By IGN.com
GameCube Best of E3 2003 Awards
We've played the entire Cube line-up, and it doesn't get any better than this.
May 22, 2003 - It's that time of year again -- that time when your IGNcube editors lie face down in a pool of saliva and try to forget all about the past week of E3 madness. On the surface, the annual videogame trade show may seem like all fun and games for nerdy journalists such as ourselves, when really, it's all games and lots and lots of non-stop work. For those three days, sleep is a luxury, sugar runs through our veins like jet fuel, and our fingers become blistered from the hundreds of stories written and media uploaded. Yes, E3 is truly a special time, and we're certainly glad to say that this year's show is finally over.
But once those E3 doors slam shut and we've had some time to recover from the perpetually blinking lights embedded in our minds, we enjoy looking back on the show and reflecting on the happy moments. For instance, the times when the hour-long wait to play the hottest game on the show floor is over and we grasp the controller in our sweaty palms for the first time. It's those isolated moments of joy that justify our entire week of pain -- and truthfully, we wouldn't trade them for the world.
So now is the time we've set aside to look back on those fond memories of E3 gaming bliss and award the titles that stole our hearts right there on the show floor. While this year's 2003 offering was generally less dense than years past, there were still plenty of games to love. And though some might feel that Nintendo's GameCube hardware had even less enticing software than its competitors, keep reading -- you might be surprised to see how many awesome E3 GameCube titles are coming your way in the very near future.
So sit back, relax, grab yourself a fat bag of Peanut M&Ms, and enjoy our annual IGNcube Best of E3 2003 Awards! And may the best Cube game win...
Last year, the GameCube had a ton of awesome playable software on the E3 show floor. Games like Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker all featured classic franchise star power that made Nintendo's 2002 booth the hottest spot west of the Mississippi. This year is a slightly different story, with less emphasis on single-player adventures and a greater focus on multi-player adrenaline. Games like Mario Kart Double Dash!!, F-Zero GX, Mario Party 5, Pac-Man, The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, and Mario Golf all share a common multi-player theme, and as a result, Nintendo's booth and line-up felt more like a party pad than just a stash of kiosks.
But great games didn't just come from the Nintendo side of the hall. Third-party developers like Ubi Soft, Vivendi Universal, THQ, Capcom, Namco, and EA stood their ground with killer GameCube support spread all over the show floor. We spent the better part of a day wandering the crowded walkways, dodging the armies of booth babes, and slipping through stinky crowds of gamers to check out every Cube title hidden within the E3 2003 palace. We saw and played the hell out of all games -- some turning out surprisingly better than expected -- and in the end, we walked away very, very pleased with the line-up of Cube titles heading down the pipe in 2003 and beyond.
So without further adieu, on with the awards:
Best GameCube Game
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Developer: Ubi Soft Montreal
Publisher: Ubi Soft
Release Date: Winter 2003
Whoa, hold the phone. Where's Mario, Samus, or Link? This year, the crown clearly belongs to the Prince. Hot off the heels of it's killer Splinter Cell title, Ubi Soft is busy cranking out another hit with its awesome action title, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. That's right -- series creator Jordan Mechner is back on board to help spur and guide the creative talent behind this latest Prince of Persia game, and believe us, these people are talented.
In what is already being called one of the prettiest console games of 2003, The Sands of Time packs more silky smooth animations than nearly any other game before it. Our hero runs, jumps, sprints across the side of walls, clings to ledges, swings around poles, and leaps through the air with more convincing fluidity than your average fully blown Hollywood animated blockbuster. The combat system is also a spectacle to behold in real-time, with the Prince's arms and limbs flailing precisely in every direction as he engages multiple simultaneous foes. The "Sands of Time" powers allow him to slow down deadly bladed traps and even reverse the flow of time itself before plunging hundreds of feet to his death. There are even plenty of puzzle and adventure elements to break up the action throughout the lengthy and stylish quest to save your homeland.
