His face may be broken, but EA's Peter Moore likes to speak his mind, and what's on his mind lately is last week's E3, a gathering that he thinks can be fixed by opening it up to the public. Whoa, maybe all of that ink has gone to his brain, or has he already forgotten the madhouse that the annual used to be, when everyone and their brother seemed to find a way to roam the show's halls? Plus, isn't that what E for All is for, anyway?

Calling the event "soulless and lacking an epicenter," the former Microsoft exec suggests that organizers "invite the community" to the show, adding that given enough planning, letting gamers experience E3 first hand will help companies create better games and forge new ideas. Of course, it would likely be too crowded for any of the attending press to get any work done, but that's beside the point. Right, Pete?

The E for All Expo website has relaunched to reveal EA will attend the show for a second year. Ticket prices are a little easier to swallow than last year, with an early bird special to the three-day event costing $45 for ages 14+ and $25 for kids 6-13 with registration by July 15. After that, tickets for all three days of the show will be $60 for adults who pre-register and $75 for general admission. (Pricing graphic can be found after the break.)

This year's show is already looking to be a bit different than last year, with Microsoft already committing to the event. We'll be sure to update if more major publishers acknowledge they'll attend the show being held Oct. 3-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Microsoft, along with numerous other heavyweights including Sony, Capcom, and Sega, balked at last year's E for All, leaving Nintendo and a handful of others to show off their wares to those who could trouble themselves long enough to attend. Now, after turning its back on IDG's 'not-quite-E3' public gathering in 2007, Microsoft has had a change of heart, throwing its considerable weight behind this year's edition as the event's first confirmed exhibitor.

IDG CEO Mary Dolaher noted in a statement that the organizer is "thrilled" to have Microsoft on board, and that it looks for the company's presence at the show to help improve upon the previous year's "great success." Even so, one exhibitor does not a great convention make, and while Dolaher notes that more participants will be revealed in the weeks ahead, it remains to be seen what other companies will join Microsoft around the E for All campfire this October 3-5.

Joystiq has just confirmed that this year's E for All expo will be held October 3 to October 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Previously IDG World Expo, the company behind E for All, said the event would be held Aug. 28-30, which would have put it in direct competition with the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. Now, the company says it's excited to hold the event in October again following the "great success" and feedback from exhibitors last year.

The event's scheduling seems to be a twofer for IDG as the expo company is holding its GreenXchange environmental event at the LACC from October 1 to October 3. More information will be forthcoming, but organizers say to expect a show similar to last year.

Imagine our absolute panic and horror this morning when we checked the news wires to discover that E3 -- yes, the E3 -- was going on this week! No flights scheduled, no hotels booked and we didn't even send Ludwig to the doctor for his dry-wit injection this week -- wait, we didn't even get our invitations to the event! Thankfully, after reading through the first couple paragraphs we discovered that there was just some horrible computer error and there actually is no E3 this week ... we think. They could be hiding it.

In related news, IDG World Expo, the organizers of the E for All event, say that 18,000 attended the inaugural show. Maybe they'll be able to up those numbers by getting Sony and Microsoft to attend when they hold E for All again (yup, it's already planned) much earlier next year at the LA Convention Center from Aug. 28 -30. Anybody who actually attended the event want to chime in on how it went?

Read: E3 video game trade show in radical downsizing
Read: 18,000 Attend E for All

You've heard our initial thoughts on E for All, but as day two starts we thought we'd gather up some early impressions of the show from other outlets and slap them together in a classic metareview. We'll probably end up doing another one of these at the end of the show if enough outlets do wrap-up impressions. Just to be clear, these are initial impressions and do not convey what can or will happen with the E for All show over the weekend (when there's gotta be more people going). Check out the shot of the LA Convention Center lobby from E3 2006 after the break for a comparison to the E for All one above.

