E3 Chronicles: The First 10 Years - 2002: Features

Once again, we hit a year where all of the new consoles were on the market, thus making the focus of E3 all about the games. However, just because there weren’t any new consoles on the horizon, it didn’t mean the war wasn’t still on… unless, of course, you talked to SCEA president and COO, Kazuo Hirai, who proudly proclaimed that the console war was over, and now it was only a battle for second place behind the PS2. The Xbox and Gamecube were the new kids on the block, and after respectable launches, they now needed to put their money where there mouth was, showing some top quality games. Meanwhile, PC gamers were getting their first gander at Doom 3, and collectively wondering just how much they would need to upgrade their rigs in order to be able to run the thing.

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E3 Chronicles: The First 10 Years - 2002

The Games:

Activision:

The crown jewel in Activision’s booth was far and away Doom 3. There wasn’t a whole lot to go on regarding the game at the time, but judging by preliminary information and images, it looked like the game was going to push PCs harder than ever to make some very pretty images…in a gory, gruesome sort of way. The publisher also had a new game in development that would keep the ninja community happy as the Tenchu series was making its way to the PlayStation 2 with Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. With Acquire busy on other projects, this sequel was being handled by a different developer, bringing the game under closer scrutiny, as fans of the series speculated how well the new team would handle the title.

Capcom:

Of all the games that Capcom had to show in 2002, a pair of Resident Evil titles were of particular interest. Firstly was Resident Evil Zero, which looked amazing on the Gamecube. The other installment of note was Resident Evil Online. Already announced in Japan, it was difficult not to be at least a little bit curious as to how a survival horror game could translate into online gaming. At this point, what could be seen of the game was little more than a tease, with expectedly spooky scenes shown in a video, with little in the way of what gameplay would be like.

Besides Resident Evil games, there were another could of sequels to check out from Capcom that were nice to see. Both Devil May Cry, and Onimusha were getting new installments, and they were looking very nice, indeed.

Eidos:

Garnering a simultaneous sigh from gamers everywhere, the first thing people saw from Eidos at E3 this year was a new Tomb Raider. While many had hoped the franchise was put to rest after it had been milked well past most people’s tolerance levels, it looked like the series was coming to next gen consoles with Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. It was an attempt to reinvent the series, and get people interested in it again. At this point it was looking plenty dark and gritty, but it was far too early to decide if the game was any good.

Tomb Raider wasn’t the only big name game getting a sequel from Eidos, though, as a new Hitman was also in the works. The first one was a very good third person stealth game, and thoughts of a sequel with everyone’s chrome domed assassin were quite favorable.

Another thing being promoted at E3 in 2002 were titles on Eidos’ recently established label, Fresh Games. The purpose of this new division was to hand pick certain games coming out of Japan to localize for niche segments of the market that would not otherwise have seen the light of day in the West. In the Eidos booth this year, Legaia 2: Duel Saga was one such title being shown. The game’s predecessor was a decent RPG on the PSX, and seeing that the sequel was getting a North American release was a pleasant surprise.

Konami:

Konami was busy adding new installments to a number of established franchises in 2002. Already, a third edition to the Silent Hill series was underway, and ditto for Suikoden.

Meanwhile, Zone of the Enders was getting a sequel, which looked like it could be a worthwhile purchase, unlike its predecessor, which most people seemed to have bought simply for the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo that came packed with it.

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And speaking of MGS 2, the game was being shown for Xbox this year as well in the form of Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance. The game was looking very good on the Microsoft console, and had some people speculating that this game would turn into a system seller for the unit even though the game had already been out for quite some time on the PS2.

LucasArts:

Not surprisingly, LucasArts was showing off a new batch of Star

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Wars games this year. The two that were getting the most attention, though, were Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic, and Sony Online’s Star Wars Galaxies. Both had been shown at last year’s E3, but given how high-profile the two games were, a lot of gamers were eager to see how the two were progressing.

Of the non-Star Wars games being shown, it was RTX Red Rock and Full Throttle 2 that stood out for many. RTX Red Rock was looking like a quirky, Metroid-inspired action game in space, while news of a new Full Throttle was good news for those hoping that LucasArts would start getting more involved in creating adventure games again.

Microsoft:

Of the games being shown by Microsoft, a quartet of titles for the Xbox were of particular note in 2002. The strange thing about them was how the titles walked a line between being gritty, and quirky. On one side there was MechAssault, and Unreal Championship, new installments in series that had already established themselves on PC for their ability to make blowing things up fun, and beautiful all at the same time. As an interesting juxtaposition to this, though, we had Whacked, and Kung Fu Chaos, a pair of cute, quirky platformer / action games that no one was quite sure what to make of just yet.

