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Editorials 
E3 2001: The Aftermath
- By Joe
Ridino
E3 2001 is now behind the gaming community. The show had its perks and its flaws, but it was a worthwhile experience. I can remember thinking about how cool it would be to go to E3, and I finally had my chance. I was more than excited once I finally had the chance to experience its glory.
When I first stepped inside the LA Convention Center I stood in awe. The whole building is filled with colored lights, sweaty people, many booths, and of course, the games. Oh the games. Nintendo obviously won the show this year with the GameCube. Don’t even bother to read up on X-Box or the Playstation 2. I personally played these systems and they don’t match anything on GameCube.
The first game I tried (the only game that was open) was Pikmin, Nintendo’s newest franchise. Holding the GameCube controller was really sweet. It fit smoothly, and all the buttons were within reach. The A button is the button that feels the most comfortable because the huge size makes it accessible, seeing as how it is the button that will be the main one used in the GC games. All in all, the controller is so comfortable that I cannot see myself using any other controller whatsoever. Now, to compare this controller with the X-Box controller is too easy. The Microsoft controller is bulky, ugly looking, and doesn’t feel normal. The buttons on the X-Box controller are too far away from the center of the controller.
Nintendo’s booth was the booth that attracted the biggest crowd. Microsoft and Sony had the least amount of people at their booths, mainly because the games they had weren’t any good! Walking around in the GC and GBA section was impossible. Every square foot of space was occupied by greedy gamers who wanted nothing more than to experience Nintendo’s GameCube. These people were the sweatiest and smelliest people in the whole convention center, but for good reason. When you go in an area with many people, their body heat adds to the overall temperature in the room, making the whole place blazing hot.
The GameCube games were the most stunning pieces of art I’ve ever seen and played. Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II was the most graphically impressive title, running at a constant rate of 60 FPS. Not only were the graphics outstanding but the quality of the sound effects/music wowed everyone. This is why hundreds of people were lining up to play this sucker; it was that good! Going behind the curtains revealed an ever better Rogue Squadron II experience. Gamers had the chance to play-test RS II on a massive HD TV, pumping with Dolby Surround Sound. There were three choices to pick from on this demo. The one I saw the most was the Trench run. While the game was being played, I constantly heard people say things like: ‘This game is F*%#ing amazing,’ or ‘Wow! This game is unbelievable!’
Smash Bros. Melee was also one of the games that many people never wanted to stop playing. The graphics in this game are way beyond the original Smash title, featuring interactive environments and a side scrolling one player mode. For instance, in Onett, Ness’s stage, there is a sign that can be hit off a building if players strike it enough times. Also, in Samus’s level the craters change substance if you battle too hard on it. What I liked about Smash 2 the most was that every character has is own level, unlike the original game. Captain Falcon has his level on an F-Zero racetrack, while Pikachu’s level is a Pokemon battle arena. Even cooler moves were added to each character’s arsenal. I loved playing this game at E3, and I know the other staff members did also. Rob (Nsports) didn’t really enjoy the game as much as the original and I don’t understand why.
The other aspect of E3 that I thought was cool was all the free stuff. Tons of packets and posters for games could be taken free of charge. Spot a bowl of candy? Take a few bags! Notice a stack of free GameBoy Advances? Grab ten! This is exactly what I tried to do on the last day of the show. I managed to get many free things, and here’s a list of what I grabbed while at E3:
· Four squishy Game Boy Advances
· Game Boy Advance carrying case
· GBA game carrying case
· Two Sonic the Hedgehog pins
· Two Dreamcast stickers
· Shrek sticker
· 20 packets w/ game information and advertisements
· Capcom Information CD
· Nokia CD
· PS One keychain
This list doesn’t seem like a ton of stuff, but when you’re carrying it all in you’re backpack it does!
Another cool part of the show is just seeing all the people from the place you work at in real life. Everyone on the staff was really cool, helping me out, and even throwing a few mimics my way. The odd part of the show was when I was eating at Denny’s with Travis (Nsports). For some reason unknown to me, I cracked my elbow. Out of nowhere, Travis bursts out laughing at this incident. I always crack my elbows and I don’t know why it was funny. I also joined in the laughter. Later on in the meal, Travis and I discussed our favorite games. We started talking about Banjo-Tooie and the hilarious events in the game. Travis was talking about the very happy man in Jolly Roger’s Inn. I joined in and spouted forth about the sign on the wall, which reads: “Seaman’s Surprise, Salty Dumplings.” We literally cracked up when we both remembered Salty Dumplings. We laughed continuously for many hours after the show!
I added that bit in to add a little balance and hilarity to my E3 Aftermath editorial. Aside from the awesome games shown, Luigi’s Mansion was a let down. Sure, the graphics are better than anything we’ve seen on X-Box and PS2 (HA HA!), but the style of gameplay was really boring. I don’t think gamers can get over an hour of gameplay by sucking up ghosts. The game sucks! I’m kidding there. Honestly, I think this is a tech demo, and so does everyone else on the Ngenres staff. Mario will make his debut at the Tokyo Spaceworld show in August.
If I were showing off the graphics capabilities of the GameCube I’d definitely show Rogue Squadron II. So, there’s no surprise that this wins the award for my game of the show. But wait. Eternal Darkness, in my book, ties Rogue II for game of the show for a few reasons. First, the game is gorgeous, plays well, and it has this certain mood that I enjoy in games. Hacking creatures with a mace and ax is my kind of experience. The low fog in some rooms created a creepy mood that set the stage for a very medieval experience. The second reason is because of Denis Dyack. He personally gave us the chance to interview him about Eternal Darkness. While players were trying out ED, Mr. Dyack would watch and give tips on what to do next. Dyack is a very enjoyable game developer because of this.
Game of the show (in my opinion): Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II and Eternal Darkness
Moment of the show: The salty dumplings conversation
Coolest quote: “This is our new baby. Like all babies it is small, but it’s going to make a lot of noise.” –Shigeru Miyamoto
Best Dr. Mario player in the world: Tariq Bashir
Next year should be an ever better showing from Nintendo. We will finally be able to play Perfect Dark Zero, The Legend of Zelda, Too Human, and a lot more secretive titles. Until then, go buy a Game Boy Advance when it comes out! Till next year, this is Joe back in his hometown!
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