I was there for the death and I've now been there for the rebirth, as E3 has come and gone again, and with this year's show over things are never going to be the same again…and that won't be so bad with a little tweaking, as the new format for the number one videogame industry trade show was vastly improved over its previously flawed last year incarnation. So why was this year so much better than past ones?

The changing of E3 was a signal to many as the trade's destruction, which was always like a holiday for all gamers everywhere. For media it was the chance to see games early and write about them for publication. Over the years though, true media was replaced with rabid fanboys who threw a site together, applied, and poof they were at E3. It was more difficult to get an invite this year, as we here had to really push to finally get me one, but I finally got one and that anger subsided quickly. I'm sure a lot of true media outlets didn't get through, but it stopped the fanboys, and for that I am simply thrilled, as this E3 was infinitely better than last year in almost every regard.

Changed to Santa Monica instead of LA strictly as years past, the location was better suited for an easygoing and soothing time, as the weather was pretty nice (never getting overly hot except one last day), with a spectacular view of the ocean and beach while walking to appointments. The only gripe I had (as well as many others people who attended) about this year's E3 was that the hotels where the real meetings were taking place were sometimes spread too far apart, not letting you schedule appointments too closely or risk running late for one. Still, things were so natural and laid back that even if you were late, the companies usually snuck you in as soon as possible.

The organizers did a pretty job though with the shuttle system, which had regular shuttles going to Barker Hanger and to all the major hotels where companies were staying with their products. It wasn't a flawless method, but it worked fairly well considering the situation.

Most of the games were played for us, cause obviously we don't know the controls and they do, but it was no biggie since it was then easy to suck in all the game elements and take notes for previews and other article purposes. The hotel rooms gave ample space, and there was much free food and various drinks to be had as well. The hotel system should be expanded, such as just renting out two or three whole hotels next to each other (or at least extremely close), and have people just travel around appointments that way, going up or down a level, or moving to a nearby hotel when it called for it.

One thing we really hated about the last E3 was all the bells, whistles, and exceedingly loud noise, making it often hard to hear what the person talking about the games they were showing off were even talking about or referring to. The closest thing to the showfloor of previous years was Barker Hanger, which was pulled off really well, as there was a bunch of new games to play, and you never had to wait really long for some hands-on play, and you generally got in ample playing time for a good feel of the game instead of a few scattered seconds or a mere minute or two.

Tweak the hotel system and change up things a bit (not too much), because though many considered this potentially the last one, if what we saw was any indicator, it would really be a shame, as this was the best one I've been to and am already hoping to see an invitation to next year's, as it was fun seeing the games, meeting new people, and building game company relationships that will hopefully give Killer Betties readers a lot to look forward to coming down the way. The phoenix has risen anew, and its name is E3.