Game of Show: This one is a tough one for me. I had about five games that were serious contenders for best game at E3 and getting it down to one has been a bit of a challenge. Yet, hard as the task is, I’ve come down to a final choice and that choice would be Capcom's Viewtiful Joe. I don’t know what it is about this game. I’ve seen screen shots of it countless times; I’ve heard descriptions of it, yet nothing really convinced me that this was anything other than a nice idea. Well, after playing through the first demo level on the floor of E3 I have to say that this is one INCREDIBLE game.
Graphically speaking, it was simply the most stylish game of the show for me and that is saying quite a bit. It took the concept of cel-shading, which is quickly becoming the most over-used game gimmick around, and used it in a truly artistic way. The whole look of this game is unique. Sort of comic book meets pulp novel with a touch of the happy Mega Man vibe. It really is different than anything else at the show and it works extremely well.
If this year’s E3 is any indication, it looks like a new gameplay device is going to be all the rage in coming months. That device is time manipulation. At least five games that I saw had it in one way shape or form, yet it was Viewtiful Joe that used it the best in terms of style and substance. It’s effortless to use with a simple button press to make it happen, it’s got a nice system so you can’t overuse it, and the puzzles actually make use of it in an intelligent and creative way. During the fight sequences you really need to use it in order to defeat many of the enemies and each fight looks great with that Manga/Matrix sort of feel. I also appreciated how easy all this was to use. Any game which makes you look as cool as Viewtiful Joe does AND makes it that intuitive to control gets my nod any day.
Booth of Show: I know I’m going to be the lone man out here on this one, but my vote goes to the folks at Ubi Soft for having the best booth. Small, yes, but on the level of quality per foot of space, Ubi Soft kicked all the ass. Every game I played in the booth was of the highest quality with excellent graphics and great gameplay. They really showed themselves off well with Prince of Persia, XIII, Beyond Good and Evil, Matirx Online, Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to name a few. Every one of these games in the Ubi Soft line up blew me away in some way shape or form. Their attention to detail in all of their games was really shown off to best advantage at the show.
Ubi Soft had a crew of kind, knowledgeable people to demonstrate their games. They were courteous and knew their stuff and seemed excited to show it off to you, not paid to show it off to you. Their booth set up had some great themes; it looked stylish and was very well produced. The booth was packed with people and that shows that good things are in store for this software company. Not only that, but they had some of the HOTTEST booth babes of the show with their Prince of Persia girls. Reason alone to spend more time there. My hat’s off to Ubi Soft for helping to make E3 a great show.
Best PlayStation 2 Game: Well, this one is going to be obvious. Gran Turismo 4 gets my vote in this category. I know, I know, big surprise. While I didn’t find the PS2 booth all that impressive, I did enjoy having this game there for me to play. With the whole history of the automobile there for you to enjoy, 500 cars slated to be included, redesigned tracks and online play, it doesn’t get any better than that. I also continue to be blown away with how Polyphony Digital can manage to keep outdoing themselves graphically each time they make one of theses games. I can’t wait for this winter and for this game to hit the shelves.
Best Xbox Game: In all honesty, other than the Halo 2 demo, XBox didn’t have anything that was blowing my mind this year. If I had to pick one, which I do, I would have to choose Starcraft: Ghost for its innovative use of lighting and some cool gameplay features. With some great graphics (especially the whole cloaking device effect), a cool complement of weapons and some excellent control, Ghost was the one to play for me at the XBox booth this year. It’s already going to shape up to be a good game and I’m hoping that it’ll flesh out into something spectacular.
Best GameCube Game: This vote has to go to Pac-Man. I know, it’s odd but I can’t get my mind off it. Great use of connectivity (which is all the Nintendo rage right now), extremely fun gameplay and the opportunity to sit down with friends and have a damn good time. Hats off to this game for bringing back old school, rock solid, shiznit gameplay and making a game that is all it should be: FUN.
Best GBA Game: This has to go to Final Fantasy Tactics. I’m a bit biased on this as I’ve been waiting for this title ever since it was announced. This game really captures all that was good about the PS1 version and adds a few new twists in both story and gameplay to keep things interesting. It took awhile to gear up, but those with patience will be rewarded by a great addition to the GBA library.
