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'Half-Life 2' blows away E3 competition
By Walt McGraw
(CNN) -- More than 60,000 people attended the Electronic Entertainment Exposition, and once the throng was let loose every day in the Los Angeles Convention Center, it seemed that many headed for the same line. On Friday, CNN Headline News technology anchor Daniel Sieberg and I got to witness the rush firsthand. An E3 organizer who had helped us throughout last week's show took us past a large and serious-looking security guard and onto the show floor before the clock struck 9 a.m., signaling the official opening of the last day. By Friday, everyone was tired. If not from the ubiquitous and repetitious sales pitches, or the backroom wheeling and dealing -- of which there was plenty -- then from the parties. Parties, I might add, worthy of the mega-million dollar corporations that threw them, with performers such as the Foo Fighters and with guest lists that would have made any Hollywood premiere proud. Tired or not, the media relations folks were gearing up for their final assault and, to quote the guy from Microsoft who showed us "Halo 2," the "demo gods" were putting their game faces on, too. We steered our escort toward the back left corner of the enormous hall, past swirling lights, countless plasma screens, fake castles and pounding music -- blissfully hawking wares despite the lack of audience. We knew just the demo we wanted to see. Software maker Valve had teamed up with hardware maker ATI to show off Valve's next game, "Half-Life 2." The sequel to the smash hit, "Half-Life," was being shown in a mini-theater that held perhaps 30 gawkers at a time. On the first two days of the convention, the line to be one of those gawkers was four hours' long. Even after the long wait, the folks filing out of the theater didn't seem disappointed. It was the "must see" of this year's E3, just as "Doom" had been last year's. Most people we spoke to -- who've seen both games -- sum them up the same way, "Wow." "Wow" was what we said when 9 a.m. rolled around. As we were talking to the guy from Valve, we were stormed. The doors had opened, and people were running at us -- full tilt -- to be first in line. Having seen the half-hour-long demo, I can understand why. If "Doom III" has ever so slightly better visuals, "Half-Life 2" has the edge when it comes to physics. It will have you thinking twice about ducking for cover behind that crumbling wall or overturned car. Thoughts like "Are the blasts from that laser going to send it toppling onto my head?" add a whole new level of gaming paranoia ... er realism.
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