Howdy fellow Unity members. I hope you are well and are eager to see what Capcom has in store for us at the 2009 E3. Things should be great. I have had the good fortune of attending the show a few times in the past decade. I have to admit that the Capcom of today certainly feels a lot different than the Capcom back then. A decade ago their web presence was a little cold and sterile. It doesn't compare at all to the Unity site we know and love. The staffers are really going out of their way to make the community feel welcome and giving us updates from behind the scenes as much as they are participating within the forums here, abroad or sharing links from outside the community as well. S-kill, Kramez, Sven, Snow, Deezie and the rest of the people behind the scenes are going above and beyond. Be it Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Flock or Bionic Commando... every game in the Capcom stable gets some shine. Plus each and every member gets to vote on titles and participate in special events. 

10 years ago was my first E3 experience. It was surreal. According to many insiders the 1999 E3 was the biggest and best show ever held in the LA Convention Center. However Capcom's showings there used to be anything but welcoming, kiosks set up for demo games and a video running on loop. Unless you were media with an appointment then you couldn't get any info from the staffers. Sort of how every other publisher treated (and still treat!) many of the attendees at conventions. The fan participation used to be rather demeaning at the Capcom booth. A DJ/emcee would show up and stir the crowd into a frenzy making them yell and act like fools for a tee shirt or a sticker, sometimes being very condescending to the fans. My friends and I wondered what type of message Capcom was sending to its customers as we passed by, listening to the host heckle the crowd. A few other developers would create spectacles like this at the event but most were rather low key and friendly. For a while that's how Capcom's presence used to be at the E3. Thankfully times changed and we have a new approach and new people running things.

Capcom-Unity is a grassroots marketing campaign. Let's not try and sugar coat the purpose of most community sites. They exist to corral consumers and get them to identify with the brand or message. It's not the product as much as the people that brought me to Unity and places like 1UP. We all share common experiences and common games, its our stories that are extraordinary. For the first time in a long time a publisher was willing to invest some resources and build a place for like-minded fans to assemble and share their art, recordings or thoughts on forums and blogs. When the conventions began they invited fans to attend, participate and ask questions of staff and guests, the velvet rope that used to separate press and consumers had been taken down. That little bit of recognition did far for more the name of Capcom than any E3 or Tokyo Game Showing in the early 2000's. Can you name any other publisher that has been as welcoming to the fans? For this I am grateful to be a member on Unity. 

The site might not be around forever so we should appreciate it while we have it. Let's also take a moment to congratulate everyone at Capcom for the outstanding job they have done on Unity and with the games themselves. A whole lot has changed in a couple of years. The future is looking very good indeed and for a change I look forward to seeing what Capcom has to show at the E3. 

There are many things I take for granted. I should be more thankful for my family and friends, they are my foundation and should hear it from me more often. Even though I live in Southern California, the hub of gaming, when a gaming show passes through I don't expect to get in. If not for small miracles then I'd never get into the E3. My friend was able to secure a pass for me so that I could attend. Rather than take the ticket of another Unity member I asked if I could crash the party. Capcom said yes.  

I feel like the luckiest guy on Earth and don't take any of this for granted. I promise to take pics and video for the Unity members that couldn't make it and hope you'd do the same for me some day soon.