E3 2003: Nintendo Press Conference Report

Written by Adam Woolcott on May 15, 2003

E3 2003: Nintendo Press Conference Report: The hits just keep on comin' for Ninty

Nintendo's E3 conference was the final one of the big 3 Ц taking place slightly after the Sony conference, Nintendo used their time to take the same route as Microsoft Ц discuss games, as well as the latest uses for the GBA/GCN connection. Nintendo's show might not have had the huge impact that Sony's did thanks to the PlayStation Pocket, or Microsoft's thanks to Halo 2, but what was show was good enough, thanks to a nice array of games for the fall and beyond.

This year, Nintendo spent a lot of time demonstrating what their 3rd party associates had going on, as an attempt to make face for the notion that Nintendo's 3rd party support isn't as strong as it's been in the past. A collage of video showed off this development, with mentions of Soul Calibur II, with the inclusion of Link, EA Sports titles that will make use of the GBA/GCN connection, and in the biggest portion, Capcom showed off their upcoming games. With Shinji Mikami making a video appearance (stating he was so busy with Resident Evil 4 that he couldn't make it to E3), Mikami showed off short video clips of Resident Evil 4 and PN03 (Project Number 03), along with Capcom's cel-shaded title Viewtiful Joe. Last but certainly not least, Konami unleashed, as per usual, a mysterious trailer for Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, with is of course the Metal Gear Solid remake from Nintendo's Silicon Knights. The trailer showed off the new graphics engine, though the trailer itself was cryptic, despite the fact that a good share of people have already played and seen this game on the PlayStation.

Factor 5 showed off what's probably the most anticipated 3rd party game for the Cube, this being Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, the latest in the Star Wars line from Lucasarts. This one won't be a pure flight combat game, a first for the series Ц instead you'll also be able to take control of characters on 3rd person missions on foot. The incredibly beautiful graphics stole the show though, as Factor 5 has proven that they're one of the elite few who get the most out of the GameCube hardware.

Naturally, Nintendo themselves weren't quiet at this show Ц though they've taken quite the different approach. Nintendo spent a lot of time passing off the Cube/Game Boy connectivity, thanks to games like the Cube version of Zelda: The Four Swords, a 4 player game that seems to require a GBA or GBA SP to play it effectively (which is why many people half jokingly call the GameCube a $150 Game Boy Advance accessory). Also, Nintendo and revered designer Shigeru Miyamoto, along with the man responsible for Pac-Man unveiled a new version of Pac-Man that uses this connectivity, letting one player play as the pizza missing a slice, and the other 3 playing as ghosts out to get him. As much as many people think of this connectivity as gimmicky and a blatant attempt at selling more hardware, Nintendo is still pushing this hard Ц though at least they aren't releasing something then not supporting it.

Of course, Nintendo wasn't all about this Ц many more games were discussed, but not unveiled. Known games like Mario Kart: Double Dash, and F-Zero were shown off, as well as the first screenshots of Starfox, developed by Namco. They also unveiled a new Zelda game, which isn't a true Zelda game Ц instead, it's a card/puzzle game using the graphics engine of The Wind Waker. This is the first time Nintendo has made a game like this in the Zelda universe Ц we'll see how it turns out.

For most Cube fans though, the biggest E3 moment was 30 seconds of Metroid Prime 2, or whatever it will be called. The sequel to the best-seller is due in 2004, but only a short clip of Samus dealing with a red, cloaked enemy was shown, leaving Nintendo fans excited but ultimately wanting more Ц Nintendo is the master of secrecy and it showed here.

Closing Impressions
Nintendo's press conference was strong; but uneventful. Their dedication to the GCN/GBA connectivity is honorable, but some are already restless with the notion that their Cube is now just an add-on for the cash cow Game Boy. Besides that though, the lineup of games announced or shown was solid, giving Cube owners enough to look forward to in the near future. As is, with games like Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 2, F-Zero, Soul Calibur II, PN03, and Pikmin 2 on the way, Cube owners really don't have much to complain about, as they seem to be well taken care of.