E3 2002 is over. Only the faint smell of overheated consoles and the clutter of discarded promotional flyers remain in the now-empty L.A. Convention Center.Having little time to explore while the show was in full swing but possessing a burning desire to catch a glimpse of as many upcoming titles as possible, I still managed to come away pleased and impressed with the general state of the video game industry.
Amidst the flashing lights, roaring cacophony of voices and music, and distracting, corset-busting booth babes - these are a few of the titles that whispered "Love me! Play me!" into my tired ears:
SONY PS2:
THE GETAWAY
Take the third person, on-foot exploration, and realistic look of Max Payne and meld it with the car smashing, tire-screeching, gun-blasting mayhem of Grand Theft Auto 3 and you have some idea of what's in store for you here. Set in the seedier parts of London, this action packed, violent stunner is going to blow you away.
RATCHET & CLANK
On the show floor I wasn't overly impressed, but when I got home and popped in the demo I was happier than a sheep in onion dip. This game rocks! Take a healthy dose of Star Wars meets Fifth Element cityscapes, add spicy robots and humorous cut scenes, deep fry with the flavor of the simple, addicting gameplay found in Jak & Daxter and Spyro, and you've got a delicious recipe ripe for consumption.
KINGDOM HEARTS
Do not be frightened off by the Disney name and miss out. Kingdom Hearts is for gamers of all ages. Beautiful animation, sweeping vistas, polished cut scenes galore, and scads of familiar characters from previous Square games and Disney flicks. The real-time battle mechanics will be especially welcomed by long-time Final Fantasy lovers. It's pretty safe to say that this one is going to be huge.
NINTENDO GAMECUBE:
SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE
Super colorful, Super sense of wide-open exploration, Super fun goals, and a Super dosage of nostalgic Mario goodness. That Super enough for you? I loved the candy-coated, cartoonworld look of this one and the always polished-to-a-shine gameplay mechanics. For someone who generally hates platformers, I find myself strangely drawn towards this title like a moth to the flame. Burn baby burn!
METROID PRIME
Assuage your fears Metroid fans. The general verdict of the E3 crowd seemed to be one of pleasure and awe. Metroid Prime has a style all of its own. Slick, metallic, and futuristic all-in-one. Top it off with run-and-gun action, a sleek, high-tech HUD, and tons of alien enemies to blast. GameCube owners will soon have the type of visceral thrill that many of them have been clamoring for.
STAR FOX ADVENTURES
I was not expecting this one to interest and impress me like it did. Star Fox features spot on controls, sweet graphics, nice sound FX, and variety of gameplay types. If you've been counting this one out it might be time to prepare yourself for a surprise. Save up another $50 bucks campers. You're gonna need it.
MICROSOFT XBOX:
STEEL BATTALION
This one really has to be in competition for standout selection of the show floor. Almost every one of my colleagues asked me if I had seen it and "Isn't it amazing?" Real world textures, an immersing cockpit view, and explosive mech-action set this one above most everything else on offer. And that incredible, huge controller! This beast of a peripheral simply has to be seen to be believed. The only thing holding this game back from assured success is the prohibitive price it's bound to ship with. Estimates range from $150 to $300. Will anyone other than hardcore gamers plop down that much cash for one title? Hell, you can pick up a GameCube for that price.
BRUTE FORCE
Believable, other-worldly environments, nice character animations, and lots of blaster-firing action have sold me on this one. I hanker for the next Halo and this is as close as we're going to get until Unreal Championship finally shows up. And man, that Flint is one sexy sniper.
MECHASSAULT
With the massive amount of mecha-based games coming out in the near future I hadn't been paying much attention to Microsoft's first Xbox installment of their venerable BattleTech series. Fast-paced, fun, and filled with action. You get a real sense of power and speed while rolling and blasting opponents in your hip and dangerous mech fighting machines. Online play promises to be particularly exciting.
Well, there you have it. One man's brief encounter with a few of tomorrow's standout games. It really is a fine time to be a gamer. Now go play!