• Macworld: "Some industry veterans who arrived on Thursday were a bit disappointed by what they saw. E3 veterans are accustomed to seeing every square inch of the mammoth convention center overflowing with game content. That's not the case with the new E for All show, as it only occupies the center's still-cavernous South Hall. But still, visitors were upbeat about getting their hands on the latest games and gaming technology, and vendors were anxiously anticipating a steadily increasing stream of foot traffic throughout the next few days."
• NextGen: "On a preliminary basis, the show does seem to suffer from the fact that Sony and Microsoft aren't present-maybe next year. Not having several of the big third-party publishers present as exhibitors also brings down the energy level a bit, perhaps more so than we expected now that we're actually on the show floor."
• Game|Life: "E for All is a ghost town, right now. I was talking with the Nintendo guys about how nice it is to be able to actually swing your arms and not hit other people. But that's because the show floor is small and attendance is smaller. There are maybe a few thousand people in South Hall, spread wide out across the thin showing of booths. ... To be fair, the show's currently only open to pre-registered attendees. And it's a Thursday. Hopefully things will improve for this show closer to the weekend, or once they let in people off the street at 3 PM. But right now, wow. It's pretty sparse."
• Kotaku: "Around 3 PM, when those who hadn't pre-registered for the event were permitted to enter, crowds grew by about a third, but there was virtually no waiting to get on most games. ... Granted, it's Thursday, and many of the gamers who might be interested in hitting up E For All may not be able to make it down until the weekend, but first impressions of public interest in the event isn't fantastic. We could very well be looking at the first, and the last, E For All Expo. No one will mistake this event for the 'new E3.'"

Since we were running from appointment to appointment, we didn't have much time to shoot video, although be sure and check out our 200+ image (and growing) E For All gallery for your edutainment.

What video we did manage to shoot and cram into iMovie and then upload hastily to Viddler is here, also for your edutainment. As you can see, Rock Band and Guitar Hero III were popular stops, and Namco's Pac-Man heads were a hot commodity. There's a bit of Super Smash Bros. Brawl tossed in, although a Nintendo-bot came over and told us that we couldn't film the gameplay footage since, "The game isn't out yet." Strange, but we sort of thought that was the idea behind showing it off at E For All. Anyhow, she let us keep what we filmed, and then went off after another amateur cameraman.

We'll be bringing you more from the floor today and through the weekend, including more impressions of MGS4, some interviews, and more hands-on than you can shake a Wiimote at. If there's something you've heard about at the show that you want captured on video or with some photos, let us know ... just please don't make us document the selection in the food court. We beg of you.

So, we came, we saw, and we'll be back for more throughout Friday and the weekend, but the big question you all wanna know is ... will there be an E For All 2008? Signs point to "not very likely." Judging by some of the empty rows of gaming stations we saw, and the fact that it doesn't fill the South Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center, it's hard to imagine this show being a giant success.

In fact, since it's held in the exact same place that E3 used to be, it's impossible not to compare it to the other shows. In fact it sort of feels like E3 reborn, except that they forgot to send out invites and let people know about it. There were a few busy areas, like the Konami booth which had a line of people all day long waiting to play the MGS4 demo (which was sweet, more on that later), and the Nintendo booth had bleachers set up where people patiently waited to get their hand on Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which was also sweet. If by sweet you mean button-mashy, which we do.

Also popular was Link's Crossbow Training, which we'll be playing tomorrow, and of course, Guitar Hero 3. We also witnessed several people pulling Peter Moore's at the Rock Band trailer, which was an extremely cool setup ... but sort of sparsely attended. Probably due to the fact that no one really wants to hear perfect strangers butchering The Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go."

While there's not a ton of material out there that hasn't already hit the shelves, we did have fun playing around at the EA booth (we still love you, The Orange Box), and Civiization: Revolution is a lot of fun, which we'll be telling you more about soon. For now, the obligatory Guitar Hero III stations, the elaborate Rock Band stages, the ubiquitous cosplay shots and an overdose of Fatal1ty await you in the gallery.

This holiday Target stores will stock a special edition of Guitar Hero III for PS2 which includes two specially designed SG wired guitars for $110. Cutting to the chase, this means the extra guitar is $30, saving you $10 off the guitar's normal $40 price. Considering co-op and competition seem to be a focus in this latest Guitar Hero, the bundle doesn't seem like a bad deal for those who don't already have a guitar sitting around. There is no announcement about a Wii, PS3 or Xbox 360 bundle, but each of those systems should have online options to find another player -- with varying degrees of success.

Target is also sponsoring a Guitar Hero competition at E for All this week. We contacted the PR reps for the event and the bundle won't be a prize at the competition. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock hits store shelves on Oct. 28.

[Via Press Release]

Don't feel empty and unfulfilled any longer. The E for All Expo, organized by IDG World Expo (MacWorld Expo) and completely unrelated to an illegal substance that makes people worship glowsticks, kicks off today. VIP access began at 11:00 am PT while general admission guests can peruse the show floor starting at 3:00 pm PT (that's 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm ET, respectively).

