Retail Review: Game Depot (Holyoke/Chicopee MA)

I’ve spent a lot of time this past week visiting gaming retail stores, and I’ve seen the difference between big and small when it comes to size… and when it comes to effort. Smaller stores give their customers excellent service in general, while the big stores sometimes don’t give much effort at all. It’s frustrating, to be honest.

Game Depot was new to me, suggested by a family member, and I’m glad I went… because it’s a great store. Well, it’s a great pair of stores.

There are two locations– one is on Main Street in Holyoke, MA and the other is on Center Street in Chicopee, MA (right next to Video Game Castle, believe it or not). Both locations are adequate in size, though the Holyoke one is a bit larger. Both locations carry video games for every major platform released, from the NES on up to the Wii U. The Holyoke store has its cartridges in glass display cases, while the Chicopee store has some in cases and others out on the sales floor. In addition to carts, both locations carry discs for platforms like the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3. Most disc categories are in alphabetical order, making it easy to find a specific game if you’re looking for one. The carts are a little more haphazard in both locations, so you’ll want to spend some extra time looking to see what there is in case you miss something. Both locations also have some boxed and CIB (complete in box) games for NES, SNES, and Genesis. Retro fans locally should definitely take a look to see what’s available.

Service at both locations is excellent. Staff at both stores took time to assist me in looking for certain games and giving me pricing information when prices could not be seen. I inquired about games that I didn’t see displayed at both locations, and both times I was allowed to look through overstock to see if I could find with I was looking for. What struck me was the service at the Holyoke store– which was busy both times I visited– and how I got smiles each time and how I was given a fair amount of attention despite many other things going on at once. My disc-based games were all correct and my pricing was more than fair.

This is in stark contrast to my visit to GameStop in West Springfield, MA this week, where in-store tasks were more important than my business and open complaints about new company policies distracted the employee enough to give me the wrong games instead of the ones I was buying. I don’t understand how customers in the store and spending money or store credit are less important than titles on hand counts and trade calls to random customers (which is blatant cold-calling and rather rude). Instead of playing Lost Odyssey tonight on my Xbox 360, I have a Lost Planet disc in my Lost Odyssey case that I will not play and must return to the store later today. Smaller stores get the service aspect right in most cases. They know that the most important thing is the money that’s in front of them at the time and not shelf maintenance or random phone calls to drum up business. GameStop, if this store is any indication, does not.

One last note about Game Depot is that the staff is flexible at times when it comes to pricing, especially for older games. If you’re buying a lot of games or maybe spending a lot in a single transaction, sometimes they will drop the price on some games by a dollar or two. While it’s not something that they can always do, it’s really nice when it does happen and those price breaks can add up sometimes if you’re out to make a serious haul that day. This is very similar to how Fantasy Realms, a chain that used to be popular in this area, attracted so many customers. You build relationships with people when you cut some breaks here and there. Video Game Castle has done this in the past, as well. It’s a personal touch that corporate-run stores simply cannot match.

I give strong recommendations to both locations, especially for fellow retro fans. There are a few diamonds in the rough to be found, and both stores are great places to build retro libraries on a budget. Lack of visible pricing on carts in display cases is really the only flaw that I encountered during my visits, and that’s lessened by attentive staff who will work with you and spend as much time as you need to look up prices. If you’re interested in checking them out, take a look at their web page or visit their Facebook page.

I know that, the next time I have money to spend on building my retro collection, I’m going back to these stores. They’ve earned a loyal customer.

 

Retail Review Grade: A-

Shooting Straight: E3 2013

As I begin the process of planning and setting E3 appointments for this year, I can’t help but to think about how attending the show has always been such a goal of mine. I know that it’s old hat for many of my colleagues, and I understand that it’s a LOT of work for everyone– media, retailers, analysts, exhibitors, and staff– but I really do consider it one of the highest honors that I can attain to be counted among one of those who get to attend. This is going to be my third consecutive year, which I still can’t believe sometimes after so many other years where I was *this* close to going but could not do to some circumstance or another.