Biggest Surprise:This goes to Ubi Soft’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I loved the old Prince of Persia and so did a lot of other people. Which made me extremely skeptical going in on this new version of such a classic game. But like everything else at their booth, Ubi Soft blew my mind with this game. Super stylish graphics, absolutely great and innovative gameplay and simply one of the camera systems I’ve seen in a game PERIOD. I really wasn’t expecting this game to turn out the way it did, but man is this going to be a great game to play! Watch out for it.
Biggest Disappointment: I have to say that the folks at Tecmo disappointed me the most. I was REALLY looking forward to having some one on one time with one of my favorite games, Ninja Gaiden. Instead, all I got was a booth pushing the hell out of a game that’s been out for months already. Do we REALLY need a DOA girls floorshow every hour on the hour? Granted, they look good, but the whole DOA thing is just played out for me. I wanted the big guns out for me to try and all I got were big breasts; and I couldn’t play with those either.
Granted, they did have a demo of Ninja Gaiden in action on Friday, but it was never advertised and if I hadn’t have been passing at random, I never would have known it was happening. Nice tease guys, but you needed to have a playable demo of this highly anticipated game.
Winner: Every inch of my being wants to give it to Nintendo for a great booth full of great games. But they were horribly usurped by Sony’s announcement of the PSP. I can’t tell you how excited I am by this and by the fantastic line up of Sony titles. It’s going to be a great year to own a PS2 and I’m awaiting the chance to sit down and dig into this library of new titles.
F-Zero, Mario Kart, Rogue Squadron 3, Wario World, Pikmin 2, Geist, Giftpia, Viewtiful Joe, Crystal Chronicles, Metal Gear Solid, Soul Calibur 2, Pac-Man, Four Swords, Star Fox Armada and a dozen other games made Nintendo’s booth the place to be this year. Nearly every one of those titles has appeared on my must-buy list. What was with the panty-showing dancing girls, though? I expect that kind of stuff from other companies, but Nintendo always seemed above that. In any case, the games are what counts, and Nintendo made quite an impression.
Best Playstation 2 Game: Maximo vs. the Army of Zin
While I was actually a bit disappointed in this one, as I’m a huge fan of the original, this sequel looks to be a worthy successor. The levels shown in the demo seemed much easier than the bulk of the original Maximo. There also seemed to be far less platforming this time around. Even so, the game was a blast to play. Each battle, particularly against the larger foes, was intense. Racing to rescue innocents provides a nice sense of urgency, and some needed character interaction. This is one to watch, especially for fans of the original.
Best GameCube Game: Viewtiful Joe
Interestingly, the best GameCube game at the show wasn’t even developed by Nintendo. Viewtiful Joe, one of the Capcom 5, is a super-stylish, old-school (read: 2D) beat ‘em up. Gamers play as Joe, a cheesy superhero with a few unique abilities. Besides the standard punching and kicking combos and his double jump, he can both slow down the world around him and speed it up. By slowing time, Joe can dodge bullets or literally punch them back towards the enemy. When time is sped up, he can bust out massive combos in a second. What’s the point of all that? Players are ranked at the end of each stage based on just how stylish they managed to play. Besides being an absolute blast to play, it’s also a completely refreshing experience. Needless to say, this is now one of my most anticipated releases.
Best Game Boy Advance Game: Pac-Man
If you haven’t already, check out everyone’s impressions of this wonderfully entertaining multiplayer party. Basically, three players control ghosts while the fourth plays as Pac-Man. With some extra modes and maps, as well as a discounted retail price, this could be one of the best multiplayer games ever released.
Best Xbox Game: Conker: Live and Uncut
Only Live play was shown, but even if this is all the game ends up containing, it will be well worth a purchase. The action was lag-free, even in the relatively large games. The only thing I played was deathmatch, but it was great. The control was spot-on, and carrying different weapons affects how the characters move. Running around or jumping with a bazooka just isn’t possible- the player moves at a slow walk. The vehicles are fun, too. At one point, an enemy was flying above me in a helicopter, firing. One excellent headshot, through the cockpit window, killed the pilot and brought the machine down, killing me.
