I have to admit then when I think about all the words written and contributed that are lost for lack of a back-up, I get pretty pissed.The Gone Gold 2002 E3 Report
If you're only going to read one E3 Report... Don't make it this one.
OH NO! Not yet another E3 Report!
Yes my friends, yet another knucklehead who thinks he knows it all. Actually, the last time I went to E3, I started writing up an article and decided against it since there were so many sites giving their opinions. What could I add? This year for some reason, many have been asking me to post about the show, so I have decided to do just that.
This was my third E3 trip since I started Gone Gold, but now 12 people had heard of the site instead of the two that were there the past years, so I was a bit more excited knowing I would be meeting at least one gamer that stopped by the site. Flying somewhere over Arizona, I dozed off, dreaming of what E3 was going to be like. I could feel the power growing in me and as I slept, I imagined what the show would be like now that we average 40 hits a day...
[Start soft music and fuzzy animation to show this is a Dream Sequence] Even though the show is packed with people, the masses part like the Red Sea as I come by. I am a Grand Wizard walking through the show as the crowds fall silent as I pass and the PR people showing their games beg for my attention and kneel before me as I give them the gift of my presence.
I say nothing to anyone as I walk through aisle after aisle, sucking in every piece of information of a game just by looking at it. After all... I am the one. There are none like me. Only I can pick the games that will be winners and the ones that will cause companies to fail miserably. It is my all knowing nod that they've come for.
As I finish walking the entire show, it is time to call out my judgments. I stand in the Center and all goes quiet. With a simple point of my finger I can make or break a company... I raise my hand and the tension heightens... I am about to point and declare, "You! You are the winner! It is this game that will dominate Computers around the world this coming year!" when I look down and notice I am stark naked.
I look up and see everyone is giggling. No one was waiting for me to speak, they were waiting to see when I would realize I had nothing on! The giggling turns into hysterical laughter. I look around to make a clean break, but have no where to go. I notice I have a small "Media" Badge hanging around my neck and I use it to cover up. Unfortunately, it does the trick.
As I begin to feel a bit more secure now that I at least have something to hide behind, I read the Media Badge I'm using to cover myself. It reads "Writer: Blues News". Before I could chose between telling everyone my name was "Steve" or "Frans", I awoke. [Fuzzy Animation to show End. Stop Music]
OK, so that never happened... I thought it would be better than explaining to you what E3 is all about since you have most likely read that in every article so far. In reality, as I headed to E3, I was really trying to figure out what game, if any, I was really looking forward to seeing. I kept going around and around and nothing really gave me that "If I don't get to see this, I will die!" feeling.
Perhaps that was better, since I really didn't have any high expectations or preconceived notions of what the games would be like. Sometimes I see a game and have a certain impression as to how it will look and play. If it doesn't come close to what I had in mind, it can be a let down. That actually happened at the show, but I'll get to that a bit later.
Lets start off with "Game of Show" and get that over with. No sense reading through all the games wondering if this is the one I picked, right? I think most people leave it for last, thinking readers will stop right there. Hey, I live on the edge, what can I tell you...
2002 E3 Best of Show:
Kohan II: (Q?/03)
It's no secret to visitors of the site that I absolutely loved Kohan. I raved about it before it even hit shelves and told Strategy First they had a winner on their hands. Sure enough, the game has won so many awards, it even has an Awards Edition out. If you happened to take a pass on it, grab it now.
The sequel wasn't being shown at any Kiosk or 42 inch Plasma screen, since at the moment Timegate is looking at its options for publishers and making sure they make the right decision for them and the game. Oddly enough, I met the PR people near the Strategy First booth at a specified time.
I thought I was going to have to give a code word or some sort of secret message so we knew who each other was, but to my disappointment we were simply introduced by a mutual friend. Nothing cloak and dagger about it.
Once we met, we walked down the aisle a little bit to wait for Adel Chaveleh, resident handsome guy at Timegate and all around nice guy. It wasn't long before Adel showed up with a Laptop handcuffed to his wrist. Super. Now we were getting somewhere. He introduced me to "Jack, The Rabbit" and his boss, "Rob Thomas Smalling". Rob asked me to call him "RTS", as apparently everyone who knows him does.
Once all the handshakes were checked and double checked, Adel coughed up the capsule that held the combination needed to open his Laptop. Unfortunately, the first capsule he brought up was the phone number of an un-named Strategy First employee. It was quickly destroyed. A second try and a reach down the old esophagus finally brought up the correct one.
