The biggest surprise of the show was almost undoubtably the revelation of the new Legend of Zelda title from Nintendo for the GameCube, with the 'adult' graphics and game design that people have been longing for since the Spaceworld 2000 demo.
Sony's PlayStation Portable also made a huge splash, with the demonstrated games packing incredible graphics into the units impressive widescreen.
As expected, Halo 2 made the biggest impact for Xbox fans, promising to extend on the originals face paced shoot em up gameplay. The online aspect of the game promises to absolutely blow the roof Xbox Live upon release late this year.
And, that's barely scratching the surface. The Nintendo DS, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater and even the PC's Half Life 2 were also there in fine form, along with countless other titles.
So, we ask the PALGN staff what they thought of E3. Were they pleasantly surprised? Absolutely blown away? Or just cynically indifferent?
Jon, Contributor
"My Reaction to E3 this year falls somewhere between pleasantly surprised and absolutely blown away, with a little cynical indifference towards Microsoft. The fact that Nintendo managed to keep this new Zelda under wraps for four years without a peep to the media might have been just a little cruel, but then again, we like surprises, and such a good surprise it was. The DS looks amazing, and although some of the projects and expected features of the DS might seem a little ambitious, Nintendo may just yet pull it all off. Nintendo have swept E3 this year, and this is a good indication of great games to come.
"The other showers weren't without their merits, Microsoft have given the fans what they want with Halo 2, but no surprises there. Sony's new PSP might play like a portable Playstation, but as time has shown, Bricks that consume large amounts of battery power usually don't sell well (Sega's Game Gear?). As for the PC, I think Half Life 2 is the game that everyone wants on their dard drive in the coming year."
The DS. Looks old school, but far from it.
Brendan, Editor
"To me, E3 was undoubtedly the year of the handheld. Both handhelds look extremely promising. The PSP might be lacking in hands on proof at this stage, but it makes up for that in spades with the sheer sleekness of the unit itself, and the incredible graphics that have so far been demonstrated. The Nintendo DS seemed a little lacking in overall design, stepping back from the overall fantastic design of the SP to an old school Game&Watch. That aside, the games look absolutely fantastic, and the second screen actually looks like it will be more than just a gimmick. It's far to early to pick a winner - if indeed there is one - at this stage.
"Outside of that, E3 seemed to be the year of the sequel, as seems to be the trend during recent E3s. However, while bland, there are some sequels I just cannot wait for.
"At the top of this list is Half Life 2. Sure, it might be a PC game, but if you say the game doesn't interest you, you're either lying or haven't played the original Half Life.
"Gran Turismo 4 also looks brilliant - but, at this stage, I'm skeptical as to whether it will offer any actual gameplay enhancements other than online over the previous games in the serious. Despite the fact that they're charging $60 for Prologue in Australia encouraging me not to buy either game on principal, I won't be able to resist.
"Snake Eater looks set to bring some freshness to the Metal Gear Solid series, with a completely new game setting and some new gameplay toys to play with. Despite this, I question whether Konami will be able to overcome the clunkiness of the games controls - but either way, we will have a real contender for game of the year here.
"Finally, the new Zelda game just blew me away. The trailer may have been short, but, at the risk of sounding like a total fanboy, you only need to have played any of the previous Zelda games with the current engine (Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker) to know it will be utterly fantastic.
"Whilst those were my main games that caught my eye, there's still plenty more I'm looking forward to, in the name of ESPN Hockey 2005, Conker, Burnout 3 and the extremely excellent looking Fable.
"One slightly suprising aspect was the complete lack of any talk about the new hardware. Of course, I'm expecting detailed specifications or a game list, but with Microsoft aiming for a late 2005 launch, it seems like an awfully tight unveiling to console launch turnaround. We shall see."
Simply awesome.
Mark, Contributor
"This years E3 expo was definitely a big highlight of which the gaming market hasn't seen for years. With new hardware announcements, a brilliant software line-up and the number of surprises on the side, this E3 is certainly one to remember.
"As far as I'm concerned, there wasn't a company who didn't make a big impact on the event. I think we can get away from the obvious highlights - Nintendo's handheld, Sony's Handheld and the commitment to online software for Microsoft - since a lot of companies showed off some impressive games for the future, which every gamer should be happy about.
"LucasArts showed off some amazing work on future Star Wars titles, in the sequel to Knights of the Old Republic and the interesting concept of Star Wars: Battlefront. Then you have Midway unrevealing their next instalment to their bloody franchise, Mortal Kombat: Deception, which is a certain blockbuster with the new elements of gameplay and the insane mayhem in online fighting. Here's a list of the game's that impressed me the most during the event: Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - The Sith Lord, Star Wars: Battlefront, Second Sight, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Metorid: Hunter, Super Mario 64x4, Resident Evil 4, World of Warcraft, Devil May Cry 3, Kameo: Elements of Power, Conker, Brother in Arms, X-men Legends and that's just to name half the list that impressed me. As you can see, this was a huge E3.