Biggest Surprise: Nintendo’s GBA Connectivity
It’s great to see Nintendo finally doing something with the GBA connectivity. Four Swords and Pac-Man are excellent examples of a unique way to take advantage of this technology. Neither game would be half as interesting without the connectivity features, and I can’t imagine a way Pac-Man would even work without it. Crystal Chronicles, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be fully utilizing the feature, but hopefully that will change as the game nears completion. I can’t wait to see what other Connectivity games Nintendo has in the works. The bad news? Looks like I need to buy a GBA.
Biggest Disappointment: Steel Battalion: Line of Contact
I love Steel Battalion, and it seems like the game was practically built for Live play. The problem? LAG. In the current version, it takes almost a full second for all button inputs to do something. I asked the exhibitors working the SB: LoC area, but none of them really understood what I meant by laggy, claiming that “that’s just the way Steel Battalion is.” Well, it’s not. The visuals also seemed to have taken a step down from the original. There is still plenty of time for Capcom to fix these issues, but in its current state, the game is nigh unplayable.
The “Where the Hell Were You?” Award: Shenmue 3
I’m beginning to suspect that I’ll never catch that bastard Lan-Di. Sega made no mention of the next Shenmue, nor did Microsoft. I hope that if the game never comes out, Yu Suzuki makes a manga, novel, or film to wrap up everything. Hell, even a simple press release stating what would have happened is better than nothing. Don’t leave me hanging!
For sheer volume of playable titles, Nintendo was hard to beat, but there was more than just quantity at their booth. There were personalized booths that would allow people a quiet room in which to actually hear the game they were playing and get a feel for it. The booth was the largest there, and the games were spaced well to avoid cramping. And then there is just the sheer enjoyability of their games. More booths should have been like Nintendo’s, except for my choice for Biggest Disappointment.
Best Playstation 2 Game: Bombastic
Bombastic was buried off to one side of Capcom’s booth and only had two machines running, which made most people not even give the game a second look. However, once I picked up the controller it was near to impossible to put it down. The game features a small little creature that runs over different dice scattered throughout the playing field. The dice would “roll” right along under the character and the point was to place dice with the same side facing up next to each other. Once the same number of dice as the number shown were matched up, the dice would slowly start to explode. If the little creature got stuck on an exploding die or if the playing field was full, the game would end. There was a story mode, a generic point gaining mode, and a multiplayer mode for up to five people. For puzzle fans, Bombastic is shaping up to be a must own title. I can’t wait for the July release date.
Best GameCube Game: Pikmin 2
One of the most unique games to grace the GameCube has finally gotten its sequel, and I couldn’t be happier. With all new puzzles, a new captain, and new colors of Pikmin to play with, Pikmin 2 will surely please fans of the first and will hopefully introduce many to the exploits of Captain Olimar. Read our impressions of both the single player and multiplayer modes.
Best Game Boy Advance Game: Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Nintendo was showing tons of new GBA-GCN connectivity title this year, and it looks like anyone who doesn’t have a GBA by now should seriously start looking into getting one. One of the central titles of this newly focused on feature was Four Swords. In it, four players each control a different link distinguishable by his colored tunic. The main gameplay happened on the TV screen, except for when the player fell down a hole or was transported into a different realm. Then the player would use their own GBA screen to continue the action. The game focused on having all the players working together and in the demo there were some difficult puzzles that required all four players’ cooperation to overcome. The game captured the feeling of past Zelda games perfectly and looks to be a must own title for anyone with three friends and a bunch of GBAs.
Best Xbox Game: Sudeki
In Sudeki, the player actually controls two unique people, which can be hot swapped between. While controlling one character, the other character is controlled by the AI, and actually does a pretty good job of helping in the battles. One unique feature is that the inventory of both players can be accessed while gameplay continues at a slow pace. Inside the inventory menu, there are also lists of all special moves that the character can do, and since the main battle continues, albeit much more slowly, there is the potential for some serious damage to be dealt while trying to decide which powerful move should be used next. Unfortunately, there will be no co-operative play, as the game is only one player. Despite this, the game controlled well and added a few unique features to an interesting third person beat ’em up.
