So out of a suggestion from some friends, I've decided to start a blog for myself.
As the name suggests, it's be a blog specifically for nerd-culture! Comics! Video Games! Movies! ETC ETC
This week however, I'll be starting my blog off with something very dear to my nerdy little heart: The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or more commonly known as E3!
Yes, E3 is upon us once again. Gamer Christmas! The most exciting moment of the year for gamers!
Ah yes, E3...there's something magical about it...
So let's take a little bit of a look back at some of the most important moments in E3 history. Well, according to me anyways (apologies for missing out on your favorite moment!)
1. The Sega Saturn Kills Itself
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| What the hell is this shit? |
All of you.
Who remembers Sega as a console developer?
Most of you.
Who remembers The Sega Saturn?
Eh, probably a handful of you. Here's the story.
The very first E3 was in 1995. May 11th to May 13th to be precise. The main competitors during this time was Sony, Sega, and Nintendo. Sega was up first, presenting their keynote presentation with the usual stuff. Videos of what the Saturn had to offer. Impressive 3D visuals, Mother-fucking Virtua Fighter! A really weird bald chick with Saturn rings around her head talking to the camera!
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| OH GOD KILL IT |
And the best part? IT WAS AVAILABLE THAT EXACT DAY! (May 11th)
Wait...what?
Yes, the Sega Saturn was available to retailers on the same day as Segas very first E3 conference. In short, the retailers were NOT happy. They were not prepared to sell the Saturn! They were told that thing would be released by September 2nd, making this release a whole 6 months ahead of schedule.
Basically, the Saturn died before it could begin. Developers couldn't release games early enough, sales suffered poorly, the $399 price tag also didn't help. The Sega Saturn was a short lived console lasting only until 1998 when the Sega Dreamcast was released with a mere 9.5 million consoles sold.
Rest in peace Sega Saturn, we hardly knew ye. Seriously.
Here's the original Sega Saturn E3 video (Warning, very bad quality because 90's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPQ7b3U09z8
2. A New Challenger Approaches!
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| Hey look! Fresh meat! |
So much happened in the very first E3. A brand new console is released (quite literally) and Sony, a company not known for video games whatsoever just entered the competition facing against industry veterans Nintendo and Sega. Who was Sony? What makes them think they can take on the two juggernauts of gaming?
Well, it turns out...quite easily.
Right after the Sega Saturn announcement, Sony was up next. Again, it was a typical presentation. Here are developers who will support the Playstation! here's what it looks like! and here's what we promise to bring with the console!
All shown off in glorious 90's fashioned PowerPoint slides (Ah those were simple times)
But the biggest kicker that would cement Sony as a major competitor in the gaming industry was the moment that the SCEA president at the time, Steve Race, walked up to the podium for a brief presentation and uttered the numbers "299" and walked off stage.
The price heard around the world was $299.
Don't believe me? Here's a video of the actual conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFt_g2kMDYg
If you want to skip the awesome 90's style presentation, ad I don't see why you would, the epic moment happens at around 2:30.
This one hundred dollar difference would be a major factor for gamers in choosing the Playstation over the Sega Saturn after that very first E3.
3. Half Life 2 CONFIRMED!
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| Fucking....Glorious |
Let's jump ahead to E3 2003. Nothing really worth noting this year...EXCEPT FOR MUTHA FUCKING HALF LIFE 2!!
Yes, Half Life 2 was revealed during E3. Along with Half Life 2 was of course, the magnificent Source Engine, an engine so amazing and so versatile it's still being used today in games such as Titanfall.
It was truly a magical moment. For the first time ever, we got to see a video game show enormous amounts of detail on character models. They showed emotions for gods sake! Hell, the G-Man was able to speak Chinese and have his lips sync perfectly with his speech!
On top of that, the Source Engine demo that Gabe Newel himself showed off showed off some of the best physics ever to grace video games. Barrels toppling over, wooden fences falling apart, etc etc. It was....incredible.
Here's a link to the original demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDAasL_-qas
4. Nintendo Brings Zelda, Crowd Goes INSANE!
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| Ladies and gentlemen...time to lose your SHIT |
What about the Gamecube? Well, it was deffinitely doing quite well and had a heal;thy library of games. However, the biggest controversy for the Gamecube was the lack of a 'realistic' Zelda game. Wind Waker proved haters wrong by being a fantastic Zelda game despite it's cartoonish visuals (visuals that people hated so much it coined the name Cel-da) but hardcore fans were dying to see what the Gamecube could dish out in terms of a realstic looking Zelda. Something with grit....something with texture!
Well, Nintendo heard the voices of the fans and ended their E3 2004 conference with a new Zelda trailer.
Simply put, the crowd went WILD.
IT WAS A EW ZELDA WITH REALISTIC GRAPHICS AND A SERIOUS TONE AND AWESOME MUSIC AND....AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE2Dc1sx71U
Hell, the trailer ended with Shigeru Miyamoto wiedling the Master Sword and Hylian Shield!! It was fantastic!
This E3 moment is important because it shows the love of gamers, it shows how crazy fans can get over a simple announcement. Ultimately, it showed the power of a Zelda game for a Nintendo platform.
Speaking of important IP's....
5. The Birth of Online Console Gaming
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| Who needs splitscreen anyways? |
Ah, Microsoft. Say what you want about Microsoft now, but they truly changed how consoles worked today.
Back in the days of the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox, there wasn't much in terms of online gaming. Playing against someone across the world was...well...a pipe dream. You couldn't really play online unless you had some really bad ethernet adapter (for the PS2 anyways) and barely any games used online in the first place. So online gaming on consoles? Never gonna happen...
