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In this photo provided by Target, Freddie Wong, 22, from Seattle performs during the Guitar Hero II video game contest presented by Target at the E for All Expo on Sat, Oct. 20, 2007 in Los Angeles. Wong was the second place winner and was awarded $1500.00 cash and a Target gift card. The expo is the first electronic gaming show for the general public (AP photo/Target, Bob Riha, Jr.)

For three days, Pac-Man, booth babes, wannabe rock stars and 18,000 hard core gamers made their way through the Los Angeles Convention Center for the first Entertainment for All Expo, a gaming mecca that was said to be the next E3.

From October 18 through the 21st, the convention center was the place to be as gamers tried out the latest in gaming technology from more than 70 exhibitors including Nintendo, EA, Konami, Namco and more.

I went on this adventure along with three other University of Illinois students compliments of our LIS: 390 Video Game Design class. We spent three days in the South Hall of the convention center, smack in the middle of the action surviving on the 5-Hour Energy drinks handed out at one of the booths.

By far, the most popular exhibitor award would have to go to Nintendo. There was a counter with DS systems set up for play and what appeared to be a shooting range as gamers shot at televisions with the light gun peripheral for the Wii.

Bleachers were set up and long lines were forming around the area so fans could catch a glimpse of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the next installment of the popular series for the Nintendo Wii. Some were even lucky enough to play the game for the first time in a tournament. If that wasn’t enough, players got free Wii shirts for doing so. It is the first time the game was available for play by the public. As for everyone else, you won’t be getting your hands on this one until Feb. 2008.

Brawl features classic Gamecube controls, the ability to make your own stages, online gaming modes and new characters. It was definitely well-received and the energy of the crowd said it all. Gamers would play their turn and hop back in line for more. They watched others play and shouted from the stands.

This is definitely a title to look out for.

Another point of interest was the Rock Band stage. There was no ignoring it. It was set up as an actual stage with guitar, microphone and drum peripherals connected to screens. Gamers had the opportunity to hop on stage and live out their rock star fantasy—minus the groupies.

The game brought to you by Harmonix, EA and MTV will not be interrupted with horrible reality shows. It is an immersive video game experience, which seems to take a cue from the success of the Guitar Hero series as you simulate a rock band by hitting notes onscreen.

The set list for the game is incredible, but for the sake of the Expo, only a few were allowed for game play. “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden was a fan favorite, but by the end of the night, if you didn’t already know the lyrics, you eventually did.

Vocalists stepped on stage and said something along the lines of “How you feeling LA?! Here we go, Black Hole Sun!” Followed by a series of groans by neighboring exhibitors.

The number of licensed tracks is astounding and you can rock out to songs by artists such as Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Garbage, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and Weezer. Downloadable songs will be available as well on next-gen consoles.

The game will be packaged with the microphone, drums and guitar for about $170. A little pricey, but if you have the cash to spend, it is well worth the investment.

Rock Band is set to release at the end of this year.

Speaking of rock star status, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was available for play with a few songs on the demo. This part of the E For All floor had people of all ages giving the game a test run, some on easy mode, others nailing expert mode. This and a series of competitions hosted by different exhibitors was the talk of the event and now you can give the game a go since it was released this past week.

The core game play of the rhythm title has remained intact with the addition of extra game play modes and a fresh track list. If you’ve never played Guitar Hero before, well, shame on you. It is never too late to jump in.

Even though E For All was not nearly as big as E3, it still had a lot to offer. It would have been nice to see Sony and Microsoft present just to see what they would have to offer to a consumer-oriented expo. As an expo neophyte, E For All still put on a pretty good show. It will be interesting to see where it will go in the next few years.

The next E For All is set for August 2008. See you in California.