We were now huddled together on the side of the aisle, everyone surrounding my chair. Adel put the rig on my lap and began to amaze me... The first huge surprise for the sequel is that it has already made the jump to 3D. I was surprised when they told me this, but floored when I saw it. It's as if this engine has come out of no where and throws down the gauntlet saying... "Beat this.".
At the moment, there is not a single game that comes close to the fluid, insanely detailed, animations and startling textures that make up the units and gaming world respectively. They had a dozen or so small movies that showed everything from units fighting, Buildings being attacked, effects that will be used and more. Each time he double clicked to open one up, our mouths opened as well.
If the game came out this holiday season... which it won't (next year), there wouldn't be a game that could touch it. I'm sure by the time we see the game ready for release, there will be other games in development just as beautiful, but Kohan will already be done and ready for play, and play is the key of course.
Timegate could indeed rush the game out, giving us a stunningly beautiful graphics upgrade but that's not how you win awards and they know it. Even though they have brought the game into the realm of 3D, they haven't moved away from what made the original such an incredibly fun game to play.
Many of the features that made Kohan a hit, will remain for the sequel. Once again, units will form Companies which consist of frontline units, supports and a Captain. This feature was one of my favorites, as it made controlling large groups much easier than the standard unit handling of other RTS games. Each company will have a skill set which reflects the units which make it up, such as an Engineering Group, or Archers. Flying units will also be brought into the mix this time around. Super.
Factions will also return however this time, players will have a choice of race. The race one chooses will determine the basic gameplay of the player's kingdom including the available buildings and units, and how the kingdom's economy is structured. Certain Heroes will be unique to a Factions as well.
One of the strongest features of the original was the use of Heroes. The sequel promises dozens of new Heroes that will be available, however they won't be as easily accessible as they were before. A stronger focus on Heroes is planned, making these immortal beings stronger than before yet harder to come by, which means armies will now have to depend more heavily on the Heroes they do have.
The game will include a complete range of Campaigns, scenarios and skirmish maps for the single player and Timegate promises the standard Multiplayer games, as well as a "never before seen mode of online play". The original game showed us that Timegate knew how to put together an addicting set of campaigns and Kohan II promises even more focus on quality, innovative single play.
The original offering from this rookie company won well deserved accolades from critics and gamers for the breath of fresh air it brought to a stagnant genre. It looks as if Timegate isn't done revitalizing the genre and has plenty of fresh and exciting ideas awaiting us with Kohan II. I called it when I first saw Kohan, and I'm doing it again now... Kohan II was absolutely outstanding and deserves Best of Show for E3 2002 and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that by E3 2003, I'll be seeing a build of the game that's much closer to release.
Bill Harris was also just as impressed with Kohan II, but being the sports nut he is, couldn't get over NFL Fever 2003 for the XBOX. He felt this was his "game of show" and was very impressed with the lead designer on the game. You had to hear these two talking about stats and moves and such... They lost me at "Hello".
The Other Games of E3 2002:
Now, let me hit a few of the games I was very impressed with. I'll take it by genre, since that seems to be the easiest way to keep this organized and allow the simpleton writing it to keep track of the games I've included. Randomly posting the games would guarantee I would have some games twice and miss others completely.
First up:
Strategy:
As I was looking at the Strategy Games that were in development by the larger, more well known publishers, I couldn't help but think "Wow, everything looks so similar to "Age of Empires". I thought it was just me until Bill Harris said the exact same thing. While "age of Mythology" and "Rise of Nations" both looked to be fun, if you looked up at the screen at certain times in the game, you couldn't tell one game from the other, they look that similar.
Add in the dozen or so clones that are trying to get the formula right and you have a very stale genre. Bill thought Kohan II was also the "Best Strategy Game of E3" winner as will, so I guess we can give it credit for that too. Bill didn't want to give a game that wasn't coming out until next year the win, but he said "...it just looked amazing. Plus, most RTS games have the animation sped up to the point where it looks goofy when people are walking around, fighting, etc. The speed on the animations with this game were just flawless."
What came in second according to Bill? "Second place: thirty-five games that look just like Age of Empires.This genre is SO tired right now. Somebody needs to move beyond the standard harvest resources, build units, fight battles gameplay—and soon."
There were quite a few good looking and original strategy games under development by small, independent foreign companies that I hope will see the light of day here in the States. One in particular that caught my eye was in early development and had no one around to present it. It was a looping demo of people in apartments and they were bothering each other. You play the superintendent and have to keep everyone happy. Some playing loud music, others stomping on the floor. The artwork was very appealing and the whole concept looked original and fun.
