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'Twas the second day of E3, when all through the show floor, not a journalist was sleeping; they only kept writing more. Many interviews were transcribed with much to think over, in hopes that this day would soon have closure.
Onto the awards!
Nintendo 3DS Software Showcase
Tagline: "Hey boss, was this worth the extra hour?"
For those keeping score at home, this 3DS showcase marks the fourth presentation Nintendo has prepared for this year's E3. To be fair, the 3DS shared only but a few minutes of stage time in their Tuesday press conference, so it makes sense for them to give their popular handheld some breathing room. Which would've been fine, if it wasn't for the fact that it was still a chore to watch.
Most Painful Attempt at Humor: Scott Moffitt (Executive VP, Sales & Marketing) and Reggie Fils-Aime (President and COO)
The scripted performance had Reggie hand-off his usual hosting duties to his fellow colleague, supposedly because Scott managed to beat him in a competitive match in Mario Kart 7. Playful ribbing is all well and good — it elicited at least some laughter from the crowd — but not when it all sounds like an anxious third grader having to read his book report in front of the class.
Most Pimped-Out Feature: the Nintendo eShop
Did you know that, starting RIGHT NOW, you can download this article on your 3DS!? Well ok, that's a lie, but you have to admit that would be way more exciting than just downloading a few game trailers. Yet Moffitt appeared to be positively excited about this revelation at the end of almost every game presentation on stage, with little cheer or applause from the crowd. It's good to see Nintendo pushing digital downloads through its eShop store (New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be the first game to have a digital presence day-and-date with the retail release) but trying to pass off trailers as an incentive to download doesn't make for very exciting news.
Best Post-Modern Commentary on the State of Capitalism: New Super Mario Bros. 2
Collecting gold coins have always been a staple in Mario games, but NSMB 2 takes it to new heights: coins have now become your main objective. There's even a new power-up — known as a Golden Fire Flower — that will temporarily transform Mario into an unstoppable cash-making machine, allowing you to "monetize anything and everything" within the game world. Honestly, whoever came up with this idea deserves a big fat raise.
Miscellaneous
Best No-Show Award (Nominee #1): The Last Guardian
It's been a while since Team ICO's hotly-anticipated game made an appearance in E3, and this year proved to be no different. So what's going on? GameTrailers TV were wondering the same thing when they had a chance to speak with Scott Rohde, Sony's Senior VP of Product Development and Worldwide Studios. "[We're going to] let that game bake because it has to be perfect…that's what we're aiming for," he said, clearly aware of the interest still surrounding the game, "We're not going to ship it out 'till it's perfect." Here's hoping The Last Guardian will at least appear at this year's Tokyo Game Show.
Best No-Show Award (Nominee #2): Grand Theft Auto V
Six months into the year 2012 and we have yet to hear anything solid about Rockstar Game's Grand Theft Auto V, save for last November's teaser trailer. Sure, Rockstar doesn't even need E3 to market the game, but since it isn't present at this year's show, it probably means that the game won't be released later this year, contrary to previous rumors. And since the beginning of 2013 is already looking to be a crowded time for game releases, I'm guessing GTAV will hit Spring 2013 at the earliest.
Best Subliminal Moment on Camera: Anthony Gallegos, Editor at IGN, Co-host of RebelFM
In the second E3 episode of IGN's Up at Noon talk show, a shirtless Anthony Gallegos appeared alongside its host, Greg Miller, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment around the four minute mark. But what does it all mean!?
Any particular favorites from Wednesday's E3 coverage? Let me know in the comments below, and stay tuned for one last round of awards later this week!