OH, THE PURE JOYSTICKS OF IT.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio Staff Writer

It attracts thousands from all over the world. Many build their whole year around it. Some think of it as a life-changing experience.

A religious pilgrimage? Only if you count Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as your holy trinity.

Known simply as E3 to the video game-playing community, it's the closest thing to a spiritual journey the industry has. It's the kind of event where any gamer who's never been to it always asks, ``What's it like?'' with the kind of wonder usually reserved for people who've flown into space.

Starting Wednesday, legions of video-gamers will flock to the Los Angeles Convention Center to take a look at the future of the industry, including not-yet-released titles to next-generation consoles. During the three days of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, announcements will be made, and games will be played.

Just one caveat: It's a trade show, so you must register and qualify to get in.

The story of this year's show is yet to be written, but most of the buzz still focuses on the trio of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. All three are entrenched in the ``next-generation'' console discussions, and all three have questions surrounding them.

I've got a list of my own concerns, and there's a pretty good chance I'm not the only one.

In no particular order of importance, here are a few of my thoughts days before E3:

Wii are the world: There's no ``i'' in team, but there are two of them in the name of Nintendo's next-generation console, the Wii (pronounced ``we''). Depending on who you ask, this is either vintage out-of-the-box thinking from Nintendo or the latest sign of the gamemaker's insanity. Lots of people will want to get their hands on the controller, which looks more like a long DVD remote than an actual game controller. It also has motion-sensing tech, so players can actually ``swing'' a sword in a game. But there's not a lot to know about how titles for the Wii would actually look and play. Hopefully, Wii -- er, we -- will find out.

Calling the PS3: Still an enigma, Sony's vaunted next-gen system has been bathed in rumors and speculation, even long before the announcement it would be delayed until at least November. The rumor buzz covers anything from cost to actual launch date, and there haven't been any concrete answers to those rumors. Many are still looking at it as the first ``true'' next-gen system, but all the side-stepping and mystery is eating away at the edges of the PlayStation fan base. Cool demos won't cut it this time. People want answers.

Xbox 360, Act 2: Unlike the other two companies, Microsoft gets to concentrate solely on games. With the hassle of a launch more than a year old, players get to take a look at the second wave of titles for the only next-generation system available. Many were lukewarm about the 360 launch lineup, and E3 could be the time we see more of the ``killer apps'' that end up carrying a system for years. Personally, I want to see stuff like ``Gears of War,'' ``BioShock,'' ``Stranglehold'' and perhaps a peek -- a whiff -- of ``Halo 3.''

`God of War II': How do you top what lots of people see as one of the best action games ever made? At E3, we might get an answer. Will it have the buzz of greatness that surrounded its predecessor, or will it succumb to sequel-itis like so many others before it? Here's to hoping it won't be a one-hit wonder.

Superman: The haters believe the Man of Steel is destined to live the rest of his gaming life in mediocrity, but I'm willing to give him one more shot. Just one. It's made from the folks at EA Tiburon, who crafted the ``Madden'' series, and it will be interesting to see their design principles figure into how players can command Kal-El's arsenal of powers.

From the E3 exhibitor handbook: ``Material, including live models, conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative, including but not limited to nudity, partial nudity and bathing-suit bottoms, are prohibited on the show floor, all common areas, and at any access points to the show.'' This means no more of the skin-baring ``booth babes'' that used to be the stuff of legend at E3 -- perhaps the most telling sign that the industry is trying to shed the last of its dirty-boys-club image. In the past, some companies cheesed out by using the ladies to lure people into their booth to check out a game that was all kinds of awful. Not this year, apparently, and it's probably for the best.

Other tech news: You can now say the words ``Napster'' and ``free music'' in the same sentence again. A story on CNNMoney.com says the online music service will be letting listeners jam to more than 2 million songs for free, thanks to a new Web site supported by ads. However, this isn't a return to Napster's free glory days -- you can listen to the songs up to five times before you have either pay or subscribe.

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One thing video-game fans will be looking for at E3 is a tidal wave of new titles for Microsoft's Xbox 360, which has so far lacked the ``killer apps'' it needs.

John Froschauer/Associated Press