E3 Chronicles: The First 10 Years - 2004: Features

Walking into E3 in 2004, there was a sense that this year could be a repeat of 1998, with tons of extremely high-quality games coming out by the end of the year. People could take big name titles like Halo 2, and Metal Gear Solid 3 for a spin, as well as check quite a few titles that were a bit off the beaten trail, like Katamari Damacy, or Odama. It was one of those years where no matter how well one planned for the trip, it would be very difficult to get as much quality time with all of the new games as one would like. Besides all of the games, Nintendo had a brand spanking new handheld on display, that got more than a little attention. In terms of hardware, one of the most anticipated pieces expected at the show was the PSP from Sony, which gamers finally got to see.

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E3 Chronicles: The First 10 Years - 2004

The Hardware:

Nintendo:

Since the Gameboy’s release many, many years ago, Nintendo dominated the handheld market. The Lynx, Turbo Express, Game Gear, and Neo Geo Pocket Color all fell to this pint-sized goliath, and now the company wanted to try something different, bringing a new sort of portable game system to the show with the Nintendo Dual Screen. The DS was a vast departure from what gamers had been accustomed to in a portable up to that point, between utilizing two screens, having a mic, and being able to use a stylus on the unit’s touch sensitive screen, the experimental nature of the DS raise quite a few eyebrows at the show.

Sony:

In the months leading up to E3 in 2004, there had been a lot of speculation as to what one could expect from the PSP. There had been plenty of images and mock-ups of the unit appearing on the Web, but what people really wanted was to see the unit in the flesh. When it was revealed at the Sony press event before the show, most were quite pleased with what they saw, with its sleek design, and surprisingly large screen. The only thing hurting the unit at E3 was the lack of original, non-port software for it at the time.

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The Games:

Activision:

Of all the games that Activision showed at this E3, it was still all about Doom 3. It’s to be expected with a John Carmack game, as these titles always push game graphics further than ever. With the game very close to release, it was just a matter of time before people could play it, so checking it out at E3 was a nice way to help ebb away some of the bubbling impatience rising up as the game neared release.

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Blizzard:

With closed beta still a ways off, all people could do was wait and check out new screens, and footage of World of Warcraft. The game was looking very nice, but shucks, gamers wanted to play it, not just look at pictures. Another reason everyone wanted to check it out so bad is out of sheer curiosity of how well it was coming along since Warcraft creator Bill Roper left Blizzard the previous summer.

Capcom:

In true Capcom fashion, there were tons of games to look at in their booth at this E3, of which a lot of gamers were paying very close attention to titles like Monster Hunter, Shadow of Rome, and Under the Skin. The way Monster Hunter was approaching online gaming, combined with how weapons and armor would be created looked interesting. The visuals in Shadows of Rome were top shelf, and the general quirkiness of Under the Skin was a welcome change from a lot of the other dark, gritty games on display in 2004.

Konami:

While Metal Gear Solid 3 was doing its thing at the Konami booth, there were a number of new titles getting quite a bit of attention at this year’s E3. Yet again, a new Silent Hill was on the way with the fourth installment in the series, while Konami tried to bring its own T & A fest to the PlayStation 2, with Rumble Roses. Many action RPG fans were also eager to see Ys VI: The Ark of Naphishtim, especially since it had been so long since an Ys game had made it to North America.

Namco:

With two games on display related to the Tekken series, Namco was busy showing off Tekken 5, as well as Death by Degrees, starring Tekken’s Nina Williams. Tekken 5 was looking nice, while many were wondering how well Death by Degrees would fair. Would it be well-executed, or a shameless attempt at cashing in on Tekken’s popularity.

There were also a number of RPGs to check out from Namco, with the second installment of Xenosaga, and more to look at in terms of Tales of Symphonia. On top of the new Tales game, Gamecube-owning RPG fans were also happy to be able to check out Baten Kaitos. From the looks of things, Namco appeared to be single-handedly trying to revitalize the role-playing genre on the Gamecube.

As an interesting surprise, Namco also had a game called Katamari Damacy on display. Rolling things into giant balls never looked so fun.

Nintendo:

Who would have thought that bongos could make for a worthwhile peripheral on a console? Well, Nintendo did. Checking out Donkey Konga, the silly, lighthearted approach to the game was very appealing at E3. For those in search of more serious fair, Advance Wars was making its way into 3D gaming with Advance Wars: Under Fire on the Gamecube, and Paper Mario 2 was also on display (okay, so Paper Mario isn’t the sternest of RPGs, but compared to Donkey Konga even this game couldn’t match interm of lightheartedness). What was a tad odd among the games being promoted by Nintendo was Odama. The thought of a game that combined pinball with an RTS set in ancient Japan was a little hard for one to wrap their head around.

Sega:

Continuing their trend of being Captain Consistency from the previous year’s E3, Sega game in with a decent showing in 2004. Out Run 2 was looking great, while the jury was still out on the new Altered Beast. Virtua Quest was marching along at a steady pace, while Spikeout Battle Street was busy trying bringing back the brawler, taking the basic flavor of games like Streets of Rage, and translating it into a 3D game. It was another so-so year for the publisher, making many wonder what happened to all the zazz that Sega used to consistently bring to the expo.

Sony:

It was a combination of sequels and original properties from Sony in 2004. Gran Turismo was coming along nicely, and many were eager to try the game’s online mode when it was done. Jak 3, and Hot Shots Golf: Fore! were nice to see as well. Those looking for a new horror game without the words “resident”, “evil”, “silent”, or “hill” in them were busy checking out Siren, while God of War was impressing many with the sheer depth, and pace of the game’s combat.

Square-Enix:

Things were starting to pick up quite a bit for Square-Enix at E3 in 2004. Hot on the heels of Final Fantasy XI’s PlayStation 2 release, a new expansion for the series, Chains of Promathia was being shown. Given how quickly FFXI’s popularity was soaring at the time, fans of the game were very happy to see more content coming. A couple of sequels were also on display, with Front Mission 4 on the PlayStation 2, and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories on the GBA. Full Metal Alchemist and the Broken Angel was another game on many people’s To See list, as it was already looking promising at the Tokyo Games Show the year before, so gamers were interested in seeing how the game had progressed.

Vivendi:

With all of the news surrounding the Half-Life 2 leaks in the second half of 2003, there was a lot of added attention on the FPS while it was shown at E3 2004. How would these problems affect the game? Would they? How was the game progressing? These were some of the questions on gamers’ minds at the show.

For those who couldn’t care less about Valve, or Half-Life a couple other games from Vivendi were getting quite a bit of attention: Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, marking the return to the sexy, sassy series, although series creator, Al Lowe, was conspicuously absent from the development process, as well as The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, which was showing that every once in a while a game based on a movie property can actually be good.

The Best of the Rest:

Brothers in Arms (Ubi Soft – Xbox, PC), Def Jam: Fight for NY (EA – PS2, Xbox), Guilty Gear Isuka (Sammy – PS2), Burnout 3 (EA – PS2, Xbox), Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Funcom – PC), Phantom Brave (Nippon Ichi – PS2), and Splinter Cell 3 (Ubi Soft – PS2, Xbox).

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