Electronic Entertainment Expo - E3 2002
Another E3 has come and gone. There were not too many surprises at the show, since the big three (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) all decided to jump the gun and discount their hardware about a week before the show. Thankfully, there were a lot of great looking games at the show, which is really what E3 is all about.
Let me start by focusing some attention on Microsoft. Let it be known that if the X-box does not become the dominant next generation system, it is simply because of biasness and preconception. A fact that industry goers all learn is that the X-box has the best hardware available. There are several games being developed for all the systems, like Gladius from Lucas Arts and Madden 03' from EA. There is a noticeable difference in graphic quality between the various systems. The X-box is typically what you want, the PS2 often shows a few flaws in regard to anti-aliasing effects (jaggies on edges of polygons) and the Gamecube is good, but not perfect. Previous flaws in the X-box included the bulky controller, but at the show floor it was evident that most developers were using the new smaller controller, which I soon realized had better button placement and a better grip overall. A few key titles should push X-box ahead of its competition, but time will tell if that actually happens. A new Metal Gear for X-box, Steel Battalions from Capcom and their unique game controller was an exclusive for X-box, Dead to Rights from Namco, Panzer Dragoon from Sega, and an enhanced version of Gladius and Madden should make X-box fans drool. The support is there, the hardware is proven, but bias and preconceptions will determine the final outcome, perhaps after the X-mas 03' season.
The PlayStation 2 was as solid as one would expect. A handful of exclusive titles like RAD from Enix, Kingdom Hearts from Square, Lord of the Rings: Twin Towers from EA, and Mortal Kombat 5 make the PS2 a very desirable system. While it is not the most advanced hardware, in today's age, that doesn't mean it still isn't great. PS2 has and will hold a key spot in this industry, making both Microsoft and Nintendo duke it out for their market share. Playstation 2 has the advantage of attracting the adult gamer market as well as the middle school kids and younger group, something X-box and Nintendo lack. The competition has one, but not the other. Fighting fans can rejoice with excellent looking Tekken 4 and a few great looking Konami titles, like Contra and Silent Hill 3.
Nintendo is a mixed bag. Other game sites will proclaim Nintendo as the messiah, but the Nintendo Gamecube often resembled an "N65" system and unfortunately a few disappointments were evident at the show. As press, we were allowed to enter the show floor early to view whatever we wanted with a one-hour timer until the rest of the E3 goons were released. I took this opportunity to check out Nintendo and see for myself how Mario, Zelda, Metroid and StarFox would all turn out. The first game I saw was Zelda. Being a long time Zelda fan I was open to the new cell shading idea and while not crazy about screen shots I had seen of the game, was willing to believe that Miyamoto had another potential gem under development. Don't believe the hype! Zelda was nothing special, and the graphics were as bad as it looks! There is a thick immature ambience to all the Nintendo games, making me feel as if maybe I was too old to be in this industry. Clearly Nintendo has scrapped their old school fans and have decided to go exclusively for the kiddie market. Mario Sunshine looked nice, but the lack of anti-aliasing anywhere was a bit annoying. This game had a strong Mario 64 flavor, but was still fun to play. Metroid was a real disappointment, just another FPS game with some slightly familiar surroundings. Surprisingly the StarFox adventure game was quite solid, combining both space flight and ground exploration in a tight nifty looking package. Overall, I was fairly disappointed by what I saw, and it was obvious that Nintendo was forced into dropping their price to $150, otherwise it would not have been money well spent. Being an ultra hardcore gamer, I might get the system for a couple games, but not as many as I had my fingers crossed for.
The PC had a few great looking titles, but you can tell that the console systems were winning the battle. PC games were not as prevalent as previous years... nothing overly
noticeable and there were certainly less things to see. another surprise was that there were no dominant genres for PC. In years past I had seen Diablo clones, Real Time Strategy games, and First Person Shooters all have there heyday, but this year there was just a little of everything. Blizzard looked strong showcasing their WarCraft games, as well as Activision with their ultra hard to see Doom III theater. Doom III has to be seen to be appreciated. Those screen shots you thought were cinematic are in game play footage... yes, it is that good! But you'll likely need some good hardware to play it on. Command and Conquer Generals looked really nice, as did a new Need for Speed Hot Pursuit game from EA. A handful of massively multiplayer games were there (who's business model I don't really support) like Lineage 2, World of WarCraft, City of Heroes (from NC Soft), Planetside from Sony (hidden from public view) and other titles from Sony and Westwood. I will say, a well developed game for the PC looks better than any console can because it is nearly double the resolution and often times nothing is better than controlling a game than by having a big clunky keyboard and a mouse sitting in front of you. One surprise was the presence of the U.S. Army at the show, showing a game that looked and played like a Rainbow Six game. The army game is going to be (get this) FREE!! and will offer squad combat that emphasizes realism with up to 64 players at once. This is all part of a Public Relations push to get gamers interested in the Army. Possibly a recruiting tool?
That wraps up another E3 in Los Angeles. It was fun to see the wrestling superstars like Stacey Kiebler, Brett Hart and Roddy Piper. I didn't even try to see Bruce Campbell, as I knew the line for his autograph would have been miles long. This year there was just a lot of games and a lot of really good ones! The crowd wasn't as busy as years previous, which was a welcome sight, allowing E3 patrons to play games more often (rather than watch). There are a lot of really quality games coming for every platform out there. This fall will certainly be a good year to be a gamer!
|
|
