E3 2004 Quick Takes, Part 1

From Doom 3 to Spider-Man and Cowboy Bebop, the largest electronic game expo ever had something for everybody. First of two parts.

Andrew Brandt, PC World

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May's annual orgy of gaming delights (otherwise known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or just E3) featured previews and first peeks at literally hundreds of new games for consoles, PCs, handhelds, and even phones and PDAs. There was so much to see (and write about) that I've decided to split my initial reactions about what I saw and played into two columns.

A Visit to Activision

One of my first stops was at Activision's booth. It's hard to believe this company just finished its first quarter century developing innovative games. Read on for the highlights.

Call of Duty sequels: That's right, there are not one, but two sequels in the works for this first-person shooter heavyweight. In Call of Duty: Finest Hour (a console game for the Xbox and Playstation 2), players will rejoin the battle against Hitler's army on the Eastern Front, fighting tough street-by-street battles through the eyes of Russian soldiers. Meanwhile, Call of Duty: United Offensive (an expansion pack for the original PC game) will feature combat from the perspective of both British infantry and aviators, with some of the combat taking place inside B-17 bombers flying the unfriendly skies above Europe.

Doom 3: At E3 two years ago, the press got its first look at this third installment of the game that virtually kick-started 3D first-person shooter games. The game's developer, Id Software, and Activision, which distributes Id's games, now promise the PC release of Doom 3 this summer, with an Xbox version to follow (nobody is saying exactly when). The newer, more detailed, and more horrifying monsters were scary in 2002, and they're still pretty darn scary today.

Spider-Man 2: Don't forget that hyphen in the name, or Stan Lee will web you to the side of a building. (Just kidding.) The sequel to this 3D platform game, which scrolls sideways as you progress, puts you back into the huge environment of New York City, armed with your spider-senses and that handy web goo you can shoot out of your palm.

Rome: Total War: Take your average real-time-strategy game, increase the number of characters on-screen by about a zillion, give them all independent artificial intelligence, and then allow the player to zoom back up to a mountaintop perspective or down to the soldier's eye level, and you begin to get a sense of the scope of Rome: Total War. It's where video games meet the History Channel, and the Carthaginians won't know what hit 'em.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Based on the children's books of the same name, this game was in early development with release slated for 2005; but it looked like a promising puzzle platformer. If you've never seen the visuals (created by New York illustrator Brett Helquist) or read any of Snicket's books, think Addams Family meets Edward Gorey, only slightly more macabre, and you'll begin to get the idea.

On to Sony

After Activision came Sony's booth, with so many new games for the Playstation 2 that I could barely see them all in an hour of racing around the show floor.

Eye Toy: AntiGrav: Sure, we've all seen Back to the Future, Part II, and desperately wanted one of those hovering skateboards. But until now, the technology has been out of reach. That's soon to change. This latest release puts you in the driver's lack-of-a-seat on a hoverboard in a futuristic cityscape. (It requires the use of Sony's Eye Toy USB camera with the PS2.) Physically leaning your body or reaching out with your hands (fluorescent green gloves, included, are required wearing) steers your hapless hoverboarder through situations that might make Tony Hawk blow chunks.

Gran Turismo 4: I'm not a huge fan of realistic racing games, but this one blew me away. For a minute I really thought that Sony was just showing videos of real races, not the latest version of its elite driving game. Put on a helmet and your driving gloves, hook up your precision steering wheel and pedals, and prepare to take on the streets of major cities in Asia and Europe, because you're in for one heck of a ride.

Killzone: Sony's not-really-a-Halo-killer first-person shooter game puts you in the boots of a space marine fighting alien baddies intent on capturing humanity's otherworldly colonies. Killzone may not boast the most original storyline in all of gaming, but it still made a darn good first impression.

The Getaway: Black Monday: This sequel to The Getaway features new characters, a new set of heists, and more of the 25 square miles of photo-realistically rendered London streets that gamers came to know and love. Just remember, American drivers: When you're over the pond, keep to the left side of the road when careening around corners.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: With a thoroughly fun (and hilarious) online multiplayer mode as well as new single-player levels--and of course a huge number of new and intriguing weapons--this action platformer might just force you to ratchet up your online gaming.

God of War: Take on supernatural baddies, mythical beasts, and plain old human villainy as you fight the good fight alongside Ares, the fierce god of war whose chariot is led by his two horses, Flame and Terror. While I didn't see any hot chariot-fighting action, there was no shortage of flame and terror when Ares came to town.

Bandai's Best

Before I collapsed into a heap, I made a final tour around Bandai's booth. The Japanese company known best for its anime properties seems to be in a turn-every-anime-into-a-game mode. Virtually all of its well-known shows will be game-ified by later this year, or early in 2005. These were my two favorites.

Cowboy Bebop: In this series we follow a ragtag band of space bounty hunters who track down the galaxy's worst repeat offenders. The third-person action game allows you to control four of the characters on various planets: Spike, the lone-gunman/martial arts expert; Jet Black, a former cop built like a battleship; Faye, a con artist with an itchy trigger finger; and (strangely) Ein, the super-intelligent Welsh Corgi who accompanies the crew through their adventures.

Galactic Wrestling: While waiting in an interminable line to play the Bebop game, I took a stab at a four-player match of this bizarre science fiction-cum-Japanimation-meets-World-Wrestling-Entertainment fighting game. The results were hilarious, with my player (who bore an uncanny resemblance to The Thing from the comic-book series Fantastic Four) flattening a Shiva-esque guy with six arms, and two guys who both looked like slight variations on the Mexican wrestler Santo. It ended up being the perfect game for a bunch of guys being held captive in a long and slow-moving queue, though I don't know if I'd have played it unless forced to by the circumstances.

Next month, I'll talk about some more games. I'll also give you my impressions of some of the new hardware, peripherals, and accessories meant to enhance your gaming experience.