Overview
By 2006, E3 had grown too large for some attendees and too expensive for some exhibitors. Not long after the doors closed on E3 '06, rumors began flying that E3 '07 was canceled and that the greatest show on Earth would be no more. The ESA eventually announced that E3 would survive, but in a much different fashion than in the previous twelve years. Now known officially as the E3 Media & Business Summit, the show would be drastically downsized. Not only that, but for the first time since Atlanta in '97/'98, E3 was moving out of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The 2007 event was to be held in Santa Monica's Barker Hangar as well as various hotels that served as conference and meeting areas.
Even the press conferences seemed to be toned down a bit. While each of the big three had many blockbuster titles on display, there weren't really any shocking announcements. Nintendo came into the event just eight months after the successful launch of the Wii. The early success of the console was surprising to many, but it was obvious that Nintendo was a solid contender once again. Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage and was no longer about kicking ass and taking names. He was simply "happy." While Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii headlined the event, but Wii Fit was Nintendo's big new announcement. The "bathroom scale" peripheral perplexed many attendees, but the balance board would soon take the world by storm.
Sony came to the show with Killzone 2 footage that surprisingly came extremely close to matching the trailer they showed two years prior. PlayStation Home was introduced by Phil Harrison to much fanfare and LittleBigPlanet quickly became the darling of E3. As always, Metal Gear Solid was a highlight of E3, this time with Guns of the Patriots. Sony also put a focus on the PlayStation Network and its upcoming downloadable titles like SOCOM Confrontation, Warhawk, Echochrome, and Wipeout HD. They closed their presentation with a sneak peak at a new open world action adventure known as inFamous.
Microsoft decided to only devote time in their press conference to titles that would release within the calendar year. The first on stage was a demo of Rock Band, Harmonix's next step after their work on Guitar Hero. Project Gotham Racing 4, Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect, and of course Halo 3. There was also continued focus on Xbox Live Arcade and the Marketplace as a whole. Peter Moore was proud to tout their exclusive deal with Rockstar for Grand Theft Auto IV DLC.
The most hyped game of the show had to be Assassin's Creed. Even Shigeru Miyamoto was spotted at a Ubisoft demonstration of the game. But that was not the only big title of the event of course. There was also a lot of talk around the beach about BioShock, Rock Band, Devil May Cry 4, Fallout 3, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Fable 2, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
Games of the Show
The games listed below not only include those playable on the show floor, but any game referenced at the show. This would include video presentations, announcements, advertisements, or any other official reference to the game from its developer, publisher, or platform. They are listed mainly according to the publisher of the game, with a few exceptions where the publisher did not attend the show. An example of this would be a hardware company such as Nintendo or nVidia showing a game not developed or published by them. In several situtations, games either changed their title or even their publisher before they were released. For historical accuracy in chronicling E3, such games will be listed with their original names and publishers, and linked to the corresponding page of the final game.
Game Critics Awards
The Game Critics Awards are decided by an independent group of North American media outlets. They have selected the most promising games of each Electronic Entertainment Expo since 1998, and have thus become recognized as the most respected "Best of" awards that come out of the annual show. Games qualify for nomination by having hands-on playable versions of the game at the show. For more information, see the Game Critics Awards page.
BEST OF SHOW
Rock Band (PS3/X360) - Harmonix / MTV Games
BEST ORIGINAL GAME
LittleBigPlanet (PS3) - Media Molecule / Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
BEST CONSOLE GAME
Mass Effect (X360) - Bioware / Microsoft
BEST PC GAME
Crysis (PC) - Crytek / Electronic Arts
BEST HANDHELD GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS) - Nintendo
BEST HARDWARE/PERIPHERAL
Rock Band Instruments (PS3/X360) - Harmonix / MTV Games / Electronic Arts
BEST ACTION GAME
Call of Duty 4 (PS3/X360/PC) - Infinity Ward / Activision
BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
BioShock (X360/PC) - Irrational Games / 2K Games
BEST ROLE PLAYING GAME
Mass Effect (X360) - Bioware / Microsoft
BEST RACING GAME
Burnout Paradise (PS3/X360) - Criterion / Electronic Arts
BEST SPORTS GAME
Madden NFL 08 (All) - Electronic Arts
BEST FIGHTING GAME
Virtua Fighter 5 (X360) - Sega
BEST STRATEGY GAME
World in Conflict (PC) - Massive Entertainment / Sierra
BEST SOCIAL/CASUAL/PUZZLE GAME
Rock Band (PS3/X360) - Harmonix / MTV Games
BEST ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
Halo 3 (X360) - Bungie / Microsoft
SPECIAL COMMENDATION FOR GRAPHICS
Killzone 2 (PS3) - Guerrilla Games / Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
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