Posted December 31, 1969 by Brian Becker

Another year, another E3 gone by. As always, there were a few surprises, a lot of new game announcements, and a whole lot of hype.

Something that wasn?t known until E3 though was that the DS will, like the Ngage, have wireless multiplayer. A vast improvement on the GBA?s multiplayer methods. Although we had details on both systems before the show, it wasn?t until E3 that we got to see the games. For the DS, major titles include:

Super Mario 64x4 - This game is an updated version of the popular N64 Mario game made to fit with the DS style and include multiplayer. Instead of just Mario though, you can also be Yoshi, Wario, and Luigi in the singleplayer and multiplayer modes.

Metroid Prime: Hunters ? Much like Metroid Prime on the GameCube, (with graphics to rival it) Hunters is a first person adventure/shooter game. The top screen will display your map, and the bottom screen will be your first person view.

WarioWare DS ? If you have never played WarioWare on GBA, I?d suggest trying it out. The new version on the DS is much like its predecessor but with the dual screens and touch screen capability, the minigames will be much more unique, addictive, and fun.

For the PSP, the major games include:

Death Jr ? In this platformer game you are a child grim reaper. You must save the town from an ancient evil or your parents will send you off to boot camp. The game certainly looks like it will be a hit in the platformer genre.

Metal Gear Acid ? Unlike its predecessors, MGA is not an action adventure game. Rather, it is a turn-based strategy game in the Metal Gear world.

Of course, both systems actually boasted more games than those, but these are the headliners for the systems at this point.

Nintendo:

The biggest surprises this year came from the pre-shows. At Nintendo?s pre-show they announced that they have been working on a brand new Legend of Zelda title for the GameCube as well as one for the GBA. The Minish Cap kind of got tossed to the sidelines after the GameCube Zelda was announced though. Fans have waited eagerly since Space World 2001 when Nintendo showed off the Link Vs Ganondorf video for a new realistic Zelda game, and now we know one is in the works. It wasn?t much of a surprise that a new Zelda was in the works, but rather that the new Zelda game was not cell shaded and that you play as an adult Link. After all, Nintendo even

said a new one was in development that used the Wind Waker engine. Nobody imagined that the Wind Waker engine could generate the incredible graphics as shown in the trailer. The trailer displayed Link on horseback slashing other horseback riders with his sword, various dynamically lit dungeons, and a misty forest. Although we don?t know much about it, (it doesn?t even have a title yet) the game is going to be huge.

It is definitely the most anticipated GameCube game of the show. Other games on display for the show were Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Star Fox 2, Fire Emblem, Geist, Advance Wars: Under Fire, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Sony:

Surprisingly absent from the show this year was GTA: San Andreas. Although a little information was released, as well as these three screens, but I?m sure all of you PS2 fans are itching for more. And what would E3 be without a new addition to the Final Fantasy universe? This year Square Enix showed off Final Fantasy XII.

After their first venture into online Final Fantasy, they decided to return to the classic style with XII.

Another promising game for the PS2 presented at E3 was God of War. Fans of Greek mythology should look forward to this game because it will be a major part of the game?s story. In this game, you are a Spartan warrior who was about to commit suicide. The game is a ctually a flashback of events leading up to that point which takes you on a very ambitious quest of killing a god. Ares, the god of war.

Other prominent titles introduced at E3 for the PS2 include Mortal Kombat: Deception, Kingdom Hearts II, and Xenosaga Episode II.

Microsoft:

This year Microsoft had very little in the form of surprises, but they didn?t need any. All they needed was Halo 2 and they certainly delivered. During their preshow event, Bungie unveiled a multiplayer demonstration video that awed the fans and press alike. The demonstration took place on a beach assault level with destructible vehicles, guided rockets, dual wielding weapons, destroyable bridges, and even the energy sword. Even if you don?t like the original Halo, you should check out Halo 2 because it will definitely be a vast improvement in all aspects of the game.



Other than the sequel to Halo, there wasn?t much else to be excited about except for the sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and of course Fable.

Everything else

Now, that wasn?t all there was to fawn over. Now for the cross platform and PC titles. Ubisoft showed off the sequel to their hit platformer, Prince of Persia 2 and also Splinter Cell 3. Valve once again brought Half Life 2 to the show although it was not playable, but I?ll be damned if it doesn?t look fantastic.

EA Games showed off its latest incarnation of the Battlefield series with Battlefield 2. The series has really come a long way since 1942. They even showed off the first console Battlefield game. Black & White 2, the sequel to the vastly popular God simulation was also in the EA booth this year.

Blizzard?s booth was zerg rushed when they showed off Starcraft Ghost.



Microsoft?s Dungeon Siege II was also a pleasant surprise. I?m sure there are a lot of people out there happy to see this sequel in the works.

Overall, this year?s show was a great one. Vastly superior to last year?s in my opinion, and now we have a whole lot of games to be looking forward to. I?m already excited about next year?s show just to see how some of these games have come along. If I had to choose one game as the best in the show this year, the new Zelda game would be my choice, but we want to hear from you, so be sure to vote in this poll on our forums.