A Nintendo Fan's Guide to E3 2005
written by Matt Casamassina on Monday, May 02, 2005
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Here We Go Again
It's that time of year again. The arrival of the one event that somehow always manages to overwhelm online journalists with mixed feelings of anticipation and dread. Of course we're referring to the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005, where some 400 companies from 80 countries will be on-hand to demonstrate more than 1,000 new computer and videogames, according to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs the event.
E3 is closed to the general public. It is also off limits for anybody, regardless of occupation, under the age of 18 -- a rule that will be strictly enforced this year, says the ESA. Still, tens of thousands of industry professionals are sure to turn out to see the latest hard and soft wares from publishers and developers.
For Nintendo fans, one game matters above all else: the new Legend of Zelda title for GameCube. The spiritual sequel to Ocarina of Time is already an early contender for Game of the Show based purely on the quality of previous Zelda titles.
This year's E3 is particularly special because it will house the unveiling (in some form) of three new consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. These transitional periods come along on average only once every five years, so attendees of this May's E3 are in for a treat. Microsoft's next system, Xbox 360, which is scheduled for release this holiday season, is sure to take center stage at the publisher's pre-conference show. The system is also likely to be playable on the expo floor. Nintendo and Sony, on the other hand, both scheduled to debut their respective Revolution and PlayStation 3 platforms in 2006, are much more likely to instead discuss their next consoles, announce tech specs and philosophies, and perhaps preview some eye-popping demos.
Any single game announcement or hardware unveiling is newsworthy, but E3 2005 -- like every one of its predecessors -- will be dominated by never-before-shown software and hardware, which is why it's so important to the industry. Every major developer and publisher will be on hand, and each will be trying to outdo the other with its lineup of games or hardware. It's chaos. And online games journalists therefore anticipate the parade of new titles and consoles but dread the countless news stories to be filed and the late hours to be worked.
The Show Before the Show
E3 2005, which takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, officially opens its doors on Wednesday, May 18 and closes them again on Friday, May 20. But for Nintendo fans, the show really starts on Tuesday, May 17 with a meaty pre-show conference. Incidentally, both Sony and Microsoft hold their pre-show conferences on Monday, May 16, a day before Nintendo.
Nintendo's pre-E3 conference is an invite-only affair designed specifically for press, retailers, developers and publishers. It's traditionally at these pre-shows that Nintendo executives take the stage and unveil their new games and hardware, talk about business philosophies and make announcements about the future.
The pre-show is, put simply, much more important than the actual show. That's not to downplay the value of E3 because the event is integral for media to get hands-on time with software, to interview development figures and company executives, and more. But historically, publishers and developers preview in-future soft and hard wares at the pre-show that will never make it to the show floor. For instance, while Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is certain to talk about the Revolution console at the pre-show, there's very little chance that the system will be displayed in any form on the floor the next day.
Readers hoping to sneak into the shindig are out of luck. Press invited to Nintendo's pre-show must register online well before the event. We've included an image of the invite just because we know it will get some die-hard fanboys excited.
Naturally, there's no way to know for sure what Nintendo will talk about or focus on during its pre-E3 show, but we've got some strong ideas based on what the company has done in the past and what we know are important topics for its future.
The company may -- like last year -- choose to start its pre-conference with a sizzle trailer that previews snippets from upcoming GameCube and Nintendo DS software. We expect that some of the spotlighted games will include the new Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokemon XD, Dance Dance Revolution with Mario, Mario Baseball, Geist, Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball, Chibi Robo, and the new Kirby. The trailer will likely also include a number of important new DS titles. Unfortunately, we do not believe that Nintendo will have any major GameCube surprises to demonstrate, except for the possibility of a Mario Party 7, and therefore will have to make the most with a lineup of games that fans already know about. Given the magnitude of the new Zelda, this probably won't be difficult for the publisher to pull off.
Afterward, we expect lots of well-rehearsed spin. Nintendo of America's vice president of sales and marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime, whose edgy presentation last year earned him street cred with Nintendo gamers, will undoubtedly handle the majority of the company's pre-show presentation. He will talk about Nintendo's lineup, which appeals to both the "core gamer" and other, mainstream players. If last year's event is any indication, he may occasionally pass the torch to the subsidiary's resident sales guru George Harrison, who will almost certainly up-play Nintendo profitability as a whole and downplay discouragingly low GameCube sales.
Nintendo will predictably spotlight its DS handheld, which has sold well around the world. We anticipate new game announcements and a session dedicated to previewing the portable's new online gameplay features.
A portion of the pre-show will surely be dedicated to a demonstration of the new Legend of Zelda. Series overseers Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma will probably take center stage during this enhanced preview, which promises a deeper look at the game than ever before. It's likely that it's during this demo that the world will learn the game's real title and some first legitimate storyline details.
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