"I think something that gamers will remember about this years E3 is that it produced some of the biggest name franchises for a long time, and of course unrevealing of the most groundbreaking handheld concepts ever."
Looks pretty, both in the screen and the unit itself. Whether it can actually deliver this remains to be seen, though.
Luke, PR Director
"Sequels seemed to be the hit of E3 2004. The day before E3 was huge as always, providing the most information in the big press conferences. I was extremely overwhelmed by the amount of titles that will be available for both the DS and the PSP.
"After being initially critical of the DS, I was surprised and am now looking forward to it. All three companies had big showings, and although not much was shown of the Phantom, it sounds promising and has shut up a lot of critics.
"EA going to Xbox Live is great news for me. I'm looking forward to seeing the next few EA installments on XBox Live. Sega's "mega" announcement was a huge disappointment, however. Online Matrix? Meh. However, the week after E3 is like the day after christmas.
"Bring on E3 2005!"
Conker is back. And this time, he's got a ponytail.
That Other Luke, Contributor
"This E3 definitely raised a few eyebrows for the gaming world. Nintendo's DS turned out to be a gaming revolution (which, coincidentally, Nintendo had been saying since it was announced), Sony's PSP turned out to be a hardware powerhouse with a shockingly bad battery life (Conservative estimate: 2.5 - 10 Hours depending on application) and the shock announcement of the new Legend of Zelda game was nothing short of amazing.
"On the Xbox front, Halo 2, Conker: Live and Reloaded, and Fable wowed the press, but the lack of more than one powerhouse game left Microsoft's presence feeling somewhat empty. The lack of XSN Sports titles also hurt their E3 showings, but the addition of EA's lineup to the 'Live Enabled' monkier was certainly a welcome change.
"Sony's hype machine would have you thinking that the PSP was a massive hit of E3, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. With only one playable game (Tales of Eternia), the previously mentioned battery life issue, and with the rest of the games running on video demos, we can only wonder how the PSP will fare when it hits the market in Japan later this year. On the PS2 front, games like Gran Turismo 4, GTA4, and MGS3 stole most of the attention, with a few surprises like Tekken 5 thrown in for good measure.
"But undoubtedly, this E3 belonged to Nintendo. This can be attributed to several factors:
1) Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo's marketing juggernaut. If you ran into this guy in a dark alley, he'd kick your ass and take your name (I just knew someone was going to say that - Ed) before you could turn and run like a sissy. Reggie has a massive cult following following his legendary introduction line at Nintendo's press conference, and deservedly so.
2) The conference bombshell... A brand new realistic Zelda game! Comprised entirely of in-game footage, running on a highly modified version of the Wind Waker engine, the audience at Nintedo's conference was momentarily dumbfounded by this shock announcement at the end of the show. At the moment that a horseback-riding Link came charging onto the screen, the room exploded. There's no other way to describe it. Set for a mid '05 release, the new Legend of Zelda game is unbelievably far along in production.
3) The Nintendo DS. Admit it, you were skeptical about this when it was announced, but following its massive showing in the Nintendo DS Theatre, it all surprisingly makes sense! The touch screen IS innovative (although the Zodiac Tapwave guys would be slightly miffed, if you ask me), the two screens DO work together, and it DOES open up a huge range of new gameplay possibilites. Featuring 802.11b wireless networking for online gameplay, a microphone, and instant-messaging function, the DS truly is revolutionary, and makes the PSP already seem outdated in terms of gameplay choices.
4) Game lineup. Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Donkey Konga, Paper Mario 2, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Pikmin 2, the new GCN Legend of Zelda game, Animal Crossing DS, Mario Kart DS, Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and many more stole the show.
5) Ninty's new philosophy. With Yamauchi usurped from the Nintendo throne, Satoru Iwata has firmly grabbed the company by the reigns and turned the company in a new direction. Now focussing on the gamers, hardware and software innovation, and mass-market appeal, Nintendo really does seem to have turned a new leaf... and they proved it at E3."[/i]
Leigh, Contributor
"The 10th anniversary of E3 was always going to be a big one. The portable gaming announcements were probably the most interesting in my opinion, wth both Sony and Nintendo releasing portables in relatively close dates of each other, we can expect a lot of debating between fans of the two companies in coming months. When I go back and look at all of the information on both the DS and PSP, I am still unable to choose which I prefer. I guess only time will help me decide.
"As for the rest of the show, Halo 2 had me excited the most. Of course, the new Zelda and GT4 had me drooling as well. The next 12 months is looking rather strong for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. For Nokia though, it doesn't look like the N-Gage is going to be doing anything spectacular anytime soon."
Metal Gear Acid on the PSP. But not quite Metal Gear as we know it.
Vaughan, Contributor
"Well, another E3 has come by and gone and I find myself staring at a lot of games with a new number tacked onto the end of the title. Sure, it's great having more games based on characters and premises that I already love, but I didn't see enough great new inspirational material.
