You haven’t seen E3 until you see it through the eyes of a GameSpot editor. They get all of the perks because they are the biggest and it is hard to argue with E3 traffic of 40 million hits a day. This 6 disc set includes coverage of more than 200 games along with press conferences, editor’s choice awards, and an awesome documentary that follows the GameSpot crew as they experience E3. This is a must own DVD set that I highly recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in E3.
Features
The GameSpot E3 2005 set is six discs of pure gaming nirvana. It covers more than 200 of the hottest games of the show as well as a number of niche and non-mainstream titles. Games are featured on discs 2-5 and are arranged in alphabetical order. You can also browse each disc by platform which makes checking out all of your favorite Xbox and Xbox 360 games a snap. Disc 1 of the set contains the editor’s choice awards as well as highlights of the press conferences and a documentary called Electric Showdown. Electric Showdown follows the GameSpot crew in the days before and during the E3 show and it is just really interesting to learn how much work goes into their coverage and how difficult it really is. It is a great look at the people behind GameSpot which is always fun. Disc 6 includes highlights from GameSpot’s live E3 webcasts and you can also watch the full press conferences from the big three as well as select uncut episodes of the E3 webcasts.
This is a Great DVD Set
I honestly have no complaints about this DVD set. Everything is very well organized and easy to navigate and the quality of the coverage is exceptional. There are a few interviews here and there, but they are always either preceeded or followed by raw game footage. I love the fact that you can just sit back and enjoy the games without having to put up with PR spin. Also, there are a lot of games included that aren’t even mentioned in the E3 Access set and other big games get far better coverage here. The Electric Showdown documentary is also well done and it is nice to get a feel for the writers beyond numbers that they attach to a game (6.8 … tee hee hee). The documentary also does an excellent job of showing just how busy E3 is. They show the stampede of people coming in the doors each morning and running to be the first in line for certain demos. It also does a good job of demonstrating that E3 is work and shouldn’t be looked upon as the holy land for gamers.
Bottom Line
All in all, the GameSpot E3 2005 DVD set is highly recommended. I can’t find any problems with it and it stands head and shoulders above any other E3 DVD on the market. You get better coverage of the games than E3 Access can provide and it also shows the human element too which is fun. It puts you right on the show floor as the editors walk back and forth to meetings and demos and it gives you a good feel of the scale and scope of the expo. Most importantly, it simply features more games than you will find on E3 Access. I wouldn’t even know about my new “#1 must have OMG game” Guitar Hero (from the makers of Frequency and Amplitude …look it up, it is going to be sweet) for the PS2 if I never saw it on this set, and I’m sure that there is a game or five that you’ll discover for the first time on here as well. This is the E3 2005 DVD set to buy, hands down. You won’t be disappointed.
