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Rick's E3 - I went to E3,
and all I got was a Dozen T-Shirts
Well, not really, it was much more productive than that, but still,
E3 this year should have been the year. With at least two years
since the release of all three major consoles, there should have
been a large array of games to diddle around with. However, real
innovation seemed to be hard to find this year, and it was mostly a
matter of finding what did the best with each concept on display.
First, how well do people remember games like Renegade, Double
Dragon, and Bad Dudes? If you loved those games and wondered why
they didn't make more, you're in luck - everyone made that game this
year, but now with cel-shaded graphics. The good news is that the
cel shading has drastically improved for every console, but the bad
news is that such effects are like doing realistic water two years
ago. Everyone spent so much effort into this one graphical
achievement that they neglected the other parts of development.
Also on the sharp rise are MMORPGs. Probably the most extreme case
was NCSoft, who are actually making a half-dozen different MMORPGs
to play. Here, you end up being the most interested in the ones that
stand out as being different. The cartoony Shining Lore and the
superhero based City of Heroes stand head and shoulders above their
brethren for this reason.
The sad flip to this is that the traditional console RPG is on the
decline. Square Enix easily had over half of the show's classic RPGs,
with Sword of Mana, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Star Ocean: Til
the End of Time, Unlimited SaGa, Final Fantasy X-2, and Final
Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Bandai certainly made a noble effort
with .hack Outbreak and .hack Quarantine, but the classic
role-playing game just doesn't seem to hold as much appeal as it
once did. That may explain Working Design's complete absence from
the show.
--
Interlude: funniest moment of the show
Rick: Hey, I never got a press kit from Codemasters.
Clay: No, don't even bother.
--
Of course, as tradition dictates, it's time to discuss how the
various consoles stacked against each other. Here's my list:
1. Game Boy Advance
This system easily had the widest array of titles. Even the
announced but not shown titles, like Onimusha Tactics, sound better
than what any other system is currently dealing with. Plus, the GBA
easily had the show's killer peripheral (the AM3 SmartMedia card) as
well as finally becoming useful when linked to the Gamecube. GBA
fans have nothing to be displeased about.
2. (tie) Playstation 2
It seems that a lot of things are finally falling into place for the
system. The action games have become more crisp, sequels are finally
being made to at least keep pace with the originals, and there is
always Gran Turismo 4. However, it's becoming a very focused box,
centering on action games and sports games, easily the strongest
titles on the system this year. The only company making a third
party role-playing game for the system this year is Square Enix -
certainly a company you want in your corner, but they're going to
give the Playstation 2 as much help as...
2. (tie) Gamecube
Yeah, having Square Enix is helping the system a lot already -
they're the first company who really figured out how to milk the
connectivity between the GBA and the NGC. The system also gets a
huge boost for bringing around the Game Boy Player, the cure for GBA
fans with hands that cramp on the tiny portable systems. (So good, I
already imported one.) While Nintendo's multi-player makes up some
for this, they need to not only attract more genres, but improve
their online capabilities.
--
Interlude: Quebec Companies Rule the Game
Perhaps the oddest pamphlet we picked up had the above title. Did
anyone notify Japan of this? It basically goes on to describe how
UbiSoft is the only company anyone would recognize that works in
Montreal. It also goes on to describe the low cost of developing
titles there. Apparently, when you want to start a programming
sweatshop, think first of Montreal.
--
4. XBox
I'll give Microsoft credit for not giving up on the system
financially, and Capcom for not giving up on it creatively. However,
the system really needs some new blood into it. Cut the cheesy
marketing strategies, skip bringing over games that worked first and
best as PC game concepts, and realize that you've got some
impressive hardware and start doing something with it. The best game
displayed that was playable, in my mind, was Conker: Live and Uncut,
and that's only because it managed to do the sick and twisted
deathmatch idea right (as opposed to Whacked!). The system also made
a strong showing with MadCatz' karaoke setup and with the XBox
version of Dance Dance Revolution. Given the options with music the
system has, they should explore working on this aspect much more.
5. NGage
I'll say this - it's smaller and lighter than my current cell phone.
It has much more memory, has excellent options, and functions as one
of the best mp3 players out there. Those are all very good reasons
to own one. However, as a gaming platform, it is decidedly lacking.
The controls are small compared to the GBA SP, and less precise.
Moreover, the screen size is around one-third the size. Enough
people complain about the GBA's screen size, and Nokia made this one
smaller? To top it off, the game selection is narrow in the extreme.
I'm not saying I wouldn't get one, but I am saying I wouldn't use it
for gaming.
6. Phantom
Oh, sure, I love picking on vaporware. We all need our hobbies,
after all. But seriously, I imagine that if/when they catch wind of
this, they'll say they were absent from E3 because they were busy
working on their system. As opposed to networking with other
companies to get them to do some of the work for them. Let's just
start taking bets right now on how long it will be until it is
officially declared vaporware by everyone and they admit that this
was a scam to take money for naïve investors.