"The greatest waves were made by the new hardware on show. This is of course being the new handhelds: the PSP and the DS. After taking a close look at both systems and the games announced my money is on the PSP. Personally I think a bigger screen with more media capabilities is the way to go. If you want you can still use half the screen for something else. To me, the DS just looks like Nintendo are desperately clutching at their successful past. I need firm proof of amazing groundbreaking games before laying down my cash for this one. I already have enough revisions of the game boy in my collection.
"Games wise the things that looked great here, looked great before the show too. I am talking about Fable, Halo 2, Xenosaga Episode 2, etc etc. The new Zelda game has me intrigued, and I found the horseback combat to be quite cool. Technically, I found the graphics to be better in Wind Waker, however I like the new style and it is still early days.
"Overall, I am still trying to sift through the vast amount of news and media from E3 and searching for those gems that I may have overlooked. There has been some great stuff so far, yet no real surprises."
Chris, Contributor
"Woah, what an E3! Never before have I seen so many potentially great games in my life. Suprisingly, I felt Sony had the weakest showing this year. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is looking amazing, Gran Turismo 4 looks like it's going to be everything we thought it would be and Ratchet & Clank 3's online multiplayer should be great fun when it's realeased. But outside of that there seems to be very little to get excited about. Killzone is still looking long from completion, Jak 3 seems like more of the same, as does Devil May Cry 3. There just seemed to be a real lack of anything remarkably new from Sony this year.
"Thier actual conference was a snore fest. They seemed intent on showing countless graphs and statictics on how well they were doing and very little in the way of games, with only R&C3's online mode and the PSP showing being at all memorable. But even with the PSP, which while looking very impressive techinically, we saw very little in the way of new games, with PS2 ports making up alot of it's suspected launch line up.
"Microsoft had arguably the most solid conference of the 3, kicking off with some extended footage of Unreal Championship 2, Full Spectrum Warrior, Mechassault 2, Conker, Fable and Star Wars Republic Commando - most of which will be online and all of which look absolutly stunning. We then saw the new Live interface with new voice mail, video mail and video chat features followed by a taste of the future with thier new programming tools XNA. Microsoft then revealed thier further lineup of games with Kameo, Ghost Recon 2, Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow and Burnout 3 looking most impressive.
"The Halo 2 Mutliplayer demo had me more excited than an eight year old on Christmas Day. All the things Bungie promised (dual wielding weapons, destructable scenery, new weapons, new modes, etc) came to be true and come November 9th, it will feel like Christmas Day.
"They then finished off with three very promising games: DoA Ultimate - which as a huge DOA fan, I can't wait for - Doom 3, which speaks for itself, and finally, Forza Motorsport - Microsofts answer to Gran Turismo. The EA Live announcment at the end was the icing on the cake for Microsoft.
"But as good a showing as Microsoft had, I think Nintendo just edged it for me overall. Thier conference, hosted by the now lengendary Reggie Fils-Aime, kicked off with a bang with a huge Metroid Prime 2: Echoes trailer, which instantly reminded me why Metroid Prime is the best game of the past few years. It was then followed by Starfox, thankfully looking alot better than it was last year. Like last year, lots of the ground based game was shown, but the more traditional on-rails levels were revealed later on during E3. Resident Evil 4 then appeared showing a much needed new direction to the series and looking as graphically as impressive as anything else at E3.
"Then in a huge compelation video, the rest of Nintendo's lineup was shown. Updates to previous titles, Paper Mario 2, Pikmin 2, Zelda 4 Swords and Viewtiful Joe 2 were shown amoungst new games such as Donkey Konga, Killer 7, Geist, Advance Wars Under Fire and the suprisingly fun looking Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Those, mixed in with some strong EA support, along with Tales of Syphonia and Baten Kaitos (finally giving RPG fans something to look forward to.) rounded up what I feel is a very strong GC lineup. GBA owners have a promising year ahead too with the likes of Mario Pinball, Mario Golf Advance Tour, DK King of Swing, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Pokemon Fire/Leaf and Zelda Minish Cap providing a wealth of 2D goodness.
"In addition to the GBA, a new Nintendo handheld, the Nintendo DS was revealed. Though technically inferior to the PSP grapically (the DS is just above N64 level while the PSP is around PS2 level) it's the addition of 2 screens (one of which is a touch screen) and Wi-Fi connectivity (online play) which make the DS such a promising machine. See the main idea behind the double screen isn't really so much as to have 2 screens, (though that is a big part of it) it's all about the touch panel. Whether it be for control, or secondary things like maps or inventorys. Just think how that would work in multiplayer - you wouldn't have to pause the game to change things, you'd just touch the other screen! Or imagine RTS games - you just select your troops on one screen and then with the map on the other screen, just point where you want them to go instantly. It provides seamless gameplay, something not possible before now. This was all demonstrated by a new DS game, Metroid Hunters. Controlled by just a dpad to move and the touch screen to aim and shoot, it plays just how you would expect a 3D Metroid to play.
"Nintendo then finished off with the suprise of E3 - a trailer of thier new 'realisitic' looking Legend of Zelda. A trailer which has been watched by me many, many times since then..."
Metroid on NDS. Looks crappy here, but remember it will be much smaller in person.
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