Even if I wrote 2,000 words about it, I couldn’t really express how special this is for me. 2011 was amazing because it was unexpected and I was overwhelmed by it all. KmartGamer really opened the door and gave me (along with Amy and Stephen) my first look at what E3 was like up-close. I was ridiculously under-prepared for what was to come. I didn’t have any business cards and our schedule was so packed with meetings that I was carried along with the tide as the show went on. 2012 was my first year as media, and covering the show solo was a lot more chaotic than I could have imagined. I was one man versus a convention center, and I did the best I could. I was beaten up a little, ran out of money by the second day, and my hotel was the last place I wanted to be for long. Still, I got a lot accomplished. I attended my fair share of meetings, got to see more of the show floor, got to attend an incredible Symphony of the Goddesses performance, and got to meet many people whom I admire and who inspired me to get to where I was (and am today).

This year will be no less of a challenge. I’m attending the show solo again this year, which means I’m my own writer, photographer, personal assistant, and provider. My appointment schedule has already filled up for the first day (June 11th), and I still have meetings that I’m working on setting up– including Hyperkin (Hello, RetroN 5!), Zen Studios (As if I’d miss a chance to talk pinball!) and hopefully some time with Activision. I’m also honored to be attending Michael Pachter’s Wedbush Networking event again this year, getting to meet Mr. Pachter along with Jesse Divnich and others.  I’m really looking to find out more about– if not possibly get into– sales and industry analysis as a career path, and meeting the people who inspired me and fueled my interest and passion is very important to me.

My coverage will have a different approach this year, with a focus on more analysis and anticipated consumer response to games and hardware than the enthusiast focus that I went with last year. How well do I think these things will sell? What kind of reaction do I anticipate from consumers when these products release? What kind of effect do I think they’ll have on the market, if any? These are the kinds of questions that I’ll be focusing on. I will be doing some hands-on pieces, as well… after all, getting to try some of the games early on that everyone else will be playing later on makes for experiences that I’m going to want to share. Most of that coverage will be going up on Popzara either during the event or in the days that follow the event. I’m going to try to update here and at Armchair Analysis as well with some relevant coverage.

Through it all– the planning, the travel, the hustle and bustle, the long hours, and everything else– E3 is something that I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to attend. Despite arguably being a bit less vital than the event has been in the past, it’s still something that leaves you with memories and experiences that stay fresh long after the doors have closed. I’m very excited, and I’m very grateful to Nate at Popzara for helping me out with preparation for the event. For me, it’s a feeling that I’ll never tire of, no matter how many of these events that I am fortunate enough to attend.

I can’t wait to share it all during and after E3 in just a few short weeks.

Consoleation Time Machine: When Collecting Isn’t Collecting

It’s been a wonderful and fortunate journey that I’ve been undertaking over the last couple of years in terms of building a library of older video games and consoles.

I started in earnest to build my PlayStation 2 library about two years ago, while I was still living in Arizona. I added a few original PlayStation games when I could, but it was easier to build my PS2 library while working at GameStop because the games were so plentiful and my employee discount made it even more affordable to do so.  I could buy more PS2 games for $50 than I could buy Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 games, and pulling my GxTV out of storage allowed me to play the games on a CRT for better image quality, rather than the stretched out and blurred imagery that would show up on a high-definition monitor. Before long, my library grew into the triple digits, thanks in no small part to really cheap games for a few dollars each… even though many of them no longer had their cases or manuals.

It wasn’t long after that when I realized something: Although I was collecting games, I wasn’t a collector. I was building a library of games to play for years. Not having cases or manuals didn’t matter as much to me as having access to the games and being able to play them when the idea struck me. As soon as I came to this conclusion, my library count accelerated as I bought any games that looked like they were a decent deal.

As of this writing, my PlayStation 2 library is over 425 discs in size. Some discs are doubles, with one disc complete in case with manual and the other just a standalone disc. Some games are in their original cases, and still others are complete in cases. I have a lot of games without cases, too– more than 185, in fact. I have two small bins that I use to store the games without cases, and two plastic drawer units that I keep the games with cases in. The drawers are full enough that I have to take some out of a drawer at times when I want to get to or play something in the back of the drawer. It’s problematic, but a pleasant problem to have.

Here is where I store my PS2 games. Note the bins for the loose discs in sleeves.

My library of original PlayStation games is more than 130 discs in size, not including digital PlayStation games that I’ve purchased from the PlayStation Store over the years for the PlayStation 3. I’d like to expand this library further, but games are harder to find locally and disc-based media is susceptible to scratch and label damage. I get nervous at times buying PlayStation games second-hand; while I’ve had reasonable success with purchases working properly, a few discs do not and just sit in the library. Video Game Castle in nearby Chicopee, MA, has a decent selection of PlayStation games… although their price points are a bit steep. I might try to expand my search this summer south of the Massachusetts border into Connecticut.