Of course many of them were clones as well, but some looked to be fun and original. As I said, hopefully some will trickle into the States. You know... As I looked at the games, I think my gaming gene is German. It seemed as if every game I thought looked really cool was either a big hit in Germany, or being developed there. Kind of odd, since I have no German descendants that I know of.
Yikes! There I go again.... Before I continue with my goofy thought process, allow me to highlight some of the better games in the category and finish it off listing others worth an Honorable Mention. Here are the Highlights...
Age of Wonders II: (06/12/02)
The original offering was the very first game to win "Gone Gold Game of the Year", back in 1999. The original was in development for a very long time and we all thought it had the kiss of death on it because of such a long development cycle. The huge surprise was that the game was addictive and had me playing for months, even gathering fellow gamers on Saturday afternoons for some Multiplayer... something I hardly ever do.
I played the demo of this one and had heard it was gold, so I didn't take a hard look at E3. I was already impressed and waiting, as I still am. I include it here since it was indeed at E3 and is one of the games I can't wait to play.
Command and Conquer: Generals: (Q4/02)
The line for this one was huge and in order to get in, you had to be able to get into a theater, which I couldn't do. However, they were showing a loop outside and it looked quite impressive. The track record of the team behind this one speaks for itself, with Red Alert 2 under their belts, as well as Yuri's Revenge.
With a new 3D engine running it, there are three sides to play: United States, China and the "Global Liberation Army", which sounds similar to a terrorist group. The war, units and weapons are more "real-life" and present day focused, and seems to have all the bells and whistles we've come to expect. It has a pretty aggressive release date target... this Holiday season, which I wouldn't be surprised to see slip. Even if it does, it had a great look to it and it's one to keep an eye on.
Sim City 4: (Q4/02)
What a surprise. I was honestly shocked when I saw this game and I'm not a huge fan of the series. It was so good, I sat through the presentation three times. Each time I found something else to like and this is way up at the top of my must have list.
This is the game that Sim City 3000 was supposed to be. With Sim City 4, the series finally goes all 3D and it is incredibly impressive. Zooming in to see the locals walking around doesn't bring you to a bunch of huge pixels anymore, the game is gorgeous from any zoom level. The Sims fans will be able to take their Sim and place him/her in the game and set them up in an apartment.
You're able to follow them around the city if you like and eventually, they will start to give you feedback on how you're doing and what they like and dislike about your city. While the standard charts and graphics players of the series are used to will still be available, those that hate looking at lines and colors will now have a personal friend helping them along.
This offering was incredibly well thought out and it's my guess that it will be the best selling "Sim City" game of all time as long as they stay on track and finish the masterpiece they have started. I would say this one was second place in "Game of Show".
1503 A.D.: (Q3/02)
Here's one of those "German" type games that I was talking about earlier. It's looking incredible and the time that they've added to its development has been used wisely. Graphically the game is a joy and offers plenty of strategy and tactical options. This just may be "sleeper" of the year.
Ghost Master: (Q4/02)
Empire is back and instead of their great flight sims, they've brought something original to the table and it's graphically very appealing. The best way to explain this is to think of "The Sims" as Ghosts. You control ghosts, that must scare people out of their homes. Other missions include helping people, by protecting them from other mortals, or evil ghosts and scaring bankers, lawyers and such away from a farmer. Gameplay is fresh and looks to be quite fun if they can keep missions fresh. There's still a lot to do, with an aggressive release date of October 31st.
Other games of Merit:
Republic the Revolution: (Q4/02)
If they can pull this game off, it could be a contender for Game of the Year.
Medieval Total War: (Q3/02)
Looking better than the Shogun Version.
O.R.B.: (Q3/02)
We're getting closer to a release and it looks to be well worth the wait.
WarCraft III: (Q3/02)
This one should be out "soon" and then thankfully, we'll finally be done seeing the previews and interviews for the game.
Age of Mythology: (Q4/02)
Age of Empires in 3D.
Rise of Nations: (Q1/03)
Brian Reynolds... It has to be good.
Praetorians: (Q4/02)
Coming this Fall and looks fun.
There are a handful of others that got my attention as well, but you see so many games you tend to start mixing them all together after a while. The above games were certainly highlights of the show and I look forward to playing them all.
Action:
I'm not an expert on Action games and play them more as a "break" from other gaming. For me, they're a good side attraction to play for a while and give my brain a rest from some of the other games I've been playing. Sometimes mindless fun is just what the Doctor ordered and these games offer it. There were a few that impressed me a lot, but Bill Harris wasn't too excited about anything. He thought Hitman looked a bit dated and the only two he really liked are the first two on my list.