It all comes together brilliantly in a tightly wound gameplay package that looks just as gorgeous as it plays. Ubi Soft's Montreal team clearly houses both technically talented and artistically gifted staff, and the fruits of their labor are presented clearly in Prince of Persia. We're already confident that this title will be the best GameCube game to own this Holiday season when it ships -- mark our words. In the meantime, no other title is more deserving of the Best GameCube Game of E3 2003 award -- the Prince outranks them all.
Runners-up:
Viewtiful Joe
F-Zero GX
Best GameCube Adventure Game
Sphinx and the Shadow of Set
Developer: Eurocom
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: Fall 2003
Though THQ's Sphinx title may be similar in style to Prince of Persia, they're wonderfully unique. Developer Eurocom has crafted a brilliant split personality gaming experience that allows players to explore ancient worlds as either a heroic warrior or bumbling mummy. But the difference between the two isn't simply visual -- each character has distinct abilities and means to solve the loads of puzzles throughout the entire adventure, and the split gameplay design really helps to break up the action and keep us hooked to the controller. To top it all off, the Eurocom team shows that it still knows how to crank out the impressive visuals and technically solid engine, as Sphinx is running smoothly and very pretty here at the show. Adventure fans: keep your eyes fixed closely on Sphinx, and keep it highlighted on your calendars.
Runners-up:
Beyond Good and Evil
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Best GameCube Action/Platform Game
Viewtiful Joe
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: September 2003
If Prince of Persia wasn't such an impressive title, we'd have been extremely tempted to give our boy Joe the top marks this year -- it's really that good. Actually, it's not even a matter of being "that good" so much as "that bad ass." Viewtiful Joe captures the best of old school, side-scrolling action and wraps it in a super-stylish, superhero smash-'em-up with surprising depth of control. And the beautiful -- no, viewtiful -- part is that these controls are just as much about dishing out the slow-motion beat-down as they are capturing stylish, cinematic, and acrobatic finesse on screen. Our hats go off to Capcom a thousand times over for being daring enough to even greenlight such a wacky concept, and to Nintendo for being smart enough to give it a proud row of playable kiosks inside it's booth here at E3. With the proper promotion later this year, the companies could have a serious hit on its hands -- we absolutely can't wait to get our hands on it ourselves.
Runners-up:
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Best GameCube Shooter Game
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Developer: Swingin' Ape Studios
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Release Date: November 2003
Sure, Metal Arms is a bit deeper than your average button-mashing shooter, but that's what we love about it. The third-person action title stars a brand-new robot hero that's armed to the teeth with a formidable arsenal of rivet guns and EMP grenades. And best of all: Glitch -- that's his name -- can even hack into unsuspecting enemy robots and remotely control them on a whimsical path of destruction. The animations are done superbly -- watching Glitch reach back and pull out a sniper rifle from his rear hatch and then blow a the arm clean off an enemy robot is just half the fun of this game. The other half that we fell in love with is the audio -- wow, does this game already sound awesome. Everything clanks, scrapes, squeals, and shatters with awesome clarity that makes us wish we were playing the game at home in our surround theatres and not on the noisy E3 show floor. That day will come, and we're greatly looking forward to it. You should too.
Runners-up:
Geist
Best GameCube Extreme Sports Game
Tony Hawk's Underground
Developer: Neversoft Entertainment
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: TBA 2003
Though we couldn't get our hands on this latest Tony Hawk offering from Activision, our hearts were already latched firmly onto it upon watching the trailer and hearing the concept. Just when you thought they'd run out of ideas, the Activision team redefines extreme sports gaming with the genre bending and blending in THUG. The analogy to Grand Theft Auto III will be heard far too often from this point forward, but it's so true -- think Vice City with a skateboard and you get the general idea. Now players can hop off their boards and fully explore their local city on foot, and then hop onto their fully customized decks and bust even more insane Tony Hawk tricks. Customization looks to be the name of the game, as never before has this level of create-a-player, create-a-park, or create-a-anything been done in an extreme sports title. Pass your current stash of Tony Hawk games to your little brother, and get ready to join the GameCube Underground later this year.
