Phew!

Talk about a challenge! If the idea of the newly revamped format for E3 was to make things easier for members of the media and the video game industry to conduct their business, I'd say: take your game back to the lab, you've got quite a few bugs to work out.

Meanwhile, let's talk about the games!

While the story from E3 for the past couple of years has been about "console wars," this year - it's mostly about content. And the most exciting developments I've seen are those games that are being made for the Nintendo Wii.

(Ironically, Nintendo just announced today that manufacturing problems could lead to a shortage of Wii's this coming holiday season. Read about it here.)

As the Wii has quickly risen to be the second best selling console on the market, developers have worked really hard to try to tap into the power and possibilities of that deck's unique control system.

I spoke to a developer from a company called Pipeworks who is putting the finishing touches on a ew Wii enabled "Godzilla" title for Atari about what the Wii means in terms of creating games.

He described the process as being very much like old-school game development where the rules for play aren't necessarily written in stone and the options for how creators can steer the direction of the game are nearly endless thanks to the nature of Wii's controls. He told me working on "Godzilla Unleashed," due this Fall, has been one of the most enjoyable experiences he's had in a long time.

Let me give you some highlights from the companies I visited with today:

Capcom:

There's another chapter in the "Devil May Cry" series coming for next-gen consoles (PS3 and 360) that taps into the higher powered graphics capabilities of those decks to great effect. As a fan of the series, I have to say, it looked great.

"Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles" is a Wii-exclusive title that makes use of the system's wireless controllers to turn the zombie hunting franchise into a unique point-and-fire first-person shooter. For fans of the series, consider it something to tide you over until "Resident Evil 5" is released in 2008.

The real standout of the bunch is actually a game that's aimed more towards younger players called "Zak and Wiki." An original title for the Wii, "Zak and Wiki" is essentially treasure hunting game with dozens of puzzles that requires players to use the Wii's controllers to solve. It's incredibly eye-catching and actually a LOT of fun to play. I'm told it tested well with the 8-year old set, but I have to say, I enjoyed it as well.

EA:

As EA is the largest video game publisher in the business, they actually have two locations in which they are showcasing their new titles. I'll be able to see more of their 18 titles tomorrow (seriously, they are putting 18 titles into stores this year) but as for what I saw today, all I can say is... "Doh!"

It's all about "The Simpsons" for me. I got a chance to preview the game a few months back and was able to give you a first-look at it in a "Pop Digital" segment CNN.com. You should really see it now. The developers at EA are putting a LOT of work into making their virtual Springfield, more vibrant and more brilliant than anything you've seen in previous Simpsons inspired titles. It's one of my "can't-wait" games of the season.

I got a chance to see a demo of "Rock Band" which expands Harmonix's wildly popular "Guitar Hero" concept into a full band. It's interesting and certainly fun to look at, but honestly, I don't know how this is going to play out in homes. Group play is great, but to me - it seems like next generation karaoke as opposed to cooperative play gaming.

Activision

Speaking of "Guitar Hero," the latest installment of the game "Rock Legends" includes former Guns and Roses and Velvet Revolver axe-man Slash as a playable character. I spoke to the top-hatted rocker today and learned that he's actually a HUGE fan of the game and jumped at the chance to be a part of the new edition.

Warner Bros. Interactive

A new pair of Looney Tunes inspired games are actually very, very promising.
Yes, you've seen other Looney Tunes games, but not like this... now that Warner Bros. is producing the games themselves, they're able to tap into their library of classic cartoons to come up with games that are more directly influenced by the characters' long comic history, creating a play experience that is every bit as fun for fans as it is for the younger gamers they're created for.

A console game titled "Acme Arsenal" gives Bugs, Daffy, Taz and the gang an incredible Pixar inspired look -- while a title for the Nintendo DS, "Duck Amuck" takes that classic Daffy toon and puts an entirely new spin on it. While I'm not a DS user, this one game actually made me want to go out and buy one. It's that good.

On the more grown-up side, I was treated to a work-in-progress version of the sequel to "F.E.A.R." It's so hush-hush, it doesn't even have a name yet. What I can tell you is that when this first-person shooter is released in 2008, it will literally blow you away. You can be a part of the naming process at http://www.nameyourfear.com/.


Tomorrow, we'll visit with Microsoft, Nintendo, EA (again) and more...
Check back for the highlights as well as screenshots.