For some reason, game companies love The Clift hotel in San Francisco. When it came time for Microsoft to let game writers review Halo 2, it rented out a huge suite at the Clift, set up comfy chairs and let people play the game for three days straight. Electronic Arts and Activision routinely use the hotel for parties, and when Fable creator Peter Molyneux gave post-GDC talks last year, he did it at the Clift.
Bryan Intihar, longtime editor for the iconic game magazine EGM, says, "[The Clift is] like the Studio 54 of the gaming biz... but without the hookers and sex." And, bless his heart, he's dead-on with his assessment.
Today, Rockstar Games and 2K Games both showed up at the Clift. Rockstar was showing off Manhunt 2 on the PlayStation 2. 2K Games brought The Darkness. And, as any lazy game writer knows, it's good not to move so much; today was a blessing.
Now this is just a random musing, but there's really nothing special about the Clift. It's sort of located in a run-down area of San Francisco. It's certainly not centrally located. It has its charms, of course, but so do a lot of other places. So I am thinking there must be one thing, and one thing only, that attracts everyone to The Clift. Head past the jump to see what it is.