Those in the Los Angeles area can attend the E for All Expo at the LA Convention Center, former home to the E3 Expo. On-site registration costs $50 to $90, but you do get to try out Smash Bros. Brawl and Metal Gear Solid 4. Joystiq has sent operatives to infiltrate the show floor, we'll report our findings.

For those still attending E for All, y'all might as well make the best of it and win some prizes at the Guitar Hero event/competition sponsored by Target. The event will be held during E for All in the South Hall at the LA Convention Center, which we're guessing means you have to purchase an E for All ticket to enter the competition.

Judging will be based on scoring, accuracy and performance. So even if you aren't the most proficient Guitar Hero player, if you put on a good show you may still win something. You're also allowed to bring your own guitar. Winners will receive "$3,000 in cash and Target gift cards." The press release says there will be "celebrity judges," but for all we know that could mean Charo. Actually, Charo would be awesome!

[Via Press Release]

Are you a complete and utter failure? Do you find yourself staring into the distance, sighing into the echoing caverns of your life? Is your sad existence often accompanied by music from an equally sad piano? Are you just about ready to type "quit" into the command prompt of life? If you answered positively to any of the above questions, you're much better off than the people in this video. They're likely too ensnared by regret and ineptitude to even muster any sort of response.

These men, women and curly-haired nerds will be off attending the E for All Expo from Oct. 18 to Oct. 21, where they'll "power up and play" and experience the "cutting edge of the video gaming world" -- provided they don't use it to cut their wrists. Judging by the exciting games montage, they can look forward to playing World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero and some racing game that's probably been out for months. As if that wasn't enough, the show's exhibitor list also promises encounters with the 5-Hour Energy booth and (OMG) Fatal1ty!

See you there!

Following yesterday's report by FiringSquad that EA appears to be out of E for All -- essentially turning the event into Nintendo-Con '08 -- the company behind the show went on the defense saying that EA would still be attending. Mary Dolaher, CEO of IDG World Expo, spoke to GameDaily BIZ saying, "They have booth space that they purchased in front of South Hall. They are in the show. We have the signed contract, they plan to be there and we're working with them on their designs and what will be displayed and the products shown." So, why did the press release stating their attendance and logos get pulled from the E for All site? Dolaher blames EA's lawyers, saying that they were being picky on where the EA name and logo could be used, whether it's a "billboard or a bus wrap or whatever the case may be."

As for Microsoft and Sony being out of the show, Dolaher even says that isn't so true. In a separate interview with Next-Gen she says, "Just because a company is not on our website [as an exhibitor] doesn't mean that there may not be other ways that their products are represented beyond the traditional booth." Microsoft is a sponsor of the World Series of Video Games being held there and they're trying to get PSP and PS3 kiosks for the show from Sony. Activision will also have a Guitar Hero Gamers Stage despite not being an exhibitor. Well, it took long enough for IDG to start damage control on these developing E for All issues.

Read: E for All CEO confirms EA still attending
Read: IDG Talks Who's In, Who's Out

FiringSquad is reporting that Electronic Arts may have pulled out of the inaugural E for All Expo. If true, this does not bode well for the fledgling expo intended to be a consumer replacement for E3. Sony and Microsoft have already said they will not attend the event. Nintendo is currently the only major confirmation and the industry PR rumor-mill has it that involved something other than Nintendo's enthusiastic wish to attend.

FiringSquad noticed that the EA exhibitor announcement has been removed from the E for All Expo webiste, also the revolving list of company logos on the site no longer features EA. Currently the list of those not attending the event is a who's who of the industry beyond the big three, including Activision, Capcom, NCSoft, Sega, Midway and others. Looks like E for All may need to be renamed Nintendo-Con '08.

Update: IDG, the company behind E for All, contacted FiringSquad to say that EA will still be attending. Their statement reads in part, "IDG World Expo would like to confirm that (Electronic Arts) is participating in this year's event." FiringSquad has yet to hear back from EA and there was no explanation as to why EA was removed from the expo's promotion website.

GameIndustry.biz has apparently confirmed that Microsoft will not be attending the E for All expo in LA at the end of October. Microsoft joins Sony now in ignoring the event organized by IDG World Expo, which was intended as a consumer-based replacement for E3. Sega, Capcom, SOE and Midway (who probably couldn't afford it anyway) will also not be attending.

On the bright side of things, Nintendo and Electronic Arts have confirmed their attendance. They'll be joined by Konami, THQ, Namco Bandai and others. With Microsoft and Sony's non-attendance, this event would have been a total bust without Nintendo. Makes you wonder what it took for them to be an anchor? We're not saying anything, we're just asking.