Last year, as many of you know, I added several consoles to my library: NES, SNES, Genesis, and Gamecube. My NES library is over 60 games in size, while my SNES and Genesis libraries are over 50 games each. My Gamecube library is still small– less than 20– but I’ve managed to secure many of my favorite games for the platform already. I received a Nintendo 64 as a gift earlier this year, and that library is approaching 20 titles as well. I’m still looking to get NBA Hangtime and NFL Blitz for the N64, but have been holding off until I can secure some memory paks to save game data on.

I’ve been fortunate to have friends who have helped me build this library by donating consoles and games, and I’m extremely grateful for that. It means a lot knowing that they find my undertaking worthy enough to add some items to. My NES, Nintendo 64, and Gamecube were all donations or gifts, as have several games in my library. I can’t put into words what it means to be the benefactor of such generosity, except to say that I’ve spent time playing and enjoying every gift and donation that I’ve received, and I’m very appreciative.

I still have consoles on my radar that I’m hoping to add at some point, though it’s hard to do when unemployed. I’d love to get a SEGA CD to attach to my Genesis and fire up some classic FMV games as well as hit the ice with NHL ’94 on disc. I’d also like to add an original PlayStation to my arsenal; while the PS2 does the job for most titles, I prefer playing PlayStation games on original hardware. Xbox and Dreamcast are on the radar too, but not quite as high on the priority list.

Even as the curtain fully rises on this new generation of consoles, I’m still going to spending a lot of time trying to expand my retro library. I find it very enjoyable to find decent deals or pick up games on the cheap that I’ve never played before. Tag sales, thrift stores, and flea markets can offer surprises and the thrill of discovery that we just can’t have when buying games for new-gen or last-gen platforms. I think those are a couple of reasons why I enjoy this so much, along with reliving different time periods in my life and associating certain memories with certain games.

So… no, I’m not a collector. No case? No instructions? Not sealed? Got a few scratches or scuff marks? No matter. If it plays and can add to my library for future enjoyment and fun, it’s got a place in my library. Yes, even all of the sports games that nobody wants anymore. It’s a library that I’m very proud of, and will probably be my legacy after I’m dead and buried.

I’m more than okay with that, too.

Stepping Forward

Since 2008, when I first began looking at NPD data and writing summaries, I started to gain interest in sales analysis. Numbers go up, numbers go down. Sometimes there are patterns, and sometimes those patterns make it possible for people to make predictions about what might happen next. It can be a lot of guesswork, and there are times when those predictions don’t verify or when they tend to irritate or anger a set of people.

There was a time when I used to be very critical of analysts like Michael Pachter or Jesse Divnich, but that all changed when I met them for the first time in June of 2011. Since then, I’ve been learning things on the fly. I’ve been steadily writing Armchair Analysis columns and monthly NPD breakdowns for Popzara Press for the last 12 months. I’ve been active on Twitter, making predictions and talking with others about what I think might happen. Some think I’m nuts (which is okay), and some think that I’m not. I’ve had a pretty decent track record over the past two years in terms of predictions and projections, mixing trends with retail experience and various sources of chatter. My interest has grown, but I’ve been too shy to pursue it.

Until now.

After some discussion with Nate over at Popzara, and after some private deliberation, I’ve decided that analysis is a field that I want to pursue, and I’ll be approaching my coverage at E3 from that perspective. While I’ll be getting as much hands-on experience as I can, my focus will be to see what’s out there and how it will pertain to sales and successes over the coming months. Which games will be the biggest successes? Which ones will be the biggest surprises? How will they affect potential sales of hardware platforms– both old (PS3/360) and new (PS4/new Xbox)? These are the questions that I’m going to want to try to answer.

Of course, there is going to be an enthusiast perspective as well. I’ll be looking forward to meeting with Zen Studios staff to find out what’s on the horizon for pinball. I’m hoping to see what the future holds for the next generation of sports video games, as a fan. I’ll look forward to seeing how Call of Duty: Ghosts is shaping up. And, yes, I’m hoping to see the new hardware platforms close up. While we will know about the PS4 and the new Xbox well before this year’s event, this will be the first time that both will be at the same show and publishers will finally be able to shed some light in terms of what they’re working on. I’m also very curious to see what Nintendo will deliver; I’m confident that they’re going to be much more aggressive at this year’s event.

