Zion and I sat next to the wonderful Nicholas Serpa from Nintendo Everything as Liam dashed off to what I assume was the more PlayStation focused section of the audience. The concert started and it was honestly wonderful to experience the showcase live after the cancellation of E3. Of course, the games shown are not all certified attackers, but with Mortal Kombat 1, Alan Wake 2and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth everyone present, I really couldn’t complain.
The biggest surprise was when Geoff Keighley was joined on stage by the one and only Nicolas Cage. I love this guy and I adore his work, of his ilk Face/Off and Con Air to newer versions in Mandy and Color outside the space. Seeing him light up the stage in his sparkly green suit was an absolute treat and one I won’t forget anytime soon.
Change of plan
When the show ended we headed to In-N-Out Burger (meeting Manon Gaga from the excellent FMV game Immortality on the way) and proceeded to collect their passes for the Play Days event.
After that, we were going to attend The Mix, an indie showcase showcasing 40 upcoming games. However, just before we arrived we received an email saying it was canceled at the last minute.
Oh.
It turned out that the venue didn’t have the relevant permits for the event, so the fire department and LAPD shut it down just as the developers were finishing setting everything up. Needless to say, the organizers lost their hearts. We did not personally attend, but Jirad the Completionist saved the day and hosted a special live stream from his office to showcase indie games from The Mix. We spoke to him the next day, and to say he was exhausted would be an understatement. Top job, that man.
While this was going on, we walked to a few places that turned out to be perfect for meeting the people and personalities of the vidya game. Before Play Days even started properly, I hung out and chatted with the wonderful Nick Apostolides (Leon Kennedy of RE2/RE4 remakes), Ben Starr (Clive Rosfield, FF16), Suzi Hunter, Brittney Brombacher, Lord Cognito and many others.
Buzz without the fuss
Moving on to the actual Play Days event, the whole setup absolutely was perfect. It took place across what was described as a campus; several small buildings grouped together for easy access.
Given that the event was exclusively for partners and media/creators, the atmosphere was incredibly relaxed; you could walk from one meeting to another stress-free, shake hands with developers and engage in conversation, and easily grab food and drinks with almost no waiting in line (except for the extremely popular pizza stand).
There is room to expand, but no also a lot, I hope. There were plenty of exhibitors (including Warner Bros., Disney, Bandai Namco, and Square Enix), but a few more big hits were undoubtedly missing, along with other major retailers and accessory makers. We knew in advance that Nintendo would not be present; obviously, that would be a boon.
Even so, the two-day event was perhaps the best substitute for E3 we could have asked for; it was really a murmur without the hustle and bustle. We’ve already gone in-depth with our hands-on impressions of games like Mortal Kombat 1, Foamstars, Disney Illusion Island, Sonic Superstars, Oxenfree II and Little Kitty, Big City, but that’s not all we’ve seen. We also checked out Fae Farm (a charming if unremarkable amalgamation of every farming game you’ve ever played) and Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (a solid racer that we hope can hold up well on the Switch).
Not surprisingly, we bumped into more recognizable characters from the industry. I walked out of HQ on Saturday, face down on my phone checking my next meeting. I looked and Phil Spencer from Xbox was just there there, walking towards me. Of course, I stopped him for a short chat. He genuinely seemed like a nice, humble guy who was just as excited as I was to check out some new games.
Elsewhere, Zion noticed Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka walking around, so of course I had to say hello to him too, albeit with an undeniable concern that he might recognize my name and wave a finger at me for my Sonic Frontiers review. He was incredibly nice and I made sure to let him know that I was genuinely excited for Sonic Superstars.
However, my most bizarre and wonderful encounter happened outside of the event on Saturday morning. Zion and I hung out in the hotel cafe while Liam was already out. I was writing down my Mortal Kombat 1 impressions and just seconds after I finished and headed towards the event, we ran into Ed Boon from NetherRealm walking in the exact same direction. We ended up talking for the 20 minutes it took to get to campus, and it will be a fond memory forever.
And finally, in what can only be described as a serendipitous circumstance, the first people we ran into at Summer Game Fest were Kit and Krysta, from uhh… Kit and Krysta! They are as beautiful in real life as we could hope for, and I look forward to some future collaborations.
At the end of the day, the Summer Game Fest game days felt like a great industry-focused event that, while certainly lacking upsetting announcements this year, it was competently executed to provide relaxed sessions with new games and the perfect opportunity for peers from the development and media industries to mingle and exchange information. Decorated with comfy sofas and foliage in every direction, I really hope they keep the same style and atmosphere in the future.
Fun like no other
To top off what was already proving to be a trip to remember, a chance meeting between Liam and Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb resulted in an invitation to attend Giant Bomb at Nite, a live broadcast of Summer Game Fest at the outlet. Although we didn’t participate in any of the live streams, it was pretty surreal to attend the side party. We hung out with people like Greg Miller from Kinda Funny, Tim Gettys, Blessing Adeoye Jr., Snowbike Mike, and Andy Cortez, along with some of the wonderful folks at GameSpot and Kotaku.
And we couldn’t complete our trip without visiting the LA Convention Center and witnessing what would be the main venue for E3. While it was certainly an impressive sight in itself, it was, of course, completely empty. We said goodbye and went to have a beer and something to eat.
Tired, but grateful
On Sunday, right after the Xbox Showcase (which we watched from the comfort of our hotel rooftop, complete with pool and Dr. Pepper), it was time to head home. I said goodbye to Zion and Liam – both of whom stayed in LA for a little while longer – and went to the airport.
The red-eye flight took off at 17:30 PT and landed at Heathrow at 12:30 BST the following day. I can’t sleep on planes, that’s how I felt coarse. The subsequent rush back to Euston station and the blistering heat must have woken me up, but by the time I got home I was sleepy and content in equal measure. Time for bed.
I really hope to attend Summer Game Fest again. If this really turns out to be a permanent fixture in the E3 old slot, it really has the potential to turn into the most prestigious gaming event of the year. It needs bigger and bolder game announcements, that’s for sure, but as an industry-focused event that says the company “Not” in the huge hustle and bustle of larger events with more people, I couldn’t ask for much more.
Table of Contents