Here's what we saw as the "Good Ones"...
Black Hawk Down: (Q4/02)
The team has really gotten into the details on this one, and it shows as you watch the gameplay. Soldiers running with their teammates don't have their weapons pointed directly at the back of the soldier in front of them. Weapons are pointed downward, as they should be. Shooting metal, glass, brick, sand, all bring the correct sounds to the game, which help carry you into the game.
Jumping on Helicopters for insertion is commonplace and very well done. You can even shoot them down if you wish. Enemy soldiers will have different AI setting and will react differently to gun fire and such. An aggressive setting will have them standing ground and firing back, while lower settings may have them turn tail and run.
This should make a very fun MP game as well. At the time of the showing, they weren't sure if there would be "in-mission" saves enough though they're talking about making the missions much longer than any offered up to this point. I asked them to tell me of any FPS/Action game that released without an in mission save and everyone said, "Great move!". Yeah, they couldn't come up with one either.... and I reminded them that most had been patches afterwards to include one. Send in those e-mails if you want to make sure this one ships with an in-mission save.
DOOM 3: (Q1/03)
Hands down the best looking FPS at the show. This one was also being shown in a "theater" that you had to get up into, so I wasn't able to see the full demo, but I did see the outside video that had running and it was just fabulous. I'm sure this will sell a gazillion copies as soon as it hits shelves and thankfully I now have a rig to run it.Put this on the "Can't Wait" list, even for a "FPS" lite player.
Deus Ex 2: (Q1/03)
I've played the original through 3 times and can't wait for this one. Switching to the latest Unreal engine, focus on AI and "free play" are key to this one. The developers want to make sure the environment is realistic enough so that gamers can come up with ways to solve puzzles that the designers never even thought of. Keep your fingers crossed on this one.
Unreal Tournament 2003: (Q3/02)
Wait until you see this! Talk about beautiful graphics! I don't think screen shots really do action games much justice. It's the animation and all the bells and whistles going off at the same time that makes for an exciting action game and this has it all in spades. I enjoyed the gameplay of the original and look forward to this one as well.
Unreal II: (Q1/03)
This is just as stunning as it's Multiplayer counterpart, but we won't be playing it until next year. No big deal really, since we'll have the MP version to fool with while we wait for this one to be completed and polished.
No One Lives Forever 2: (Q4/02)
This one is similar to Deus Ex 2, in that it's really Action/Adventure but I put them both here. This offering pays incredible attention to detail and looks to be just as good as the first. Another for the "I can't wait!" list.
Adventure:
Not too many true "Adventure" games are available anymore, but there are a few and as soon as one hits the top of the charts, I promise you we'll have Adventure games coming out our ears. For now, we'll have to settle for the few and the proud...
Syberia: (Q3/02)
This one is already completed, but needs to be advertised a bit by its new publisher before release... expect to see it sometime in September and be sure to pick it up. While adventure gaming isn't one of my favorites, it's Mary Jo's. This is one she has been bugging me about and seeing it in action, I now know why. It's really looking great and one I hope will do well.
Role Playing:
As far as Bill Harris is concerned, nothing beats Morrowind, period. He feels this is an incredible game and nothing out or in development even comes close. I tend to agree, although Neverwinter Nights surely has my attention. There are quite a few good looking RPG's coming our way and these are at the top of my list:
Neverwinter Nights: (06/19/02)
We sat through the entire presentation and were quite impressed by what we saw. We hope the single player element to the game is just as impressive as the Multiplayer portion and if it is, we'll have a winner. While Morrowind creates a world for you to play in endlessly, this game offers endless play via Multiplayer experiences and world creation.
With that in mind, you're going to come across your fair share of bad Dungeon Masters, making for a dull gaming experience. While this will not be the games fault, it can limit your playing should you not be able to find a good group of fellow gamers. If you're lucky enough to be in such a group, then you've just hit the Holy Grail of Computer Role Playing...
Sea Dogs 2: (Q1/03)
Coming off a game like Morrowind, Bethesda has the possibility to release two incredible RPG's in one year. Perhaps a record for the industry? This is being developed by a team in Russia, with one of Bethesda's regulars moving there to over see its development. He was back in the country to show off what they've done and again, they have an RPG that is way ahead with its graphics. The water and waves when watching the ships at sea are so life like, you can smell the salt air.