Runners-up:
SSX 3
1080º Avalanche
Best GameCube Sports/Wrestling Game
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004
Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: October 2003
Speaking of customization, EA is upping the ante in 2003 with its latest sports line-up. Every major sports license in its catalog is getting a respectable overhaul that could very well be worthy of our annual $50 renewal fee, and Tiger Woods could be among the best of them. After seeing EA's new create-a-player mode in action for ourselves, we're sold -- we want this game, and we want it now. Last year's effort was nothing to scoff at, but this year we'll be selecting our fully licensed clubs, combing through a staggering list of physique attributes, and even picking our swing and celebratory animations. And it's not all for show, either -- some of these will even affect your golfers ability to consistently put the ball in the hole. Of course, we can also look forward to more official courses, more PGA players, more graphical enhancements -- more, more, and more. This will be a very good year for golf fans on the GameCube.
Runners-up:
Madden NFL 2004
WWE WrestleMania XIX
Best GameCube Racing Game
F-Zero GX
Developer: Amusement Vision
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Fall 2003
Blistering speeds and blinding beauty -- few other "B" words in the English language better describe Nintendo's first F-Zero title on GameCube (and arguably its best showing at this year's E3). Truth be told, this is the game that was meant to have shipped on the N64 if only the system could have handled it. GX makes the previous 3D F-Zero title look like an embarrassment to realm of polygons. GX has it all -- everything from the N64 version and then some: 30 playable racing personalities and vehicles, comfortable controls, boost pads and energy zones, gorgeous graphical effects and environments, and some of the most insane simulated speeds known to man. Whether you're a racing fan or just a good ol' fashioned adrenaline junky, F-Zero GX is one game you can't afford to miss.
Runners-up:
Mario Kart Double Dash!!
XGRA
Best GameCube Role-Playing Game
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date:
Now this game is a strange beast. On the one hand, we're tempted to curse Crystal Chronicle's excessive (and borderline gimmicky) GBA-connectivity requirements. But on the other hand -- this game is made by the masters of the RPG genre, Square Enix, and we'll be damned if we could ever truly hold a grudge. In reality, despite the fact that this massive quest is best played with three other GBA-owning friends, we're in love with the story, art style, and distinct gameplay mechanics that this first GameCube-Square collaboration has produced. Is it different? Yes, and maybe that's what we're starting to love about it. And really, if a GameCube title is going to force us to own and use our own individual handheld systems, then we're much happier doing so within the visually awesome fantasy world crafted by the masters at Square as opposed to the overly simple mazes of Pac-Man's mysterious labyrinth.
Runners-up:
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Best GameCube Graphics
Resident Evil 4
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: TBA 2004
Did you download our direct-feed trailer footage of Capcom's next horrific Resident Evil installment? Did you? If your answer is yes, then you already understand our reasoning for this award. In fact, there's really no other way it could have gone. Wow. The real-time imagery -- horrific or otherwise -- generated by the wizards at Capcom puts its first amazing Resident Evil remake on GameCube to shame. And as before, this little goodie is 100% exclusive to our favorite Nintendo console. That's right, the next chapter in the continuing RE story will unfold via WaveBird and GameCube alone. The onscreen imagery flaunts awesome real-time lighting effects, amazingly detailed geometry and animations, and more than anything else: what looks to be some of the best creative, suspenseful, and downright frightening art direction we've ever seen on the system. It's a shame we have to wait until 2004 to finally get our hands on it, but thankfully, we've got a few other juicy treats to keep us busy in the meantime (see above).
Runners-up:
F-Zero GX
Soul Calibur II
Best GameCube Sound
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
Developer: Factor 5
Publisher: LucasArts
Release Date:
God bless George Lucas and the addictive world he's created -- can we ever get enough of it? Honestly, no, we can't. And thankfully, Factor 5 realizes this and is returning with its third Rogue Squadron title exclusively for GameCube. The talented team at Factor 5 can really do amazing things with the Cube hardware, and we can't wait to see how the final shooter turns out in the end. But here at E3, there's one part of the game that is already blowing us away (quite literally): the audio. As we stepped inside the darkened Dolby Pro Logic II demo room at Nintendo's booth, we were treated to one of the most impressive audio performances ever output by the Cube hardware. The development studio is known for its audio MusyX development tools, and instruments and orchestrations are sounding vastly improved here in this GameCube sequel. One of the best parts of playing any good Star Wars game is being able to crank up the Imperial March to obscene decibels, and it looks like we'll be doing even more of that with Rebel Strike.
