GeekRising

Well, E3 2007 has officially come and gone. Although the exclusive nature of this year’s E3 may have made it seem like the bastard child of its own former self, let me assure that this was not the case. In fact, most would agree that this year’s E3 was an unmitigated success. Or at least a mitigated one. The absence of the public, or, as I like to call them, “the public”, allowed us journalists unprecedented access to games, information, and, most importantly, other journalists. Yes, my friends, it is a great time to be a journalist, but an even better time to be a gamer. The reason I say this is because I was personally assured by each respective developer, that every game currently in development is actually going to be the Best Game Ever. Now that’s a lot to look forward to.

But even though many things have changed about E3, there is one thing that hasn’t: The Exclusive E3 V.I.P. After-Party. It’s a tradition that’s been around ever since E3’s inception, back in 1879. Every year, a select few of the major players in the industry get together for what is arguably the best E3 V.I.P. After-Party attended by a select few of the major players in the industry of the year. Few people know about this party, because only the best of the best and, for no apparent reason, myself get invited. Every year, the party has a theme, with this year’s theme being Get As Drunk As You Possibly Can. As you can see by the above photos, things can get pretty crazy.

Here are some of the highlights from this year’s party:

• Miyamoto’s famous Japanese humility being stripped away by no less than two shots of whiskey.

• Peter Moore showing up dressed as a Giant Enemy Crab.

• Kaz Hirai’s story about how he let Peter Moore think Metal Gear Solid 4 was coming to the 360 just long enough for him to get a tattoo.

• The subsequent fist fight between Peter Moore and Kaz Hirai. They both lost.

• Phil Harrison.

• Miyamoto singing karaoke of Will Smith’s song and replacing the word “jiggy” with “Shiggy.”

• Miyamoto still thinking this was funny after the fifth year in a row.

After that, the rest of the night is pretty much a blur. Much like the Expo itself.