Misc. Info

Greetings one and all! I have just returned from Atlanta, home of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, and what a blast I had trying out all the upcoming stuff. This was my first E3, so I really had no idea what to expect. Suffice to say I was blown away by the quantity and for the most part quality of all the new games. I was mesmerized by the lengths the companies went to to get attention. I was shocked at the sheer number of Playstation titles I saw. And last but certainly not least, I was stunned by the beautiful women at most of the booths (Nintendo's in particular!), but that's another story for another day.

A few notes before I start really rambling. One, I was there basically by myself, so I only looked at things I was really interested in. Therefore, you'll find out little from this report about Banjo & Kazooie, Gex 2, Conker's Quest, or any of the other Mario 64 wannabes, a genre I find really quite boring. You'll also find almost nothing on PC games. Please note also there was so much stuff that I didn't spend a lot of time with any of the games, so my judgements are very preliminary. The games are listed in no particular order. Remember that 99% of the games I speak of are not finals. And lastly, keep in mind these are my opinions - I have not read or looked at any other E3 reports at the time of this writing, thus keeping it strictly my opinions.

Enough covering my bases - on with the games!

Sony Playstation

Sony's area was huge, divided up into several sub areas (the Blasto area, the sports bar, the Crash 2 area). There were also several developers that had PS games on display in their areas (Konami, Capcom, Namco, Midway).

In stark contrast to the Nintendo 64 (or even the Sega Saturn, for that matter), there were so many games on the Playstation I couldn't even begin to list them all. Here are the ones that I really paid attention to.

Time Crisis (PS) - As far as I could tell, this WAS the arcade game. An absolutely beautiful port. It's by Namco - what did you expect?! 8) Anyway, it moved fluidly and the graphics were very close, although a bit more blocky than the arcade game. I hardly noticed, though - I was too busy blasting away the bad guys! The guncon feels GREAT. The accuracy was dead on. Surprisingly, very little ambience is lost without the pedal. You hit a button on the gun to duck and reload, and it feels so natural I doubt you'll notice either.

Nascar 98 (PS) - EA Sports had a huge booth with a hummer limo looking thing. There was also a full size Nascar err, car on the roof of the "Stadium Club", signifying the upcoming Nascar 98. It looked impressive. It appeared to be using the Andretti racing engine, but it was a bit faster and much more colorful. It could be one to keep an eye on.

Lost World (PS) - WOW!!! The animations are uncanny. It moves fluidly. It was a lot of fun to play. And I devoured a human as a T-Rex! This is definitely on my want list.

Pac-Man 3D (PS) - No, that's not the title, but for the life of me, I can't remember it off the top of my head (and it's not in my notes). It was only shown on tape (as were other notables like Spawn, Zelda 64, Yoshi 64, Resident Evil 2, etc.) and not much of it was shown. However, I happened to be walking by a back office and saw a bit more of it. Basically, it's yet another Mario 64 looking game starring Pac-Man. What's next? Pac-Kart? Give me Pac-Mania over that any day (which was being shown on Museum 5 - I had forgotten how fun that game was!).

Marvel Super Heroes (PS) - Looking very nice and controlling equally well, it appeared to be rather close replica of the arcade game. If you're into that sorta thing, this is the game for you.

Street Fighter Collection (PS) - These appeared to be arcade perfect. Why shouldn't they be?

Star Wars: The 3D Fighter (PS) - Again, forgive me I've forgotten the official name. What was playable was obviously VERY early in development; only Luke and a new character in the Cloud City area were playable. It was jerky and slow. We can only hope the final version looks little like this. (As a sidebar, there was a Star Wars Monopoly game on display for the PC. As if anyone needs further proof that George Lucas is just milking the hardcore fans to the max...)

Frogger (PS) - A very interesting update to the classic. The object is still the same, and I didn't see power ups of any kind. Everything is now rendered and you only see part of the screen, which, unlike Robotron X for the PS, is not that much of a distraction. It played very well. There were 2 levels I saw (the harker said there were 10), one of which was the classic level, now redone in polygonal glory. Very cool.

