A few thoughts on E3, Rockstar's latest, and Punch-Out!! as I browse Bitmob while prepping a bigger story for tomorrow:

1. I can't wait for E3: A lot of people in the gaming press will tell you they dread this conference. They already know everything that's being shown, they have to work nonstop, it smells bad, and their poor feet hurt. All valid points, sure. But due to the setup at EGM/1UP the past few years, I haven't gone to the past couple E3s (I was helping run the "home team") -- and I kinda miss it. It is a spectacle, it is important to the industry, and I'm sure I'll see a lot of things I didn't know were coming. In other words: Bring it on.
2. When news broke about GTA4: The Ballad of Gay Tony, I was all ready to write a quick piece on it. Then Shoe was all like, "Guys, I'm gonna write up a story about this." The nerve. Anyway, he has a FAB-u-LOUS write-up here, and I have a few more thoughts on the subject.
   
   Though I'm not certain on all the details, I remember listening to a recent episode of Rebel FM, and the guys read a letter asking about when they thought a company would release a major game featuring a gay lead. My thoughts immediately went to Rockstar, and that's one of the conclusions they had on the podcast as well. I believe they even said a GTA4 downloadable episode would be perfect for it. And here we go. Nice call, guys.
   
   And good by Rockstar, one of the few developers that would have the balls to do something like this. They'll get a lot of flack for it, inevitably, but they don't let that stop them from moving forward. Some may argue they're doing it just for the attention; I'd say they're making the games they want to make, as the quality of most of their controversial games attest (see: Bully, Grand Theft Auto 4; don't see: Manhunt 2). Regardless, I'm looking forward to this one...and it reminds me that I still have to finish The Lost & Damned!
3. Punch-Out!!: Boy, did I get screwed on this one. I got a sweet deal on Amazon for the game ($40), and to keep the sweetness flowing, I went for the free-shipping option. Of course, that pushed the ship day way back, meaning I'm still waiting for the game while everyone else is blogging like mad about it. Bleh. I just want to play the game already. I feel like I'm the only one not invited to the party!