Tikkabik

I've got some wireless Internet access from a quiet spot on the show floor, so I figured I'd stop and post some initial impressions from E3. First of all, Halo 2 looks like it's going to kick all sorts of ass. Leave it to Bungie.

The PSP -- the portable PlayStation -- is a solid idea, but I'm left to think that it's a day late and a dollar short. I'm not sure why exactly I don't think it'll succeed as well as Sony seems to hope it will, but only time will tell.

Spent a lot of time with the LucasArts people checking out all they had to offer, and I'm totally amazed by Star Wars Galaxies. Looks like it's going to pull MMORPG's in new directions, plus give Star Wars fans a real place to "live" in games too.

America's Army looks totally solid on the Mac. Ryan Gordon handled the port, and is kicking all sorts of ass between that and Unreal Tournament 2003. The Apple folks deserve a big nod for their help in getting OS X in a good state for that engine, too. I hope that proactivity continues -- it'd be great to see Apple really putting its back into making Macs and Mac OS X the most kick-ass game platform imaginable.

Nokia's N-Gage is an interesting idea, and it's a solid little piece of work. It's awkward as hell to use as a cell phone, though, and while the graphics and screen are awesome compared to some of the ghetto, second-rate phones out there, it really can't hold a candle to something as finely optimized for gaming as a Game Boy Advance SP.

I've seen a ton of people I know, and I've missed a ton of people that I know aren't here. Eerie coincidences abound, too. For example, the fellow standing across from me just happens to be the president of a company making an online trading card game that's coming to the Macintosh. Never met him, and a casual look at my badge caused him and me to start talking. Never know where these things will lead...

More later.