WCW Nitro (PS) - Whoooooooo!!! Although early in development, it looks extremely promising. The graphics are MUCH better than WCW vs. the World (even better than the N64 version), and it features all the top WCW stars. Hogan, Arn Anderson, Chris Benoit, Harlem Heat, Hall and Nash. It even plays the Outsider's music! I talked a bit with the THQ guys and they said commentary on the game will be done by Larry Zybysko, Bobby Heenan, and others. In fact, I just missed Bobby Heenan being there in person. Damn! This looks to be THE wrestling game to get.

Bravo Air Race (PS) - A neat looking racing game where you race Airplanes! A bit tough to control, but it has a 2-player split screen that looks dynamite. I will definitely be checking this one out.

Jet Moto 2 / Cool Boarders 2 (PS) - I lumped these two together because I didn't like either of the first versions, and the second versions look almost identical to the first ones. More of the same, which IMHO is NOT a good thing.

Rapid Racer (PS) - Well, we have airplace racing, why not boat racing? Silky smooth and boats are majorly affected by the waves. It reminded me a LOT of Wave Race, and that's a good thing. There was no apparent loss of detail in 2 player mode. And one other thing - the analog pad is GREAT!!! It just feels right, not cheap like the N64 stick.

Porsche Challenge (PS) - Not to sound like a magazine writer, but there are so many racing games coming to the PS that you really need to have something extra to stand out. While PC looked very nice, it didn't play (or look) as well as say Rage Racer, IMHO. I'll definitely check it out when it comes out but it has just been downgraded from "MUST BUY" to "MUST RENT, MAYBE BUY".

Parappa the Rapper (PS) - A rapping game? With cutout looking characters? Gotta be garbage, right? NO! It's actually a lot of fun. Don't ask me how. There's something rhythmic and stupidly enjoyable about slapping buttons in time to the music. I don't think that I would ever want to actually own this game, but I could definitely see renting it when I was having friends over. It'd be a great party game. Final Fantasy VII (PS) - Ok...I didn't get to play it much, but it looked fabulous. The cut scenes blend in so perfectly with the action that you're sometimes hard pressed to tell the difference. The fighting is awesome! Did I mention almost no load time? Did I mention that I AM NOT an RPG fan? Did I mention that I'm getting this as soon as it comes out?

Tomb Raider 2 (PS) - Initial impression - Lara's pointy boobs are gone! She's more rounded now. 8) There seemed to be more interactivity, as I was shooting guys left and right. It appears much more open and moves well. It appears to do everything a sequel should - more of the same, but better.

Castlevania (PS) - I hate to say this, but I was just slightly disapointed. I love the 2D side scrolling look, but the animation and graphics didn't look a generation better than the SNES version. Better, obviously, but not THAT much better. Oh well. It was silky smooth, however, and some of the special effects were fabulous. Most importantly, it played great. If you like Castlevania (and I most assuredly do), you'll love it.

Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle (PS) - Imagine the Mayan Adventure. Now put it into a 3D world, and you have the new Pitfall game. It looked impressive and played very well. As a side note, the guys in the Activision area were among the nicest at the show. Of course, if I was looking at the black leather clad girls in the Eidos area all day (and I did quite a bit), I'd be happy too! 8)

Rampage: World Tour (PS) - One of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the show, the version I played looked nearly finished! It's Rampage with DKC style rendered characters. And it was an absolute BLAST to play! I can only imagine what it will be like with three players at once. I was having the time of my life smashing buildings, eating people, and knocking airplanes out of the sky. One of my favorite games at the show.

MK Mythologies: Sub Zero (PS) - A side scrolling MK? Done correctly, it could be interesting. What I saw was ok, if a bit slow and clunky. The animation and overall speed definitely needs boosted. Anyway, you're Sub-Zero and you walk and jump and fight along for some reason or another. I guess if you love MK, you could do worse than this one...

Maximum Force (PS) - It's the Area 51 sequel. It looks just like Area 51. I don't like Area 51. Sorry.

Duke Nukem 3D (PS) - MAJOR disappointment. The PS version was horribly slow and controlled terribly. It felt like it was running at 10 frames per second. That it was even being shown in this state worries me immensely. It will take a miracle to save this one.

Crash Bandicoot 2 (PS) - I loved the original, and this one looks like a prettier, more involved version of the same. Crash has some new moves, and the version I played supported the analog pad. I think the judgement on this one is pretty clear: if you liked Crash 1, you'll like Crash 2. If you didn't like Crash 1, you'll find nothing to sway you here.