Runners-up:
Viewtiful Joe
F-Zero GX
Best GameCube Hardware
Game Boy Player
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: June 23, 2003
There wasn't much fancy GameCube hardware on the E3 show floor this year, but leave it to Nintendo to put out the cream of the crop. The upcoming Game Boy Player will be a must-have addition for any GBA-loving Cube owner. Being able to finally enjoy games such as Mario Kart Super Circuit and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon without the need to squint (despite the wonderful glow of the SP screen) will be a fantastic and long-awaited treat. In fact, we can get an early taste of what Mario Kart Double Dash!! LAN gameplay will be like as we link together four TVs and Game Boy Players for some mean Super Circuit action. The $50 price tag sits pretty heavy, but expect to find it a bit cheaper once it first hits store shelves.
That does it for this year! IGN would like to extend hearty congratulations to all of the big E3 2003 award winners and runners-up. Have fun counting down the days until we finally get our hands on boxed copies of these gaming gems, and we'll see you next year!
BY IGN.comFirst Look: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Super Noah's Ark it ain't.
March 14, 2003 - How can any biblically themed game possibly top such Wisdom Tree classics as Exodus for the Game Boy or the greatest NES game ever, Bible Adventures? We know, it seems impossible, but that's what 3DO is trying to do with the upcoming Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which we got our first peek at today as part of the company's "Editors' Day 2003." We didn't get to see a whole lot of Four Horsemen, but God strike us down where we stand if what we did see wasn't surprisingly impressive.
Horsemen is going to be 3DO's first M-rated title, and boy does it show. For example, one of the rooms we were shown featured random body parts hanging from chains. In the final build, we were assured, the body parts will swing and drip and be generally more gross than they already are, which is pretty gross. In another level, a prison hospital, there is hardly a square inch of floor, wall, and ceiling that isn't smeared dark red. Playing as the disgraced angel Abaddon, gamers will be able to perform a number of finishing moves. The one that we saw had him lopping off the head of a demon with both his swords, catching the head on the tips of his blades, and ramming it into the demon's gut. Sweet!
Just in case all the gore isn't enough to secure an M rating, 3DO has seen fit to include something we're sure you'll all be interested in: naked breasts. Jesse, the prostitute NPC who helps Abaddon overcome Pestilence, wears a sort of fishnet shirt that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. We're talking exposed nipples here, kids.
On the subject of anatomy, Horsemen's character models, while still obviously early, are looking promising. Just about the first thing we noticed about the game was Abaddon's hair. Each lock of long black, greasy hair sways independently in tandem with your movements. It's probably the best hair modeling I've ever seen. His trenchcoat also flows exceptionally well, although at this point it passes through Abaddon's body much like Hotsuma's scarf in the PS2 version of Shinobi. All of the characters faces look nice and crisp, with enough detail to make you stop and go "Boy, that's pretty detailed." The bodies are all similarly well done, especially Jesse's. Oh yeah.
The little bit of combat that we saw was reminiscent of a less cartoonish Devil May Cry, what with the guns/swords combo and all. Abaddon shoots and slices, jumps and rolls, in a similar, though comparatively muted manner to DMC's Dante. While all we saw were a few simple sword combos and a few street thugs taken down by Abaddon's twin pistols, 3DO promises that there will be dozens of intricate combos that will be earned throughout the game. A variety of weapons are also in store, with six different guns and three sword upgrades.
Another interesting aspect of the game that 3DO discussed at length but didn't actually show us is the "Chosen Ones" system. In different portions of the game, Abaddon will be aided by the three "Chosen Ones," each of whom follow Abaddon around and aid him as an AI controlled parter. Jesse the hooker can heal Abaddon, and redirect the damage he takes back to enemies. Jimmy, the half-blind serial killer, can see demons, which should be pretty helpful, since it's tough to hit things you can't see. Scott, the presidential candidate, will be able to use his powers of persuasion to convince enemies to help Abaddon.
