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By now preparations for the next generation of consoles was in full swing with the Dreamcast already on the market doing respectably well after its North American release. Sony was pushing its soon to be released PS2, while Nintendo was still quietly working on the Dolphin, as well as the GameBoy Advance. One major entry into console gaming that everyone wanted a peek at was the Microsoft Xbox, which got many wondering if the market could support four systems at once. Meanwhile, there was a ton of software to look at ranging from the E3 2000 highlight that was Metal Gear Solid 2, to the emergence of Bleem!. In terms of PC gaming, some were beginning to wonder if a French invasion was going on, with Havas recently buying up Sierra and Blizzard, Infogrames purchasing GT Interactive, and UbiSoft expanding by leaps and bounds.
This was to be the show where Sony would lay their cards on the table with the PlayStation 2, and show exactly what people could expect with their new system. Like E3 1995, one of the first things that Sony mentioned was just how many games were currently in development for the PS2, clocking in at around 180 titles. When things got to mentioning the expansion ports on the back of the system meant for storing a hard drive, and network interface a lot of speculation began to erupt as to online capabilities that would come to the PS2. On top of this, the console＊s October 26 launch date was announced, causing many to salivate at the thought of being able to pick the thing up before the end of the year.
After the surprise announcement that the Dolphin was indeed in development at the previous year＊s E3, Nintendo was back to their secretive selves in 2000. There was a strong push promoting titles for the N64, with little mention of their next gen console, causing some to wonder what on Earth the company was doing with its competitors grabbing so much attention with their new systems, while Nintendo stood idly by. Continuing this tight-lipped tendency was the fact that the company wasn＊t saying much about their upcoming GBA.
One of the biggest surprises in 2000 was the news that Microsoft was planning to enter the market with the Xbox. There wasn＊t an actual console ready for the show, but the giant from Redmond was more than happy to display plenty of video showing demos of what the Xbox would be capable. Sure there were plenty of anti-MS people thinking the company would get creamed entering the market, but by the time E3 was finished there was little doubt in people＊s minds that MS was damn serious about this whole Xbox thing.
Many who visited Activision in 2000 were eager to see the triumphant return of the Castle Wolfenstein series, which was titled, appropriately enough, Return to Castle Wolfenstein. As is usually the case with games made by id, the game was looking extremely pretty. Besides this title, there were another two standouts at the show. Namely Dark Reign 2, a 3D RTS, as well as Spiderman, which would soon be getting a lot of critical praise in reviews.
At the start of a new millennium, Bioware was shaping up to become one of the best Western RPG developers around. They had already proven themselves with Baldur＊s Gate, and its expansion pack, Tales of the Sword Coast. Now fans of the genre could check out the game＊s official sequel, as well as a new effort, Neverwinter Nights, whose module system was looking tasty for those eager to create their own quests.
Blizzard was on the scene with two heavy-hitters this year. Much to many PC gamers＊ chagrin, Diablo II was still in development, but thankfully all signs pointed to the game coming quite soon. That being the case, what most people were looking at was Warcraft III. It had been years since a new Warcraft had been seen, after the introduction of Starcraft, so a return to the series was more than welcome. Seeing the series make the jump to 3D was impressive for the time, and the tweaks to how battles would work was getting a lot of attention.
There were new installments for a number of long-running Capcom series at E3 in 2000, but of all the games, two in particular stood out. The publisher was showing the first of what it had in store for the PlayStation 2, with the samurai action game Onimusha: Warlords. The visuals were quite impressive, and it was looking like Capcom was putting a lot of effort into the game with its promise of the game feeling very much like a movie, complete with 200-piece orchestral soundtrack, as well as a story written by Flagship.
The other game to stand out was one that had fighting fans very excited: Capcom vs. SNK. Up to this point, Capcom and SNK fighters had always been separate entities, and fans from both camps were fiercely competitive as to which was the better of the two. Now, the two would finally clash directly, each bringing their unique play style to the table. That in mind, it was a difficult wait for this game to finally come out.
While gamers could check out how Deus Ex and Anachronox were coming along, there were a couple of new games that Eidos had at the show which were worth a look. Commandos 2 was looking good with some sharp graphics, and appeared to be continuing on the formula that made the first one successful. Meanwhile, Startopia was also on display. This sci-fi Civ-esque strategy game was looking quite quirky, getting it some regular mentions from the press after E3 was finished.
Peter Molyneux＊s giant animal-oriented god game, Black and White, was coming along nicely in 2000, from what could be seen at EA＊s booth, but the game that stood out was Command and Conquer Renegade. Taking the popular franchise, and making a first person shooter out of it was intriguing to many who wondered why it hadn＊t happened sooner. Nonetheless, with Renegade on display, it had many saying, ※It＊s about time!§
Need for Speed was also on the scene, with Motor City. Online gaming was already going full steam ahead by now, but most of what was seen up to this point consisted of real-time strategy, and first person shooter efforts. In terms of online racing games, there wasn＊t a whole lot to choose from, at least in terms of big name franchises wading into those waters. With Motor City, gamers would be able to go online with one of the most well-established racing series around.