I’m a numbers guy. I have been for some time, and continue to be fascinated with trends and patterns. Analysis isn’t a field for everyone, but there’s a lot that can be learned from being an observer and understanding how forces both from outside of the industry and from within can affect sales strength on both hardware and software levels. It’s time for me to move on from simply talking about it as a hobby and expand upon it, whether it’s pitching columns to other websites or maybe pursuing a career path in analysis.

I will also continue to contribute video game reviews, as well as work on content here as well as for my Armchair Analysis blog. With school ending, I’ll have more free time to spend on writing and improving that skill. While sales analysis will be my main focus, I will be staying sharp by playing current titles when possible with the added benefit of experience to help determine how I think the game may fare on the whole in terms of sales success.

Indeed, it’s an exciting time. Time to take my own advice and see what happens. Time to step forward.

Armchair Analysis Extra: Nintendo vs. The (Third-Party) World

After lots of speculation about Madden NFL 25 not seeing a Wii U release, Electronic Arts confirmed it via a recent statement (courtesy of Nintendo World Report):

“We will not be releasing a Wii U version of Madden NFL in 2013. However, we have a strong partnership with Nintendo and will continue to evaluate opportunities for delivering additional Madden NFL products for Nintendo fans in the future.”

Let’s get the hyperbole out of the way first. Not having a Madden game in 2013 will not kill the Wii U. It’s instinctive to think that a lack of EA presence on the platform could be akin to a kiss of death, similar to what we saw with EA spurning SEGA and the Dreamcast. This is a different animal, I think. Yes, the lack of sports games will hurt attempts to position the Wii U as a primary console. There’s a pretty large base of consumers who buys sports games, and not having the most popular sports IP in the United States on the Wii U platform diminishes its sales potential. This doesn’t mean that the Wii U is finished, however. Nintendo still has its stable of strong IP to draw from that can’t be played anywhere else. It’s similar to what we saw back in 1999 and 2000 but Nintendo’s IP stable is stronger. If EA doesn’t come back to Nintendo, perhaps circumstances regarding some sports licenses will change… such as the current exclusivity deal between the NFL and EA. We’ll have to wait and see on that.

No Madden for (Wii) U! At least one year! NEXT!

While Wii U will battle on, it’s undeniable that losing Madden for a year– combined with no NHL game, no NCAA football game, no PGA game, and no MLB game for this first full calendar year for the new platform on the market– is a painful loss. There also isn’t any assurance that FIFA will see a Wii U release. That would mean that only the NBA would see a Wii U game. Perhaps sports games don’t sell on Nintendo platforms, but when you’re trying to establish sales momentum ahead of competition from Sony and Microsoft and with the likelihood that both new consoles will see at least a Madden game this year (if not also an NHL game), that’s a considerable disadvantage. For sports game consumers looking to upgrade early, the Wii U simply isn’t an option without support. It’s one thing for the games to sell quietly; it’s another for the games to not even be there as a potential lower-priority selling point. I understand the claims from Nintendo supporters that “nobody” (read: very few) buys Nintendo systems for sports games, but not being one of the platforms that a multi million-selling game is going to be on is viewed as a negative by many. Like them or not, sports games are a very important cog in the video game economy.

I understand the cries of “Not fair!” and “EA sucks!” from Nintendo supporters. The rather quick dissolution of the “strong partnership” that EA and Nintendo reportedly had not too long ago is certainly suspect. Perhaps there’s something to the theory about EA’s pitch to Nintendo regarding Origin going south killed that relationship, but there are other factors to consider. Unit sales for the Wii U platform are historically low, tracking the lowest in the first six months at retail since the Nintendo 64 some 17 years ago. Could EA make a return on its investment to port its games over to the Wii U since the install base is so low and since sales of most third-party games on the platform are terrible? Given that EA is trying to scale back projects and save money, perhaps this wasn’t as “personal” a decision as some see it and it’s more of a business decision based on success potential. I think that’s a plausible scenario, but unless the truth comes out from EA brass (which I doubt), we’ll probably never know for certain.

