E3 Cometh
Written By: Roger Taylor

5 Things to Expect and Hope For From the Big N at the Big E…3, That Is.

E3 is less than a month away now and all sorts of stories are circulating the net about who Sega will show the most support for, what Square will show since they've been a little more quiet lately, and most importantly, what Nintendo will display after keeping almost completely silent since Spaceworld. Here is what you should expect and, in some cases, hope and pray for:

5. More Specifics on the Gamecube 

Most of the important information on the Gamecube has been released, but there are still some things that are unclear. Like, will the DVD movie-equipped Gamecube ever materialize? And if it will, where, when and for how much? Also some final specs would be nice. I appreciate Nintendo not giving us meaningless numbers when it comes to polygon output and such, but we really do need these numbers, if for nothing else than to humor those who want comparisons between GC and Playstation 2.

4. Gamecube Third-Party Support 

All right, you caught me. Technically, this is not something that we are going to be looking to Nintendo for. But still, it is a very important topic. It is still unclear as to whether or not Nintendo's wonder box will be able to compete with PS2 and Microsoft's X-Box when it comes to support from third-party developers. As of now, it looks like Nintendo will have better support than they did with the Nintendo 64, but still not nearly as much as Sony is receiving. We should know for sure at E3.

3. Even More GBA Games 

The Game Boy Advance already looks spectacular in every imaginable way. But still, a few more games never hurt. I'm sure that there are a few titles, both from Nintendo and from third parties that have yet to be announced and will be at E3.

2. More Gamecube Games Videos 

We have already seen what the Gamecube can do, by watching the spectacular demos of Zelda, Rogue Squadron, and others. Of course, the most important thing is how these games actually play, but most of us are not yet through ogling the beautiful graphics displayed on Gamecube. We look forward to a few more videos to salivate over (now I remember why the keys on my keyboard are always sticking down!). The last Mario demo was impressive, but I would still like to see what the new Mario will look like. We have yet to see that.

1. Playable Gamecube Games 

And, of course, here is the big one. We have waited patiently since the last Spaceworld (and before that since the last E3!) to be able to actually play some Gamecube games (or at least see those lucky attendees of E3 get to play them). After the unbearably long wait, we will finally get to play the future of video games at E3. Nintendo has officially announced that GC games will be playable at E3, but they have not announced any specific titles. Maybe some lucky press members will get a few tender moments with the new Mario title? Maybe people will finally have a go with the 3D incarnation of Metroid? Maybe…well, we won't go on with this forever, you guys all know what games are going to be on Nintendo's next console. However, the possibility of playable games opens up a whole other topic of discussion; that being the controller. Nintendo has not let anyone lay hands on their new controller since it was shown to the press at Spaceworld. It's design is different from anything ever seen before, which was to be expected after the revolutionary N64 controller, and yet no one knows how it actually feels. Since games will be playable at E3, it means that people will finally be able to feel if lightning can strike twice and Nintendo can make another revolutionary controller. …Actually, when you include the NES controller and the one for the SNES, which makes four…but if you don't inclu….

Forget it. Nintendo's controllers are a completely different editorial unto themselves. Any comments, suggestions, questions, insults or marriage proposals can be sent to jonas42@vgf.com.

Posted: 5-9-01