Fighting on ships will consist of just more than your Captain this go around, each fighter on the bridge equaling a percentage of the crew. The larger your crew, the more men you'll see fighting. Towns are more populated and there will be more than one way to enter, for those that want to dabble in a career of "smuggling". Each town has a list of items they need, items they have for trade, and items that are band from the city. Sneak in with a hull full of banned beer and you could stand to make a lot of dough. Get caught though, and you'll be serving jail time. The original was quite fun despite some problems and this looks to have learned from the past. Put it on the "Must Have" list.
ARX: Fatalis: (Q3/02)
This is one that looks really good and already has a demo available just in case some of you may have missed it. While not offering the longevity that Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights do, it does promise a detailed story line to follow and looks to be one of the more interesting single player RPG's.
Divine Divinity: (Q3/02)
Another one that looks good and should be a fun single player experience.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: (Q4/02)
I'm not much of a "Star Wars" buff. I mean, I enjoy the movies, but I couldn't tell you anything at all about the deep universe or lore. I know the basics and that's about it. However, a chance to play in such a well developed universe for the first time is quite exciting and having the wizards at Bioware behind it raises the bar as well. It's at the top of the list for sure.
Simulations:
Combat Fight Simulator 3: (Q4/02)
Hands down the best flight sim at the show. They've made this available to hardcore sim junkies to rookies that are new to learning how to use the old stick and rudder. Graphically, there is no equal and the feature list seems to go on forever. They've listened to requests and are now concentrating on making the campaign more engrossing than just having a list of scenarios strung together. You'll be able to play through a career, receive metals and promotions as well. They say the third one is the charm and it sure looks like this is the case here.
Lock On Modern Air Combat: (Q3/02)
I'm more a stick and rudder fan than using these marvels of technology and firing at a foe thirty miles away. However, this and the following sim are looking good enough to have me jumping in the cockpit and giving it a go. This should be one of the first to hit shelves and we'll let you know when it does.
Strike Fighters: Project One: (Q3/02)
Wow! Here was a surprise and when I found out one of my favorite designers (The lead behind European Air Wars) was behind the project, I got really excited. I believe this is the very first sim for Strategy First, but they were smart in picking it up because it's looking great and the team behind it has an impressive track record.
Focusing on the F-4, the sim will have a dynamic campaign set in a fictional background, but spanning an entire decade of aviation history. You'll start off with a F-100 Super Sabre, which has no radar and simple avionics. However as the campaign progresses, the player will be introduced to new technology, leading to new weapons, planes and advanced avionics. Even more interesting, the player can play the campaign as a regular pilot, or can play as a mercenary... building up abilities, finances and resources. Be very excited about this one folks.
Sports:
All EA Sports Titles: (Q3-4/02)
Lets face it. There's one choice for gamers when it comes to sports games on the PC... EA Sports. I asked if NBA Live will be back this year and was told it was indeed. I was even shown a catalog that has it displayed and it was looking good. Madden will once again be available as well as all other titles, including yet another Tiger Woods Golf offering, which was surprising to see one up and running, since the 2002 version was just released (and is excellent, BTW.).
Biggest Disappointment:
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2: (Q4/02)
This is the one game I had some predetermined notions about. Since the original released in 99 and even then was border line "behind the times" graphically, I was really interested in seeing what the sequel was going to offer. I didn't need 3D... just a sharp, crisp look would have been fine. Since I hadn't seen any pics before the show, I thought maybe they were waiting to "Wow" everyone. Wrong.
When I got to the PC that was showing this money machine, I was stunned to see the very same game I had been playing for the past three years. I didn't see any difference at all... not even a new tile set to at least appease me. I thought that I was going to be told that this was "beta" art from the original and was going to be replaced once the new art was done. Wrong again.
The rep came over to show us the game and ask if we were familiar with it. I explained that I was indeed and was excited that a sequel was in the works. Before I gave any impressions, I wanted to see what was really going on, so asked her to let me know what was new for RCT 2.
The very first thing she tells me about are the "real live parks" that will be in the game now. If you were reading a cartoon, you would have seen a bubble over my head saying, "Gee, I thought that was the object of the game... I'M SUPPOSED to make parks... not have them made for me." OK. So maybe others will find have real life parks available to them fun. One new feature I could care less about big deal. I'm sure there's more.
Next up, I was told that the sequel will have a separate Coaster Building Portion. You can load up an editor, and build a coaster until your hearts content without having to worry about money or time. Again, I thought to myself... For Coaster, is working with the landscape and diving under the ground and around other rides. When I want to build without money or time problems, I just wait until I win the map and have plenty of dough to build what I like. Building in the editor means building only above ground coasters. Hmmm.....