Horsemen's camera system is trying to incorporate both Devil May Cry style cinematic camera angles and a free roaming, behind the back camera. The idea is that in non-combat areas, the game will use a fixed, cinematic camera. During battle, the camera will switch to free roaming mode, allowing you to better see what you're trying to fight. Does this mean that there will be never be combat in cinematic mode and vice versa? Not necessarily. 3DO suggested that it might occasionally break its own rules in the name of a good scare.
Who would've thought that a game based on the Bible could actually look pretty cool? Shocking as it may seem, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse left us mighty impressed. Will 3DO be blessed with a hit, or will the Good Lord cast them into the smoldering pit of the bargain bin? We'll find out this December, just in time for Christmas. In the meantime, check out our brand-new high-res images in the media section below, and look forward to as much coverage of this game as we can get our sinful hands on in the future.
By IGN.com
Wallace & Gromit
First look and screens of BAM's sole GameCube game for 2003.
May 22, 2003 - There isn't anything worse than a renegade penguin. Well, maybe a renegade penguin that's kidnapped all the animals in a zoo and wishes to sell them so he can purchase a boatload of diamonds. What a penguin would do with diamonds we'll never know (but we can imagine), but this storyline fits perfectly into Bam! Entertainment's Wallace & Gromit videogame.
Based on the insanely funny Nick Park short "The Wrong Trousers", Wallace & Gromit pits our two heroes against the evil penguin Feathers McGraw, who wishes to sell off all of the captured animals in the zoo for diamonds. Seeing as Wallace isn't the most capable of people to do battle against a psycho bird, he sits back and helps out Gromit as he does the dirty work of saving all of the animals captured by Feathers.
Features
-Charge through the game as the resourceful and adventurous Gromit, with Wallace never far behind to offer amusing, if sometimes dubious, hints.
-Race through five enormous action packed levels (with 24 sub levels and mini arcade games) covering eight different 'animal houses' in the zoo.
-Bursting with inventions designed to challenge the mind and fill every level with fast paced fun including: the Porridge Gun, Coal Flinger, Banana Launcher and Knitting Machine.
-Build contraptions invented by Wallace to aid your journey such as 'Springy Boots', 'Mine Cart', 'Toboggan' and 'Gyrocopter'.
-Bamboozle your way past Feathers' army of zookeepers, henchmen and mischievous monkeys!
-Take full advantage of the next generation consoles' capabilities using high poly count, multi-texturing, fogging, environment-mapping, lighting, shadowing and depth of field.
-Spot the parodies; dozens of scenes containing well-known adaptations of movie/game elements to add to the humor.
-Master tons of special moves from Gromit, including head spins, back flips and the 'sneaking' moves.
Playable at E3 2003 in both Bam's and Nintendo's booths, Wallace & Gromit impressed us with colorful, eye-pleasing visuals, filled with plenty of Park brand humor. The first thing we noticed about this game was the incredible amount of animation to Gromit in everything he does. If he's just gotten out of the water, his tails and ears wag as he dries off, and he'll teeter on his tiptoes whenever he gets close to a ledge. Gromit also has different animations based on the environments that the game is based in. In one ice level Gromit will be slipping and sliding all over the place while moving forward.
Gromit also has a lot of special animations when fighting enemies, such as the abilities to run up walls Devil May Cry-style and fire projectiles from a banana gun. Yes, a banana gun. Since Wallace isn't capable of fighting alongside you, he'll be inventing various weapons for you to take with you. The first weapon you'll be using is the banana gun, and as you collect various bolts and screws that are scattered throughout each level, Wallace can create more produce-based weapons for you. Gromit can also attack with his bare hands and by jumping onto people. The controls even in the alpha build we were able to play are simple and easy to get into, and you won't have to worry about pressing more than two buttons at a time in the game.
Not content with simple zoo settings, Bam! have also designed levels that are parodies of not only movies, but of other video games. One level in particular is based on Metal Gear Solid, with lots of stealth action and sneaking around.
If you have played Chicken Run on the Dreamcast, you'll know what to expect in Wallace & Gromit. All of the characters have that classic Nick Park claymation-style to them, and Park actually had a lot of input on how many of the new characters look like in the game.
