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May 20, 2005
E3 Party Patrol
Alright true believers, we're still going over all the cool games and gear we saw at E3. Unlike the hordes of XXL-wearing game journalist types, we didn't run back to our hotel room after the show to write up game previews as fast as we could. Instead, we boogied at the numerous private invite-only parties taking place every night.
Stay tuned for our games to watch for over the next few days – in the meantime, here’s some behind-the-scenes party dirt.
Tuesday brought us to Avalon, the LA outpost of the Boston-based nightclub chain. There classic game company Midway was hosting a party to show off their latest games. The E3 parties at Avalon are always a hot ticket, with high-profile musical acts -- last year Vivendi Universal had Maroon 5 - and the typical media event top-shelf open bar (we knew there was a reason we got into reporting). This time around, rapper Twista was the surprise musical act, wowing the crowd with a short but high-energy set.
Our next foray into the fully catered, open-bar world of video games was at the Moroccan-themed Hotel Figueroa. Always a popular spot for E3 parties, we hit two at the same time on Wednesday night. Downstairs in the Fez lounge, dressed up with pillows and traditional Middle Eastern seating, GameTap hosted an event to showcase their new games-on-demand service.
There was also the Ziff Davis party held simultaneously by the swimming pool. Those are the guys who publish magazines like EGM, PlayStation Magazine and others. Always a packed event, this one was quickly at capacity. We arrived with a large crew in tow and actually had trouble getting our friends past the door. We improvised and led the troops to freedom by finding a side door to the kitchen and making our way to the back of the party, where we emerged unnoticed from behind a food serving station.
Posted by gamegal at May 20, 2005 09:05 PM