Back from E3, but still all about it.

...Now we're decompressing and posting full-length stories on our impressions from the show. Feel free to as questions, they might make me remember to add something I would have otherwise left out.

I'm wrapping up a story on Rock Band 3 at the moment... and waiting to hear for sure whether Fridtjof actually ended up winning an iPad at the show. If so, we might start reviewing iPad products soon... if not, well, I think StarScream's supposed to be getting one soon, anyway, so we'll probably start reviewing iPad products either way.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Video Interview

Check out our video interview with High Moon Studios' Game Director Matt Tieger -- Transformers: War for Cybertron. This is our first original content video - interview or otherwise, conducted and edited by our very own Ricky Tucker, AKA StarScream... Appropriate, no?

Farewell to a Friend...

Gary Coleman passed away yesterday. Gary Coleman, from Different Strokes and Postal 2. Gary Coleman from that E3 where Kudo Tsunoda never got the message that Psibabe was looking for him. Gary Coleman from the Sony Party from that time I didn't approach him to ask him to walk up to Ashley after she returned to the table and simply point up at her and say, "You!" The Gary Coleman who, with buxom blonde on arm would somehow always be in front of us at any Johnny Rockets we went to. That very same Gary Coleman.

The gaming industry will mourn his loss, as will we, here, at Game Vortex.

EA Sports: Team Builder and Madden Online Franchise

EA is bringing a new level of connectivity to it's sports games. Beginning with NCAA 2010, you'll be able to customize your own team, including logos, colors and players. But don't take our word for it, head on over to: the Teambuilder website and check it out yourself. 

If college isn't your thing, this year's edition of Madden will include online franchise. Say good-bye to productivity. You can trade, draft and schedule games from the EA Sports Connect website, your cell phone or iPhone (there's an App for that).

How I wish I was going to GC (Leipzig), let me count the ways...

E3 is dead. I know, because I walked in its funeral procession last year, along with the Gamecock folks. At the time, I thought, hey... I can participate and be there to cover the event and keep the little publicity nick-knacks as souvenirs... if E3 bounces back, then whatever... but if they're right... if E3 really is dead, then I could frame them as a display - a piece of history.

Well, despite the fact that E3 was held this year, it was definitely dead. It hurts to see the body of a close friend defiled. You can see that everyone is looking for where to jump, what to replace E3 with.

...which might be why I'm hearing more about the Games Convention in Leipzig than I ever have before. And there's going to be a lot of companies attending. I, sadly, won't be there, but I am hoping to try to cover some of the goings-on remotely, although I must say I'm not happy with my experience of attempting to do that for E3 this year. It simply sucks not to be there... wherever "there" is.

So, when I saw that SplitFish is going to show the new FragFX for the PS3 at GC in Leipzig, I posted a news story about it. We've had a good relationship with SplitFish and I'm hoping to be able to get a FragFX unit in-house for testing... what would be awesome would be to actually get one in-house in time to do a "first impressions" article for GC, then to follow up with a full review... I'll have to run that by my Editor-in-Chief and see if we can make that happen.

- Robert "Geck0" Perkins