Blasto (PS) - The version of Sony's big gun on display was very early but promising. It's yet another 3D go anywhere Mario-esque game, but this one actually has some personality. Phil Hartman is the voice, and it works well. Blasto's environment looks so much like the old Marvin the Martian cartoons I'll be shocked if Warner Bros. doesn't sue.

MLB '98, NFL Gameday '98, CART '98 (PS) - I've lumped all these together because they were in Sony's Sports Bar, which was exactly that - a place to get free drinks and free Playstation shot glasses! I partook of several rum and cokes, which may have swayed my opinion of the Sony sports series. 8) However, what I saw were improved versions of last year's titles. MLB looks much better, and Gameday looks smoother than it did before. CART racing looks almost identical to Formula One.

Xevious 3D (PS) - I know, this one is out already. E3 was my first chance to play it. The graphics are updated but not too much so, and the power ups add a lot to the gameplay. I was having a ball with this one, and now that I'm back, I'm going to go buy it. Need I say more?

Raystorm (PS) - Another shooter? YES! And a fabulous shooter it is. If you think Xevious 3D looks nice, you've seen nothing! Imagine Raiden 2 with more lighting effects, better sound, more speed, more fun - R-Type, Nanotek Warrior, move over - we may have a new king!

Batman & Robin (PS) - Batman goes 3D. What I saw was very early in development, but looked good. Batman moved fluidly around his little world. If the gameplay winds up as good as the animation and early graphics, we could have a winner. One thing is for certain - it has to be better than the movie.

Fantastic Four (PS)- Remember the not so good old days when Acclaim would get a license and make a side scrolling beat em up? Remember how there's a NEW Acclaim that's not going to do that? Forget it. Although it looks 3D and some of the animations look very nice, Acclaim has reverted to its old ways. Too bad - this could have been a very cool game.

Lethal Enforcers I & II (PS) - A friend of mine and I have a running joke about this game. We both loved the arcade version and are looking forward to the PS version. Originally, it was due in Sept. last year. Each month, I tell my friend, "You know, LE is due out next month" and he just says, "Sure it is." Anyway, it looks to be nearing completion. The version I played looked identical to the arcade game with one major problem - the gun is not accurate AT ALL! I calibrated the gun before the game, so that wasn't it. I hope they clean this up before they release it.

Gex 2 / Croc / Rascal (PS) - I didn't look too closely at any of these games, as they just aren't my style. However, here's my official scorecard: Gex 2 looked the best, followed by Croc, and then Rascal. They all look and play like Mario 64. Questions are depth and playability are unanswerable at this point.

Bushido Blade (PS) - I have been intrigued by this game since I heard about it. I played in linked mode and must say this is a game that is gonna require some serious time. It looks to be a thinking man's fighting game, so forget those Soul Blade tactics. It appears to be a simulation, not a game. Interesting.

One (PS) - If I had to give an award for best/most promising game at the show, it would go to One. Mix Contra with Tomb Raider then add a pinch of Robotron and you have One. The area I played was absolutely jaw dropping. You're standing in a building of some sort when all of a sudden,a HUGE helicopter appears in the window and begins firing in the window at you. You take off running down the hall, jumping and diving and basically trying to save your ass while this thing is gunning you down. Did I mention it was taking up about 75% of the screen? At least 30 fps? With special effects out the ying yang? Phenomenal. If you buy one game this year, errrrrr...make it One!

Nintendo 64 Stuff

Nintendo's area was breathtaking, easily the neatest at the show. A fountain with Mario in the middle, a wall of animated Mario and Wario chatting back and forth, easily the most beautiful women of any of the booths, and more monitors than you can imagine.

However, and I know a lot of people won't be happy to hear this, and I hate to say it, but I was mighty disappointed with what Nintendo had to show. There were just too few games, especially compared to the Playstation. There were, however, a couple of standouts.

Starfox 64 (N64) - Starfox was the big game being shown inside a HUGE theater type environment. It looks GREAT! Four player action looked smooth, and the one player stuff was jaw dropping. Very nice.

Goldeneye (N64) - Wow - it looks just like Doom! What is it with Nintendo and their limited genres? To be fair, I didn't get a chance to play it, but from what I saw it looked very nice - smmmmoooothh to the max. But it looked like Doom, and my world doesn't need yet another one. As a side note, Nintendo had a stand where you could get your picture taken (in a tux, natch!) with a couple of Bond girls. The blonde (incredibly amazingly indescribably beautiful) put a gun to my head while they snapped the photo. Too funny.