The characters in Wallace & Gromit, along with Nick Park's other creations like Chicken Run have always been critically acclaimed for their warmth and humor. Park's characters possess that light-hearted charm and dry wit that everyone can at least giggle at. A lot of that humor has definitely gone into this title and it should come as no surprise considering the input that Nick Park has had. With a license as quirky and imaginative as Wallace & Gromit, this should be a shoe-in for everyone's wish list.
The GameCube version could use a bit more polish in the framerate department, but other than that this game looks promising even at its early state.
By IGN.com
Cubism Vol. 34: Learning to Love Nintendo Again
With E3 over, we take a look at how Nintendo has impressed us.
May 22, 2003 - The following editorial, part of the Cubism series, is written by IGN freelancer Stephen Totilo. Newly assigned, Stephen is taking the reigns in place of our previous writer Gavin Frankle, who recently became to inundated with other projects to upkeep his regular output.
The thoughts expressed within are the sole opinion of Stephen, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IGNcube editors. The purpose of this article series is to let talented fans speak their minds on various topics about their favorite consoles. We hope you enjoy it.
Have you been panicking about Nintendo? Have you been worrying that maybe great game makers like Shigeru Miyamoto do suddenly get old and lose touch with their audience just like most big-time musicians? I was like you at one point, but E3 2003 changed me.
I'd suffered the Nintendo panic during the last year -- worrying about the company's disinterest in online and its focus on Game Boy-GameCube connectivity. Metroid Prime and Wind Waker chased away those concerns, but they were back in my mind and in the opinions of nearly everyone I talked to at E3 this year. I myself sat baffled as I attended an after-hours E3 panel featuring Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima and Denis Dyack and heard Miyamoto respond to a question about why he wanted Metal Gear on the GameCube not with the expected reply about delivering a hit that appeals to the Nintendo-neglected "mature" gamer but with a jovial comment about adding GBA connectivity (you didn't have to wait for the translator for that word to hit the pit of your stomach). Cue the panic.
But something happened to me as E3 went on. I began the show distressed about Nintendo's E3 showing but walked out entirely fed up with the many who felt jilted by the company. Sure it was surprising that Miyamoto, as jolly a man and reliable a force for delivering winter cheer as St. Nick, was not offering a blockbuster for Holiday 2003. But I saw things on the Nintendo floor that amazed me, that gave me hope for Nintendo's future and that led me to think that Nintendo was far better off "losing" this year's E3 than they were "winning" the previous two. Winning E3 hadn't helped Nintendo during 2001 and 2002. The company fell further behind Sony each year. Winning May's E3 with a couple of mega-title debuts proved as effectual as Sammy Sosa winning home run derbies at the All-Star game in July. One game company and one man can drop jaws with a few amazing solo efforts. But when the end of the year rolls around, it's the console with the broadest array of titles -- the competitor with the best teammates -- that wins the crown.
Nintendo played E3 like a home run derby during the last two years, with a few big shots and a severe lack of back-up. At E3 2001 the company headlined with the exclusives Super Smash Brothers: Melee, Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Star Wars, Monkey Ball, Wave Race, Star Fox Adventures, NBA Courtside, 1080, Kameo and Eternal Darkness. E3 2001 is remembered as a great show for Nintendo, despite the complete lack of support from major developers like Square, Konami and Namco, and only a token showing from Capcom. Half of the Nintendo exclusives haven't held up all that well. One year later, Star Fox, 1080 and Eternal Darkness returned to E3. At the 2002 show we got Animal Crossing, Monkey Ball 2. Mario, Metroid, Zelda, an early build of Wario World and somewhat improved Capcom exclusives, but still no Square and nothing significant from Konami (unless you like Disney sports titles). Again, a few big hits and not much else.
The top titles at E3 2001 were developed by eight houses: Nintendo Japan (EAD), Nintendo America (NST), Rare, Sega's Amusement Vision, Hal, Silicon Knights, Retro (Metroid on video only) and Left Field. The 2002 line-up had 10, with a number of asterisks. The 10 included the departing Rare and the Disney-only Konami. It lacked Left Field and Hal but added Hudson (Mario Party), Capcom (Resident Evil and Disney), and Treasure (on Wario, though no one was admitting it).