UNTIL 2002 THAT IS!
E3 2002 was the moment Xbox Live was given it's name and thus officially paving the way towards a more connected console community.
Some might argue that this wasn't as great of a moment as I make it out to be, but to me, it truly was the first step into a world where gamers could easily play against one another, make friends, enemies and happily frag each other in the comfort of their own homes.
Games like Halo 2 truly pioneered the Xbox Live experience and perhaps, if the service never took off as well as it did, we might not have seen online gaming become as important as it is today.
Here, check out this link Xbox Live promotional videos. Awesome videos that outlined how great it is to play online with others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px7v3RHcJDg
6. NINTENDO HAS A REVOLUTION
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| We heard you wanted a Revolution? |
So until very very recently, the entire Nintendo 2006 E3 conference was by far my favorite E3 moment ever. The reveal of the Nintendo Wii was, for a lack of words, epic.
But first, let's look back at 2005 when the Revolution was first revealed
Ah, Iwata coming on stage, pulling out a small black console out of his jacket was pretty awesome. The crowd went nuts! But what Iwata talks about next was also an important aspect to consider....
BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY!!! ALL THE WAY TO THE ORIGINAL NES?? HOLY CRAP!
Yeah, the Revolution was teased to support a bunch of games from the N64 to the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It showed how much Nintendo loved it's consoles and it's history. It showed how much it knew it's fan base. That Nintendo fans don't just want to play new, they want to play old as well, something that they still do today.
Ok, back to 2006
The first thing we see...
Shigeru Miyamoto in a tuxedo, being a composer for a live orchestra...holy shit.
Next, Reggie Fils Aime coming on stage with an AWESOME speech about the Wii.
Hell, Reggie Fils Aime's inspiring words still ring today for me...
"You came to LA this week to peak into the future, but if all you want is next generation, you're in the wrong place. Because what you'll see from Nintendo is not what's next, but what's absolutely new. What we're unveiling is the next leap in gaming to a place where gaming is not just about looks. It's about the feel. Where it's not confined to just a few. It's about everyone. And most of all, the next leap is not about what you see, because what you see is not always what you get. The next leap is about playing. Because playing is believing"
Totally epic
Next, it was all about the games. That Zelda game Nintendo announced 2 years ago? It's not coming out on launch day for the Wii alongside the Gamecube. Holy shit.
Now, the motion controls? Look! you can steer a truck! you can shoot a gun! you can swing a sword! YOU CAN PLAY TENNIS!
It was truly a revolution, and Nintendo showed how fun their games could be. The future of the Wii looked incredibly promising and full of potential. Not to mention the reveals of Metroid Prime 3 and Mario Galaxy. The Nintendo 2006 conference truly delivered on all fronts.
BUT WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL
Nintendo also revealed the DS Lite! AWESOME! We don't have to look at that super ugly original DS anymore and have this slim, sexy handheld instead!
Truly a great conference and truly an important conference.
It's all about the games!
Here's a video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP2TbXae_0g
7. SONY DOES IT AGAIN
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| "ok, we learned our lesson with the PS3...we love you guys...seriously" |
I'm starting to get very tired, so I'm just going to end it here with my new current favorite E3 moment and, arguably, one of the most important for today's gamers.
We're now in the 8th generation of console gaming. The Playstation 4, Wii U, and Xbox One are out in the market and delivering all sorts of gaming experiences for everyone.
However, the state of the industry was in incredible disarray near the end of the 7th generation of gaming.
In order to understand this, we have to look at how the Microsoft conference last year, 2013, had played out.
In short, it was bad. Not much talk about games, forced DRM on a console so that people couldn't share games, forced always online connectivity that no one wanted, TV services that were only available to the United States, forced Kinect integration which lead to security concerns....
The list went on and on. It...blew.
It also showed how the gaming industry was slowly moving on a downward spiral. How could Microsoft focus so heavily on everything BUT gaming for their VIDEO GAMES CONSOLE?
Why is there DRM on EVERYTHING I BUY??
It wasn't a great time for gamers, especially the Microsoft loyal.
On top of all that, a $499 asking price also seemed....too much.
It wasn't until Sony's conference which was held on the same day that things turned around VERY quickly.
Sony's Jack Tretton (who has now retired from his position) explained how the Playstation 4 would work. No forced DRM and no restrictions on Used Games were the highlights. The crowd cheered after every single list. Even audience members in the background were chanting 'Sony! Sony! Sony!' It was pretty awesome.
But the kicker was that history repeated itself once again.
The CEO of SCEI, Andrew House came on the stage and announced that the Playstation 4 would cost $399. Again, the crowd went NUTS. It was the second time in E3 history that a Playstation console was $100 cheaper than it's main competitor and people were excited! I was excited!
Now, this is an important moment for me because it highlighted the bad things that the gaming industry has to face today, and it's still an issue. But the fact that a major company like Sony wouldn't shit on it's customers as hard as most people thought it would means there's some kind of hope we can cling onto.
Hell, Microsoft has started to double back on almost everything. The Xbox One is no longer DRM enabled, it is also cheaper because the Kinect is not necessary, and the system even adopted a Playstation Plus-like program to give gamers free games every month!
Competition is truly healthy for the industry.
Here's a video of the moment I'm talking about if you've missed last years E3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQE3VFcQg80
It's worth watching just to see Jack Tretton and Andrew House have those shit-eating grins on their face. They KNOW what they were doing and they were loving it.
Stay tuned for some more E3 entries!
Coming up, the worst E3 moments I can remember, and if I have time, my most anticipated games of 2014!
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