SEGA - E3 2000

Coming to E3, I really thought Sony was going to be the dominant party.  I had been hearing about PSX 2 hype for months and months, and when the bell tolled, the winner was Sega, by a large margin too!  It was difficult for me to pick the "best of Sega", as all of their titles were rock solid and looking fine.  The PSX 2 was pretty much on par with the Sega Dreamcast, with the possible exception of Metal Gear Solid 2, but time will tell that story.  In addition to the games listed below, Sega had other solid looking games that certain gamers will love, including D2, which is a horror adventure.  Echo the Dolphin was there, Quake 3, and a unique game called Samba De Amigo, which is a game that uses maracas as a controller.  I was very surprised to see Sega make such a good showing this year.  With a built in modem, and several games that will be supporting it (plus an announced $50 rebate), there are many reasons for gamers to get a Dreamcast.  Some third party developers like Konami and SquareSoft had better reevaluate their commitments to Sony, as Sega is where it is at for the time being.

Virtua Tennis - I never thought I would be showcasing a tennis game as 'top notch', but the new millennium brought us some fabulous sports games.  Virtua Tennis really isn't that complicated... your controls are for placement of your player and the two buttons you use are for 'hard hit' and 'lob'.  The characters and court are 3D rendered and the game simply looks beautiful.  Excellent use of motion blur on the ball makes it look realistic.  The five machines Sega had were always full and the crowd seemed to agree with me that this game was excellent!

Space Channel 5 - Dancing titles are not exactly new to video games consoles, but Space Channel 5 makes it more interesting by adding a sort of quest to the genre.  You must out dance the alien invaders to 'beat' the game.  You control "Uhlala", the sexy  lead character who dances her way to victory.  At first the game seems difficult to pick up, but if you let yourself feel the rhythm of the music and listen carefully to the directions, you'll pick it up fast.  The live Space Channel 5 dancers were a big hit at Sega's booth.

NFL 2k1 - The title sounds like a computer abbreviation, but NFL (National Football League) 2K1 (year 2001) is only an update to last years title, but don't let that fool you.  It is still the best football game out there.  Madden 2001 is the only title that comes close, and it only does so because it copies a lot of features that were first shown in NFL2K (original).  The players look slightly better, and there are more plays to pick from.  Best yet, you will be able to use your modem to call a friend directly or to connect online to find opponents.  Let's see you do that on the PSX 2 !!!!

Seaman - Seaman made its U.S. debut at last years E3, but I assume that getting all the English Dialog into the game takes a lot of time, so it was once again at E3.  Seaman is very odd title that may frighten small children, but when he wants to talk, it can be a lot of fun.  Seaman is like a Tamagotchi, in that you raise him and his mood and emotion are reflective of the way you treat him.  Because thousands of people ask one question and then ditch him, Seaman was not a happy camper at this years E3.  The microphone attachment and the game itself are so unique that many gamers will want to see the game for themselves.