Going into the inaugural E For All, I really didn't know what to expect. If this were another mid-May E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, I would have been preparing to go to war against the throngs of people who managed to make their way into the "private" show. Then again, E For All wasn't a free event, nor was it scheduled at the most optimal time. This showed during the weekdays.

Big on the outside, not so big on the inside.

On Thursday, the early hours were reserved for those who had pre-registered. This included media as well as the common folks who plunked down $90 to gain access to all four days of the event. When we arrived about an hour before the doors were opened, there was a two-tailed line of about 700 or 800 people. By the time they let everyone loose, that number had only grown to 1000. A lot of people, yes, but I remember the lines for the opening of E3 to be a lot deeper and thicker.

When we stepped inside the South Hall, we saw Nintendo, Konami, and Electronic Arts stationed at the entrance, with THQ positioned behind Nintendo, right next to the Smash Bros. Brawl grandstand. At first glance it seemed like a pretty well-stocked show floor, but upon further investigation, the only things on the outskirts that were worth anything were the Rock Band tractor-trailer, several Guitar Hero III stations in the Target booth, and Namco's mobile gaming setup. Empty space dominated the minor booths. Even the grandest thing in the hall, the Major League Gaming competition stage, was essentially a ghost town for the duration of the four-day show.

What's more, the entire show only took up half of the South Hall. E3 had grown to the point where it took over the entire convention center. E For All was running concurrently with another, unrelated event taking place there. It was a little surreal seeing a giant tent advertising home real estate ventures where Nintendo's booth used to be. It was also a bit sad to see Kentia Hall, the sideshow of E3 past, locked up tight.

Being a new show, not everything went smoothly. The ESBR (erm, ESRB) signs were wonky (but quickly fixed) and the over-expectation of attendance left a large excess of badge holders that were left for exiting attendees to swag grab.

Immediately, we realized that people who bought a four-day pass had to feel a little screwed. The show was so small that someone could have played everything there in a day, and done everything there is to do there by the end of the second day. Saturday turned out to be the busiest day of the show, because by Sunday most of the people who had bought a four-day pass had vamoosed. I asked a lot of people who paid for the full ride what they thought of the show, and the majority said they felt there should have been more there, or that the show should have only been three days long. Despite that, they enjoyed themselves. The two-day pass people thought it was a good deal, of course, and coming for only two of the four days turned out to be the better option. People didn't know that coming in, unfortunately.

Despite the relatively small turnout, big lines formed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl (left) and EA's Rock Band.

The game companies that decided to come to the show all thought it was a great success. Even the tiny vendors that lined the outer perimeter said they'd likely be back next year, even if the big games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Super Mario Galaxy, and Brawl were keeping all the attendees in lines. The big boys thought that when people got to play games directly (and thereby circumventing the media; clever!), they'd want to go out and buy them. I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment, considering that there are at least five games I was not interested in playing before the show that I now need to put on my to-buy list. And not all of them were published by Nintendo, either.

The show wasn't just for the hardcore gaming nerd. Here, a family tests out some of the Wii Zapper games in Nintendo's booth.

Even though Sony and Microsoft were no-shows, and even though the scheduled events were lackluster, in the end, the inaugural E For All was a complete success, in my opinion. I think IDG (the event organizer) was a bit too lofty with its expectations for the show, but when all was said and done, IDG had to be pleased. 16,000 people over four days (or so it claims) is quite good for a maiden voyage, especially one that was poorly promoted. The allure of playing big games before they come out is something the Average Joe loves—why else would we all go crazy for pre-release game demos and betas?—and the game companies want to capitalize on this new way to promote their games. Events like E For All, PAX, and the new Comic-Con are spearheading this movement toward gaming for the people, and I welcome them.

E For All, then, has the first show under its belt and will be looking to improve for its second attempt next year. There's a problem, though: PAX and E For All are scheduled for the same weekend. Having three gaming conventions on the west coast is one thing, but two at the same time? It should be interesting.