THE NEXT BEST THINGS; SPRING TRADE SHOWS IN ATLANTA AND BERLIN SHOWCASE THE; LATEST AND GREATEST PRODUCTS FOR VIDEO GAME ENTHUSIASTS; AND PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE STATE OF THE INTERNET IN;
EUROPE; GAME DEVELOPERS PULL OUT THE STOPS TO PROMOTE PRODUCTS
By MIKE WHALEN Contributing writer
AÿAÿAÿThunder, explosions and cries deafened the ears. Lights, mist and lasers blinded the eyes. Humongous booths crowded the show floor with signs bearing names such as Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Activision and Disney towering overhead. And everywhere, there were people running to and fro, trying to catch a glimpse of the latest and greatest video games.
In short, it was controlled chaos.
That phrase best describes the sensory overloading exhibits contained in the 534,000 square feet of the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 '98) at the World Congress Center in Atlanta.
There, computer and console video game developers converged to show off and impress the expo's 41,300 attendees with their newest games. E3 provided a showcase for game controllers, PC graphics card accelerators, video game publications, educational software, Internet services - oh, and games, games, games for consoles (Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation) and computers. The trade show is an annual event, designed to push video game sales. And with 1997 sales exceeding $5.1 billion, a 38 percent increase over 1996, push came close to shove (which explains exhibitors' reliance on multimedia razzle-dazzle).
Here are some of the highlights of E3 '98:
*** A new console ***
DreamCast by Sega: Sega gave show participants a sneak peek at its next-generation system, "DreamCast." The hardware will be state of the art - a 200 mHz customized chip that will, in some cases, operate faster than a Pentium II; a Yamaha high-speed CD-ROM drive and sound system; and a Visual Memory System, which resembles a personal digital assistant and plugs into DreamCast's controllers, allowing players to program or save secret moves and transfer the information to other DreamCast consoles. Expected release: fall 1999.
*** Games, games, games! ***
"Unreal" by GT Interactive: Most of the excitement at GT Interactive's megabooth was for Unreal, GT's upcoming title for the PC. Your spaceship crashes on an unknown planet. Your pal has been killed by aliens. Around you, massive stone walls tower, glassy waters ooze, and red and blue skies pulsate with evil. Grab a weapon; you must shoot and hack your way out of this hell, much like the popular Quake series. Expected release: out now.
"Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time" by Nintendo: You might remember the original Zelda title, "The Legend of Zelda," or even one of its successors. Nintendo has finally taken the wraps off The Ocarina of Time, the much-anticipated Nintendo 64 Zelda title. You play, as always, Link - the cool adventurer in a green tunic. Your job is to convince a young Gannondorf to remain a man devoted to good. This is unlike any other Zelda title you've seen. As in Mario 64, you'll be controlling Link in a full 3-D world, walking and slashing and winning. Expected release: October.
"Centipede" and "Small Soldiers" by Hasbro Interactive: Hasbro Interactive recently purchased the licenses for many older video games and Centipede is a remake of one of those aged titles. In the old Centipede, you sat at the bottom of the tall arcade screen and shot at the Centipede as it wriggled its way to the bottom. In this new Centipede, for the PC and PlayStation, you control your fighter from a third-person perspective and travel a 3-D world searching for the critter, eradicating it and its band of cohorts - Spider, Flea and Scorpion. Expected release: fall.
In just a week or two, "Small Soldiers" will hit movie screens, and, timed just perfectly, two related PC game titles hit store shelves: "Small Soldiers - Globotech Design Lab" and "Small Soldiers - Squad Commander." In the movie, Globotech test markets new toys with artificial intelligence, but the critters become very alive and wreak havoc in neighborhoods. In the games, you create your own small soldiers - either the evil Commando Elite or the good Gorgonites - and set them to do battle with each other, brandishing weapons made from whatever happens to be lying around the neighborhood. Expected release: June.
Some other titles demonstrated: "Army Men" (PC and PlayStation) and "Uprising X" (PlayStation) from The 3DO Company, "Duke Nukem Time To Kill" (PlayStation) from GT Interactive, "Babylon 5 Space Combat Simulator" (PC) from Sierra FX, "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped!" (PlayStation) from Sony, "Trespasser: Jurassic Park" (PC) by Dreamworks Interactive, and "Clue," "Stratego" and "The Game of Life" (PC) from Hasbro Interactive.
*** Controllers and peripherals ***
SideWinder Freestyle Pro by Microsoft: One big trend in 1998 controllers and peripherals is PC and Macintosh controllers that look and feel like console controllers. Microsoft's SideWinder Freestyle Pro (SFP) looks and feels something like PlayStation's standard two-handed controller - with a little difference. Aside from what's found on every controller - six programmable buttons, eight-direction control - it contains a sensor that allows you to pitch and roll (such as in a flying game) simply by twisting or tilting the controller. Expected release: September.
Reality Vest by Nuby Holdings: Another big trend is "force feedback." In force feedback, when your on-screen character hits something, the controller vibrates and shakes to simulate the physical contact. Examples such as Microsoft's SideWinder Force Feedback Stick are in stores now, but Reality Vest is something new. Slip this on and when you play an N64 RumblePack game or one of the upcoming PlayStation DualShock games, motors inside the vest will react independently to a "hit," vibrating, pulsating and giving the game a "real-life" feel. (RumblePack and DualShock are force feedback technologies, available only in certain games.) Expected release: June.
Game Buyer magazine by Imagine Media: Imagine touted this publication as the first mass-market electronic games magazine. The magazine, whose primary content will be reviews, will be sold nearly everywhere (including grocery stores) and will be written for both serious and casual gamers.
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#ART:
BONUS ROUND
Of course we couldn't fit all the excitement of E3 in one
article. Check out the following Web sites for more
information:
www.e3news.com
www.videogames.com
www.sega.com
www.unreal.com
www.nintendo.com/home/features/e3-98/index.html
www.hasbro-interactive.com
www.microsoft.com/products/hardware/sidewinder/Tilt/
default.htm
www.playstation.com
GRAPHIC
GRAPHIC: Victor Johnson demonstrates Capcom's 'X-Men vs. Street Fighter' video game for the Sony PlayStation console at the fourth annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 '98). [COLOR] AP PHOTO Sega's new game console, DreamCast, features state-of-the-art hardware and will hit store shelves in time for the 1999 holiday buying season. [COLOR] The long-awaited Nintendo 64 version of 'Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time' is set for an October release. The game takes place fully in a 3-D environment. [COLOR] 2 PHOTOS
The Times-Picayune
June 11, 1998 Thursday, THIRD |
