On June 9, 2013 by Jason Rechtman, Angel Salado, and Kevin Gomez

Los Angeles has been invaded. Not be martians, not by a foreign army, but by video games. Yes, it’s once again time for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, and that means the city will be completely engulfed by the video game industry in a few short days. E3 2013 officially kicks off on Tuesday, but a visit to Downtown LA can give you a taste of what’s in store for gaming’s biggest expo. We took a trip to the area known as LA Live – comprised of the Convention Center, Staples Center, and Nokia Theater – to bring you a look at the giant banners, painted staircases, and Nintendo-branded SUVs that will greet over 40,000 E3 attendees later this week.

Traditionally, Nintendo itself is light on advertising and this year is no exception. While there are no first-party game banners hung around the Convention Center, a number of interesting third-party titles are being featured. These include Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, Disney Infinity, and Sonic Lost World. One particular game of note, while not confirmed for Nintendo platforms just yet, is Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time. PopCap set up a large display in the center of the South Hall lobby for the game, which also includes signage for a not-yet-announced spin-off titled Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. Outside of the Convention Center grounds, Square Enix has given its upcoming games extra attention by sponsoring E3 lamppost banners hung all around LA.

Of course, E3 is more than just an influx in advertisements. Everywhere you turn, there’s something video game related. The bars and clubs of Los Angeles are taken over for big parties, the Legend of Zelda Symphony will be in town for a special performance, and you never who you may bump into just walking around. Case in point, when we visited LA Live for this article, we had a run-in with Nintendo’s own Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata, and Reggie Fils-Aime. We unfortunately weren’t able to get a photo of all three of them (who knew they were such good power-walkers?), but we were able to pull Reggie aside for a quick photo, which you can find under our gallery.

E3 is an exciting time for gamers everywhere, but especially for those of us in Los Angeles. It’s always fun to see your city taken over by the hobby you love. Below, check out thirty exclusive photos of the video game invasion, and be sure to check back on Wednesday, June 12 for a special E3 episode of our podcast!