E3 Day 1 - Introductions

Ah! Salaam and good morning/afternoon/evening/night to you, worthy friends! Please, please, come closer!

Too close!

Now that you know what kind of sass and terrible humor you're in for, we can get started. As my gracious host and your beloved Linc'ing writer Joe Sorbera has already mentioned, my name is Joe Hogan and I'll be your tour guide through the wonderful world of gaming news for the next few days. I have zero qualifications for video game journalism, but beggars can't be choosers! Regardless, here at The Missing Linc, we'll be providing you with all the biggest gaming news to come straight out of Los Angeles' annual gaming expo, E3, and it all begins today. Fanboys will rejoice and rage, franchises will rise and fall, and Reggie Fils-Aime will bless the internet with the gift of meme ammunition.

Day 1 is always the most hectic, so expect the bulk of the info to be dropped right here today. Microsoft, Sony, EA, and Ubisoft will all be holding their huge press conferences today, with TONS of reveals and announcements. Tomorrow, Nintendo will be joining the fray with their slew of game reveals as well. Not to mention, publishers and developers will be dropping news like nobody's business throughout the convention, so be sure to keep it locked here! Our first order of business will be covering Microsoft's 9:30 AM PDT conference, so you can be sure to read a slew of info immediately afterwards! Can they redeem the already-tarnished view most of the gaming world has of the Xbox One!? Check back soon and we'll find out together! And just for anyone having trouble keeping track, here's a nifty timetable of the conferences:

In the meantime, feast your eyes on some of these awesome early morning photos of the convention center, courtesy of redbootz on Reddit! You can see the entire photo collection here.

 

Your Linc At Lunch: The Office Series Finale, Attack of the Clones Anniversary, Dave Filoni Researching For New Show, EA's Domain Name Grab, and Simon Pegg's New Movie

Hold the hummus and put down the pita! It's time for another round of Linc at Lunch:

1. Scranton Bids Farewell To You: The Office Series Finale

Tonight we bid an emotional and fond farewell to the employees of Dunder Mifflin. After nine seasons, The Office is ending its run tonight at 8:00 PM. As I've said before, I am a proud graduate of the University of Scranton, and I love that city. There is a charm to it (coupled with an ever-present feeling of shadiness) that you have to experience for yourself. When the cast came for the first Office Convention my senior year, you would have thought the Beatles had landed. I was sad to miss the Office Wrap Party, but luckily my friend Tony (better known as Captain Catholic) was able to capture the whole Q&A session at Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Yankee Stadium (including the surprise appearance by Steve Carrell!)



He also was able to get into the Backyard Ale House where the cast hopped behind the bar and served drinks:



You can check out more coverage by clicking here. UPDATE: Buzzfeed has its "59 Reasons Why We'll Miss The Office". Hit the link to check them out and see if you agree.

And, finally, (if you're in the mood for a good cry), here is a farewell from some of the writers and cast:



UPDATE: Part 2 here. There are times where I feel like I'm losing a connection to a place I called home for four years, and to friends I saw on a weekly basis. But The Office will live on, both in syndication and in our hearts. Because remember: Ain't no party like a Scranton party, 'cuz a Scranton party don't stop!

2. Happy Birthday Attack of the Clones!

First, let's remember that on this day, 11 years ago, Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones premiered in theaters. I was lucky enough to go to an advanced screening where I shook hands with James Earl Jones, won a Destroyer Droid Alarm Clock, met Miss Universe 2002, and got to declare my teenage love directly to Natalie Portman (her security guards denied me a picture with her, though.) I remember feeling the darkening tone of the film, the excitement of the chases through Coruscant and through the asteroids above Geonosis, the heartbreak of Shmi's death, the awe of seeing the clones and Jedi fighting the droid army, and the absolute utter euphoria of the entire theater when Yoda ignited his lightsaber for the first time. I also remember listening to and being swept up by John William's magnificent theme "Across the Stars". Happy Birthday, Episode II! MTFBWY!



3. EA Buys Star Wars Domains, But No Titles Til' 2014

Although EA Games says it will not release any Star Wars titles until 2014, they sure are buying up a lot of domain names for them! Names like "Gungan Frontier", "Wolf Pack", and "Order 67" definitely pique my interest. Hopefully we'll see some exciting games in the near future. See the full list here. The Wolf Pack one is particularly interesting because it references the squad, created by Dave Filoni, that served under Plo Koon. And speaking of Davey Strands....


4. Dave Filoni Is "Doing Research" For His Next Project

You keep working hard there, Dave.

As if we all didn't already want his job, Dave Filoni posted a short video via Twitter about his diligent research for the new and as-yet unnamed Star Wars animated series. What would he need a TIE Fighter for? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

5. Simon Pegg's "The World's End" Is The Ultimate Bar Crawl

The man behind Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, no to mention this generation's "Scotty" is at it again. Here is the synopsis and trailer for "The World's End"

"20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries."

The film also stars Pegg's every-faithful companion, Nick Frost, Sherlock's Martin Freeman (aka Bilbo Baggins), Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan (they're....British). I don't know about you, but I could certainly go for a pint!

That's all for now, fans and fanettes! Til' next time.

- Joe