Biggest Surprise: Sushi Bar
Have you ever wanted to be a cook? Do you like all things Japanese? Do you enjoy a good puzzle game? If you answered yes to any of the questions, you should start writing petitions to get the new arcade game Sushi Bar ported to any console you prefer. Even though Sushi Bar isn’t even in the arcades yet, the buzz surrounding it is already growing. The game is much like Columns in that you must lower pieces from the top of the screen in order to get a match, and once four of the same pieces are touching each other, they disappear from the screen. The unique twist to Sushi Bar is that you get to pick your pieces from a moving conveyor belt. The demo included a two player battle mode in which empty plates were dropped onto the opponent’s screen and there were special attacks which would change the direction of the conveyor belt and add larger pieces of sushi, among others. I’m hoping that once the developers realize what a great game they have, it will be ported to all the consoles, but I hope we will at least see a GBA port sometime in the near future.
Biggest Disappointment: Nintendo’s Dancing Girls
Being a girl, I do not care much for booth babes and simple put up with them as a necessary evil in the gaming industry. I was quite pleased with the tasteful outfits Nintendo clothed their women in and the fact that most of them looked like average women. That is, until on the final day there was a party at the Nintendo booth with random women up dancing on the stage. At first, the curtain was down and there were writhing female shadows projected onto the shadow. This lasted for a while, and then the curtain was raised. There were about seven women on stage, and they all got a specific introductions before actually getting down to the business on hand – handing out goodies. Overall, I felt very awkward standing there, and especially uncomfortable at the end, when the final curtain went down and the women crouched low enough to actually flash the audience with their underwear.
[Editor's Note: These opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the rest of the GamingWorld X staff.]
Best New Exercise Toy: Eye Toy
Gamers tend to be on the slightly out of shape side and I’ve found the best way to get back into shape is to combine gaming with exercise. Some of my favorites include DDR and Samba de Amigo. There will now be a new option for those who own a PS2 – the Eye Toy. There is a small video camera which records the player’s movements in response to the on screen game. I got a short demo, and after the initial adjustment to seeing myself on screen, it felt just as normal as staring in a mirror. The game graphics are overlaid on top of the picture and the games are played by responding to the on screen action. See the official press release with a list of games here. By combining the Eye Toy for a good arm workout and DDR for legs and aerobics, PS2 owners should be in tip-top shape in no time.
Game of Show: I’ve decided to limit my picks to games that were playable, rather than just demonstrated or shown on film. Man, there were so many, but Viewtiful Joe narrowly edged out the others and gets my pick for the best. Had Prince of Persia been playable rather than demonstrated by Ubi Soft’s staff, it may have edged out Viewtiful Joe for the top spot.
There are numerous factors that make VJ a standout. The incredible visual style and use of cel-shading. The gameplay that throws back to the old school beat ‘em ups, but brings enough innovation to keep in interesting. And last but not least, the awesome character designs. I mean, evil robotic ballerinas? That’s awesome.
Best Booth: I don’t even have to think about this one. The sheer volume of games on display at Nintendo’s booth made them the hands down winner for me. I could easily have spent an entire day wandering around their booth from kiosk to kiosk playing the awesome games they had on display. Well, except for Kirby’s Air Ride, of course. Nintendo had these cool little rooms throughout their booth that had a huge screen, killer surround sound, and in some cases a chair. While the atmosphere at E3 generally isn’t optimal for trying out and critiquing games, these little rooms were the closest things to having the games in your living room.
Add this to the fact that Nintendo’s booth babes were the classiest and sassiest of the show, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they had the best booth.
Best PlayStation 2 Game: I’m not a big racing fan, so while Gran Turismo did indeed look sweet, it’s just not my bag, baby. What is? Kicking it old school. Konami’s Castlevania: Lament of Innocence looks to repair the damage done by the N64 games while staying true to its roots, and that makes me happier than Hilden in a spanking factory. True, the game did have a few issues that need to be taken care of, but it looked great, played great, and truly seemed to finally be an evolution in the series.
Best GameCube Game: Duh. Viewtiful Joe, of course. I went into the show expecting my winner in this category to be Mario Kart: Double Dash, but the charm, style, and killer gameplay of Viewtiful Joe caught me off guard and sucked me in.
Best Game Boy Advance Game: This is a tough one, because there were so many great games (like Sword of Mana and FF: Tactics Advance) as well as some nice surprises (Mario & Luigi and Metroid: Zero Mission). However, a game that was an early frontrunner for game of show and one that completely captivated all who played it was the GBA/GCN Pac-Man. Ok, so it’s not a standalone GBA game, but you can’t play the game without one. So technically, I’m not breaking any rules. This game was a total blast and it’s all the staff could talk about after the first day. Such a simple concept has turned into an incredibly fun game, and I can’t wait to get this one in my living room.
