God of War III is almost here. To celebrate the launch of the PS3 exclusive, Sony and the PlayStation Blog put on a pre-release party in San Francisco during the Game Developers Conference. Not only were we there, but so was most of the top developers of the game as well as MTV, and G4TV.
Gamers started lining up at 5 AM (yes, 5 AM), and the tent flap to the pre-party tent didn’t even open until after 1 PM. The PlayStation Blog crew was nice enough to feed the hungry masses burritos and chips and also provided plenty of drinks and free wi-fi while they waited.
The pre-party tent was set-up with eight 42″ HDTV’s and each one included a PS3, a copy of The God of War Collection, and several bean bags to sit on to keep the gamers occupied and comfortable.
When entering the tent, everyone was given a number that was used for a raffle for games like Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition, MLB 10: The Show (PSP) and Infamous, as well as Kratos’ masks, and God of War III t-shirts.
In addition to the raffle, anyone who brought their PSP with them was given a copy of “Chains of Olympus” and PSPgo owners were given voucher codes for redemption as well, so early adopters were not ignored (Thank You Jeff!).
There is a new member that has recently been added to the PS Blog team and he will be formally introduced on the PS Blog in the upcoming weeks.
At 4 PM, everyone gathered around one of the TV’s and Sony’s press conference was streamed through a PS3. PlayStation Move became a quick topic of discussion.
Not long after the press conference, the developers for the God of War series joined the pre-party for an autograph session. A copy of the art book that will accompany the GoW III Ultimate Edition was given to all in attendance.
The developers were more than happy to oblige their fans by signing anything put in front of them. Posters were also supplied by Sony for any fan that wanted one.
There was also a PS3 “Challenge of the Titans” competition with the top prize being The Ultimate Edition of God of War III.
The challenge came from God of War II and the winner was the person that could remove the eye out of the Cyclops the fastest. Everyone had a chance to practice before the actual competition began, but it would seem that the top competitors didn’t need much practice since their times were 18 seconds, 17 seconds, and the fastest time of all, an unbelievable 16 seconds which was recorded by Babak Haghigi (PSN ID: FrosbforHoes).
As the pre-party started wrapping up, and our God of War III event time was about to begin, everyone was encouraged to find their inner “Ghost of Sparta” and pose for a group photo.
With the pre-party over, everyone was taken around to the main event building and greeted by Kratos himself.
The event room had approximately twenty HDTV’s set up with God of War III awaiting us, along with an open bar and plenty of hors d’oeuvres as well as cookies, brownies, and cupcakes.
There was also a live band (Metric), followed by a live DJ.
The event was attended by anyone and everyone from around the gaming world, including Jack Tretton (President and C.E.O. of S.C.E.A.), Stig Ausmussen, Adam Sessler, and many more. MTV and G4 were both on hand with film crews.
The God of War III event was more than anyone could have expected. The pre-party, coupled with the main event, made for not only an incredible day, but an incredible night as well. Many thanks goes out to Sony, the crew from the PS Blog, the indie band Metric, and all of those who worked on this event and made it as great as it was.
If you were to rate this event as you would rate a video game, it would clearly be a perfect score and earn Event of the Year!
Check out the entire image gallery below:
