We're currently in the Orpheum Theater in the middle of downtown (and very sunny) Los Angeles, where Electronic Arts is hosting its 2008 E3 press conference. One of many old-style theaters still standing throughout L.A., a few hundred journalists and random muckety-mucks have packed inside, waiting to see what EA has in store. Scroll down a little bit and you'll find our live blog on everything being shown as it happens. We're expecting at least a few surprises, so here we go!
2:53 p.m.: People are still milling about here. The front of the theater is packed, and there aren't many empty seats towards the back. Onstage is a huge movie theater-size video screen showing the names of EA partners, but otherwise the stage is bare -- no Rock Band setup or anything. Of course, who knows what's hiding behind the screen -- we'll be starting in just a few minutes.
3:00 p.m.: Still waiting to start, so because I'm bored, here's a list of EA studios floating by on the big screen: The Sims Studio; EA Romania; EA Korea; EALA; EA Montreal; EA Redwood Shores; Pandemic Studios; Maxis; Black Box; BioWare; Mythic; DICE; Criterion; Phenomic; EA Canada; Tiburon; EA Bright Light; EA Mobile; EA Salt Lake.
That's a lot of studios.
3:06 p.m.: Lights are dimming. Here we go.
3:07 p.m.: They've started with a trailer, filled with EA games. It's the whole roster, so it's taking a while.
3:08 p.m.: John Riccitello has taken the stage saying EA will take a different approach than Microsoft's press conference, introducing the developers and then having them show off the games. First up: Rod Humble of the Sims.
3:10 p.m.: Humble has just introduced the latest Sims title: SimAnimals. I smell a trailer!
3:14 p.m.: The SimAnimals trailer was cute, but we're moving fast to another trailer for The Sims 3.
"Imagine you lived your entire life inside your house, and then someone opened the door." Basically, the Sims go outside, playing music, going to the beach, etc.
3:16 p.m.: Glen Schofield has taken the stage to show off Dead Space. Things are moving fast. He's setting up the main plot for the game, and chatting up the game's bigger features, like zero-G and "strategic dismemberment." We're about to see some live gameplay.
