E3 2002
by Ken Gagne
The console wars are raging, and the ultimate victors will be the gamers.
The combatants took their places on the field in the last two years: the Sony PlayStation 2, the Microsoft Xbox, and the Nintendo GameCube. They stood silently, sizing each of the other behemoths… then the first shots were fired, a sneak attack launched earlier this month, as each console dropped in price: the PlayStation 2 and Xbox from $300 to $200, the GameCube from $200 to $150.
Amid the deafening roars and booms of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, held last week in Los Angeles, the battle continued as publishers presented the software that will make or break their lineup for the rest of the year. Retailers, developers, and members of the press were invited where the general public was not: to view works-in-progress, bear witness to unveilings, and take away impressions of the future of an industry large enough to rival most other entertainment forms.
"When you distill it, this remains a very simple business," insisted Peter MacDougall, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America. "This is a business about games."
The newest comer to the gaming industry, Microsoft, is allowing third parties to attend to that business. The company best known for Windows has the best-defined plans for bringing their console to the online frontier. Xbox gamers will be able to access Internet gaming for a flat rate of $49.95 a year, which includes a microphone headset for voice communications. Online features will be available only through broadband - Internet across DSL, cable modem, or other high-speed means. The vast majority of America without access to these technologies will be stranded offline.
Though Microsoft failed to complement their hardware with any stand-out games at E3, Sega, now producing software for all consoles, will provide several powerful and exclusive titles to the Xbox, including Crazy Taxi, Panzer Dragoon, and Toe Jam & Earl.
One company that needn't rely so heavily on outside publishers is Nintendo of America. This Redmond, Washington, neighbor to Microsoft has more experience in the gaming industry than any of its competitors, and has used that storied history to establish a lineup of strong franchises. Though the company may be recycling the same characters they've used for years, Nintendo has developed new styles of gameplay in which for players to experience familiar heroes.
Metroid Prime, a futuristic adventure game for the GameCube, uses a first-person perspective, capturing the current popularity of shooting games while retaining the classic Metroid gameplay. The Legend of Zelda also continues on the Nintendo GameCube, drawn with an art style reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons. And Starfox Adventures, based on a series of popular flying games, is now more of a 3D adventure game, similar to Zelda.
Other popular titles, such as Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Party 4, also capitalize on these popular icons, rounding out a game lineup that will appeal to all ages.
These series will also appear on the Game Boy Advance, with which Nintendo has cornered the handheld gaming market. Metroid Fusion, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past will play portable counterparts to the GameCube's flagship titles.
Nintendo is the least-focused company for putting their console on the Internet. This fall, for $34.95, gamers can choose a broadband adaptor or modem, allowing access across both high- and low-speed methods. Sega's Phantasy Star Online will be the first title to use this connectivity, but until the online model proves profitable, Nintendo itself is noncommittal regarding their own online software plans.
In both software and hardware, Nintendo and Microsoft have an uphill battle against the firmly-entrenched PlayStation 2 console. Sony's system launched a year earlier than its competitors, and has used that time to build a comprehensive software library and large installed user base.
The PlayStation 2 will be joining the online community this August when a combination broadband adaptor and modem device launches for $39.95. Sony's own SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals, a team-based military action game, will be released that same day, warranting a $59.95 price tag by including a headset players can use to vocally communicate with their team members. Despite Sony's willingness to accommodate the lowest common denominator of Internet access, only broadband users will be able to play SOCOM online.
Sony is not ready to demand additional fees for online gaming, but they are making the Internet enticing by adding online support to many of its popular games. Twisted Metal Black Online, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, and a variety of Sega Sports will all provide online gameplay options to players.
In the more distant future, the long-awaited promise of massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) will finally reach a console. Popular computer games Everquest and Star Wars Galaxies will both make their way to the PlayStation 2, offering gamers the opportunity to participate in virtual universes where every character they meet is controlled by another online gamer. The diversity of action games, sports, and RPGs playable online will make the PlayStation 2 a strong contender in this new market.
Sony will have its share of offline titles as well. The Getaway is set in a realistically-simulated London, where an involving storyline develops amid driving and shooting sequences. Hardcore gamers have often complained that they want to play games, not watch movies; Sony's delivery of a game that features a 100-page script and sixty minutes of spoken dialogue stubbornly insists that the two experiences can be satisfactorily melded.
Traditionally, the video game industry has supported only two companies' platforms at any given time. Nintendo and Sega held the limelight in the early Nineties before newcomer Sony knocked Sega from the running. This year, gamers have three well-supported consoles from which to choose, each with its own unique strengths in hardware and software. Though much hype currently surrounds the effort to make these game machines into the center of family entertainment, especially where Internet access is concerned, they are still game machines, and games are meant to be fun. Not all publishers will experience success in their endeavors to capture gamers' hearts and dollars, but all gamers will have an unprecedented opportunity to experience fun across a variety of consoles and game genres.
To the victor go the spoils — or, in this case, the games.
This article is copyright (c) 2002, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.
Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 27-May-02
Tags: 2002, E3, Electronic Entertainment Expo, ESA, IDSA