Namco:

As usual, Namco brought a fair number of games with them to E3, but two games that stuck out in particular in 2002 were Tekken 4, and Xenosaga. Tekken was by and large Namco’s bread and butter money making series, so seeing what was new in part four was a given for fighter fans that year. However, it was RPG fans that seemed to be getting the most excited, as they checked out Xenosaga, the first in what was planned to be a multi-part series that fully covered the world, and story of Xenogears on the PSX. Most knew a little bit about the game, but E3 allowed those interested to get a closer look at it. With this PlayStation 2 telling of the story, the game was planning to cover far more history, and events, letting players go through much of what was only talked about and hinted at in the original Xenogears way back in 1998. Xenogears fans were obviously excited to see how this new game would turn out, while those who felt that the original game was a tad on the pretentious side derived great pleasure from ribbing these Xenogears fans.

Nintendo:

In 2001, a lot of Nintendo fans were left scratching their heads at the choices of games the company had decided to show at E3. Sure, they looked pretty cool, but where were the core franchises? There was no sign of Mario, Link, or Samus. This year things were very different, as all of the major Nintendo franchises were being showcased. With Super Mario Sunshine, a new Zelda, and even a new Metroid, Nintendo fans could not be happier. What was particularly interesting about the new games in these series was that they were going to largely be taken in completely different directions from what people had grown accustomed to with them over the years. The cel shaded Zelda was going to take some getting used to, the thought of Metroid being a first person shooter was still sinking in for many, and Mario being armed with some funky water hose thingamabob was novel. Whatever the case, the simple fact that Nintendo was finally ramping things up, and bringing out the big guns on the Gamecube was very welcomed news.

Sega:

For this year’s E3, Sega had a couple of sequels in store from series that had been conspicuously absent for quite some time. First up was Toe Jam and Earl III: All Funked Up on the Xbox, bringing back the odd alien duo for more equally odd action gaming. What everyone wanted to see, though, was Panzer Dragoon Orta, which had graphics at such a level as to make the game a great showcase as to what the Xbox was capable of visually. One other game that was getting some attention from gamers was Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller. The series was great fun when it originally came out on the Dreamcast, and it was nice to see a new installment on the way.

Sony:

Walking into the Sony booth this year, it was hard to miss all the people bobbing around, limbs flailing like a possessed marionettes, as people tried out the new games in the works for Sony’s EyeToy peripheral. Besides these games, SCEA had a number of new franchises on display, ranging from the tactical shooter, SOCOM, to a pair of platformers (Ratchet and Clank, and Sly Cooper), as well as the action game, Mark of Kri. Gamers’ interest was also peaked with SCEE’s upcoming The Getaway.

Squaresoft:

With Final Fantasy XI marking the franchise’s entry into MMORPG gaming, fans of the series could hardly wait to see what the game would be like. Phantasy Star Online had already proven a very impressive outing from Sega for a console game making the leap to online gaming, but FFXI was far more akin to tradition MMORPGs, filled with depth, and great visuals. At the same time, Kingdom Hearts was nearing completion, all the while looking increasingly likely that a game starring popular Squaresoft and Disney characters just might work.

Tecmo:

While we already knew about Ninja Gaiden going in to E3 in 2002, what came as a surprise was that Tecmo was also working on DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball. While the thought of the DOA girls bouncing around on the sand in bikinis was appealing to many, the game was looking like an excuse for flagrant T & A.

Ubi Soft:

By 2002, Ubi Soft was really coming into its own, and the publisher’s line up at E3 reflected that. Rayman 3 was looking like a top-notch platformer, while XIII was taking the increasingly popular cel shading to first person shooters. However, what stood out the most among Ubi Soft’s games was Splinter Cell. With the popularity of Metal Gear Solid, everyone was jumping on the stealth gaming bandwagon, and many of these companies were failing miserably. This didn’t appear to be the case with Splinter Cell, as it was shaping up to have solid controls, good visuals, and an interesting story, all of which combined to get people very interested in the game.

The Best of the Rest:

And now a quick rundown of some of the other highlights at E3 2002: Dave Mirra XXX (Would eventually become BMX XXX…Acclaim – PC), Star Ocean 3 (Enix – PS2), and Battlefield 1942 (EA – Xbox, PC).

Back to E3 2001 // To E3 Hub // On to E3 2003


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