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E3 on a Wooden Nickel
or My Descent into the Fourth
Ring of Hell
This was my fourth consecutive Electronics Entertainment Expo. It was by far the least impressive show I have yet to attend, but the company I kept and the old friends I became reacquainted with made the entire trip worthwhile. My journey ended as it began--reveling with colleagues old and new. The E3 commenced as I met Cindy and Ray for the first time. For an adventure gamer as astute as myself, it was simply a matter of putting faces to the voices heard over the telephone. It concluded with a delightful three-way conversation with Annette Bechamp of Dreamcatcher, author Marc Saltzman, and Cindy Yans of Computer Gaming Magazine (no, this is not a misprint!). Yet out on the show floor, the games all seemed vaguely familiar, the graphics interchangeable from one screen to another. Nothing stood out, nothing impressed.
Unlike Ray, who has expertly explained what we saw, I intend to describe how we saw the adventure genre at the E3. And adventure gamers are known for sporting rose-colored glasses.
The industry seems to finally be maturing. Booth babes and minstrels hawking their violent wares were at an all-time low. Gutless pieces of crap like American McGees's Alice were by invitation only and hidden behind closed doors for fear of the media's response. I actually heard convention attendees asking where all the adventure games were hiding (I, of course, was quick to point them to the Dreamcatcher, Cryo, Index Plus, and Ubi Soft displays). Many of the games, including action, seemed to have been invaded by a foreign entity--the plot. If I had to pick one overall theme to describe the adventure genre at E3, it would without a doubt be--vive la French.
Numerous games that were driven by adventure and containing only a smattering of RPG or action elements were referred to as everything but adventure, seemingly in fear of the stigma associated with the genre. Ubi Soft overall sported one of the most impressive line-ups on the floor. Their diverse product line boasted one excellent title after another. For the traditional adventurer, Stupid Invaders seems to be an instant classic that had the Just Adventure staff rocking with laughter. Arcatera was a beautiful game, more adventure than RPG, and In Cold Blood, developed by the creator of the Broken Sword series, was more adventure than action. As a side note, if Ubi Soft really hopes to make an impact on the American market, they need to hire some PR reps who know their product line.
On the other side of the spectrum, Simon & Schuster had an embarrassing assortment of games. Panty Raider, Deer Avenger 2, and Who Wants to Beat up a Millionaire all made me want to bathe after squirming through their demos. Hasbro is without a doubt the most gutless company in the industry. Their entire line-up consisted of updated version of Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Monopoly ... ad nauseam. Sure, they'll need a wheelbarrow to move their profits, but how about using some of those earnings to finance some experimental or niche projects? Lest we forget, Hasbro is the company that would not distribute Simon 3D in North America because it would not make enough of a profit. Eidos had the most stupidly titled game of the show, I'm Going In, not to mention that every one of their games looked the same. From Commandos 2, to Hitman, to Legacy of Kain 2, I defy anyone to tell these games apart from just their screenshots.
Returning to adventure, Cryo, Dreamcatcher, and Index Plus all sported impressive line-ups. From Cryo, Casanova, Pilgrim II, Pompeii, and Tales of Chivalry were all graphically impressive. Dreamcatcher's Dracula Resurrection looks like a surefire bestseller, and Riddle of the Sphinx and Traitor's Gate didn't look too shabby, either. Index Plus provided me with demos of Dracula II, Louvre, and The Insider, and they are now on my wish list for later this year. Plus I was informed of some works in progress that not even my staff or the "shameless hussy" are aware of (it's good to be king). We also found a horror adventure series from Korea for the PC and a work in progress from Russia. The big boys also seem intent on putting adventure games back at the forefront, as Lucas Arts provided JA with a private demo of Escape from Monkey Island and Presto Studios granted us a private audience to Myst 3: Exile.
Remember the action/adventure genre? It was still there, but to a lesser extent. Devil Inside looked interesting, as did Fox's Planet of the Apes. Yet my two biggest disappointments of the E3 were Infogrames' Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare and Gathering of Developers' Blair Witch trilogy. They were both without a doubt the scariest games I have ever seen. Each dripped of atmosphere. Each begged to be played with the lights off and the blinds drawn. But the creative developers who are bringing these games to life still do not get it. They still do not understand that you do not need guns to make a game succeed. Blair Witch literally sent chills down my spine until Doc Holiday (remember her from Nocturne?) started blasting away at a specter. Alone in the Dark suffered the same affliction. When will these developers understand that their talents are beyond and above such conventions? Instead of being gifted with two games that would instantly be recognized as monuments to dread--relying on brains and intuition--we are instead being force-fed another serving of bloody regurgitation. Intelligence be damned, the twitch-finger crowd must be served.
The New Wolfenstein Cover Starring Yours Truly
Who's the Bad Boy?
But as I said at the beginning of this rambling, my highlight of the show was the people. Watching Cindy flee in fear as I hissed at the staff of Gamespot, and seeing Ray charm the staff of Her Interactive. And the personalities I met! Hubert Chardot, creator of the original Alone in the Dark series. Richard Wah Kan, the president of Dreamcatcher, who was kind enough to allow me to interview him amidst all the noise. Guillaume de Fondaumiere, the Executive Director of Arxel Tribe and creator of Faust and Pilgrim, who treated me like an old friend. Charles Cecil, the father of the Broken Sword series. Andre Backen, the president of Funcom, who personally thanked me for Just Adventure's support of the genre and The Longest Journey. Not to mention private audiences with the programmers of Escape from Monkey Island, Evil Dead, and Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. With such fine company with whom to hobnob, who needs the Olsen twins and George Foreman? I only hope some of their graciousness has rubbed off on me.
Hubert Chardot
Guillaume de Fondaumiere
Regardless of all the games I saw and all the wonderful people I met, regardless of the deals I witnessed and the deals in progress, I came away from the E3 this year with one burning thought. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt a glimmer of hope for the adventure genre.