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Editorials   E3: NAdventures Tuesday Impressions
- By Michael Loewer

As you probably don't know, this year was my first attendance of the Electronic Entertainment Expo here in Los Angeles. It seems this was a good year for my first arrival, based on the sheer level of gaming goodness and technology compared to (I'm told) recent years. Miyamoto and Iwata appeared as the obvious guests of honor, to the roaring cheers of audience members. I'm absolutely convinced that hardcore sports fans and hardcore gamers are identical, save for their fandom of choice and the increased intelligence quotient of the latter.

As usual, in addition to the already disclosed gaming menu you've heard about for weeks, we've got a few surprises for you as well. You might see some of this information on the other genres, but we'll try and give it Adventures' superior touch. In addition, while it truly doesn't mean as much unless you're actually here, I'll do my best to profess the level of excitement felt by all media and guests in attendance.

Adventure Games Shown:

• Super Mario Sunshine:
  
  Does everyone remember the feeling when you first played Mario 64 for the first time? Mario Sunshine did the same thing for all gamers in attendance today. The graphics are as crisp as expected, and the levels are highly reminiscent of those found in Mario 64. Miyamoto himself played for awhile to show us some of the new moves Mario has in his arsenal, including use of the highly anticipated water gun. The gun itself is used extensively in solving puzzles, allowing Nintendo's creativity to shine through. In one instance, Miyamoto used the basic water gun to wash away a giant pool of sludge. In another, it was used as a jetpack, as powerful streams of water vaulted Mario on top of a wall. In the third, Mario jumped on a floating leaf, and used the power of the water gun to propel himself in the opposite direction. The cutesy-sounding name does not represent a detraction in the game itself as this point, only the game's plot, in which Mario must save a town inhabited by a people obsessed with the sun. During the Q&A discussion, a member of the press asked if either Luigi or Yoshi would appear in Mario Sunshine, and with a laugh, Miyamoto said that he is "not supposed to answer that question." However, the press packet received after the event clearly shows Mario riding Yoshi's back, a la Super Mario World. Luigi's appearance is still up in the air, although we at NAdventures would bet a whole lot of money you'll see him around. The title is set to appear August 2002.
  
  
• Star Fox Adventures:
  
  To be completely honest, not much new of Star Fox Adventures was shown at the press junket, although it we'll be able to play it tomorrow at E3 and can give you far better insight then. We did see the usual promotional movie early on, and the game looked as awesome as it has for months now. The graphics appear to have been somewhat revamped, and we were able to see footage of some of the actual dinosaurs on Dinosaur Planet and a whole lot of Fox running around. We've got some promotional screen shots as well, but those will have to go up later. Other than the movie today, everything you already know about Star Fox Adventures still holds true, and nothing new was announced. In a related story, the issue of Rare's second-party status came up, but again, that'll be in an upcoming article.
  
  
• The Legend of Zelda:
  
  Yes, it's still cel-shaded. Whether you think this is a bad thing or not is up to you. In fact, whether you love it or hate it, you're definitely not alone. While filming the promotional movie, I could very clearly hear both "sweet ass!" -type comments as well as the usual grumbling that it still sucks. I personally believe it rocks, and Miyamoto agreed, saying in effect that he wanted to create a Zelda that was artistically expressive, not another Ocarina of Time in which they were basically just moving characters around on screen. He likens the new Zelda to "being able to control your own cartoon," and he's absolutely right. NOthing like this has ever been done before on a console, and while new and controversial, it looks beyond excellent.
  
  Miyamoto himself took the time to play for a while to show us some of the new additions to Zelda Cubed. The Z-Targeting is there (duh), as are familiar attack and defense sound effects and such. New death animations have been included, in which enemies vaporize in a cloud of purplish smoke (ooohs and aaaahs from the audience). Link is now able to pick up weapons dropped by enemies, including a large staff and supposedly a larger sword. I say supposedly only because Miyamoto wasn't actually able to find it after killing the enemy, provoking chuckles from the audience and personal complaints from Miyamoto about his eyesight. The landscape is breathtaking, and the grappling hook is wicked cool, making the appearance of the Ocarina grappler look terrible. The new one launches nearly as far as the eye can see, with the rope loose and flowing behind it, arcing as the Cube took into account its reduced speed and the physics of its flight.
  
  Look for more Zelda information in our upcoming Zelda preview. There's a new story arc --- oooh...
  
  
• Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem:
  
  Similar to Star Fox Adventures, we didn't any truly new information about the title other than a bone-chilling promotinal video. The in-game footage is pretty sweet, and scary as hell. Nintendo appears to have done a great job in tangibly creating "insanity," forcing gamers to ask what is real and what is not. We have a feeling that like the upcoming Resident Evil 0, you should beware playing this one in the dark.
  
  
• Wario World:
  
  Wario's first appearance on the GameCube (or any 3D console) is a blessing for gamers who may not completely like Mario Sunshine's young appeal. We didn't see a full video about this, but Peter McDougall mentioned it early on (he called Wario fans "twisted"), and short footage was shown during the last video montage covering all the major upcoming games. Information is highly limited, so all I can say based on what I've seen is that's Mario Sunshine, just a whole, whole lot darker, and we get to play the bad guy. Gameplay looks to be of the expected 3D platformer variety.
  
  
• The Legend of Zelda GBA:
  
  This one still gives me chills. Miyamoto was on stage after finishing playing Zelda Cubed, when he hinted that it wasn't the only Zelda game he brought today. The audience roared, myself included, hopelessly believeing that perhaps the original Zelda Cubed (non-cell-shaded version) was being developed into a separate game. Like I said, I like the cel-shaded version just fine, but having both versions would satisfy everyone. Instead, Miyamoto was speaking of another GBA Zelda. The game is based on a Link to the Past, but how closely it parallels that storyline is still up in the air. However, this will be the first ever multiplayer Zelda. Miyamoto invited up several noted guests, including the creator of Super Monkey Ball, to play with him in a 4-way game by hooking up four GBAs. The players are both partners and competitors, as some puzzles require more than one player, while the person with the most ruples at the end of the game/level wins.
  
  
• Animal Crossing:
  
  Previously known as Animal Forest, we were all a little surprised by the promotional video, as it may very well be a commercial in the future. The game is extremely cutesy (not that it matters, but it's true). Very similar to Harvest Moon, the game is basically a life simulation. The internal GCN clock allows the game to run in real time, as the landscape changes as day turns to night and even as seasons change. Players perform daily routines, design their furniture and clothes, and build relationships. I can't as yet go as far as to say whether my first impressions are positive or not, but the commercial they used as a promotional video made the game look very focused on the younger gamer. However, Animal Crossing does fully support both the GCN-GBA connectivity and will be one of the first to fully support the new e-reader, spotlighted by Associate Editor Eric Tajchman.