Last week was a nerdfest as 6,500 journalists and video-game industry pros descended on the LA Convention Center for the 10th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. More than 400 exhibitors struggled to lure gamers to their demos with hordes of flawless models posing as customer service agents. But despite the presence of babes dressed up like Bloodrayne and other assorted video-game vixens, the star attractions were still the games.
About 5,000 products were displayed, possibly making the convention center the largest free arcade in history. But despite the quantity of new games, there were few surprises. Highly anticipated sequels reigned, with demos of Metroid Prime 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Resident Evil 4 and Knights of the Old Republic 2 generating the longest lines. With graphics indicative of multi-million dollar franchises, most of the 15- to 30-minute demos were a thrill to watch. But as thankful as I am for the attention lavished upon sequels, there's something to be said for innovation. Smaller developers like Sammy Studios provided that with titles like Darkwatch, a vampirish, Western-themed first-person shooter.
Long lines also formed each morning in the Sony and Nintendo areas, where the latest handheld hardware was being revealed for the first time.
For years, Sony has been the undisputed champion of console gaming. Nintendo, however, has been virtually unopposed in the realm of handhelds. Its primary cash cow, the Game Boy Advance SP, sold 6.5 million units in its first year, making it the fastest selling game system.
Sony has finally decided to fight Nintendo for some of that cash, and its weapon will be the PlayStation Portable. The PSP was available for observation, but didn't have any playable demos. Nevertheless, it was impressive. Not only can it play dynamic 3D games on its extra wide 4.3-inch screen, it also can play music and feature films, using a mini CD called a universal media disc. Envy the Japanese, because while they'll be enjoying the PSP this holiday season, we won't see one until early next year.
With the PSP on the horizon, it's no coincidence that there is a rush to get the handheld Nintendo DS out by November. Nintendo's hype-building department has seen to it that the DS has had very little about it mentioned as often as possible. The result was the largest line on each day of E3 was the one of folks hoping to get a glimpse of the never-before-seen dual-screen handheld. I, myself, ran the gauntlet to claim a reasonable spot in the line, and was soon experiencing the elaborately mysterious unveiling process. First, 60 of us were ushered into a dark room where we were able to meet and interact with Mario via a large monitor. He asked what thoughts we had on how he might improve his game, Mario Kart: Double Dash. I gave my comments, to which the stocky Italian replied, "Okey-dokey. I fix it up real good justa for you." Then, a la The Wizard of Oz, the voice behind Mario (and Luigi and Wario, for that matter), Charles Martinet, emerged from behind the curtain. He said that the second screen on the DS is a touch pad, opening the door to a huge new variety of game-play possibilities. I was skeptical until I was chosen as one of 20 people to actually test it out. About 30 seconds into Metroid Prime: Hunters, I was sold. In first-person shooters, you can aim by dragging your stylus to the target, then fire by repeatedly tapping the screen. The addition of the touch pad adds completely new verbs to the idea of control, like drag, slide, or draw. The second screen also is useful in displaying information like maps, and it features wireless connectivity, so you can play with people up to 100 feet away. From what I saw, the Nintendo DS earned its status as star of the show.
With most of the attention nabbed by Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft was left trying to put emphasis on software. But the XBox still has one mighty card up its sleeve: the most anticipated game of the year. Walk into any video-game store and chances are you'll hear the employees excitedly discussing Halo 2, sequel to what is arguably the greatest first-person shooter of all time. Notably, Halo 2 demos were only available to invited VIPs. Who knew Master Chief was such a snob?
All in all, E3 was horribly depressing. Cool hardware, stand-out games, and 150 days until the beginning of the holiday—and new release—season. Let the waiting commence.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at [email protected].