Tonight, as Microsoft packed the press into a small arena for an exclusive Project Natal Kinect show, Sony was throwing its own party. A more... open party. The PlayStation Blog went big this year, bringing hundreds of fans into their event with promises of guests, prizes, and a good amount of swag. They did not disappoint.

Fans were treated to signed Kevin Butler posters when they arrived, and raffle tickets were handed out for mysterious prizes. After some mingling, drinking, and "SONY! SONY! SONY!" chants, the head of the PlayStation Blog, Jeff Rubenstein, took the stage, introducing the surprise guest: Hideo Kojima.

A handful of guests were rewarded with signed PSP Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker bundles, while others walked away with copies of the Uncharted 2 art book signed by the entire team. The biggest gifts, however, were given to the first few hundred people at the event. 200 fans who lined up hours in advance were given passes to attend Sony's E3 Press Conference on Tuesday, while the first 150 were given an even more impressive prize: full access to the show floor for the entirety of E3. This is 50 more than the PlayStation Blog gave out last year; opening up E3 to their fans in a bigger way than any other company has since the event went exclusive years ago.

With E3 becoming more accessible every year, it seems like it's only a matter of time before it opens up to the public in some way, even if it's still more limited than it was in the past. Either way, we'd like to thank Sony for hosting the fantastic event, and we look forward to more news coming out of E3 in the coming days. A few more images are below.