Following on from the day’s adventure so far, courtesy of Microsoft and Electronic Arts, up next was Sony.  We directed ourselves to the LA Memorial Sports Arena and were greeted by something quite different compared to the previous conferences. Littered outside in the car park were numerous types of food truck, ranging from the comfortable Subway to the totally alien burrito. Due to our rather fashionable ‘arriving later than planned’ style, we gave the food trucks a miss and opted to head straight into the arena in search of some comfortable seating.

As a sign of what was to come, we were all handed 3D glasses, which of course started off the various discussions about whether it would or wouldn’t work. Sure enough though, the main screen on the show floor was 3D enabled and, from the screen saver style clip that was playing, it was clear that it did in fact work, even on top of my regular glasses which was a nice bonus.

The show commenced in typical Sony fashion with the biggest exclusive to PS3 titles touted, such as Uncharted 3, Ratchet and Clank and even a new Sly Cooper game. It wouldn’t have been Sony without talk of hardware and, on cue, attention turned to the Playstation Vita, the next successor in the PSP line. More games were shown off along with the company’s hopes of bringing 3D to the masses with an affordable entry level TV and glasses package.

For me though, the conference didn’t really start until all the executive talk had finished and the show floor was ours. The curtains raised to reveal a mass of console setups and even more food; we began our descent to the show floor and soaked in the atmosphere. I’m going to be honest, there was no mad dash to play the likes of Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3 as we took the slow and steady approach to the open bar. My quest for somewhere in America to at least acknowledge that Cider is in fact a real drink proved, once again, totally and utterly wasteful, while Lee was living the American dream with a Budweiser.

This would seem like the perfect place to dive into our thoughts on the games that were on display, but unfortunately this saga doesn’t play out that way as we now found our way to  one of the many food tables. With a selection ranging from Chinese to Hot Dogs we were literally spoilt for choice, and no matter what your tastes were there was something to suit your tongue’s desires.  Lorna and I found the table full of cupcakes, and despite standing over them trying to decide which one to sample first, we eventually came to the conclusion that we should at least look at some games – there was plenty of time for cakes.

Shuffling through the crowd, I found myself struggling to keep my eyes under control as they flickered left and right, unsure of where to look. On one hand I felt drawn in by the whole atmosphere, with banners for hit titles draped from the ceiling, consoles setup in all directions with some of the Playstation brand’s most sought after upcoming games. Then you have to factor in the women wearing little more than a corset and stockings as they performed some sort of gothic/ballet hybrid dance literally right above the screens – amazing scenes.

I eventually found myself a controller and stood playing Ratchet and Clank before making my way over to Resistance 3 where the reins where quickly thrown over to Lee, the team’s token “inverted controller” guy. Resistance looked gorgeous, and of course it played very well too, but for me it wasn’t about the games at the time… it was about the atmosphere.  Compared to this, Microsoft and EA were stagnant affairs and any stream online would surely not have been able to capture the feeling around the arena. It was one big party (which did include a DJ, and later on a band); yes the games and hardware on display were what it was all about, but it proved to be a nice ice breaker for what was to be a hectic few days on the E3 show floor.

We found ourselves circulating on the show floor, like a predator eyeing up its Schwarzenegger style prey. Photos were taken and videos captured, the night was drawing to a close and on the back of a day filled with press conferences and numerous treks across downtown, LA we decided that it would be best to call it a night.

It is, however, at this point that we ended up with almost half a dozen of the previously mentioned cupcakes as Lorna decided it would be a good idea to take some back to our apartment.  With numerous cakes in hand we made it through the winding corridors and out into the car park where it was time for Lee to go out and play.

The food trucks that had previously littered the concrete jungle had long gone, but sat on its lonesome was a Twisted Metal ice cream truck.  Lee made a mad dash for it and before long we found him sat in the driver seat singing into the [working] mega phone. David Jaffe, if you’re reading this, I can confirm it was Lee who broke the horn button, and by broke I mean was walking around with the actual button bit in his hand. Sadly after an unprovoked and ferocious moth attack it was time to leave the Ice Cream truck behind.

Making our way to the mass of awaiting taxis we began our journey back to our LA home; the day that had started at the crack of dawn with Microsoft was finishing well into the night with Sony.  The conference day was over and we knew that the next time we ventured out, it would be to E3 itself.

You threw one hell of a party Sony, so long and thanks for the cake.

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