(E3 2002) Tuesday Press Conference Highlights

[burgundy]

With the E3 floor opening tomorrow, Sony and Nintendo showcased their wares today in LA. Highlights inside.

SCEA COO Kaz Hirai introduced Sony's upcoming games and online strategies at the early conference at the Los Angeles Studio Center this morning. Hirai concentrated on Sony's continued market dominance and recent price drop. He introduced video footage of Insomniac Games' platform adventure Ratchet and Clank. British developer Team Soho showed off its cinematic action title Getaway, which combines film segments shot exclusively for the game with driving sequences reminescent of Grand Theft Auto 3 and third-person shooting. Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, Hirai announced that the franchise would be remaining exclusive to the PS2. Sony also flexed their online muscle with a live demonstration of Socom: U.S. Navy Seals, a mission based FPS, while EA presented an online Madden 2003 between the Vikings' Daunte Culpepper on stage and the Ravens' Jevon Kearse, from Florida. John Madden himself called the action from his California home.

Nintendo held its conference immediately afterward, at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel. NoA President Peter MacDougall and Satoro Iwada showed off Nintendo's new offerings, starting with a breathtaking new video of Metroid Prime as well as footage of Resident Evil Zero and Eternal Darkness. Iwada vaguely mentioned Nintendo's online plans but quickly shifted to NGC-GBA connectivity, featuring video footage and a taped demonstration commercial of Animal Forest. New footage of Cube titles Wario World and 1080 Snowboarding: White Storm as well as GBA titles The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 and Metroid Fusion, which bore a striking resemblance to Super Metroid. Donkey Kong + for GBA, an update to Donkey Kong '94 with a level editor accessible through the Cube, was announced but not shown. Footage of F-Zero showcased the series' original racers and vehicles as well as an enhanced Mute City track. The highlight of the show came when Shigeru Miyamoto showed footage and demonstrated Super Mario Sunshine to a roaring ovation, and then did the same for The Legend of Zelda. Miyamoto had to cut his demonstration a bit short when he was unable to find a necessary item to advance through the fiery dungeon. He then surprised the crowd with a demonstration of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, a four-player dungeon trek with both cooperative and competitive aspects, with officials from Capcom, Sega and Namco.

We'll keep you updated throughout the week, in between our appointments with developers and Tecmo booth babes.

[Johnny Undaunted]

Well, I'm still pissed at Nintendo for not releasing Fire Emblem in America. I've already posted my opinions on Metroid Fusion and Zelda III-rehash elsewhere. Donkey Kong + sounds nice. I guess this means that I don't have to waste time tracking down the original Game Boy version. Hopefully they will add an additional 100 levels to complement the existing 101.

I'm ticked that Nintendo is releasing Yoshi's Island rehash instead of Fire Emblem, but I'm surprised they skipped Super Mario Bros. 3. I wonder why they did that.

Still pissed at NOA.

[Wildcat]

I thought I heard something that Nintendo WAS relasing Fire Emblem in the U.S. *shrugs*

[Johnny Undaunted]

Originally posted by Wildcat
I thought I heard something that Nintendo WAS relasing Fire Emblem in the U.S. *shrugs*

http://www.planetgamecube.com/news.c...n=item&id=3058

[Wildcat]

Actually, I read the "Where's Fire Emblem" thread you made a little bit before coming back. Well, may your letter writing do some good. Who knows, Nintendo may sneak that in somewhere.