Top Gear Rally (N64) - Disapppointing. After having seen so many screen shots and being in awe, it left me saddened. The control was sluggish and there was some slowdown - IN ONE PLAYER MODE! The tracks were huge, though. Textures were a bit repetitive. IMHO, it doesn't hold a candle to Rally Cross (or Sega Rally for that matter).

San Francisco Rush (N64) - Whoa mama! It looked almost - ALMOST - as good as the arcade game and moved at a very speedy clip. Of all the N64 games I saw (and there weren't that many), this was easily the most impressive, duplicating the arcade experience to a tee.

Quake (N64) - Believe it or not, I have never played the PC version, as I use a Mac and it hasn't been ported over yet. What I saw of the N64 version looked smooth, although mine kept crashing for some reason (must be very early in development) so I can't form much of an opinion yet. What I saw looked very promising, though.

Mace: The Dark Age (N64) - This is the 3D fighter the mags have been hyping so much lately. It looked, in a word, poor. The frame rate was terrible and it just looked (and played) very clunky. It didn't help that the arcade machine was running right next to the N64 version. Hopefully, Midway will get the programmers from the SF Rush project to whip this one into shape.

Conker's Quest / Banjo & Kazooie (N64) - I lumped these together because they looked so similar. Both appeared to be Mario 64 wannabes, and that just doesn't interest me in the least. Did they look nice? You betcha. Too bad it's a genre I have interest in. If that's the kinda game you want, though, the N64 looks to be the place to be (although Gex 2 and Croc looked almost as impressive on the Playstation).

Ken Griffey Baseball (N64) - The biggest disappointment for me at the Nintendo area, probably the entire show. It's kinda funny. I remember reading an interview with Nintendo big cheese Howard Lincoln saying how we would all be amazed when we saw Ken Griffey baseball. He's right, I was amazed - at how poor it looked. I understand now why it hasn't been shown much. It just looks blurry, unimpressive, lacking - bad. To say it doesn't compare with Triple Play '98 (or TP '97 or Sony's MLB '98 for that matter) would be being kind. I didn't get to play it too much (remember what I said in my intro about limited playtime), but the people who were playing it looked really confused. Nintendo really needs EA right about now.

WCW vs. NWO World Tour (N64) - I saw a lot of this one, actually, because not only was it on display at both Nintendo's and THQ's booths, but it was also being shown on monitors at CNN Center where I grabbed some lunch! It is basically WCW vs. the World with a four player option and slightly smoother animation, which is to say it's a solid wrestling game. The upcoming WCW Nitro on the Playstation (see elsewhere) looked to be even more impressive, though. Why didn't THQ make that one for the N64 instead?

Sega Saturn Stuff

I don't own a Saturn, nor do I plan to. However, I did see a few things of note in the Sega area (sadly, Virtua Fighter 3 was not one of them).

Sonic R (Saturn) - Sonic racing. Think of it as Mario Kart sans karts, and you get the idea. It looked ok.

Sonic Jam (Saturn) - The Sonic collection, held together by a VERY VERY impressive 3D Sonic that looked a lot like (altogether now) Mario 64. The 3D Sonic is a preview of a new Saturn Sonic game, I guess, and it looks good. Other than that, it's the old Genesis games minus the Sonic CD version.

Duke Nukem 3D (Saturn) - Now THIS is a conversion. It played smooth as silk with no loss in detail I could notice. In fact, it ran every bit as well as it does on my Power Mac 7600/120. Lobotomy (the developers) should be commended.

Quake (Saturn) - For some reason, it reminded me of the Jag version of Doom. It ran about the same speed, but looked very good. Not as good as the N64 version, but pretty sharp nonetheless.

No Shows:

The biggest disappointment had to be the missing Midway collection (Burgertime, Spy Hunter, et al) and Atari 2 Collection (Marble Madness, Gauntlet, etc.). Others were Tekken 3 (arcade machines only), Virtua Fighter 3 (arcade only), Zelda 64 (tape only), Yoshi's Island 64 (tape only).

- Randy Baer

The opinions expressed above are solely those of Randy Baer.