This year, we saw the work of 16 development houses. Every company from the 2002 roster except Rare returned, with better support from Capcom and Konami, a fleshed-out effort by Treasure and new GCN developers Square, Namco, Noise (Custom Robo), N-Space (Geist), Camelot (Mario Golf), Genius Sonority (Pokemon), and Hal (Kirby). Nintendo boasted more exclusives this year -- from Mario Kart to Final Fantasy to Billy Hatcher to the maligned connectivity trifecta of Four Swords, Tetra's Trackers and Pac-Man -- than they did over the last two E3's combined. And unlike the last two years, all the developers brought solid stuff to the show. Very few of the exclusives don't seem like they can be fantastic games by the time they launch. The quality of support was there, but so was a quantity that Nintendo has never before had at an E3.
It's true that the lost confidence many publishers have in the system won't be apparent until E3 2004 (many of 2003's titles were begun well before a company may have gotten cold feet and decided to make no more new titles for GameCube). But Nintendo seems to have repaired so many relationships, brought back so many developers who will probably now give Nintendo support from the start next generation, strengthened its second party support so much (losing Rare but solidifying Silicon Knights, Retro and the others), done enough smart things like re-color the GameCube and back-light its Game Boy, that the list of what Nintendo is doing wrong, laughably long at the supposedly great E3's of 2001 and 2002, has gotten awfully short. In fact that's where I think a lot of the frustration comes from: Nintendo is so close to righting their ship that people want to seem them just get it done with already and go full steam ahead.
Which brings me back to Miyamoto and the idea that the great man might be losing steam. I can't blame anyone who watched the Pac-Man demo on video or only read a description of Tetra's Trackers for thinking that. I too thought the whole connectivity thing was a scam.
But then I actually played Pac-Man and was left thinking: I went to the E3 this year where Miyamoto re-invented multi-player gaming. Where did everyone else go?
Playing Pac-Man was like no gaming experience I have ever had. I have played muti-player on a console plenty of times, but my friends always had the same controllers and the same on-screen interface as me. It never even occurred to me that it might be fun to play a 3-on-1 death-match (essentially what Pac-Man is, so think Doom or GoldenEye if you just can't stand the idea of thinking Pac-Man) in which one player actually gets his own private view of the entire arena and is free to hunt his buddies down or flee from them with his privileged viewpoint, until one of his friends kills him and gets the god-view for themselves. I started as a ghost, playing against three strangers, and I do believe my most fun experience of E3 came when I caught that guy at the end playing as Pac-Man and forced him to fork over the GBA. Suddenly, as Pac-Man, I could see everything. I ate my pellets, ran roughshod over the other three until I made one wrong turn and had to pass the GBA on to someone else.
The Pac-Man concept is fantastic, as is the one behind Tetra's Trackers, which demonstrates yet another re-working of multi-player, in this case by using the TV screen to depict the equivalent of an old Dungeons and Dragons game-master that orders around the players looking at the action on their GBA's.
The problem with Miyamoto's ideas is that they continue to be presented in visual styles that turn off many of the people who would enjoy them most. This is a problem I expect non-Nintendo fans to still have with Miyamoto, and it is a problem I hope to see Nintendo rectify so that his ideas can once again get the attention they deserve. But what hasn't changed is that Miyamoto's ideas about games are profound. It's no accident that he thought of things to do in Pac-Man that no one else ever executed in the decades that game has been around.
I ended my time at E3 impressed with Nintendo, which seemed to put me in the minority. From what I saw Nintendo finally stopped playing for the meaningless E3 homerun derby and showed some long-overdue seriousness about its team game. Miyamoto took a back seat this year, which sure seemed odd, but to people who were paying attention, Miyamoto delivered on his promise to follow up a year of sequels with a spate of fresh ideas. For the first time since the days of the SNES, he has a capable array of teammates ready to back him up with some quality hits. Good show.
Het is idd weer een heel verhaal maar wel goede artikelen vooral de eerste en de laatste ...
This is the Way.