--
Interlude: Operation Enduring Freedom
The first oddity of the show was when I ran into the Australia
booth... outside of Kentia Hall, where the country booths are
traditionally exiled. I racked my brains thinking of what they could
have done to escape Kentia, and the only thing I could think of was
that they helped the United States in Gulf War, the Sequel. But if
that was true, wouldn't Britain be somewhere around? Sure enough,
they were outside of Kentia - and not far from the U.S. Army's setup
for their America's Army booth (and what general's boots had to be
licked to get deployed to E3?). Meanwhile, France and Germany were
emptier than usual, huddled close to each other in Kentia Hall. Man,
I bet Poland wishes they had a contingent at E3 now.
--
One thing that I found disturbing this year was the number of
shoddily built alpha and beta games at the convention. I'm usually
good at ferreting out a game or two that crash upon excessive play.
This year, I found five. One, Sammy's coin-op shooter Dolphin Blue,
was easily fixed, but the others were simply a disgrace. I mean,
last year, Ubi had a very early alpha called Project Eden (now to be
released this holiday season for PS2 and NGC as Beyond Good & Evil),
and that actually was crash-free. This year, quite a few games
supposedly close to completion (such as Simpsons Hit & Run, the very
poor man's answer to GTA) were not solid enough to deal with a good
5 minutes of play. This year is going to be remembered for quite a
few lousy games.
However, it should also be remembered for some rather sweet
peripherals. Every single system that didn't debut this year showed
off at least one "must own" peripheral. The controller/keyboard
combination for the Playstation 2 (oddly absent from their booth,
but present at Square Enix's Final Fantasy XI setup) was excellent,
and I'm honestly hoping that I can find something like that for my
home PC in addition to my PS2. The Gamecube's Game Boy Player is
simply sublime. I imported one for my dual-region Gamecube, for the
retail price of the American release, and it easily beats out the
fun I had with the old Super Game Boy. I have to take the XBox
seriously with its karaoke setup, as well as the thrill of DDR on
the machine (you can use the system's ability to store songs to
basically dance to whatever track you want).
But the clear winner is the AM3 SmartMedia card. It's a card-thin
chip that gets plugged into an adapter. Said adapter fits into the
cartridge slot of your GBA, and you can watch about a half hour of
programs with the audio and visual quality about between a VHS tape
and a DVD. Maybe it isn't the most spectacular entertainment setup
available, but given its portability, easily one of the best new
entertainment formats to come around in a while. I would honestly
consider buying whole anime series for this little wonder.
--
Interlude: Because every E3 reporter needs to be humbled
Rick: I can't believe I fell asleep on the stairs while playing GBA.
Did you see that?
Clay: See it? We took a picture of it!
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"Oh, you mean THIS picture?" |
Of course, the best part
of E3 isn't the games, it's the people. Some people are
intentionally funny, like Sonia of Square Enix. Her tales of "doing
research" on their upcoming game Drakengard is the kind of humor you
only get from knowing them. Others are more accessible. I don't know
who he was, but some guy was wandering around the Nintendo booth in
white platform shoes, white bell bottoms, a bright red Nehru jacket
open to display his lightly haired chest, wearing black sunglasses
and a blue afro wig. I still can't believe we never got a picture of
that guy.
Of course, the most fun are the unintentionally funny ones. Namco
got quite a few this year - Clay can attest to the Spawn fan
watching the new Spawn game coming. I enjoyed watching people
literally drool at seeing Tecmo's Dead or Alive Bikini show,
especially when they started to do the worst choreographed "fight"
this side of kaiju. Anyone calling Halo 2, Doom 3, or Half-Life 2
the "Game of E3" when they weren't even playable were funny in a sad
way. But sadly, few people got to see the funniest guy of E3 - the
whitest man in existence tried, and failed miserably, at performing
a karaoke version of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back." You can't
possibly overestimate the comedy this guy produced.
Though in all seriousness, it's just good to see so many people that
I only get to see at E3. I do keep in touch with quite a few of
these people over email, and I do make an effort to talk on the
phone with quite a few of them, but it's not the same as seeing them
live. You learn to appreciate the games more when you meet the
people behind them, I think. And you don't really have friends in
the industry until you sit down to dinner with them. So, next year,
we are getting a larger contingent together, and they all better be
prepared for Iron Chef: Netjak. I will gladly enter into the Battle
of Mountain Dew, or whatever gamer-themed match we try.
Overall, E3 was a minor disappointment, so don't get your hopes up
for the coming year's games. The coming peripherals outstrip the
software, to be honest. Hopefully, next year will have stronger
games but keep the same fun spirit.
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