Best Xbox Game: I love my Xbox and was seriously looking forward to playing some kick ass titles at the game this year. Unfortunately, nothing really blew me away. Halo 2 wasn’t playable, Starcraft Ghost didn’t make me soil myself, and MechAssault 2 was nowhere to be found. However, there was one little gem that really stood out from the pack and that was Conker: Live and Uncut. Microsoft had a display allowing eight gamers to go head-to-head with the multiplayer mode. Now certainly this won’t fill the void of Halo 2 or Wolfenstein multiplayer, but the level they had on display was a damn good time and will make the game a guaranteed purchase for me. Hats off to Rare for removing the bad taste in my mouth left by the incredibly mediocre Kameo.
Biggest Surprise: I was going to follow Hilden’s lead and give this one to not only Prince of Persia, but the unbelievable quality of Ubi Soft’s showing as a whole. However, Sony’s announcement of the PSP was for me the not only the biggest surprise, but the biggest bomb dropped on the show. Despite the way Nintendo chose to save face at their press conference, only a fool would think that huge emergency meetings aren’t taking place in Kyoto right now.
Biggest Disappointment: A few things let me down at this year’s show. P.N.03 bored me to tears, Doom III wasn’t playable, and NEC didn’t have a booth to speak of. However, the thing that let me down the most was the fact that Ninja Gaiden was not playable on the show floor. Sure, the developers came down briefly and played through a level - which was damn cool - but nobody else was allowed to touch or even see the game. In fact, Tecmo barely had a handful of games on the floor.
Being a huge Ninja Gaiden fan, and considering the fact that Team Ninja’s been working on this title forever, one playable level would have been enough to keep me happy.
Most Popular Trend: It seemed that in nearly every booth we visited this year, there was a game that featured time manipulation or “bullet time” as one of its functions. Enter the Matrix, Prince of Persia, Beyond Good & Evil, and Viewtiful Joe all used it. While the feature was mostly used in good taste and with good purpose, I couldn’t help but notice how often it came up.
Most Confusing Strategy: I love the idea of GBA/GCN connectivity, and think it’s a cool bonus to have for Cube and GBA owners. However, at this year’s show, Nintendo had a slew of games, which featured connectivity as a bonus, but a requirement to play. The two Zelda titles, Pac-Man, and the multiplayer portion of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles all required a GBA and a link cable to play on your GameCube. Sure, the results are enjoyable (except for Zelda: Tetra’s Trackers, which comes off as a cheap scavenger hunt), but I can’t imagine how much difficulty Nintendo is going to have marketing this idea to consumers.
Coolest Game that Nobody Talked About: While we’re on the subject of Nintendo, they had a game on display called Geist that almost seemed to be hidden among the bigger names of the show. This FPS, developed by Nintendo, featured an intriguing concept in that you take the role of a ghost who must possess living beings and use different strategies in order to accomplish various missions. The demo began with the scene of a foot soldier getting mauled by some sort of creature. Although the soldier was dead and could not move, possessing him would give the ghost the ability to shoot out the barrier blocking him from advancement. Later on, the player as a ghost has to frighten a doctor with security access to a blocked off room. Doing so will cause her to open the security hatch in search of help. While the game had a few control problems, it was a great concept that I’m surprised Nintendo didn’t show off more. Be sure to keep an eye open for this one.
Best Reason to Wear Earplugs (aka: Loudest Booth): Show goers hoping to get their hands on the new Medal of Honor or Lord of the Rings games were treated to the ear-splitting music pumping out of EA’s booth. There was no ability to hear the actual game you were playing or even the person talking next to you. No sir, it was just the blare of the booth pounding in your brain.
Winner: While I felt Nintendo had the best booth of the show due to the incredible selection and variety, Sony’s announcement of the PSP is what took the cake for me. Hell, they didn’t even need to show up to the exhibit portion of the show. The bombshell that was the PlayStation Portable was more than enough to make them my choice for “winner” of E3.
Feature by Aaron Hilden, Joe Mackie, Katy Wickman, and John Luedtke