I do think that there’s some culpability on Nintendo’s end here, too. Nintendo’s struggles with third-party relations are worsening, and this apparent divorce with EA is the biggest loss yet. What have Satoru Iwata and his staff been doing to keep EA engaged, if anything? Why isn’t Nintendo reaching into its war chest to make it worth EA’s while to keep supporting its platforms with games? Where has Take-Two been? Where is Konami’s Wii U support? Why didn’t Tomb Raider make it? There are lots of questions and no answers from Nintendo brass, aside from the now-popular Internet meme of “Please understand.”

At some point, Nintendo has to make a decision about third-party relations. Nintendo, at this point, has few allies in the ranks. Ubisoft is still supporting Wii U, but the concession of Rayman Legends moving from exclusive to multiplatform and seeing a significant delay was a blow. Capcom is there to some extent. There’s some question as to Activision’s trust in Wii U, with an air of uncertainty regarding a version of the newest Call of Duty game for the platform. Early reveal notes pointed to releases for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC; however, the Wii U was not mentioned on the list of platforms and retailers are not taking reservations for a Wii U version. I even witnessed a Call of Duty: Ghosts preorder for Wii U get turned away as the customer was told that the game isn’t coming. We don’t know whether it’s coming or not. Some claim it is, but Activision has been coy with its answers to questions about the situation. That absence is not helping Wii U’s perception to customers. If Wii U doesn’t have sports games and (at this point) doesn’t have Call of Duty, there’s no real impetus for people to sink $350 into the platform unless they’re Nintendo diehards. “Old” platforms like Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are getting it. It’s a safe bet that the new Xbox is getting it. It’s likely that the PlayStation 4 is getting it. Those last two platforms are fine in not yet being confirmed. The new Xbox isn’t even revealed yet (but will be on May 21st, when the first full reveal of Call of Duty: Ghosts will be shared during the event), and we know the PS4 exists but don’t have many details yet. Compare that to the Wii U, which has been on the market since last November and can be purchased right now. No Call of Duty? No Madden? Possibly no FIFA? Those are perception problems and point to weakness in the Wii U’s software catalog. Again, where is Nintendo in this? Is there not enough clout for Nintendo to get Activision to show its hand a bit?

The Ghosts may be real, but is the Wii U version also a reality or just an illusion?

In the worst case scenario, we will find out if Nintendo fans are right about first-party software being all that Wii U needs to thrive. I don’t believe that to be a good scenario for Nintendo– or, at least, one with a positive outcome. SEGA also had a fairly strong first-party lineup, complete with sports games, RPGs, arcade games, adventure games, and more. SEGA was unable to weather the third-party drought after a strong launch lineup and a solid & steady first-party release slate. Key third-party support is very important to the overall success of a platform, and without it, a very long and uphill battle awaits for Nintendo as its competition gets assault plans ready.

I’ll be very interested to see while attending E3 just what Nintendo’s strategy is. The leaders at Nintendo are not dumb and I’m sure that there will be a plan of attack. I just hope that it’s a good one.

Because Nobody Asked: Nintendo’s Big Gamble

News of Nintendo electing not to hold a press conference at E3 this year is getting all kinds of reactions across the internet. The two main camps that people are setting up in are these:

1. Good move for Nintendo. Less money spent, plus Nintendo Direct events have basically replaced the traditional press event.
2. Bad move for Nintendo. It shows weakness and risks losing valuable coverage from the mainstream press.

When Nintendo started rolling out its Direct events during E3 last year, I wondered then if this would be Nintendo’s new direction. Then we got a Nintendo Direct event after E3 which announced many of the games that we would have seen at E3 in past years. It seemed to me that E3 was no longer as much of a priority for Nintendo as it once was, and I firmly believe that this latest move reinforces that line of thinking. It’s important to note that Nintendo will still have some sort of presence at E3 this year, despite the lack of a press conference. Closed-door press gatherings and events for retailers will be held, and Nintendo will most likely have a booth/area for attendees to see what the House of Mario has up its sleeve for the next year. It’s less complicated and likely less expensive to use this new, bold approach than it is to rent out the Nokia Theater and invest in light shows and set pieces.

