Spotlight: E3 1998: The Full Scoop

In the realm of the gaming industry, no trade show is a bigger deal than the Electronics Entertainment Expo. On May 27th, E3 brought together developers, publishers, hardware manufacturers, retailers, and media journalists (that's us!) to document the next wave of interactive fun headed our way. The Atlanta show filled out the venue to the brim. Fueled by an upbeat energy based on record growth in games-related sales, the atmosphere felt nearly like a nightclub with music and TV screens abound. It was blindingly bright, impossibly loud, and more crowded than an Alanis concert! Ahead of the exhibition opening, the stakes were abundantly clear. Sony stands tall as the undisputed market leader, Nintendo seeks a more dominant position with N64, and Sega looks to restore its Genesis-era reputation with their then-known Katana project. E3 allows each of these factions, as well as numerous publishers and developers, the platform to lay out their vision and capture the attention of the press. Expectations, consequently, do run high. Event goers tend to count on hype to lead the day, spearheaded by a showstopper announcement or two to give a glimpse into the next generation of gaming. As opposed to previous years in which E3 contained buzz-worthy shocks and reveals, however, companies chiefly focused on demonstrating games that had already been introduced, permitting attendees to test them out on their own. The result was apparent upon walking in the front doors: Quality titles available at practically every corner of the venue. Dozens of impressive works flooded the exhibition floor, outshining, in some cases, the upcoming major releases we all know about.

Lara Bids You Welcome                             Welcome to E3 '98!                             Duke Nukem In The Flesh

On the eve of E3, during the Sega New Challenge Conference, Sega of Japan leadership officially unveiled their next-gen Dreamcast console to the world. Now it was the mission of SoA President Bernard Stolar to talk-up the system to the Western market. Speaking to a packed audience at the Fox Theater, Stolar and Co. devotedly dove into the details of their upcoming hardware. He declared it will be launching this November in Japan, followed by a U.S. release in the fall of '99. Upwards of twenty to thirty games will be purchasable upon release, with plenty more on the way courtesy of publishing partners like Midway, Acclaim, and Interplay. Stolar, exuberantly hoisting the prototype Dreamcast above the crowd a la The Lion King, boasted the technical capabilities of the device. Its Microsoft-supplied operating system in conjunction with a Hitachi processor, NEC video chip, and Yamaha sound hardware promises to deliver an unprecedented experience. Mums the word on software, aside from Stolar confirming our suspicions that Sonic the Hedgehog and Virtua Fighter are in the works as premier titles. Two quick graphic demos containing a lifelike shooting game and a hi-tech spaceship were all we witnessed, though no photos were allowed. "We'll do whatever it takes," the SoA prez exclaimed, "[to get] back the number one position in the console category." While Sega moved to redefine itself and build excitement behind closed doors, Sony was comfortable gesturing to the massive volume of PlayStation entries on display as proof of their commanding position. The PS-X line-up is, frankly, as enormous and diverse as ever. Konami's endlessly hyped, action-stealth title Metal Gear Solid is shaping up nicely with the playable demo attracting exceptional attention. Eidos and Core Design premiered Tomb Raider III, featuring white-water rafting and four exotic locales, and Crystal Dynamics showed off the latest in their Kain vampire saga, Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain. Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot: Warped with its time-traveling twist proved riveting, as did fellow demos for Twisted Metal III, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, and Namco's Tales of Destiny. Sony Computer Entertainment VP Kaz Hirai spoke to the triumphs of the PlayStation and expressed jubilation for the company's future in the games market. He explained how the huge install base of their console puts Sony in uncharted territory, crediting their marketing of the console as an entertainment option. "As we move into where there's one PlayStation in every five households in the States," he said, "then we're talking about a mass-market item." Hirai stayed vague when asked directly about rumors swirling of an inevitable PlayStation 2, stating an announcement will take place, "when we feel that it's the appropriate time [...]" So, October, then? Right?

Link Is Taller In Person                           Gigantic Nintendo Booth!                           Pocket Monsters Takeover

Sony may have had the lion's share of games on the show floor, yet it was Nintendo that occupied the single largest booth and undeniably won over the densest audience. Its centerpiece was none other than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. For the duration of E3, though most egregiously so on its opening day, crowds descended on the playable stations eager to try out Zelda 64 and see the 3-D land of Hyrule for themselves. Shorter lines toward the end of the event allowed us a chance to play over 40 minutes altogether. It's truly worthy of the hype, and you better believe we will review this amazing cart upon its November release. For more on Zelda 64, check out this issue's PPM Preview Corner (Coming Soon!). All throughout the Nintendo booth, giant video screens displayed an assortment of stand-out games in the ever-expanding N64 catalog. Landmark action-platformer Twelve Tails: Conker's Quest is exceedingly cute and entertaining, third-person shooter Jet Force Gemini promises fast-paced mayhem, and squaring off against the Galactic Empire never looked as cool as in LucasArts' Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. And then there was Perfect Dark. My goodness. The same team that brought you GoldenEye 007 is working on a run-and-gun, spy-fi adventure with intense action and dazzling innovations. Shown only as a non-playable reel, it looks marvelous. In fact, it is hard to fathom that this is running on an N64. Nintendo also formally introduced the latest evolution in its portable product line, the Game Boy Color. At E3, we finally were able to view its vibrant, colorized graphics in-person via a demo unit on-display. The GBC ran a short demo cart featuring a cycle of animations, an aquarium screensaver, and a peek at a full-color version of Wario Land. Its display is fair, overall, capable of 56 colors on-screen simultaneously - sadly still lacking a backlit option. Yet the demo was impressive, as was the assortment of publishers scrambling to shove their goodies on the device. Sunsoft, Konami, THQ, and Midway are all lined up to support the system in its introductory period. Nintendo pledges six games at launch this November. One of which may just be a colorized version of the critically-acclaimed Link's Awakening. One would be remiss to ignore a monstrous presence overlooking the Nintendo booth. Every twenty minutes, Pikachu, mascot for the popular Japanese Pocket Monsters phenomenon, emerged from a giant multi-colored capsule and shouted "Pika, pika!" Small toys were then blasted out to the crowd, at least until a few injuries forced it to stop. Perfect symbolism. That's right - Pokemon is about to invade North America. An English translation of the animated Pokemon TV show will begin airing on September 7th on WB and FOX stations. Three weeks later, Pokemon Red and Blue versions will be launched on Game Boy. At long last, the monster-collecting RPG is fully translated and making its way westward. Huzzah!

[Article from the July/August 1998 Issue of PPM]

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