E3 2009: Bonus Level

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Gamers all know that you can’t just make your little guy run and gun. You have to have a few secret rooms to keep him happy. That’s why Mastermind Dave made sure to get enough emeralds to send Scott to the Greek Theater for “Video Games Live”. Scott didn’t find a powerup, but it was still kinda nice.

The Greek Theater is a wonderful venue on top of a mountain in L.A. Because it’s on top of a mountain, the signal was like a Bag of Crap, impossible to get. So special thanks to Daniel in the Woot shirt who was very kind and offered to let Scott use his phone after the show. Daniel, please email slydon@woot.com and be sure to mention what shirt you were wearing that night, just so we know it’s not some faker leeching on your kindness. And thanks for helping one of our little lost lambs...

Transportation tragedy aside, the night was pretty fun. There was food and alcohol and a bunch of rowdy nerds who communicated with each other in the traditional way: quietly and from a distance, with awkward nods and culture references.

Our seats weren’t the best (we pass the savings onto you) but we still got the camera working. Just keep in mind that a lot of the fun came from the surprises that the Video Games Live people clearly worked very hard to create. We’re purposefully not telling you everything.

The costume contest started things off. We liked “guy in every Star Wars game” the best, but Dark Link took home the prize.

Then, to warm things up, we were treated to The Go Team’s version of Ms. Pac Man. It looks pretty good on a great big screen, and there were other videos scattered in here and there throughout the night.

But how lovely when the full orchestra took the stage! The deep, rich cellos. The smooth and metallic brass. The teasingly delicate violins. The cool clarinets. All focused on giving us the greatest aural experience of our lives…

Okay, well, maybe you’re not a fan of minimalism. But there were plenty of other styles as well. The talented orchestra had mastered a number of traditional gamer pieces.

There was Beethoven’s “Donkey Kong Symphony”.

There was Wagner’s “Punch Out!”

There was a brilliantly moving rendition of the theme from Rastan that reduced us to tears.

And even one for the ladies, with a tribute to Metroid. Also keep in mind that it wasn’t only classic games. It’s just that all the cool surprises were during the perfomances of Halo and Metal Gear and Kingdom Hearts. Plus the classics were easier to photograph.

Talking about classics, the audience participation segment gave one guy the chance to play a very special game of Space Invaders.

The powers-that-be tracked his motion as he ran across the stage with a fire button in his hand. The lucky contestant did his best to survive the advancing horde as the orchestra pressured him with the ominous Space Invaders Bolero Of Death.

And in “Guitar Hero vs Guitar” a gamer got his shot to prove himself (on expert!) against a real guitarist, going head to head in Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”. The crowd was on the Guitar Hero’s side, except for the guys in the back asking for Dragonforce. They were just being cruel.

Because Scott is damn well getting re-embursed for the seventy bucks out-of-pocket that went to his cab fare, he can say that the evening was well worth the trip. It might not be for everyone, but hardcore gamers will walk away satisfied. Maybe even uber-satisfied.

Our E3 Coverage has more lives than a Contra soldier. More to come!



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