My concern with the decision is that Nintendo Direct events don’t have a wide reach outside of the Nintendo ecosystem. Nintendo fans watch them religiously, and gaming press does a great job of summarizing and reporting on these events during and after they happen… but what about those who haven’t yet bought into what Nintendo is selling? Mainstream media like USA Today or network news aren’t going to follow Nintendo Direct events. Worse, the lack of a press conference similar to what the competition will be delivering does arguably show a sign of surrender, as if to say, “Yeah, we were gonna get blown away by Sony and Microsoft anyway, so we decided to cut our losses.” When Spike TV, Game Trailers, and many other gaming press sites streamed Nintendo’s press conferences, people of all kinds would watch… not just the Nintendo faithful, and not necessarily just core gaming consumers. Now there’s nothing to stream. Nintendo broadcasts its Nintendo Direct events on its own terms, via its own streaming networks, and if you don’t actively seek them out, you’ll miss out. Then Sony and Microsoft really will have all of the draw, and Nintendo will be left to its loyal fanbase to buy their games while others go elsewhere.

If I was Satoru Iwata (which I’m certainly not), I would have used the press conference to assert the fact that despite its perceived troubles, Nintendo is in great shape. Split the event in two, starting with Wii U and showing off the games that the company has slated for the rest of 2013, including the very important Q4 period. Take the time to explain to the audience exactly what Wii U is, and what it can do. Eliminate the confusion. Show confidence in it. Then deliver the 3DS side, showing off the games that are finally on their way which will propel the handheld back to positive YOY comps. Show Pokemon. Show Zelda. Drop a surprise. Make the audience believe. The press conference, in my estimation, didn’t have to be about rolling out anything new at all– it could have been a re-roll opportunity for Wii U and a great chance to show the masses that 3DS is in great shape moving forward and that 2012 was an aberration.

But that’s me. The only things that Mr. Iwata and I have in common are wearing glasses and playing Rollerball for the NES (a game that he was a producer on). I don’t run a major video game company worth billions of dollars. It’s far too easy for me to sit here in front of my laptop at 2am and talk about what I would do since there are no ramifications for me. My idea is just that: an idea, and not necessarily the right thing to do.

The thing that we must do right now is to wait and see how the decision affects the overall outcome. If sales improve significantly, those who criticized the decision will have to eat some crow and Nintendo potentially sets a precedent for other companies to follow. If results don’t improve that much, we can again talk about Iwata’s fate and how his poor decision-making have put Nintendo in a delicate state. We won’t know– we can’t know– for quite some time.

I do have my reservations about Nintendo’s big gamble, but the die has been cast and I’ll be very curious to see whether the company doubles down or busts. No outcome is guaranteed, and it’ll be fascinating to watch things unfold during E3 and beyond.

E3 2013: The Planning Begins

I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be attending this year’s Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and covering the event for Popzara Press. This will be my third consecutive year at the event– my first was in 2011 as one of the three KmartGamer bloggers selected to attend, and my second was also on behalf of Popzara. It’s truly an honor to be considered for event coverage and to be allowed access, and I’m grateful to Nate and the Popzara team for finding a way to get me out to Los Angeles again this year.

It’s an important event this year. I know that I have said this before the last two of these, but this year has even more at stake. Despite Nintendo electing to not have a press event this year, Microsoft and Sony will by vying for attention as their new platforms will take center stage and will have major buzz during the event. In addition, there will be plenty of older-gen and new-gen software competing for consumer dollars and on display. A new Call of Duty game, a new year of sports titles, more downloadable releases, and likely other surprises that we’ll see as the show unfolds. While it will be possible to learn about most of the major news from the event from home, getting to experience the games first-hand and perhaps even getting a crack at the new hardware is something that you can’t do by just sitting in front of the computer.

At this moment, what I know is that I’ll be in Los Angeles and will have access to the show floor. My press credentials were approved and the all-important first step has been taken. What will happen next is that I’ll be in contact with Nate at Popzara and we’ll be putting together some strategies for coverage. I have a list of things that I’m hoping to see, and I’m sure that Popzara will have a list of things that they will be able to get me access to. Once we put together a general itinerary, I’ll be sharing some of it with you… but until then, things are still very much in the planning stages.

Covering E3 is a massive undertaking. It’s also a rewarding experience from both personal and professional perspectives. My writing experience under deadlines has improved. My time management skills have gotten better, as well. I’ve met some truly inspirational people who have been driving forces for me as a writer and as an armchair analyst, such as Jesse Divnich, Michael Pachter, Marcus Beer, Kevin Dent, and many others. I’ve made a few contacts– and I hope to make a few more this time out. Most importantly, I’m instrumental as a front line contributor. I see games and hardware first-hand, touch them, play with them, and can write about them from a different perspective. It’s a lot of work for all involved, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.

I’m looking forward to filling in the blanks and letting you know more details as we work them out.