it. Dead or Alive 4, which hasn't yet hit store shelves, appeared to be the main draw as gamers button mashed through round after round of one-on-one fighting.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Star Wars: Empire at War used their wildly popular brand names to keep their stations constantly occupied as well. Both games will be released in 2006.
The floor was divided by genre, allowing fans of sci-fi, war, and sports games to jump from game to game without trudging from one end of the hall to the other. The format is also handy to compare like games to each other, making that crucial purchasing decision all the more easy.
GameSpot readers will also have a chance to meet their favorite GameSpot editors, who will be present on the show floor for the duration of G.A.M.E.
G.A.M.E. continues through Sunday, and there are plenty more events going down. In addition to the wealth of playable games, musical acts Meat Beat Manifesto, Hieroglyphics, and J-Boogie's Dubtronic Science will be getting their groove on throughout the weekend.
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Next-gen fighter, highly anticipated Nintendo sequel join list of games at convention melding music and games.
If the previous list of playable games that will be displayed at this weekend's G.A.M.E. (Games and Music Experience) event wasn't enticing enough, the two heavyweight additions announced today should tip the scales. Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo's...wait for it...The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the GameCube will both be playable to the public beginning today.
DOA4 is the first next-generation fighting game and won't be in stores for a few weeks (its release date is still in flux). The franchise is well known for its flagrantly feminine femme fatales, who deftly beat on each other and look good doing it.
The latest in one of gaming's most popular franchises will also set up shop at G.A.M.E. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, easily one of the most anticipated games of 2006, is making a rare public appearance at the event. This new Zelda adventure, not scheduled for release until April 2006 at the earliest, features an older Link and a darker presentation and storyline.
Other playable titles at G.A.M.E. not yet in stores include Star Wars: Empire at War for the PC, Pursuit Force for the PSP, Animal Crossing: Wild World for the DS, and Yoot Saito's Odama for the GameCube.
G.A.M.E. is open to the public and runs through the weekend at San Francisco's Moscone Center. The event celebrates music and gaming, and will feature top musical acts such as Hieroglyphics and Meat Beat Manifesto performing live, as well as several game kiosks with the best games of 2005, highly anticipated upcoming titles, and some retro classics. Oh, and Flavor Flav will be there.
Fanboys and fangirls of all sects will have something to tout, as G.A.M.E. will showcase the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, DS, PSP, PC, and Game Boy Advance. Consider yourself old-school? The Sega Genesis, NeoGeo, Atari 2600, and other classic consoles will be dusted off for some pixilated pleasure. For tickets and more information on G.A.M.E., head over to the official Web site.
