By Jennifer Tan AKA Mrs Fett
It’s the dream every real gamer chases. An all-access, VIP pass to an extravagant gaming release party. Not only was I able to live this dream, but it happened to be the release party of the next generation of gaming. The Xbox One, midnight launch at Milk Studios in Los Angeles CA.
As I drove up, I was overwhelmed with anticipation and excitement. Spot lights, demo units, featuring Forza, Fatal Instinct, and Ryse to name a few, and a glowing green carpet, where every A-List star, showed their love for Xbox. And yes, I walked the green carpet as well! I had my very own GAEMS Vanguard in hand of course.
The music was loud, the games were crystal clear, and the bar was open! The perfect atmosphere to socialize, and meet everyone I could possibly come in contact with. Seth Green, Jimmy Wong, and Harley Morenstein, made it to my list of highlights for the night.
But this was not an invite exclusive event. Those loyal to their Xbox, lined up hours before sales started at 10am for pre-orders. The first 500 who bought their console, or an Xbox One title that morning, scored their very own ticket to the midnight launch, and an exclusive concert featuring the Canadian electronica sensation, Deadmau5. And he did not disappoint. I never understood the significance of, “drop the bass” mostly because I do not party. That night, I realized exactly, what that meant, as the room vibrated with every move of the music. His custom mouse head glowed Xbox green, with the signature “x” from the power button in his eyes. Perfectly themed, and exactly what was needed to raise the energy of the party. The main stage was host to the lucky 500 invited, while VIP saw the show on a projected screen above a few very expensive cars from Forza.
Of course there was swag; including leather bound Forza notebooks, t-shirts and hoodies, 6 months of Xbox Live, free games, and light up boom sticks. I only went home one of the boom sticks, since I happily gave the other to Ryan Cartwright, star of Alphas, and an all-around sweetheart.
As Best Buy rang up pre-sales, and prepared to release the console at midnight, Ming and I took our leave. Beating traffic, and getting a good night’s sleep to prepare for the 5th anniversary of Long Beach Comic Con. More on that next week!