Konami was in the most enviable position a game company could hope to be in at E3 in 2000. They had one game that so completely blew the competition out of the water that they could have just had a big screen TV showing the game at their booth, surrounded by heaps of manure and every person at the show would still have happily spent hours staring at the game.
With the unveiling of Metal Gear Solid 2, it was quite apparent that the PlayStation 2 was going to be a very, very powerful console. The visuals in the movie clip for the game were
so far beyond anything seen up to this point that there just weren＊t words positive enough to adequately describe how good it looked. Nearly everyone who went to the show in 2000 could not stop talking about the game.
While early information about the Xbox was keeping Microsoft busy hardware-wise at E3, the games that stood out were coming from the company＊s PC division. With Freelancer getting close to completion, Crimson Skies looking very pretty, and the Diablo-like Dungeon Siege on
display, Microsoft＊s booth was getting some pretty good traffic at the show. What was there standout title at E3, though, was the latest in the long-running mech series, MechWarrior, as its fourth installment was being shown, looking very promising at the time.
Despite having games on display for current systems, the main push for Namco in 2000 was to showcase what it had in the works for the PlayStation 2 with a trio of titles. Two of the games were new installments in established series, Ridge Racer 5, and Tekken Tag Tournament. Both were looking quite nice, but quickly got certain segments of the gaming community complaining about ※jaggies§, helping to spark the debate about anti-aliasing in games. The third game marked the publisher＊s foray into motorcycle racing, with Moto GP, which, while impressive to see, was looking very much like a niche title.
At the Nintendo booth there were two very different games being thoroughly inspected. Rare had Conker＊s Bad Fur Day up and running, with its liberal doses of crude humor, causing many too look at the title as not only a pleasant return to platforming from the developer, but also an attempt to help steer the N64 away from its overly family-friendly public image.
On the other end of the spectrum was a Nintendo standard, as Zelda was making another appearance on the N64, with Majora＊s Mask. It wasn＊t looking any better or worse than its predecessor, but considering how fun Ocarina of Time was to play, more N64 adventures with Link were more than welcome.
There was a lot of new stuff in the Sega camp come 2000. A lot of people were interested in their new cel shaded game, Jet Grind Radio, with its roller blading, tagging, and strangely misguided stance against The Man. The publisher was also getting more involved with music games, with Space Channel 5, and the only game to ever come along by a game company who more or less said, ※The world needs more maracas§ with Samba de Amigo.
Fans of the Phantasy Star series were particularly happy to see that the franchise was getting a new game, and it would even be online. With the success that titles like Everquest, and Ultima Online were getting, how a console series would make a leap to this realm was something many wanted to see.
It was a quiet year for Sierra after the Havas buyout, but they did have a couple of strategy games to show that were looking pretty nifty in 2000. With Empire Earth, the game＊s approach to strategy gaming was looking pretty interesting. Usually when a company would make a game in the genre, they would pick a particular era and stick with it. Not so with Empire Earth, as it would span tens of thousands of years of history, allowing players to deal with everything from the phalanx, to cavalry, to modern tanks as they progressed through the game＊s different epochs. Ground Control, on the other hand, was going in a completely different direction. With both feet firmly planted in the distant future, the sci-fi themed title was all about pick-up-and-play, allowing people to fire it up, play for a bit, and be on their merry way. Given how time consuming many games in the genre could at the time due to how involved their campaigns were, this abbreviated experience was quite welcome by busy people.
At E3 in 2000, it was a very difficult decision where to start, as there were so many interesting games being shown by Square. Sure, the Final Fantasy fans would want to see FFIX, but then there was the Chrono Trigger sequel, Chrono Cross, and what about Vagrant Story, and just a little ways further down was a new Brave Fencer Musashi-esque game, Threads of Fate, not to mention Legends of Mana, and Parasite Eve II. The sheer amount of games that Square had on display was difficult to fathom, and this was just on the PlayStation.
Looking at what was in the works for the PS2, things were shaping up pretty good too, if a bit of a mixed back. There was Driving Emotion Type-S that, while easy on the eyes, was difficult not to write off as a bit of a Gran Turismo clone. What was impressive, though, was the brawler, The Bouncer. This was another showcase piece that Sony must have been very happy about, as it showed the kind of visual oomph their new console would have＃now if only the game had actually turned out to be entertaining.
Tally ho, it＊s off to list the other impressive titles of E3 2000: Halo (Bungie 每 PC), Munch＊s Odyssey (Oddworld Inhabitants 每 PS2), Dynasty Warriors (Koei 每 PS2), Aidyn＊s Chronicles: The First Mage (H2O 每 N64), Sovereign (Verant Interactive 每 PC), Gorkamorka (Ripcord 每 DC / PC), Kessen (Koei 每 PS2).
From http://www.armchairempire.com |
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