Finally, yes... we're at the end of the "new feature" list already... we'll see more rides and booths. I wanted to say, "That's it?" but instead I asked about the graphics. Would there be any update to the games graphics? Yes, it seems more animations were given to the little people. Super.
I came away disappointed. Chris Sawyer has always been a hero of mine and I had hoped the success of RCT would give him the ability to get Transport Tycoon 2 in the works. When I heard about RCT 2, I didn't mind, figuring he's been on the money so far. Maybe he still is and my judgment is way off. We won't know until the game hits, but from this initial looks, it seems more like another expansion pack than it does a full blown sequel.
Conclusion:
That wraps up my end of the show. It was a good time and great to see that Computer Gaming is alive and well. This year has already been pretty stellar when it comes to the games released and we still have a full six months more to go. With the new technology that's coming, games are just going to get better, but also more complicated to make, which means longer development times. Lets hope that the Industry not only finds great ways to play new games, but easier ways for the teams to make them. We would all wind up winning.
Now that you've heard from me and saw what I enjoyed, here's what my partner in crime came away with:
Bill Harris:
In general about E3:
The noise has reached unmanageable levels in the main halls. It’s not so much that it makes me go deaf, but that anybody with the misfortune to be next to EA or Acclaim has basically wasted their money and their time, because no one can hear them. I can’t believe that they don’t have decibel limits on booth noise—they should, and they should be enforced. It was way past loud this year and well into ridiculous. When the Sony/Sega/Nintendo hall is like a library in comparison, you know that some companies have just gone way too far.
Game of Show:
For me, it was a tie between Sim City IV and NFL Fever. I’m including some console talk, because there just wasn’t that much PC action going on. Sim City looks like they brought the graphics up to where they should be and they finally streamlined the interface so that “spreadsheet mania” is less dominant inside the game. Fever—well, I don’t know what to say except I will be picking it up at 10:01 a.m. the day it comes out. As good as some of the other football games look, it’s still head and shoulders above.
Actually, now that I think about it a little more, I’m looking forward to Fever much more than Sim City IV. The best thing about Sim City IV, though, is that it will raise the bar on graphics to such a degree that cursed mandatory resolutions like 800x600 may go away forever. Finally.
Best RPG:
I don’t care if it’s already come out, it’s still Morrowind. And you can put down Morrowind for 2003, 2004, and 2005 as well. What a freaking incredible game.
Best Strategy:
Kohan II. I normally wouldn’t list a game that’s not coming out this year, but it just looked amazing. Plus, most RTS games have the animation speeded up to the point where it looks goofy when people are walking around, fighting, etc. The speed on the animations with this game were just flawless. Second place: thirty-five games that look just like Age of Empires.
Best Action:
Most of these were all future releases—Deus Ex II, Doom III. Hitman II looked like dog crap. I didn’t see anything this fall that I just had to have.
Adventure:
Syberia. That was an interesting looking game, and I’m actually looking forward to it.
Best Flight:
The only one I saw was the Microsoft title, so I guess that’s it.
Sports:
Fever, although I think Sega deserves a mention for that fantastic wall of plasma screens. That was the best presentation I saw during E3. I’ve played World Series Baseball by Sega since I got home and it’s about 90% of the greatest sports game ever made. Unfortunately, Sega didn’t finish the damn game, so base runner AI is terrible and there are a couple of other problems. Too bad.
Most original:
Ghost Master. I think that game has a lot of potential, although I have doubts that it will be realized. At least they’re trying.
Best looking:
Fever, definitely. Kohan II looked amazing. Sim City IV should be on that list, too.
It’s funny, I thought about all the games we looked at this year, and I wasn’t blown away like I was last time.
Just a Little Slice of GG I Found on the Net
Moderators: Bakhtosh, EvilHomer3k
-
Poleaxe
- Posts: 7140
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:54 pm
Just a Little Slice of GG I Found on the Net
-
Two Sheds
- Posts: 3691
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:56 am
- Location: District of Columbia
Yeah, that really irks me as well. It might sound corny, but there was quite a wealth of knowledge buried in those forums. I had been meaning to set aside a day and wade through the old Quinn threads--you know, that long-ass list of 10-page threads that was always posted whenever somebody asked "what's the deal with Quinn?" Never got around to that.
-
Napoleon
- Posts: 1182
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:07 am
- Location: The Low Countries
- Contact: