Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium

[RySenkari]

Fragments Of Life

Fragments Of Life is a Squaresoft developed action-RPG for the Game Boy Nova. Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the game marks his directorial debut and is sort of a "trial run" for him and many of the developers who are currently working on Kingdom Hearts. The game features a few of the themes explored in OTL Kingdom Hearts, including the concepts of memories and dreams, and also shares some similarities with The World Ends With You, though Fragments of Life is a somewhat more lighthearted game. Fragments Of Life revolves around three childhood friends ranging in age from 13-14: a boy named Shuko, a girl named Lene, and a boy named Caz. They are joined by a girl they have only recently met, named Nephra. Caz and Nephra are obviously romantically attracted to each other, while Shuko and Lene's relationship has remained platonic since they were very young. The dynamic between the relationships of the four main characters forms the core of the game's plot. The gameplay borrows elements from OTL Chain of Memories, though instead of cards, there are fragments that are depleted whenever a character takes an action. The stronger the attack, the more fragments are depleted. Especially strong attacks have the potential to shatter fragments, which means they can't be used for the rest of the battle. If all of a character's fragments are shattered (very unlikely unless the player deliberately stocks up on too many powerful attacks), they can still attack normally, but attacks deplete the character's health. Up to four characters can fight at once, though the player can only control one at a time. They can switch between playable characters and combination attacks can also be used (though these require special fragments earned later in the game). The world is explored via a perspective that's sort of a combination between 2-D and 3-D (think Super Mario RPG-style isometric), and when players engage enemies, they enter a separate battle screen. Like Kingdom Hearts, the player can run, jump, and utilize other special action moves to explore the world, with some moves earned later on in the game. The game's graphics are a sort of pseudo 3-D that looks very advanced for a Nova game, making it one of the better looking Squaresoft games of its day.

The game begins with the four kids together at their school in modern-day Tokyo. We learn about their lives, the things they enjoy, and the things they regret, we get the sense that all four of them are somehow dissatisfied with their lives. They go on a class field trip, and Shuko and Caz get into an argument because Caz is spending too much time with Nephra. Suddenly, Nephra starts to fall off a cliff and Shuko, Lene, and Caz have to try and save her. However, something comes out of the ocean at them and causes all four of them to fall. When they hit the ground, they're not physically injured, but they have no memories of anything other than their names and the fact that they all know each other. They are greeted by a woman named Hyphi who seems to know Nephra and who is invisible to everyone but the four kids. She tells them that they must explore each other's memories to regain the truth of their lives. Thus begins their adventure. Throughout Tokyo, portals appear into the kids' pasts, however, these portals are infected by monsters who represent the kids' negative feelings and their fears. Each portal represents a memory. In order to regain the memory, the kids have to confront a regret from their past and defeat it in the form of a monster. After passing through a few quick portals, they have enough memories to remember their friendship and families, but not much else about their pasts. And to make matters more confusing, Nephra is regaining memories she never had. The kids continue exploring portals and regaining memories, only for Nephra to remember that she is from another world, a world of stolen memories and dreams, and that the more memories the other kids recover, the more pain she herself is suffering. Hyphi continues to spout many cryptic things to make Nephra doubt herself, and once Caz unlocks his first memory of meeting Nephra, he discovers a painful truth that causes Nephra to lose her mind and all three other kids to separate. As each kid explores a new portal, Nephra, now seemingly evil, attacks them with powerful monsters. However, the kids, with Hyphi's help, discover the real truth of Nephra's origins: Nephra was sent to help protect their memories, and is now stealing them at the behest of Akio, the Dreamstealer (Akio is someone the kids know from the city, seemingly unrelated to their current problems but always popping up and someone who has censored himself from their memories). After Shuko and Lene forgive Caz after they reunite, the three of them work together to save Nephra. They eventually regain all their memories and find and defeat Akio, who has begun draining the memories of everyone in the world. After Akio is defeated, Nephra decides to remain in Tokyo at the cost of all her memories of her previous life. She and Caz reconcile and the two of them, along with Shuko and Lene, resume their normal lives, their friendship stronger than ever.

Fragments Of Life receives high praise for its excellent production values and gameplay, though its plot is somewhat confusing. The game is released in Japan in late 2002 to slightly better reviews than it receives in North America, but it does well here too when it's released on February 10, 2003. The game gets a decent amount of hype due to it being a Squaresoft title, and sales are strong for a Nova RPG. The game's connection to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts is played up somewhat, with Squaresoft inserting a very quick teaser video for the game after the ending credits of the North American version, and a page promoting the game's 2004 release in the Fragments Of Life instruction manual.

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"As the development time for Kingdom Hearts dragged on, we envisioned Fragments Of Life as a sort of proof of concept game for how the battle system would work, how to explore certain themes, that sort of thing. Also, it gave some of us something to do as we waited for all the negotiations with Disney to wrap up. Many of us grew quite fond of these characters. Whether or not they could...cross over someday? I always saw the games as taking place in two completely different worlds. Certainly some of our fans would like to see it, but unless it would make sense from a story perspective, I'm not sure it could happen."
-Tetsuya Nomura, in an interview in the June 2005 issue of Famitsu magazine

Kingdom Hearts Screenshots Reveal Donald And Goofy Exploring Mulan And Aladdin Themed Worlds

The first few screenshots for Kingdom Hearts have been revealed to show just how massive this crossover is looking to be. The main character, along with Donald Duck and Goofy, will explore numerous worlds from across the Disney universe. Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan worlds have already been revealed for the game, but the latest screenshots show Donald and Goofy flying on a magic carpet above Agrabah and teaming up with warrior woman Mulan to battle an army of shadow creatures. We've also been told that numerous Final Fantasy characters, including Cloud, Aerith, and Moogles, will appear in the game.

-from a February 28, 2003 article on Gamespot.com

"Two very interesting rumors for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts have been making the rounds. They seem outlandish, but in the world of video games, you never know when a rumor is just a rumor or when it's a leak of future product. First off, we've heard that we MIGHT see at least one of the massive Guardians from Final Fantasy VIII making an appearance in the game. Giant mecha and Disney, in the same game together? It's something we'd have to see to believe, but it's quite possible that we could see one appearing in the background of a scene, or perhaps as a summon. The second, and more intriguing of the two rumors revolves around the fact that Disney and Nintendo signed a deal for the Legend of Zelda to become a cartoon. That cartoon is about to wrap up on the Disney Channel, but since the two companies worked together so well before, might we see Link show up in Kingdom Hearts? Perhaps clashing swords with Sephiroth? Link will be appearing in Soul Calibur II this year, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Link may once again show up in a third party game. Again, for now, take all these rumors with a grain of salt."

-from the Quartermann rumor column in the April 2003 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly

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Squaresoft Promoting Datacore With Front Mission: Endgame

Squaresoft has decided on a very interesting North American promotional scheme for its upcoming Ultra Nintendo RPG Front Mission: Endgame. The company will be including a preview video for the upcoming Nintendo Wave title on the Front Mission: Endgame disc, despite the games being for two different systems. The preview video will show about 30 seconds of cutscenes and 30 seconds of gameplay footage, showing off the game's single player and multiplayer modes. In addition, copies of Front Mission: Endgame will include a promotional card that can be mailed away in exchange for a Wave disc containing a playable demo of Datacore, including two early game missions, a boss fight, and a longer preview video.

"It was decided upon that we would be including this Datacore information with an Ultra Nintendo game, and if it will persuade some of our fans to purchase the new Wave system for Datacore, that would be a massive bonus," said Ted Woolsey, head of Squaresoft's North American division. "And for those fans who already have the Wave system, we've given them a way to procure a demo of the game."

-from an article on RPGamer.net, posted on February 21, 2003

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Geek God: So you will be in the upcoming season of Buffy?

Ming-Na Wen: Yes, the upcoming season of Buffy, which is also the final season, and I'm really excited to be a part of that. Joss Whedon called me just a few weeks after I was killed off on ER, actually. Last summer, I was at home with not very much to do and Joss called and said "hey, maybe you could come be on Buffy?" I did have one or two projects I was working on, but those are just about done and we're all ready to go. I believe we start filming for that in June.

Geek God: Besides Buffy, what else are you up to these days?

Ming-Na Wen: Well, I am going to be in at least one video game, but I can't say much else besides that.

Geek God: Now that sounds awesome.

Ming-Na Wen: I've never been in a video game before, so it has been a really big opportunity. But they're so tight-lipped about these things, so I can't even say the name of the game!

Geek God: Not even a hint?

Ming-Na Wen: I've been invited to E3, which is the big conference they do every year, so I have a feeling you'll find out then.

Geek God: We'll be there with bells on!

-from an article on Geek God's Geek Paradise, posted on February 25, 2003

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"Our first impressions of Secret Of Mana for the Game Boy Nova have been great. All the sprites are just a little bit bigger and the animations a little bit more fluid. The backgrounds still look fantastic, with somewhat more detail than in the original game. And, despite the jump from the CD format to the cartridge format, all the music seems to be very much intact. We only got to play an early version and there's still about 20 percent more of the game to be completed before it's ready for release in Japan this summer, but anyone wondering whether or not any of one of the greatest RPGs of all time has been lost in translation can rest easy: it's all here.

And there's more for Mana fans to salivate over: Squaresoft has announced two brand new titles in the series. Fires Of Mana is a brand new title for the Game Boy Nova, already in development and set for release next year. And then there's Project Mana: the mysterious codename for an upcoming title for the Nintendo Wave, which is likely to see release sometime in 2005 at the earliest. We're excited to hear that Squaresoft is hard at work on brand new Mana games, and we can't wait to get our hands on them!"
-from an article in the May 2003 issue of Nintendo Power

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"Wow, there's no better way to kick off a brand new Chrono Trigger website than by posting some REALLY exciting news: Squaresoft has registered a trademark for what looks like a brand new Chrono game: Chrono Break has been registered in Japan. We're not yet certain as to what this entails, perhaps it's just a placeholder, but after the success of the previous two games, we think Square would be foolish not to do a third on the upcoming Nintendo Wave. Watch this space for more details!"
-posted on the front page of the Chrono Compendium on March 3, 2003

 

[The Walkman]

Ladies and gentlemen, after a much-too-long hiatus, I give to you the five latest quotes from The Top 100 Quotes from "Game Over".

This time, we're focused on celebrity deaths from OTL. All the original quotes are from OTL newscasts, and one rather infamous hand-written note...

#95.

The host of the new Family Feud has committed suicide in California. A Los Angeles radio station quotes an unidentified friend who says Ray Combs hanged himself at the Glendale at Venice Medical Center. The hospital says he died of respiratory failure. Combs was taken to the hospital after falling in his Jacuzzi and striking his head. Combs hosted the TV game show from 1988 to 1994, and operated two comedy clubs in Cincinnati. Ray Combs was 40 years old.

— WJW News in Cleveland, Ohio report, June 3rd, 1996

Whoa. Fair Play was one of my favorite sitcoms growing up…hard to imagine Combs not being alive. Such a funny guy, too…

How does this affect the hosts of Family Feud?

Richard Dawson continues hosting until 1995, as OTL. The show will be revived in 1999, with comedian Louie Anderson (who survives ITTL) as the host. Richard Karn (from Home Improvement) takes over as host in 2002, followed by John O’Hurley in 2006 (he becomes very in-demand following his stint on Dancing With the Stars). Comedian Steve Harvey takes over hosting duties in 2010, and his time on the show will bring it back to its former glory. Feud will eclipse Wheel of Fortune as the most-watched syndicated game show in June 2015. Harvey continues hosting into the present-day.

Steve Harvey hosting Family Feud? Now THAT’S something I’d like to see…

#94.

Ladies and gentlemen, earlier tonight here in Kansas City, tragedy befell the World Wrestling Federation and all of us. Owen Hart was set to make an entrance from the ceiling, and he fell from the ceiling. I have the unfortunate responsibility to let everyone know that Owen Hart has died. Owen Hart has tragically died from that accident here tonight.

— Jim Ross, play-by-play commentator for WWF, informing viewers of Owen Hart's death at Over the Edge 1999

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!?!!!!!!!!

Wow. You just killed my cousin’s favorite wrestler!

Aw, man. Bret’s never gonna come back to the WWF now…

#93.

MARGARET WOLF: One of the biggest stars in Tejano music, Corpus Christi’s Selena, is dead.

LEE SAULSEY: The woman suspected of shooting Selena is still holding police at bay; you’re looking at a live picture right now coming to you from navigation where the standoff continues. She has a gun, and has it pointed at her head. It’s our top story tonight, Friday, March 31st, 1995.

WOLF: The shooting happened a little before noon today. She was shot twice in the back; at least one shot severed a major artery. Police say CPR began immediately, but Selena was in critical condition when she left the scene in an ambulance today.

— KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi, TX report, 6:00PM, March 31st, 1995

Oh. My. Lord.

Selena is from my hometown. I can’t imagine what TTL-me would be going through hearing this...

This also comes less than a week after Eazy-E’s death. Two music icons lost so close together makes this timeline a literal musical dystopia…

#92.

I’m Patrick Stinson with breaking news coverage. Princess Diana is seriously injured and two other people have died following a car crash in Paris. Police confirmed the crash has killed Diana’s companion, film producer Dodi Al-Fayed, and the chauffeur. You are looking at unedited video from the scene where it happened this morning at midnight time in Paris. It happened in a tunnel as Diana’s car was pursued by press photographers; it happened in a tunnel along the river Seine…

— “Made in Hollywood’s” Patrick Stinson, MSNBC News bulletin, August 30th, 1997, 9:50PM Eastern Time


I’ve just been handed, uh, from the Reuters news service, what is marked, uh, “Bulletin”. This, uh, we should point out, as many times as we can, is, uh, being sourced through another news organization. We don’t know, uh, who they talked to, to put this on the Reuters news agency wire. It says “Princess Diana has died, Sky Television says”. Again, uh, this is quoting the Sky Television news service. We’ve been listening to BBC, we’re going to go back to BBC coverage. This all happened at midnight, Paris time, this evening. There’s one of the motorcycles believed to have been, uh, trailing at a high rate of speed, the Mercedes-Benz carrying, um, Princess Diana…

— Brian Williams, reporting for MSNBC News, August 30th, 1997, 11:46PM Eastern Time


For all the viewers joining us at now 1AM Eastern Time, New York time in the United States, we have all evening been covering an unfolding story that took a very, very tragic turn. With confirmation from Buckingham Palace tonight, that the world has lost Princess Diana, at age 36, dead in a car crash in Paris, along with her companion of the past several weeks, Dodi Al-Fayed…

— Brian Williams, reporting for MSNBC News, August 31st, 1997, 1:00AM Eastern Time

Dear God. Why. Just…why?

Wow. A death this high-profile will have them cracking down on paparazzi worse than they did after Celine Dion’s accident…

If it means any consolation, Celine Dion will survive ITTL. We’ll have more information when we do our Grammy update coming up very soon.

Was it just the paparazzi chasing them, or other factors?

Media will blame it on paparazzi at first, but a deeper investigation will reveal that the driver is intoxicated, and drives too fast..

#91.

I have it good, very good, and I'm grateful, but since the age of seven, I've become hateful towards all humans in general. Only because it seems so easy for people to get along that have empathy. Only because I love and feel sorry for people too much I guess.

Thank you all from the pit of my burning, nauseous stomach for your letters and concern during the past years. I'm too much of an erratic, moody baby! I don't have the passion anymore, and so remember, it's better to burn out than to fade away.

Peace, love, empathy.

Kurt Cobain

Frances and Courtney, I'll be at your alter (sp).

Please keep going Courtney, for Frances.

For her life, which will be so much happier without me.

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!

— excerpt from suicide note left by Kurt Cobain, found by police beside Cobain’s dead body, April 5th, 1994

Is it wrong that I feel like crying after reading this? This is so much like something Kurt would actually write, it’s scary! It’s so heart-wrenching!

I know. I know he was in a lot of pain around this time, but DAMN.

 

[RySenkari]

(Author's Note: Here's a quick weekend bonus update summarizing the 2002 baseball playoff results. It's basically just the results of each series with a few notes on the more interesting series.)

AL:

(4) Boston Red Sox beat (1) Cleveland Indians, 3 to 1
(This was a major upset, as the Indians, at 106-56, were the best team in baseball going into the playoffs. However, the Red Sox had won 22 out of their last 30 games and had run away with the AL wild card, so they weren't exactly terrible.)

(2) New York Yankees beat (3) Seattle Mariners, 3 to 2
(This was probably the most exciting series of the entire playoffs. The Mariners were heavy underdogs against the defending World Series champions, but due to the play of Ken Griffey Jr., who stayed with the Mariners and hasn't gotten hurt ITTL, they hung in there. Game 5 went to 14 innings before Derek Jeter batted in the winning run.)

NL:

(1) Atlanta Braves beat (4) San Francisco Giants, 3 to 0
(Despite the increased scrutiny on steroids ITTL, Barry Bonds is still playing quite well and led the Giants to the playoffs, however, they were no match for the 98-win Braves.)

(2) Chicago Cubs beat (3) New York Mets, 3 to 1

ALCS:

(2) New York Yankees beat (4) Boston Red Sox, 4 to 0
(Despite the fierce rivalry between these two teams, there was no drama here: the Yankees won easily. However, the Red Sox have a young and improving team, and they'll only get better in the coming years.)

NLCS:

(1) Atlanta Braves beat (2) Chicago Cubs, 4 to 2
(The Braves' pitching enabled them to win Games 5 and 6 after the Cubs took Games 3 and 4 at Wrigley. A strong effort for the Cubs, but they wouldn't be winning the World Series this year.

World Series:

Atlanta Braves beat New York Yankees, 4 to 3
(In what was considered somewhat of an upset, the 98-win Braves beat the 104-win Yankees, with Greg Maddux pitching a three-hit shutout in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium to clinch the Series for the Braves.)

 

[RySenkari]

Resident Evil: Outbreak

Resident Evil: Outbreak is the first game in the series to be developed with sixth-generation consoles in mind. Like OTL's game, it has a focus on multiplayer, with up to four characters able to be controlled at one time. Outbreak can be played with up to four players either locally or online. The game is a more action oriented, faster paced title, based on the earlier Operation Stormwind, with more weapons and combat and less of a horror focus (though there is still a survival horror element to the game). Unlike OTL's game, which featured five different scenarios, TTL's Outbreak features one long scenario with multiple levels and bosses. The game takes place during the events of Resident Evil 2, and follows a group of operatives consisting of scientists and members of the Raccoon City SWAT team. The game features eight different playable characters, with players able to choose between them. Like OTL's Operation Raccoon City, the characters have different roles, with some specializing in combat, others specializing in weapon crafting, others specializing in healing, etc. If playing with less than four people, human players can choose which characters the CPU uses, though there can't be more than one of the same character in play at a time. The game incorporates many of the locales from OTL Outbreak, including a hotel, a hospital, and finally, Raccoon City University. The characters are initially simply working together to survive, but they eventually discover a new mutation of the T-Virus that could cause the disease to spread outside the city, and must work together to stop it, possibly coming up against malevolent agents of Umbrella in the process. There are numerous enemies from classic Resident Evil titles in the game, including zombies and lickers, with a boss fight against a gigantic licker appearing later into the game. In the final segment of the game, the university, the characters discover that a mutation of the virus has been developed that could cause it to spread into the Earth's atmosphere, and must find and destroy the sample before it can infect the entire world. In a twist, after defeating the final boss and finding the sample, one of the players must choose to sacrifice themselves to stop the virus (if playing alone with three computer characters, the player automatically becomes the sacrifice, basically, it HAS to be one of the human players who makes the sacrifice, and if no one is chosen, the game chooses randomly). There are eight different endings, depending on which of the game's eight characters makes the sacrifice, though the basic ending is the same: the survivors escape Raccoon City, though someone is seen gathering a small remaining sample of the airborne virus (a setup for Resident Evil 4, which as of the release of Outbreak, has only recently begun development).

Resident Evil: Outbreak is initially released for the Sega Katana in Japan in January 2003, and for the Katana and Xbox in North America on February 17, 2003. It would be released for the Nintendo Wave in April 2003. The game sells quite well on the Katana, about twice as much as it does on the Xbox. The game's development cycle for the Xbox was littered with numerous problems, and the Xbox port itself, while a good port, features some minor glitches and slowdown, despite looking slightly better graphically than the Katana version. Though the Wave port is the best of the three, it's overshadowed by numerous other titles released for the Wave at the time, and so the Katana version of the game becomes both the best selling and most memorable.

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Ted Crosley: Okay, this is really cool. Jim from Capcom USA and Shinji Mikami have hooked us up with the first North American preview of Resident Evil: Infiltration.

Bill Sindelar: So, tell us a bit about Infiltration.

Shinji Mikami: *in Japanese, as Jim translates* This is the first Resident Evil title made exclusively for a handheld system. It plays like classic Resident Evil, but with a focus on stealth gameplay.

*The game looks a lot like the original Resident Evil, it's in 3-D, though the graphics are somewhat primitive, it's a tad worse than on OTL PSX, which is still really good for the Nova, looking like a more pixely, slightly less FPS Deadly Silence.*

Mikami: *in Japanese, as Jim translates* You are a special agent infiltrating an old Umbrella lab, in order to get evidence of the company's wrongdoings. However, this lab has been abandoned because of an experiment gone very wrong, and you'll encounter dangerous things as you sneak about.

Bill: So this kind of plays like Resident Evil meets Metal Gear, sort of.

Ted: Well, you already have to sneak around in Resident Evil... but here I can see there's a stealth meter and there's more options to move around.

*A male agent is walking around a corner, where two guards stand in a hallway.*

Mikami: *in Japanese, as Jim translates* Early on you'll just be contending with Umbrella security, but once you get into the inner parts of the lab to where the monsters are...

Ted: Things get REALLY scary, huh?

*Bill takes out two of the guards and keeps on going, he enters a room where there's a dead guard lying on the ground, as he turns to leave the guard's arm lifts up and shoots a tentacle into his back*

Bill: Whoa!

Mikami: *laughs*

Ted: *laughing*

Bill: That spooked me!

Ted: So are these guys with STARS?

Mikami: *in Japanese, as Jim translates* We're actually introducing a new group of heroes in this game. We'll see STARS, but the two groups have a contentious relationship. I can't say any more without spoiling. There's also a girl agent you can control in this game, but we're not showing her today.

Bill: This looks like a really cool, really fun game and I can't wait to get my hands on it. When's it coming out?

Mikami: *in Japanese, as Jim translates* It's coming out in Japan next month, and..... *looks at Jim*

Jim: It'll be at E3 and Capcom will announce a North American release date then. Probably this summer.

Ted: Can't wait! That's Resident Evil: Infiltration, coming soon to the Game Boy Nova.

-from the February 18, 2003 episode of G4's Blister

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"After a contentious development cycle that saw numerous rejected scripts and directorial changes, Resident Evil is finally hitting the big screen. The film entered production in early 2002 and will release on April 25th of this year. It'll be based on the first game of the series, that sees a group of STARS agents making their way into a mansion in order to investigate a series of gruesome incidents, only to become trapped with a horde of fiendish undead. Paul Walker stars as Chris Redfield, while Rose McGowan plays his partner Jill Valentine. Resident Evil is hoping to duplicate the box office success of video game adaptations such as Tomb Raider, Ballistic Limit, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, and is one of the spring's most anticipated films."
-from an article on Yahoo! News, posted on March 18, 2003

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February 24, 2003

After a trip to America to meet with North American Capcom officials and talk with some of the gaming press about Resident Evil: Outbreak, Shinji Mikami was back in Japan and back to work on Resident Evil 4, a game that had quickly come to consume most of his time. Initially, the game was meant to be a more faster-paced, action packed title, but the template for that had ultimately morphed into Devil May Cry. However, Mikami didn't want the game to be slower like the first three games, and he also didn't want the negative reception that Operation Stormwind had garnered. A more combat-oriented third person shooter seemed to be the way to go.

The problem was, The Covenant on the Xbox had broken a lot of ground in that regard. Many of its ideas had already been recycled into that generation's other shooters, and Mikami wanted to do something more innovative. Still, he kept coming back to his vision: a third-person shooter that featured a behind-the-player camera focus. The Covenant HAD done something similar, but with the camera further back and with more dynamic camera angles, a sort of in-between at the halfway point between Squad Four: Rebellion, another genre groundbreaker, and Mikami's vision for Resident Evil 4.

Mikami sat down at his desk and started to generate more ideas. Many of them focused on the supernatural: if Resident Evil 4 was going to be different from its predecessors, he wanted the game to have a more otherworldly type of feel, with his protagonist, which he'd decided was going to be Resident Evil 2's Leon Kennedy, confronting spirits and demons, perhaps because of a hallucination brought on by a new variant of the T-Virus (the airborne version from Outbreak). As he was brainstorming, Noboru Sugimura entered the room. After Hideki Kamiya's vision for the game had become Devil May Cry, Sugimura was brought on as a scenario writer, and had given Mikami many of the supernatural inspirations he had for Resident Evil 4's plot.

"Is everything all right?" asked Sugimura, noticing that Mikami was deep in thought.

"It's just troubling, how I can't focus on a clear vision for this game," replied Mikami. "I have so many ideas that it's difficult to choose only one, and I'm expected to come up with something shortly. We've already begun work but there's no real direction, we may have to scrap everything and start over."

"Well, are we still going with the supernatural focus for the game?"

Mikami didn't know what they were going with, but Sugimura's idea of a virus that gave Leon special powers was definitely intriguing. The problem was was that he was having trouble reconciling it with the more grounded mood of the series. However, he didn't want the game to be too much like The Covenant. He wanted something different than what Resident Evil had been before, but also different from what anyone else was doing.

"Let's go back to the girl," said Mikami, looking back at Sugimura. "What was your idea for the girl?"

"Well, the girl would be an Umbrella experiment... a girl who could control the T-Virus' influence on her body. A secret Umbrella bioweapon. A girl whose DNA they could replicate... propagate....so they could wipe out everyone else with the T-Virus but use the girl's DNA to create a race of new humans who they could then control."

"......"

Mikami began writing something down furiously on one of the papers on his desk. He drew up a sketch of the girl. He showed it to Sugimura, who saw it and recoiled.

"....what's she doing?!" asked Sugimura.

"She's using her power," said Mikami. The picture showed the girl, one half of her body was normal, while the other half was hideously mutated into a monstrous form, sending a massive arm spike through the mouth of an Umbrella soldier. He drew another sketch and showed it to Sugimura, in this one she was tearing Leon in two. "Leon doesn't have the power, this girl does, and in order to save the world, Leon has to convince her of her own humanity. Otherwise, she'll become the monster that helps Umbrella destroy the planet."

"Ohooooo!" Sugimura said, nodding. "I like that idea!"

"Well, most of it was your idea," replied Mikami, turning back to his desk and writing some more notes. "...let's come up with some more ideas together."

 

[RySenkari]

After IGN broke the news that Sega and Apple were in talks in late December of 2002, it became the talk of the gaming community. There had already been low whispers that Sega might be in the process of selling off its games division, and after news of the Apple meeting broke, the buzz grew into a roar. However, there had also been buzz that Sega was planning to start an online store for downloadable games on the Katana, and that their talks with Apple might be related to that, perhaps a version of iTunes for the Katana where players could download classic Sega titles. However Sega might have tried to spin it, the story that Apple was attempting to buy all or part of Sega was the biggest story in gaming going into 2003.

However, Sega wasn't just talking with Apple, and the various news sites that had been scooped by IGN were eagerly picking up news on any other possible rumors related to Sega selling off part of the company. Soon, the news sites had learned that electronics giant Toshiba was possibly talking with Sega, and might indeed be looking to enter the market with their own game console. Pioneer, which had produced the LaserActive, was also frequently discussed in the rumor mill, and there was also Philips, which in 1991 and 1992 had been briefly in talks with both Nintendo and Sega to produce CD add-ons for their game systems. After being rebuffed by Nintendo in favor of Sony, Philips had considered entering into negotiations with Sega, but ultimately decided to go their own way with the Philips CD-i, which had been a failure and had ultimately soured the company on the game business altogether. Though Philips was commonly mentioned as a potential buyer for Sega's game division, the company never seriously considered doing so, and while Pioneer did consider making an offer, nothing came out of that endeavor either. By the end of January 2003, most of the rumors surrounding the potential purchase of Sega's game division revolved around Apple and Toshiba.

However, unbeknownst to the public at the time, there was a third potential suitor...

-”The History Of Console Gaming: Year-By-Year (Part 8)”, Wired.com, posted on July 3, 2012

-

February 14, 2003

"I don't like this plan," said Hideo Kojima, shaking his head as he heard for the first time about Konami's potential plans to buy out Sega's gaming division. "Why are we trying to buy Sega? We make good enough games already, don't we?"

"They are thinking about making a new game console," replied Kojima's co-worker, one of the character designers for the new Metal Gear Solid game, which presumably was going to be released for the Wave, though now neither of them could be entirely sure. "We have been in the business of making casino and arcade machines for so long, perhaps they wish to expand further?"

"Nintendo's been very good to us," replied Kojima. "Their consoles have always been the best, they've always let us do what we wanted to do."

Kojima paced back and forth in the room, thinking about what he'd been told. Sega was offering to sell their entire games division for 200 billion yen, and Konami had lots of cash from their growing casino machine business and the success of their games, particularly the Metal Gear series.

"If it's any comfort, there are many in the company who agree with you," replied Kojima's co-worker. "Though of course it's not our decision."

"Anyone on the board of directors?"

"A couple of them," said his co-worker. "And others are skeptical. Kozuki-san believes it is an opportunity that is worth exploring."

Kojima sighed. It was a major opportunity, a chance to pick up one of the most powerful and influential companies in the history of the industry for what seemed like a very good price. But it would almost certainly mean the end of the company's relationship with Nintendo and Sony, something Kojima had come to value and respect ever since he'd begun working on Snatcher. The power of the Nintendo systems and the ease of developing quality games for them had made Kojima very affectionate toward the company, and developing his flagship games for an unfamiliar new system was a troublesome proposition.

"Whatever decision we make, I hope it benefits the games," said Kojima. "Otherwise, this endeavor will fail tremendously."

-

Of the three companies that seriously considered purchasing Sega's games division in 2003, Konami was probably the most intriguing. The company's fortunes had grown tremendously over the previous decade, and with Metal Gear, Castlevania, Dance Dance Revolution, Shadows Of The Moon, Contra, and Silent Hill under their belt, among others, the company held some of the most lucrative IPs in all of gaming. Adding Sega's library to it would make any hardware Konami chose to make incredibly tantalizing. Metal Gear Solid II alone was a potential killer app, and bringing in Sega's talent could take that franchise's fortunes to staggering new heights. Unlike Apple and Toshiba, Konami kept an exceptionally tight lid on their negotiations with the company. They couldn't let Nintendo find out that they were looking into making their own console, lest they risk incurring the wrath of the Big N.

However, Konami had a problem that the other two suitors didn't: internal conflict. Numerous Konami executives weren't keen on the company's negotiations with Sega or the idea of creating a Konami console. Most of Konami's creative staff were also opposed, having gotten accustomed to developing games for Nintendo's consoles (and others preferred working on Xbox titles). While they'd still be able to make games for the Katana, since Konami didn't plan to abandon it immediately, they knew it was only a matter of time before the company's focus would shift to the new hardware, and they'd have to learn a brand new console architecture.

Indeed, each of the three companies looking to buy out Sega's game properties had numerous potential problems. Apple and Toshiba lacked experience with the games market. Apple had briefly considered going in with Bandai on the Solaris before backing out: it was a decision that potentially saved the company, as the failure of the Solaris would ultimately lead to Bandai's collapse and the company's purchase by, ironically enough, Sega. And, despite the success of the iPod and the iMac, Apple was still on somewhat shaky financial ground, owing to the company's troubles in the 90s. The iPod still hadn't completely caught on: it was expensive and didn't play nice with the PCs that were still dominating the computer market. Toshiba's fortunes were surging, though the company didn't seem keen on producing its own game console right away, and wasn't willing to offer the kind of money that Sega was asking for (though neither were Konami or Apple). Konami was ready to produce its own console as soon as 2005: the company had already drawn up prototypes of the console's potential design and technical specs. Apple, while hoping to someday produce its own game console, would likely try to use a handheld device as a stopgap, perhaps a variant of the iPod that played minidiscs and downloadable games.

And so, negotiations dragged on into March of 2003. Eventually, owing to internal dissent, Konami quietly dropped out of the race. Its plans to purchase Sega wouldn't be revealed until five years later, when a disgruntled former employee leaked information about the company's negotiations with Sega to the gaming news site Blargo (the story that put that particular website on the map). Apple and Toshiba continued their negotiations with Sega.

-”The History Of Console Gaming: Year-By-Year (Part 8)”, Wired.com, posted on July 3, 2012

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March 12, 2003

"Tell Oguchi I'm not paying him more than a billion dollars for his company!" said Steve Jobs, yelling into a phone as he paced in his office at Apple headquarters. "I know for a fucking fact that Toshiba's been lowballing him! They're a bunch of pussies and they don't want to make this deal happen. I do! You tell him I'm offering 900 million. I know Toshiba offered 825. ...once the Wave comes out next week they're going to be worth a hell of a lot less than they think they can get."

Over the past few weeks, Sega's asking price for their games division had gradually been coming down. From an initial offer of $1.5 billion, Sega had slowly been worn down by Apple and Toshiba, who had both offered around $700 million for the company's games division. Sega had come down, and Apple and Toshiba had come up. By March, Sega's asking price had dipped below $1.2 billion...but that wasn't good enough for Steve Jobs, not for a company struggling to keep up their sales in the face of overwhelming competition.

"You tell him I'm the angel that's come down from heaven to save Sonic the Hedgehog's ass," said Jobs. "900 million and that's as high as I'll go. Does he think I have a pathological need to be in the video game industry? You tell him I'm either going to be buying his game company or I'll be going to Nintendo and helping their next game machine kick his ass."

Jobs had re-iterated numerous times that Apple had plans to go and help Nintendo work on their new gaming handheld, and that as soon as Sega said no to him, he'd be making his pitch to them. He'd also said that his offer was the best that Sega was ever going to get, though he'd put it a bit more nicely than he was telling his employee to say it on the phone.

"....if they come down to a billion? A billion even?" asked Jobs, sitting down and also calming down. "...tell them that would be a good start."

Jobs knew that this was a big undertaking for Apple, and that he didn't want to blow more than a billion dollars of his company's money on a gamble. He knew if Apple bought Sega, they'd be starting from behind. Nintendo was about to unleash their mega-console, the Nintendo Wave, on the people of America, and that it was going to be one of the most successful product launches of all time. If Apple was going to turn Sega's fortunes around, it'd be the same way they'd turned the fortunes of their computer products around: by making a device that was both functional AND trendy. The Katana was neither. It wasn't as functional as the Wave, or as trendy as the Xbox. Jobs knew that if Apple went in on a new game console now, it'd risk getting blown out of the water by whatever his rivals would release soon after. He knew he'd have to sell people on the Katana while creating another device that would make money for Apple until the technology was there to make a console that could compete with what Nintendo was going to release after the Wave. He'd have to beat Nintendo at their other big game. He'd have to make the iPod of gaming.

"Steve," came the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah?" replied Jobs.

"...they're willing to sell for $1.1 billion even."

"....that isn't low enough," said Jobs. "Keep working on them."

Jobs put down the phone and took a deep sigh. It was only a matter of time now.

-

Brittany Saldita: It's just three days until Nintendo launches its brand new game system, the Nintendo Wave, but already people are camping out in front of area electronics stores, saving their place in line so they can be first to purchase the Wave when it's released at midnight Monday morning.

*Video footage is shown of a line six people long outside of a Circuit City in eastern Los Angeles, two tents are set up and there are a couple people sitting against the wall of the building.*

Reporter: These hardcore Nintendo fans are willing to spend their entire weekend camped out in front of this Circuit City, to get their shot at playing the brand new video game system.

Man: I've been playing since the days of Donkey Kong, and this looks like the best one yet.

Reporter: Aaron McBride has been playing Nintendo since he was just five years old, and after more than two decades, he's still one of Mario's biggest fans. He's got a tent set up outside this store, and plans to be one of the first to buy the Wave, along with several of its hottest games.

McBride: I'm looking forward to Killer Instinct 3, Mario Kart, and White Mountain 3!

Reporter: This local man, John Shumpert, has made camping out for the Wave a family affair. He's brought along his wife and his two kids, aged 13 and 11, and the family plans to play the Wave together once they've got it purchased.

John Shumpert: I brought the wife and kids out here, just to be a part of it, I don't think they're gonna be out here the whole weekend but they'll probably stay with me here tonight to keep me company and then they'll come back Sunday night when we actually buy it.

Boy: We love Mario Kart, we play it as a family, we can't wait to play.

Girl: I want Star Siren, it looks so cool!

Reporter: The manager of this Circuit City says that campers are welcomed as long as they're not blocking the entrance of the store. In fact, he recommends coming early, as Nintendo's provided only about 150 systems to purchase.

Manager: We expect to see at least a hundred people here this weekend, probably more, so you should probably get here about two hours early, about ten PM on Sunday night, because by then I imagine the line will be all the way around the store.

Reporter: Store employee Olivia Shinnick has already gotten to play the Wave on the store's demo kiosk, and she was highly impressed.

Olivia Shinnick: I love the graphics, they look really amazing. The characters look so lifelike. *as a video shows her playing a demo of Killer Instinct 3 with a customer* It's probably the best looking graphics I've ever seen, so I think this console is going to be a big hit.

Reporter: *standing outside the store, where a few more people have joined in the line as the live camera feed shows* And as you can see, they're continuing to line up at this Circuit City. We've heard as many as 30 people outside a Best Buy store nearby, and that some of the malls are also reporting people camping outside. This is one of the biggest product launches of the year, and it's definitely going to be a hot item to find. One of the employees I interviewed told me that the last Nintendo system was sold out for several months, so chances are that many of these people in line are thinking that if they don't get one now, they may not get one for quite some time. For KABC, I'm Michaela Johnson.

Brittany Saldita: Thanks, Michaela.

Harold Greene: So Brittany, are you going to be going to camping out after getting off work today?

Saldita: *laughing* Oh, no, I preordered mine months ago.

Greene: See, I should have known by now...

Saldita: I'm not going to miss out on it!

Greene: Should we be expecting you to call in sick next week, or....

Saldita: Well... *cough cough* I have been feeling a bit... *cough* Oooh....

*Faint laughter is heard from the newsroom*

Greene: Are you sure you're not *cough* contagious?

Saldita: I think I see the cameraman sneezing over there...maybe the whole newsroom is catching something! *laughs*

Greene: Yeah, it's called Nintendonitis.

Saldita: *giggles* You people at home can use that, by the way. Just call your boss and be like, "hey... *cough cough* I have a bad case of Nintendonitis... *pretends to sneeze* oh, it's bad. I'm going to be out until I beat this g- oh, I mean a week. maybe two weeks. Uh huh. *cough*"

from the March 14, 2003 KABC-TV evening newscast at 5:00 PM

 

[Pyro]

The announcement that James Cameron would direct Justice League at Comicon International in July 2002 was the single biggest game changer in the Superhero Wars. Many Hollywood Insiders would have sooner predicted that Cameron would direct an Avengers film for 20th Century Fox given his relationship with the company. Despite rumours to the contrary, Fox had no concrete plans for an Avengers film and Tony Stark’s appearance at the end of Captain America was more fanservice than actual foreshadowing. Meanwhile, the Darkseid’s appearance in the stinger to Wonder Woman was clearly build-up for a larger story arc over several films--which Green Lantern 3: Rise of the Sinestro Corps would continue in the lead-up to Justice League. Many hopes for an Avengers film rested on Iron Man’s shoulders as excitement for Green Lantern 3 grew, which intensified the studio rivalry during the 2002 holiday season.

Both Iron Man and GL were obscure in the sense that more popular franchises like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and X-Men overshadowed them. Even Captain America benefitted from being the standard bearer for patriotic-themed superheroes. However, the breakout success of the first two Green Lantern films, propelled the Emerald Gladiator to DC’s third most merchandised property with action figures, lunch boxes, bed sheets, and even a well-received video game. Meanwhile, Iron Man only had a semi-obscure animated series in the nineties with an action figure line to his name, which made the Armoured Avenger the clear underdog in this round.

One thing Iron Man had going for it was star power. Tom Cruise had expressed interest in the role even before Fox’s acquisition of Marvel and officially signed on the film in 2000 and Gene Hackman later signed on as Tony Stark’s corporate rival Obadiah Stane (though many noted Justin Hammer would have been a better fit given Hackman’s age.) The one announcement that sent fans reeling was the casting of Aaron Eckhart in the role of Hank Pym and Lucy Liu as Janet Van Dyne AKA Ant-Man and the Wasp. This, in tandem with absence of venerable Iron Man supporting characters like James Rhodes AKA War Machine, created a stir among the fanbase. Janet Van Dyne replaced Pepper Potts as Tony’s personal assistant while Pym was Stark Industries’ top scientists and formed a romantic triangle between Tony, Janet, and himself.

Iron Man’s plot was a fairly uncomplicated one and the first act roughly adapts the character’s origin in Tales of Suspense #39, albeit with a few modifications. Notably changing the locale of Tony Stark’s kidnapping from Southeast Asia to a more politically-relevant Middle Eastern setting. Additionally it sets up other plot points like Tony’s outmaneuvering rival Obadiah Stane’s attempts at a hostile takeover and his cousin and second-in-command, Morgan Stark’s (played by Bill Paxton,) hidden resentment and envy. Also notable is Tony’s strained relationship with Hank Pym, who resents his discovery of the “Pym Particle” being used for military applications, which Tony glibly dismisses and causes Pym to resign in protest. Both Stane and Morgan Stark arrange for Tony’s kidnapping at the hands of a generic terrorist group. The terrorists mortally wound Tony in an ambush via shrapnel near his heart and force him to build a superweapon for him. As with the comics, Tony, along with Professor Yinsen (played by Pat Morita) build an improvised suit of armour to keep Tony alive and engineer his escape.

The film then borrows elements from the famed “Demon in a Bottle” storyline where Tony returns to civilization to discover that Stane staged a hostile takeover of his company with Morgan’s assistance. This, combined with the revelations that Morgan had been selling weapons to the terrorist under the table while in captivity and lingering PTSD, sends Tony into a spiral of depression and alcoholism. Janet picks up Tony upon hitting rock bottom and brings him to Pym (who is curiously researching ants in a bit of foreshadowing) where he reveals everything. Realizing that Tony’s time as a hostage changed him Hank and Janet agree to help him after an impassioned plea for help.

Much of the second act focuses on Tony’s refinement of the armour (with Hank and Janet’s assistance) as well as their plan for reclaiming Stark Industries from the war mongering Stane and bringing Morgan to justice. It is also here where Pym also fashions his prototype “Ant-Man” identity from the comics using Pym Particles to shrink himself for espionage purposes. It is during the mission to recover information Morgan and Stane’s dealings where Tony and Hank learn that Stane reverse-engineered the pieces of the first armour into his own bulkier suit of armour as a “proof of concept” for next stage of warfare.

As such the third act deals with the inevitable confrontation with Stane at “Stane International’s” headquarters on Long Island after Tony, Janet, and Hank gather enough evidence to implicate him and Morgan. However, an increasingly Stane himself pilots “Iron Monger” armour when the authorities arrive to arrest him, forcing Stark to don the armour and do battle. The Stark/Stane battle mirrors the one from Invincible Iron Man (vol. 1) #200 where Stane holds Tony’s former employees hostage to force him to surrender. However, he manages to outmaneuver Stane with Janet’s assistance and frees them.

Stane, growing ever more deranged, forces the battle to spill out onto the street of an adjacent community where he corners a family and threatens to kill them. As such, Tony tries to buy time by talking down Stane while Hank (in full Ant-Man regalia) flies in on a flying ant to infiltrate Stane’s armour and sabotage it from within. With his armour disabled and authorities on their way, a humiliated Stane chooses to commit suicide by a repulsor blast to the head in what was the most graphic scene in the film.

With Stane dead and Morgan’s crimes revealed, Tony is able takes control of the rebranded Stark International and leaves the weapons business. In line with the comics, Stark’s public relations explain away the arrival of “Iron Man” as a “Good Samaritan” that Tony subsequently hires as a bodyguard to maintain his cover. The film ends with Tony signing the rights to the Pym Particle technology to Hank as a gesture of his gratitude and Janet giving her notice as she chose to go into “business” (strongly foreshadowing her future as the Wasp.) A humbled Tony pardons himself, telling them that he has an important meeting, which turns out to be an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

In a voiceover during the outro before the credits, Tony declares that he will make amends for his past transgressions for…

“I am Iron Man.”

Despite a generally warm reception from critics and fans, Iron Man failed to resonate with audiences in the same way Captain America did the year before. This was due in part to bad timing; Iron Man released on November 22, 2002, one week after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. While it debuted at #1, it was by a narrower margin than Fox had expected. The final nail in the coffin came when Green Lantern 3 released two weeks later and surpassed Iron Man in box office total. Ultimately, the general opinion of the film is that was a decent action film, drawing many comparisons to Mission Impossible, but unremarkable compared to its contemporaries.

What did catch both the ire and interest of fans was the inclusion of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne at the expense of Jim Rhodes and Pepper Potts. Their prominence in the film stoked rumours that Fox would be greenlighting an Avengers film in response to Warner Bros. Justice League. However, industry insiders claimed that it was to gauge interest in a potential Ant-Man feature. Clearly the interest in an Ant-Man film was not there, but there was interest in Marvel’s premiere team. It was clear that even if Marvel was rolling out Spider-Man as its marquee release of 2003, the Marvel Mediaverse’s future hinged on Avengers.

-Tales From The Superhero Wars, sequentialhistory.net, September 16, 2010

 

[RySenkari]

*The opening guitar riff of Velvet Revolver's "Set Me Free", which IOTL was used to promote the movie Hulk, and ITTL is the Nintendo Wave's North American release theme, plays as scenes from several games are shown, including Killer Instinct 3, Burnout 2, Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame, White Mountain 3, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!*

*Fulgore is shown hitting an Ultra Combo on a new Killer Instinct 3 character*

*Spider-Man is shown swinging between two buildings in the upcoming Spider-Man game*

*Footage of Wave Race: Blue Crest showing a jetski being driven over a choppy bay is shown.*

So set me free, set me free

*An anime cutscene from Lunar 3: Green Destiny depicts Erika defending Seth from dragon's fire is shown*

*A football player makes a fierce tackle in the upcoming NFL Play Action game*

Cause I think you need my soul

*Link is shown slashing Taki repeatedly in Soul Calibur II*

*A spectacular White Mountain 3 snowboard stunt is shown*

Set me free, set me free!

*Mario is hit with a green shell and sent flying*

*Rayman looks over a massive landscape in Rayman 3*

So set me free, set me free

*Footage of Gran Turismo 3 showing off several cars is shown*

*A boss fight from Star Siren showing the titular heroine landing one of her finishing moves is shown*

Cause I think you need my soul

*More Killer Instinct 3 footage and more Lunar 3 footage is shown*

Set me free, set me free!

*Another guitar riff plays as a rapid-fire montage of scenes from Killer Instinct 3, Ken Griffey: Hall of Fame, Mario Kart: Double Dash!, Wario World, Star Siren, White Mountain 3, Datacore, Paradventure, Final Fantasy X, and Squad Four: Upheaval is shown, followed by an image of the Wave rotating as the camera slowly zooms in. Then we see a quick scroll of some of Nintendo's various slogans over the years: First, Now You're Playing With Power, then Now You're Playing With Super Power, then Take It To The Next Level Of Power, each of them quickly crossed out and sliding off the screen in succession before finally, the Wave's slogan: Experience The Power is shown and remains on screen.*

03.17.03

-the North American commercial for the Nintendo Wave, which began airing in late February 2003

-

Wave Technical Specifications

Like the SNES-CD and the Ultra Nintendo before it, the Nintendo Wave is jointly developed by Nintendo and Sony. The Nintendo Wave is a rectangular box, very similar to the Ultra Nintendo, though it takes up only about 70% of the space and weighs about 20% less. The Nintendo Wave is colored aqua blue, similar to one of the original colors for the OTL 3DS, a color that resembles the ocean. More colors will be made available later on, but for at least a few months after launch, aqua blue is the only color available. The Wave has a sliding disc tray that pops out when the eject button is pressed, similar to the OTL PS2. It has four controller slots for the system's controllers, which are wireless. The wireless controllers use batteries (though rechargeable controllers are available as an option later on) and dongles which plug into the control slots, similar to the OTL Wavebird. The Wave is the first system to include wireless controllers as a standard, though the Katana and Xbox would allow for wireless controllers later on. The controller is a hybrid of the OTL Dual Shock and the OTL Gamecube, with the same basic shape as the Dual Shock but a similar button layout to the Gamecube, with a larger A button, smaller B button, and analog stick on the left side of the controller. The L and R buttons have grooves like the Gamecube L and R buttons, while there are smaller Z trigger buttons on both sides. The console can play DVD movies and dual-layer DVD games, and can also play music CDs, Ultra Nintendo Gigadiscs, and SNES-CD titles. It has a 10 GB hard drive (similar to the Xbox's) for storing game data. It has component and composite cable options, along with the option for S-Video. It doesn't have an HDMI option, but it does have hookups for both DVI and progressive scan.

As for the hardware specifications, the Wave features an IBM CPU clocked at 880 Mhz, codenamed "Phoenix". The system's real marvel is the Sony developed GPU, codenamed "Quintessence", clocked at 362 Mhz (about 50% faster than the Xbox and 2 1/2 times faster than the Katana). The system has 96 MB of RAM, 32 of which is devoted to graphics processing and 64 MB devoted to the rest of the console. In short, the Wave is significantly more powerful than the OTL Wii. For the most part, multiplatform games look about the same as they do on the Xbox, though some games developed specifically for the Wave, along with many exclusives, look quite a bit better.

-

March 17, 2003

The Nintendo Wave launches in North America with a $299.99 MSRP. It would launch in Europe one week later. It doesn't include a pack-in game, though it does have a disc with ten game demos on it. The system launches with great hype and fanfare, and excellent reviews of the hardware, especially of its graphical capabilities and backward compatibility. The controller scores excellent reviews as well, with many people finding it more ergonomic than the Ultra Nintendo controller or the Xbox controller (though the Katana controller is still considered almost as good). Nintendo, knowing about the shortages, fights, injuries, and deaths accompanying the launch of the Ultra Nintendo, ensures there are more than enough Wave systems for everyone who wants one to buy one to be able to do so. There are still sellouts, and a few fights, but it's much easier to find a Wave at launch than it was to find an Ultra Nintendo, partially because of the large production quantity (over four million for the North American launch), and partially because the Wave doesn't sell as much at launch as the Ultra Nintendo did.

Nintendo reports that 1,274,615 units are sold in the Wave's first day (and about 1,800,000 in the first week). That's a staggering number, and the second biggest console launch of all time, but the Ultra Nintendo sold out a 2,000,000 allotment, making the Wave's launch about a third less successful. For comparison, the Wave sold about that much on the first day in Japan, a country with about a third the people. This figure actually meets Nintendo's expectations, and is considered a successful launch, though it's clear that the Wave isn't as big a deal initially as the Ultra Nintendo: many people are still enjoying the Ultra Nintendo and its games, and aren't in a big hurry to buy one right away. The lack of a "true" killer app is also a limiting factor for sales. While Killer Instinct 3 and Mario Kart: Double Dash! are huge releases, neither of them is really a "must have" game, at least right away.

Here are the initial software sales for the Wave's 16 North American launch titles on day one:

Killer Instinct 3: 477,036
Mario Kart: Double Dash!: 363,562
White Mountain 3: 218,423
Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame: 160,471
Star Siren: 107,688
Tekken 4: 90,586
Rayman 3: 62,155
Lunar 3: Green Destiny: 59,740
Hip Hop Showdown: 44,072
Burnout 2: 41,674
O.M.A.: 31,335
Zone Of The Enders 2: 27,214
MLB Slugfest '04: 19,515
Amplitude: 14,618
Shellby: 13,625
Santa Monica Riders: 7,654

-

Launch Title Summaries-

Killer Instinct 3

Killer Instinct 3 is Rare's follow-up to the arcade game Killer Instinct 2 and its console adaptation, Killer Instinct Ultra. It retains the familiar Killer Instinct combo-focused fighting system, with new elements such as advanced dodges and counters, combo specials that require certain triggers, added projective attacks, and limited environment-based fighting, with some combos utilizing elements of the environment. The game features 24 characters in all: all 18 returning characters from Killer Instinct Ultra, along with six new original characters: Lasurr, a cybernetically-enhanced muscleman, Festiva, a Hispanic woman who utilizes brutal kicks, Organick, a mysterious doctor who participates in the illegal organ trade, Geldman, a mysterious heir to a massive fortune who has trained in a secret martial art, Tigran, a man whose DNA has been spliced with a tiger and who fights with furious animalistic tactics, and Bewixtra, a bespectacled witch who uses a mix of martial arts and magic.

The Quest mode from Killer Instinct Ultra returns, and any of the game's 24 players can participate, as each has their own storyline and ending. The game's main storyline revolves around Lasurr, the game's main villain. Lasurr is a super soldier whose mind was twisted after being forced to slaughter a village full of innocent people (including Festiva's little sister) in an illegal war. After the war, Lasurr snapped, slaughtered his former handlers, and enhanced himself with stolen experimental government weapons. Lasurr now seeks to end all war by ending all of humanity, and must be stopped by any means necessary.

Killer Instinct 3 features the best graphics of any game in the Wave's launch: the graphics even exceed those in Soul Calibur II. The game's graphics are arcade-perfect because the game's arcade cabinet essentially contains Wave hardware. It's the best looking console game ever released up to that point, while the gameplay, character variety, and storyline all receive high praise from reviewers. Reviews are essentially identical to those for Killer Instinct Ultra. In addition, online gameplay is functional from day one, and it immediately becomes one of the most popular Wave games to play online, with a thriving community quickly establishing itself. It's among the best reviewed of the Wave launch titles and one of the best fighting games of the year, an immediate commercial and critical success and the closest thing to a killer app for the Nintendo Wave.

GameRankings Score: 92.18%

Mario Kart: Double Dash!

Mario Kart: Double Dash! is the sequel to Ultra Mario Kart and the fourth game in the Mario Kart series. It continues the tradition of having a Mario Kart game at the launch of a home Nintendo console, though it was definitely rushed into production and completion in order to fulfill this. The game features similar gameplay to OTL's Double Dash, with one player able to control two characters riding the same kart, one of them driving while the other holds the player's secondary weapon. The game features all the familiar Mario Kart tropes, including a large cast of Mario characters (including a couple new ones exclusive to TTL's: Lana from Super Mario RPG 2, and Geno from the original Super Mario RPG), a large variety of items, and a variety of Mario-themed levels to drive in. The game features 16 tracks in all, similar to OTL's game. The tracks are as follows:

Mushroom Cup:
Luigi Circuit (a basic course similar to OTL's)
Baby Park (a short course with seven laps similar to OTL's)
Princess Peach's Cakewalk (A cake-themed course where players race on a giant cake)
Wild Wild Town (a Wild West-themed course based on Super Mario Ranger)

Flower Cup:
Mario Circuit (another somewhat basic, trickier course, like OTL's)
Pipe Promenade (A course featuring lots of pipes)
Toad City (A course somewhat like OTL's Mushroom City with lots of cars and buildings)
Whimsical Waters (A water-park themed course)

Star Cup:
Waluigi Stadium (A stadium-themed course, but less complex than OTL's)
Daisy's Dine-And-Dash (A restaurant themed course)
Festival Greenway (A forest-themed course)
Gangplank Galleon (A pirate-themed course based on Donkey Kong Country)

Special Cup:
Fort Wario (A fortress-themed course with the racers being fired on by cannons)
Haunted Hollow (A ghost house themed course)
Bowser's Castle (A fiery castle themed course, one of the best courses in the game and the only course based on an OTL course that's probably better ITTL)
Rainbow Road (The standard Rainbow Road course, long and full of hazards)

The game also features a battle mode similar to Ultra Mario Kart's.

In general, the courses in TTL's Double Dash aren't as fun or as creative as the ones in OTL's game. Courses were rushed, and are full of broken shortcuts similar to the ones in OTL Mario Kart 64. The game, while still fun and mostly high quality, just isn't as polished as OTL's Double Dash was, and while it looks very nice graphically, the gameplay itself, apart from the dual riders, has barely evolved from previous games. It's a good game, but definitely not a great one, and the reception is somewhat mixed in both North America and Japan. The online gameplay component isn't ready for the North American launch, but when it's finally enabled in May 2003, it's mostly positively received.

Despite all of this, the game still sells extremely well. It's Mario Kart, and one of the first games that many new Wave players purchase. It definitely could've been done better, and on several notable occasions, the game's developers apologize for the rushed product.

GameRankings Score: 81.47%

Lunar 3: Green Destiny

Lunar 3: Green Destiny is the third game in the Lunar RPG series. Developed by Game Arts, the game is the first game in the series that is created with a Western localization in mind from the very start, as such, Working Designs and Victor Ireland have no involvement in the game. The voice acting, instead of being performed by Working Designs' cast of Northern California amateurs, is performed by a full Los Angeles-based cast of professionals. Instead of the 16-bit graphics of the first two games, the game is fully 3-D, though somewhat cartoonish in style, the graphical quality is around that of OTL Rogue Galaxy or Star Ocean 3, and the game still has anime cutscenes instead of fully 3-D ones. The game has a 3-D overworld between towns and dungeons (similar to the Tales games but with no enemies on the overworld). The gameplay is fairly old-school, it's the classic, turn-based, five person Lunar battle system, with normal attacks and spells/techniques. However, it introduces the "special" attack system from OTL Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, giving each player a special attack that activates when they've taken enough damage, and can cause massive damage to the enemy. There's also an "affinity" system in the game: at different times and in different places, the battlefield is attuned to the power of one of the Four Dragons: White, Red, Black, or Blue. Each of the four side characters (Erika, Jekro, Neshari, and Zayden/Calus) corresponds to one of the four dragons (White for Erika, Blue for Jekro, Red for Neshari, and Black for Zayden/Calus), while Seth, the Dragonmaster, can be any one of the four at a certain time. If the battlefield is attuned to a certain dragon's power, those characters associated with that color dragon will gain more power, while those who are the opposite of that dragon's power will grow weaker and more vulnerable. If carefully timed, players can fight much more efficiently by taking advantage of this system.

Playable Characters:

Seth- The main hero of the game. Similar to Alex from Silver Star and Hiro from Eternal Blue, Seth yearns for adventure even in an age where the heroes of old have lost their relevance and meaning. He's voiced by David Kaufman.

Erika- A brash, stubborn, but ultimately very brave knight, Erika is at first furious with Seth for ruining her attempt to become a Dragonmaster, but as she travels with him she comes to admire his courage and skill. She's voiced by Kari Wahlgren.

Jekro- Seth's somewhat cowardly but still loyal friend, he's descended from Ramus from Lunar: The Silver Star and is somewhat similar in nature though he's also quite flirtatious with women. He's voiced by Ben Diskin.

Neshari- The beautiful shrine maiden of the Red Dragon Shrine, Neshari is very shy and old-fashioned, as she lives in a tribe that shuns modern technology for the most part. She and Jekro come to be very close over the course of the story. She's voiced by Erica Shaffer.

Zayden- A brilliant scientist, Zayden loves to work on all sorts of computer and robotic technology and is a massive nerd but also somewhat quiet and subdued. He is a playable party member for about the first half of the game but is seemingly killed by the Blackheart Six (he does return toward the end of the game in an epic scene, though he's no longer a playable character even after he returns). He's voiced by Michael Lindsay.

Kalus- Kalus is a member of the Blackheart Six and he starts out as an antagonist to the party, but as his group becomes more and more vicious he quickly questions his group's motives and eventually joins Seth's party in Zayden's place. He's a dark, brooding character even after he joins the group, though he has a sense of nobility about him. He's voiced by Crispin Freeman.

Antagonists:

Xanadis- Prince Xanadis is the crown prince of the world's most powerful kingdom in the great Capitol district. Though his family rules benevolently, Xanadis is a schemer who seeks power. When the game starts, he and Erika are engaged to be married, though once his true motives become known (about halfway through), Erika rejects him. Xanadis' true goal is to become the new god of the world in Althena's absence, he seeks to re-open the realm of the gods with the four dragons' power in order to accomplish this goal. He's voiced by George Newbern.

Eiphel- The Dark God of the underworld, he has imprisoned Althena in the Realm of the Gods and is influencing events in the world, including Xanadis (though Xanadis eventually comes to control Eiphel's power at the very end of the game). He's voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Tarask- The leader of the Blackheart Six and Kalus' older brother, he's descended from Ghaleon and Xenobia and is the leader of what comes to be the new Vile Tribe, he is the ruler of the territory that was once the Frontier. Though he originally simply wanted his country to be left alone and resist influence from other countries, he is influenced by Eiphel to take a much more aggressive stance and attempt to conquer the world. He's voiced by Steve Blum.

Malfia- Second-in-command of the Blackheart Six, she and Kalus are lovers but Kalus is increasingly antagonized by her increasing wickedness (she is the one who seemingly kills Zayden). Kalus never gives up on trying to turn her back to the side of good and indeed he eventually does save her heart, she is the only survivor of the Blackheart Six besides Kalus at the end of the game. She's voiced by Gwendoline Yeo.

Flair- Flair is a fierce, hot-headed young man who wields the power of fire, he's the third of the Blackheart Six to be defeated. He's descended from Royce of the Vile Tribe. He's voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.

Katia- Known as the Seeress of Storms, Katia is the second of the Blackheart Six to be defeated, she wields the power of lightning against her enemies and is defeated atop the Blackheart Six's massive HQ tower about two thirds to three-fourths of the way through the game. She's voiced by Rebecca Forstadt.

Barius- The first of the Blackhearted Six to be defeated, he is a massive brute who guards the Black Dragon's Shrine about halfway through the game. He's voiced by R. Bruce Elliott.

The plot of the game combines themes from the previous two games with a conflict between the world's new technology and the power of the natural world, with the ending ultimately forming a synergy between the two, the game isn't explicitly anti-technology but stresses harmony between human ingenuity and the natural world. The game takes place 1000 years after the events of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue. The world of Lunar is a changed place and technology has advanced to a modern level, with televisions, computers, cars, planes, and glass and steel skyscrapers. The events of Lunar: The Silver Star and Eternal Blue and the heroes Alex and Hiro are known to be real by people, but myth and legend obscure the facts surrounding those heroes' quests. After a great cataclysm destroys a city near the capital during an attempt to launch a spaceship to the Blue Star, it is discovered that more disaster will befall the world unless a Dragonmaster arises and awakens the four ancient dragons, who by now are buried in their ruined shrines beneath the surface of the world. The capital's great heroine, the White Knight, Erika, is given the task of becoming the Dragonmaster. At the same time, in a podunk village near the buried White Dragon Cave, a young man named Seth is yearning for adventure like the great heroes of old. After going on a couple of adventures with his friend Jekro, he decides to help Erika, who journeys to the ruins of the White Dragon Cave to start her Dragonmaster quest. However, Erika doesn't want or need his help. Seth tags along anyway, which goes awry when Erika gets knocked out saving his life from the cave guardians. Seth accidentally gets the White Dragon's power in lieu of the unconscious Erika and he is put on the track to become the new Dragonmaster, which forces a very reluctant and angry Erika to become his guardian. Together, along with Jekro and several other heroes who join Seth on his journey, the group sets out to awaken the dragons and save the world from an unknown but very dangerous evil.

Part 1: Opening cutscene, spaceship launch to Blue Star interrupted by disaster, exposition about energy disruption and the need for a new Dragonmaster (and first look at Erika), Seth and Jekro in hometown of Brave, explore a ruin outside of town (BOSS 1)

Part 2: Seth follows Erika into White Dragon Shrine, two of them bump into killer robots (BOSS 2), Erika is incapacitated saving Seth, Seth meets Quark and becomes Dragonmaster in-training

Part 3: Erika takes Seth to Capital District, brief trip to destroyed city, Jekro finds them and joins party, group is tasked with a brief quest (BOSS 3)

Part 4: Seth, Erika, Jekro arrive at Capital, Erika splits up with pair and consults with her superiors including her fiance Prince Xanadin, Seth and Jekro meet Zayden and go on brief quest with him, later Erika is abducted by rebels and the trio go to rescue her (BOSS 4)

Part 5: Exploration of Blue Dragon Shrine (BOSS 5)

Part 6: Party crosses terrain to the country where the Red Dragon Shrine is, no boss here, just a dungeon/exploration/character development segment

Part 7: Group arrives at capital city of Red Dragon country, journeys through more terrain to reach town of the Red Dragon Shrine, tasked with finding Neshari who is thought to have been abducted but is really just enjoying being on the nearby mountain with a variety of lovely creatures, though one of them is hostile and attacks the party (BOSS 6), Neshari joins for this fight

Part 8: Exploration of Red Dragon Shrine (BOSS 7)

Part 9: Entering Black Dragon country/The Frontier, first encounter with Blackheart Six, who refuse to let the party see the Black Dragon, more terrain is crossed to reach an outskirt city

Part 10: A group of rebels is met here including Zayden's love interest, the scientist girl Shade, more is learned about the Blackheart Six and their cruelty and there is a dungeon (BOSS 8)

Part 11: A raid on a prison camp to free prisoners of the Blackheart Six (BOSS 9), Zayden and Shade bond, we learn more about the Blackheart Six including Kalus who is wary of Tarask's actions as of late

Part 12: Shade and Zayden begin work on secret weapon to deal with Blackheart Six, but components for the weapon need to be gathered from all four countries, first to be visited is a nearby ruin/dungeon (BOSS 10)

Part 13: Backtracking through the other realms to gather more materials for the secret weapon, first is near Seth's hometown which is easy, then the capitol which leads to more exposition and also a boss fight (BOSS 11), finally is the Red Dragon district in which an assassin appears sent by the Blackheart Six (BOSS 12)

Part 14: The weapon is assembled and there is a battle against the Blackheart Six's forces leading to another boss fight (BOSS 13) and eventually to the weapon failing and Malfia seemingly killing Zaden, soon after Kalus turns over a new leaf and gets himself captured to get the heroes to trust him, he offers a way into the Black Dragon Shrine

Part 15: Exploration of the Black Dragon Shrine (BOSS 14: Barius), Seth becomes a Dragonmaster but it's incomplete

Part 16: The party returns to the Capital District for a wedding between Xanadis and Erika, but the wedding is interrupted by a Blackheart Six raid (BOSS 15), the wedding is postponed as the party is tasked with invading the Blackheart Six stronghold

Part 17: Blackheart Six stronghold dungeon, mostly abandoned but still populated with strong forces including Katia (BOSS 16: Katia)

Part 18: Return to Capital District, Xanadis' treachery revealed, Seth is imprisoned, Erika leads the rest of the party to rescue him with Shade's help and help from the rebels who abducted her earlier, Seth is rescued and there is a boss fight (BOSS 17), the airship is also obtained here

Part 19: The party is given a tip about the evil befalling the world, they journey to a place where they discover some ancient secrets/exposition

Part 20: The party participates in another battle against Blackheart Six forces invading Neshari's home country (BOSS 18), there's more exposition here and the secret of Eiphel is revealed

Part 21: The party infiltrates a secret cavern where the Blackheart Six holds the secret of its power, after battling through Flair (BOSS 19: Flair) they sever Eiphel's influence from the Blackheart Six and seemingly pacify them but after a huge air raid by Xanadis' forces inflicting catastrophic death and destruction on the Frontier, Tarask is consumed by revenge and seeks to activate a superweapon to use on the Capital District

Part 22: The party manages to board Tarask's superweapon (think a floating Grindery) as it is hovering over the Capital city and after battling through Malfia (BOSS 20: Malfia) they manage to redeem her to the side of good, they reach Tarask and battle him (BOSS 21: Tarask), Tarask finally sees the error of his ways but after Xanadis' anti-air systems threaten to bring down the ship Tarask sacrifices himself to save the party and Malfia

Part 23: After an epic battle sequence of the party punching through Xanadis' defenses, Zayden returning, and Xanadis' subjects turning against him to help the party, they invade Xanadis' castle, a massive dungeon, and finally find him in a magically-infused mech (BOSS 22: Xanadis), they defeat him but his mortal wounds enable him to summon forth Eiphel and open the gate to the Realm of the Gods on the Blue Star, Malfia uses her powers to keep the gate from consuming the entire city and killing everyone in it but as a consequence she is badly injured and must recuperate with Zayden and Shade while the heroes find a way to breach the gate and stop Xanadis and Eiphel before they subjugate the world

Part 24: Lots of exposition and story buildup, Seth becomes a full Dragonmaster enabling him to open the gate to the Realm of the Gods

Part 25: The party enters the final dungeon, the Realm of the Gods, battling through a mutated demon version of Xanadis' admiring secretary (BOSS 23) before battling Xanadis himself (BOSS 24: Xanadis), then Eiphel (BOSS 25: Eiphel), but as the party thinks everything is fine, Xanadis claims the power of the weakened Eiphel as his own, they must fight him one more time (BOSS 26: Dark God Xanadis) to finally put him down, saving the world of Lunar, bringing peace to all the nations, and finally opening the way for humanity to begin re-settling the Blue Star.

Lunar 3: Green Destiny is released at the Wave launch, both as a stand-alone game and in a special edition with a soundtrack selection CD, hardbound instruction booklet, and cloth map. The game is very positively received for its plot and presentation, though its old-school gameplay and somewhat backward graphics get a more mixed reaction. Despite this, it's seen as a more than worthy successor to the original two Lunar games, and fan debate rages to this day about which of the three titles in the original Lunar trilogy is the best one. Sales in North America, while not massive, are still quite strong, more than half a million in total, while sales in Japan exceed one million. The success of Lunar 3 puts Game Arts back in the RPG forefront, and greatly enhances the company's financial fortunes.

GameRankings Score: 83.07%

Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame

Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame is the latest title in Nintendo's acclaimed baseball series. The first in the series to be developed by Retro Studios (who also develops the Play Action football series), Hall of Fame features MLB gameplay based on the upcoming 2003 season. It features enhanced batting, pitching, and fielding, along with a host of gameplay and customization options. It also features a "Hall of Fame" mode, where players can relive some of the greatest games of moments of MLB's past, a series first. It features an all new music score, though it also samples retro themes from the original SNES and SNES-CD Ken Griffey games, giving the player the option to listen to the classic SNES game theme during play. It features voice acting from Ken Griffey Jr., who still plays for the Seattle Mariners as of 2003 ITTL. The game is highly praised for its graphics (said to be the best of the launch games besides Killer Instinct 3) and extremely polished gameplay, and is ultimately the best reviewed Wave launch title. It's considered perhaps the best sports video game since NHL '96 on the Sega Saturn, and even by some critics to be one of the greatest video games of all time. It revitalizes the popularity of the Ken Griffey series, making it once again the most popular baseball game franchise on the market. It also features functional online play at launch, and runs even more smoothly than Killer Instinct 3's online play, which has a few glitches initially. Not only is Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame considered the best sports game of 2003, it would ultimately be a Game of the Year contender, and is a massive best seller for Nintendo.

GameRankings Score: 94.15%

Star Siren

Star Siren is a side-scrolling beat-em-up game developed by Capcom. It was created by most of the same team responsible for OTL's Viewtiful Joe, and plays in a mostly similar manner. The game's main protagonist is Saiyuki, a young Japanese high school student who gains a magical transformation comb. Using the phrase "Henshin-a-go-go!" (similar to Viewtiful Joe's OTL, only without the "baby"), Saiyuki transforms into the magical girl superheroine Star Siren, who utilizes a vast array of powers similar to those used by magical girl protagonists like Sailor Moon. Star Siren can use both melee and energy attacks on her foes, charging up her Star meter (which operates much like the VFX meter in Viewtiful Joe). Once the Star meter is charged up enough, Star Siren can unleash one of numerous powerful attacks to clear the screen of enemies or heavily damage tougher foes. These special attacks borrow heavily from the fancy, dramatic attacks used by anime heroines, and get more powerful the more that Star Siren progresses through the game. The game features more levels than OTL Viewtiful Joe (in fact, there are 26 levels in all, compared to just seven in Viewtiful Joe, though most of these are shorter than the ones in Viewtiful Joe), with each level structured like an "episode" of an anime series: most of these episodes will have Star Siren facing off against a "monster of the day" type mini-boss at the end, while some will have you facing one of the main villain's lieutenants. Each level is interspersed with short story segments and skits to give the game more of an anime feel, and the graphics are more anime-based than comic-based like OTL Viewtiful Joe was. While the game is a parody/pastiche of magical girl anime, it's also a loving homage, and contains a mix of comedy and serious moments. The game features full voice acting, with Cristina Pucelli as the English voice of Saiyuki/Star Siren, and Petrea Burchard as the voice of the game's main villain, Empress Oberion.

The game itself starts with Saiyuki and her best friend Mariko walking home from school, when the two are suddenly attacked by a cloaked man. After the cloaked man begins draining Mariko's soul, Saiyuki transforms into Star Siren with the help of a mysterious talking comb, and chases off the cloaked man, who happens to be the first of Empress Oberion's lieutenants. After Star Siren chases off the man, monsters begin appearing all over the city, and Star Siren must defeat them and save the innocent victims they attack. She'll save her best friend Mariko numerous times over the course of the game, and will also meet a number of new friends, including a cute boy love interest, a fierce tough girl who gets herself into trouble a few times trying to fight the fiends that Star Siren battles (but is sometimes a valuable ally in battle), and a mysterious singing idol star who might be friend or foe. Along the way, Star Siren learns of the evil Empress Oberion's plan to add Earth to her galactic empire of evil. Eventually, Star Siren takes out Oberion's creatures and lieutenants, and in the game's final stage, battles Oberion herself, uniting her powers with the love and friendship of her friends to defeat the evil empress and save the world.

Star Siren performs exceptionally well in Japan, and thanks to good reviews and a considerable amount of advertising, the game sells quite well in North America too, eventually selling over a million copies. The game would spawn at least one sequel and numerous spinoffs for the Wave and other game consoles as well.

GameRankings Score: 91.70%

Tekken 4

Developed by Namco, Tekken 4 is the first title in the series released for more than one console, in this case, the Wave, the Katana, and the Xbox. Tekken 4 features improved graphics, all new characters, and enhanced gameplay, and a brand new storyline different from OTL's, in which Heihachi, who has died and has been sent to Hell after the events of Tekken 3, takes over Hell in an attempt to awaken the Great Demon Lord in order to battle his grandson Jin and awaken him to a new level of power. The game features a total of 25 characters, with Steve Fox and Christie from OTL debuting in Tekken 4, along with several new characters, including Saraphi, a beautiful archangel, Chains, a prisoner who fights with his wrists and ankles shackled, and Orbital, a mysterious energy being comprised of orbs and spinning rings.

Largely overshadowed by Killer Instinct 3, Tekken 4 still carves out a sizable niche and becomes one of the best selling Wave launch titles. It's not a great game, but it's still quite successful, and tides Namco fighter fans over until that summer's release of Soul Calibur II.

GameRankings Score: 78.46%

Rayman 3: Tricky Treasures

Developed by Ubisoft, Rayman 3: Tricky Treasures is a 3-D platformer that has the titular Rayman exploring a massive world in search of mysterious treasures. The twist is that each and every treasure he finds has a unique trick to it, coming alive and not allowing Rayman to collect it right away. These treasures are mischievous and smart, with some running away, some forcing Rayman to complete puzzles, and others even putting up a fight. The game generally gets a better reception than OTL's Rayman 3, and as the only good traditional 3-D platformer title available for the Wave at launch, it gets a lot of sales from family oriented players. It's released for the Wave first, then the Xbox, and finally gets ported to the Katana in 2004.

GameRankings Score: 86.77%

White Mountain 3

The extreme snowboarding series returns, released for the Wave at launch and then for the Katana and Xbox two weeks later. While not the first next-gen White Mountain game, it does feature significantly improved graphics from White Mountain 2. However, the gameplay doesn't innovate to the same degree that the graphics do. There are plenty of new areas, tricks, and characters, but there aren't really any new game modes, and the game itself is basically just a prettier rehash of White Mountain 2. It's still a high quality game, and sales are quite high, but it's not a Game of the Year contender like the last two games, and a step behind rival Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 as well.

GameRankings Score: 87.30%

Zone Of The Enders 2

Zone Of The Enders 2 is a hack-and-slash mecha combat game developed by Konami for the Nintendo Wave. Its gameplay is similar to the previous title, but its graphics are vastly improved, and it's about 50% longer than the previous game (though it's still considered somewhat short). Its plot loosely follows that of its OTL counterpart, revolving around a different protagonist, a man named Dingo Egret, who is shot by the mysterious villain Aster after discovering the mysterious battle mech Jehuty. Dingo learns that Aster is plotting to launch an attack against a human colony, and teams up with Leo, the previous game's protagonist, in order to stop him. Eventually, Dingo and Jehuty engage Aster in a climactic battle, and though Aster is defeated, he manages to escape, leaving his defeat for another day. Zone Of The Enders 2, though getting some criticisms, is said to have improved on the original in every way. Its North American sales are still rather mediocre, but similarly to the original, the game performs well in Japan.

GameRankings Score: 82.02%

Amplitude

Harmonix's rhythm game sequel to Frequency, Amplitude features improved graphics and a larger roster of songs, though it's still the same basic gameplay, as players piece together songs by moving back and forth between nodes on a moving track to activate them. It's one of the best reviewed Wave launch titles, but sales are only so-so.

GameRankings Score: 89.80%

MLB Slugfest '04

An arcade-style baseball game from Midway, this rather mediocre game only appeals to those who don't think Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame doesn't have enough fights or players on fire.

GameRankings Score: 68.27%

Burnout 2

A port of the 2002 racing hit, Burnout 2 is a solid port featuring about the same graphics as the Xbox version. There are a few small bonuses exclusively for the Wave version, but it's essentially the same game.

GameRankings Score: 79.44%

Hip Hop Showdown

A fighting game featuring numerous rap artists and original characters, this is OTL's version of Def Jam Vendetta, but featuring Tupac Shakur. It's also more of a 3-D fighter than a wrestling title, it still has wrestling moves but plays a bit more like a Tekken-type game. DMX, Ludacris, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah also appear from OTL's game, along with members of the Wu Tang Clan and Aggro. It's a decent game and popular amongst hip hop fans, but isn't a huge best seller. It would also appear on the Xbox.

GameRankings Score: 71.86%

Shellby

An original platformer title about a snail hero, sort of a rushjob game, it's an extremely generic platformer and gets fair to mediocre reviews.

GameRankings Score: 61.28%

O.M.A.

A third-person shooter title, O.M.A. stands for “one man army” (though it has nothing to do with the classic OTL toy Johnny 7 or his gun) and refers to the title character, who is dropped into deadly situations to rescue people with his weapons and skills, it's the second best and second most successful of the original Wave launch titles, behind Star Siren.

GameRankings Score: 78.04%

Santa Monica Riders

A game featuring a variety of aquatic sports including paragliding and jet skiing, it's an attempt at a Wave Race like game and tries to play off the “Wave” console title, but isn't a very good game.

GameRankings Score: 54.67%

-

Ted Crosley: Welcome to a very, VERY special episode of Blister...

Bill Sindelar: A two hour special episode, where we're going to talk all about the brand new, amazing, Nintendo Wave!

Ted: We'll be covering all the games, we'll be talking about the system itself...isn't it beatiful? We'll have special guests, including Wil Wheaton from Epic, Alex and Victor from Judgment Day, Janet Varney from Filter, we'll be bringing in some celebrity guests...

Bill: Including NFL star LaDainian Tomlinson from the Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, and Asajj Ventress from the new Star Wars movie, Catherine McCormack is gonna be here!

Ted: Plus, I've invited my old GameTV co-star Lyssa Fielding back to be here also, we're gonna have a little GameTV reunion today!

Bill: All that and more, on this, the two hour Nintendo Wave launch special, right here on G4's Blister!

(...)

*Ted, Bill, Alex, and Lyssa are seated on a couch playing the new Mario Kart together.*

Ted: Now, this is really cool, watch this. *in Peach's Cakewalk, he uses a shortcut to drop about a third of the way down the level, cutting off a massive portion of his lap time*

Alex Stansfield: You cheating bastard!

Ted: *laughing loudly*

Lyssa Fielding: I've noticed there are a lot of these shortcuts in the game.

Alex: You're a cheater! *fires a green shell down the pit, trying to hit Ted but it hits Lyssa instead*

Lyssa: HEY!

Ted: *laughs even louder*

Bill: Alex, you took the shortcut in the ghost level last time, you're just as big a cheater as him.

Alex: I know, but...

Lyssa: Maybe we all agree not to use any shortcuts?

Ted: It wouldn't be Mario Kart if we didn't all want to kill each other by the time the game ended.

(...)

*Ted and LaDainian Tomlinson are playing Hip Hop Showdown.*

Ted: I'm gonna be Method Man.

LaDainian Tomlinson: I'm gonna pick Aggro.

Ted: That's a good choice. He should've won Best New Artist. They didn't even nominate him.

Tomlinson: Yeah, I know, he's the best new rapper in a long time. I can't believe they didn't even nominate him.

*The two rappers appear in a ring in the middle of a crowded club, Aggro, true to his namesake, is a very fast and aggressive fighter and can land a lot of quick blows, while Method Man focuses on grappling and throws.*

Ted: Okay, you're good at this game. *as Method Man is taking a beating from Aggro*

Tomlinson: You played before?

Ted: No, but I can usually figure these things out!

Tomlinson: I gotcha, I gotcha! *Method Man gets Aggro in a grapple, but Aggro slips out and counters with a brutal slam*

Ted: Whoa!

*Aggro pins Method Man and begins punching him in the face.*

Ted: You are kicking my ass, I can't even get up!

Tomlinson: Come on, come on.... *Aggro delivers the finishing blow* Yeah!

Ted: I gotta tell you, that was awesome.

Tomlinson: Playin' that Street Fighter as a kid, you know. Plus I'm just a really competitive guy.

Ted: Let's go another round.

Tomlinson: I'll beat you again! *laughing*

(...)

Alex: I thought Star Siren actually got kind of repetitive. The game I think might've been overlong. It's like those classic Sailor Moon seasons, where she's fighting different monsters but it's the same plot day after day after day.

Victor: Honestly, I disagree. I couldn't get enough of Star Siren, I wanted there to be more levels than they were. It's a little bit girly, yeah, but still a super fun game.

*Alex and Victor's scores appear on the screen, Alex's 7.0 in a red circle and Victor's 8.5 in a yellow circle.*

+ AMAZING GRAPHICS
+ STAR SIREN'S VOICE ACTRESS
+ FAST-PACED FIGHTING ACTION

- REPETITIVE COMBAT
- ANNOYING ATTACK SEQUENCES
- DUMB VILLAINS

Victor: On the plus side, this is a gorgeous game. It looks like an anime come to life, one that you can actually play. The voice acting was all good, but Star Siren's in particular was fantastic, both hilarious and believable. And this game features some of the best fighting gameplay of the year. It's a blast to play.

Alex: On the negative side, as fun as that combat is initially, it eventually does wear on you, I thought the game was just too long. We both agreed that the special attack animations can get a bit annoying, and both of us hated most of the game's villains, some of whom just seem too dumb to live.

(...)

*Ted, Bill, Alex, Victor, Janet, Wil, and Lyssa are seated around a table with a Wave console and some games on it, chatting about the system.*

Alex: Overall, this thing's just great. It lives up to the hype, it's got an amazing game selection...

Ted: Agreed, there's nothing that really stands out like Super Mario Dimensions, but the overall package is fantastic.

Janet: Star Siren stands out to me as a groundbreaking game. I know Alex wasn't too keen on it, but-

Lyssa: Alex is a dumb-dumb head. *giggles*

Janet: *laughing* I can't believe he didn't like this game! It's amazing, it's the first game I've ever played that feels to me like I'm playing an actual cartoon. I really, really loved it and it's easily my favorite game of the launch.

Lyssa: It's a beautiful game. Saiyuki is maybe my favorite new video game character of the last five years, her relationship with her friends is really heartwarming...fingers crossed that they get to become superheroes and join Star Siren's team in the sequel...and I even liked the villains *Alex groans as Lyssa says this* I did!

Alex: To me, it begins and ends with Killer Instinct 3. The best graphics I have ever seen on a game console. Yes, you can go build a really nice PC and see better graphics-

Bill: Not in a fighting game.

Alex: That's true. That's absolutely true. Even on PC, I've never seen a fighting game look that good.

Wil: That's because they don't bother making fighting games for PCs. Anyway, I really liked Lunar 3, but I've got to agree that Killer Instinct 3, overall, was just the best launch title.

Victor: Alex, are you forgetting that we both gave Ken Griffey: Hall of Fame a 9.5? I mean, I know not everyone likes baseball games, but I thought you and I both agreed that that was the best launch game on the system.

Alex: It's so close between Ken Griffey and Killer Instinct for me.

Wil: Was anyone else really disappointed with Mario Kart: Double Dash?

*Everyone groans and nods their heads, though Lyssa is a bit hesitant with her nod.*

Lyssa: I think it's a really fun game. I love the double racer mechanic-

Alex: That was the only redeeming thing about the game.

Lyssa: I thought being able to carry two items at once really changed the way you think about using them.

Janet: I'm not gonna be all that harsh on Double Dash either. It was really fun.

Ted: Overall, the Nintendo Wave is really worth picking up. It's got something for pretty much everyone, it's got platformers, it's got fighting games, it's got shooters, it's got RPGs... whatever genre you like, you'll find something you like on the Wave.

Bill: Yeah, all of us here give it an emphatic thumbs up. Nintendo, Nintendo, you've done it again with this thing. From everyone here at G4, thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Blister.

-from the March 18, 2003 episode of G4's Blister

-

March 18, 2003

Reggie Fils-Aime turned off the television after watching the G4 Nintendo Wave launch special. He slumped in his recliner for a moment, not looking forward to hearing the Wave's initial sales reports...or how much the Katana's sales had dropped for the week.

The sale of Sega's game division was still going forward. Privately, Fils-Aime was pulling for Apple...it was much more likely that Apple would be willing to keep him around than Toshiba would. Apple would be much more friendly to Sega's North American division, and it had been leaked to him that Steve Jobs liked him as a promoter.

He had to admit to himself that the Wave was good, and would likely be picking one up for himself sometime later in the week. He was torn between hoping that the new Zelda game would come out soon so he could play it, and hoping that it was a miserable failure, which would no doubt benefit Sega.

Fils-Aime's phone rang, and he picked it up. It was one of his co-workers at Sega of Japan.

"Reggie-san, I'm not sure that you've heard this...."

"Is it about the Wave launch?" Fils-Aime asked, wondering if perhaps sales had not met up to expectations. "Was it a flop?"

"It's not about the Wave launch," said his co-worker. "It's about Toshiba. They are not budging on the offer they made, and aren't likely to offer any more than $775 million."

"Why not?" asked Fils-Aime. "Is it because of the Wave?"

"All you are talking about is the Wave," laughed his co-worker. "Wave, Wave, Wave, it is all you can say. What I am saying is that Toshiba is very nervous about Sega's future and believes that if they spend too much money, it could drag their entire company down."

"That's not a vote for confidence in us," grumbled Fils-Aime.

"Well, Apple is a lot more confident. They are still offering $900 million. They have not gone down, even after the launch of the Wave."

"So Apple....?"

"As soon as Oguchi and the board agree to come down, it is going to be them. Steve Jobs wants to get into the game industry very badly. Toshiba is nervous, I think. Steve Jobs is bold."

"And he's about to be my new boss..." thought Fils-Aime, quietly relieved at the news that Toshiba wasn't willing to outbid Apple. "When's the deal going to be made?"

"Probably within the next month. I am nervous... I think they want to keep most of us but of course....well whenever a new owner comes in, certainly..."

"Yeah, but I think we'll both be fine. Thanks for letting me know, Kokura-san. I'll talk to you next time I'm over there. By then we'll probably be working for Apple."

-

March 26, 2003

Hiroshi Yamauchi was very pleased. North American Wave launch sales had met his expectations. The system's early sales hadn't exceeded those of the Ultra Nintendo, but he hadn't expected them too. There wasn't the high level of pent-up demand, or even a new Mario game. Many Ultra Nintendo owners were content with their current systems. But they too would come around.

Nintendo had made the leap to the next generation, and reviews were spectacular.

As Kunitake Ando, president of Sony, stepped into Yamauchi's office, Yamauchi thought back to that fateful meeting almost 12 years ago, when he'd made that phone call to the late Norio Ohga. Back then, the two men were furious as they quibbled over things that seemed so trivial now. Yamauchi had almost let his pride get in the way of the most lucrative and successful partnership in the history of the industry. But now, Nintendo was at the top of the mountain, where they'd sat for nearly two decades.

"Ando-san, it is good to see you again."

"Likewise," said Ando, sitting down across from Yamauchi. "I take it you're happy with the North American launch?"

"Extremely. Your company's graphics chip is a masterpiece. It has set the Wave apart from its competitors. Even our American friends at Microsoft were impressed."

Yamauchi was referring to a recent news article, in which Bill Gates admitted that the Wave's graphics chip put it at a level that exceeded the Microsoft Xbox's current capabilities in many ways. He hadn't outright stated that the Wave was superior, and went on to list a number of ways in which the Xbox was the better system, including online gameplay and certain processor effects, but it was an admission that sent shockwaves through the gaming community, and which Nintendo fans seized upon in internet arguments against Xbox enthusiasts.

"Kutaragi-san came through once again," said Ando, "though he worked himself quite severely and we had to check him into a hospital for a time. We have asked him to take a break in order to rest."

"A rest he has well and truly earned."

"Indeed."

"And our online community? We have put your company in charge of most aspects of that, though some members of the board of directors are worried about child safety. Are you sure you can protect children from giving too much of their information?"

"Yes," said Ando. "We have numerous measures in place to ensure the safety of our younger players while maintaining the best possible experience for more experienced members of the community."

A proposal for a 'friend code' system in which players who wished to play one another would have to exchange codes was harshly shot down by Sony, who claimed it would make it extremely difficult to find good matches. Instead, a more traditional online system, similar to Microsoft's though with a few fairly unobstructive parental control mechanisms, was put into place. It erred on the side of preserving the best possible online experience, and while a few parents complained about the occasional weirdo or rude player, ultimately those complaints were shared by all three companies' online systems.

"Xbox sales are holding steady, and whoever acquires Sega will likely move aggressively to challenge our market lead," said Yamauchi. "It's likely that it will be Apple."

"Another Western company," said Ando. "We'll be the last Japanese company left standing."

"That could be a good thing. Microsoft and Apple have been fierce rivals in the computer industry for decades. They might just destroy each other."

Ando nodded. He too was glad to have Nintendo as a partner in the video game industry. For a time, Sony had briefly considered splitting off from the company and forging their own path, and soon after that, around the time the Ultra was being developed, Sony considered potentially absorbing Nintendo. But the partnership approach proved to be the best of both worlds. Sony was raking in the dough on every hardware and software unit sold, while remaining an electronics giant outside the game industry. And Nintendo benefited by having the best gaming hardware in the business. Ando wasn't nervous about Microsoft or Sega or Apple, and neither was Yamauchi.

The Wave had arrived, and would soon be crashing on the shores of Nintendo's rivals. Whether or not any of them could ride out the storm would determine the future of the industry, but as the spring of 2003 dawned, that future looked very much like it belonged to Nintendo and Sony.

 

[RySenkari]

(Here are the other notable North American game releases from January 2003 to March 2003!)

-

Ultra Nintendo:

Tekken Legacy

Tekken Legacy is an enhanced remake of the Sega Saturn game Tekken 3, featuring some of the game mechanics from Tekken Tag Tournament (not the tag battles, but the presentation upgrades and some of the new modes), all of the characters from the original Tekken trilogy, a storyline that combines elements from all three games, and several of the new characters that would be introduced in Tekken 4. As an introduction of the Tekken series for Ultra Nintendo players, it's a very good game, though not as groundbreaking as Tekken 3 was at the time of its release. Its sales and reception are somewhat similar to the Turok Trilogy, though Tekken Legacy is definitely more of an upgrade from the games it's a remake of. It's released two weeks after the release of Tekken 4.

Breath Of Fire V

Breath of Fire V is a Capcom developed RPG, and while the plot is somewhat based on OTL Dragon Quarter, with Ryu as a low-status human who attempts to get help for his beloved Nina despite his low social standing and lack of power, the game itself plays much more like a traditional RPG, remaining true to the rest of the Breath of Fire series. Ryu must guide Nina, with the help of a few allies, through a world that doesn't respect him, and must ultimately defeat the ruler of the world to upend the social order. The traditional gameplay pleases RPG enthusiasts, but its lack of innovation hurts its review scores, which are only mediocre, and the game is largely overshadowed by other RPGs at the time of its release. Sales are the worst yet in the series, leaving Breath Of Fire's future in serious doubt.

Armored Core 4

Released less than a year after the previous game, Armored Core 4, while the best looking game thus far in the series, is also the most simplistic. It goes back to basics, putting the player in the shoes of a soldier protagonist tasked with hunting down increasingly deadlier opponents to defend his nation. The missions are well-crafted, the difficulty ramps up nicely, and the combat is the best thus far in the series, though the game itself is rather short. It still gets good reviews, and sales are decent, picking up slightly from Armored Core 3.

Sega Katana:

Capcom vs. SNK

Developed for arcades in 2000 and released in Japan on the Katana in late 2001, this fighting game takes its time getting to North America, but its mechanics, which lean more on the Capcom side of things but including a few elements of the King of Fighters gameplay as well, is a fighting game fan's dream title, and one of the best reviewed 2-D fighting games of the year. North American sales, despite the delayed release, are surprisingly strong, and the sequel, which is being released in Japan around the same time, is hurried into localization.

SideBySide

A combination fighter-beat 'em up type game, it plays like a traditional 2-D fighter, but contains beat-em-up elements, as a new fighter will show up immediately upon defeating the previous fighter, with a certain number of fighters having to be defeated before a “boss” character shows up. SideBySide features both head to head competition and a sort of race mode where 2-4 fighters have to beat up a constant stream of enemies, the one who defeats the most enemies in the most stylish way wins. The game's plot is rather thin, there are ten playable characters in all, and while they're well balanced from a gameplay standpoint, the characters themselves are fairly bland and there's not much motivation to fight the bosses. It's a fairly unique concept for a game and another popular game, though a bit more niche than some of the Katana's other fighters that year.

Battle Engine Aquila

Developed exclusively for the Katana ITTL, Battle Engine Aquila is a first person shooter title in which the player pilots a giant mech that can transform between jet and walker modes as it hunts down and destroys enemies. The game features a variety of battle situations, from simulated beach landings to one-on-one combat missions, to massive army battles, to rescue missions. IOTL, the game was a fairly obscure title for the PC, PS2, and Xbox, but as a Katana exclusive, somewhat more effort was put into the game's storyline, which allows the player to choose from one of up to four playable characters, each with their own motivations and combat skills. Returning from OTL's game are the characters Hawk and Tatiana (who, unlike IOTL, is playable), and new playable characters include Beecher, a younger pilot who has been relegated to noncombat duty due to a reckless streak, and Angela, a young heiress who, despite having enough money and connections to sit out the war, chooses to fight anyway because she believes it's right. The game gets more promotion than it did IOTL, and is compared by critics to games like Squad Four and Iron Battalion. It achieves excellent critical reviews (averaging in the 9s) and moderate sales.

Chu Chu Two

The sequel to the launch hit puzzle game Chu Chu Rocket, Chu Chu Two introduces new modes but keeps the classic cat and mouse gameplay intact. It's one of the more highly anticipated Katana games of early 2003, and sees strong reviews for its fun and addictive online gameplay. Sales are quite good, and the game remains popular throughout the rest of the year.

Fighting Vipers Eternal

The first Fighting Vipers game to be released for the Sega Katana, Fighting Vipers Eternal only sees a few of the original characters returning to the game, introducing 12 new characters and featuring a tournament fighter storyline. The game boasts some of the best graphics seen in a 3-D Katana fighting game, but the gameplay is somewhat stiff, and Sega's promotion of the game as a rival to Killer Instinct 3 doesn't help: the game neither looks or plays as well as the Wave launch hit, and Sega spends promotional money that could've been used to push a superior game like Capcom vs. SNK. Fighting Vipers Eternal is seen as somewhat of a disappointment, and though early sales are strong due to the heavy promotion, they quickly trail off.

Glyph 2: Through The Window

The sequel to 2000's Glyph: Heart Of Adventure, Glyph 2 is released exclusively on the Sega Katana, and features two brand new protagonists: a teenage girl named Vivian, and her younger brother Albert, who fall through a window and enter a mysterious world. The game features the same puzzle gameplay as the original title, though the puzzles are somewhat more complex and the environments far larger and more beautiful. The game has a sort of Over The Garden Wall feel to it, though Vivian and Albert don't meet nearly as many whimsical creatures. Indeed, one of the main criticisms of the game is that the world Vivian and Albert enter feels somewhat “empty”, and that the relationship between them isn't as interesting as the relationship between Clyde and Sierra. Despite these criticisms, the gameplay is considered to be an improvement over the original, and the beautiful graphics make the world come alive. It's one of the best reviewed Katana exclusives of the year, and sales exceed those of the Katana port of the original game (though not the total sales of the original game).

Master Of The Underground

A dungeon-crawler action RPG created by Enix, localized from a game that debuted in Japan in late 2001. It's a unique and complex game, with 66 different dungeon levels and lots of items and equipment to find, along with a complex statistical scheme. It sort of plays as a more complex Brandish, with improved movement and combat. It's an extremely difficult game, with a fairly punishing save system. It's remembered as one of the better dungeon crawlers ever made, though sales, like sales for most original Enix titles in North America, are fairly weak.

Particle

A cross between pinball and Super Monkey Ball, Particle's protagonist is a little ball of light who must bounce from point to point with only limited control from the player, who must influence the light ball's path by using items and tripping switches. It's a surprisingly addictive game, and with 170 total levels, it becomes an incredible challenge toward the end. Featuring multiplayer and online modes, it's one of the year's more successful puzzlers.

Elite Strike Raiders 2

Elite Strike Raiders 2 is an action shooter game that combines first-person war gameplay with hack and slash battle mech gameplay, it's the sequel to 2001's successful Elite Strike Raiders, and fixes up some of that game's messy gameplay problems, making it lean more on the shooter side than the hack and slash side, with less RPG elements (you still upgrade yourself and your weapon, but there are less upgrades required and more meaningful choices, and you don't have to kill as many enemies). It's a slower game, but with a more precise combat system, allowing players with more skill to perform better at the game and reducing the use of button mashing. The game's plot takes place a year after the original: Exxar and Shiro are a husband and wife team and leaders of a new squadron of elite soldiers who are tasked with cleaning up the messes left behind by the villains of the original game. The Draught Initiative has been destroyed, but some of their brainwashed soldiers remain, carrying out missions at the behest of a dead leader. Exxar and Shiro have to either kill or recruit these soldiers (recruiting them is a risky option, because they can potentially turn on you later on), and find out who might be pulling these soldiers' strings. In the end, the game's main villain is Vane, a member of Exxar and Shiro's squad who discovered how to manipulate the soldiers' programming. Vane kidnaps Shiro in the hopes of brainwashing her utilizing a new drug (one that she's not immune to), and Exxar, in the game's final mission, has to come to her rescue. Elite Strike Raiders 2 is highly praised for its improved gameplay and graphics, and by giving the player numerous moral choices in the game. It's one of the most successful Katana exclusives of the year, and the second best selling new Katana game of March, behind White Mountain 3.

House Of The Dead 4

House of the Dead 4 is a horror-themed lightgun title for the Sega Katana. It brings back the series' familiar zombie motifs, and continues the series' storyline involving corporate malfeasance and scientific experimentation. It's part of a 2003 initiative to bring back the lightgun fad, along with Virtua Cop 3. The graphics are quite good, and the levels quite fun, which garners good reviews for the game. Japanese sales are strong, but in North America, the lightgun fad has somewhat run its course. Despite this, the game still manages not to be a sales flop.

Samba De Amigo 2

The sequel to Samba de Amigo, Samba de Amigo 2 is a rhythm title that allows the players to dance to the beat of the music with maracas in order to score points and clear songs. The game features more than 30 songs in all, most of them contemporary pop hits such as “The Game Of Love”, “A Thousand Miles”, and “Hit 'Em Up Style”. While not quite as popular as its predecessor (it's more of an arcade hit, with much more money made in arcades than from the home console version), it's still one of the best selling rhythm games of the year.

Shinobi's Revenge

The ninja Shinobi is back in a hack and slash title featuring fully 3-D gameplay. Joe Musashi returns to avenge the slaughter of his entire dojo, including his master and his true love. He scours the city for clues, defeating his enemies along the way. While the plot of the game is fairly simplistic, the hack-and-slash gameplay, which rewards players for achieving sword combos on multiple enemies, is well received. While the game sells much better in Japan than in North America, it's still a decent seller here.

Shototsu: Hyper Mode

A fast-paced fighting game with 2-D, anime styled graphics, it's a game that was originally released in Japan in 2001. Hyper Mode is the second version of the game and the first to be localized in North America. It features a cast of 14 characters, most of them based on common anime tropes (though unlike Raigeki, these characters are played fairly straight instead of being spoofs). The fighting system is extremely fast-paced, somewhat like Street Fighter II Turbo on high settings: having a good reaction time is critical, and the faster a combo is executed, the more damage is done. It's somewhat of a surprise hit (even outselling Fighting Vipers Eternal) and a bright spot for the Katana in 2003.

Virtua Cop 3

The second major lightgun game to be released on the Katana in North America in March 2003, Virtua Cop 3 mixes both lightgun based gameplay with first-person shooter gameplay, innovating somewhat on the classic arcade genre. Players will play through a segment of FPS gameplay, then switch over to the lightgun for certain scenes. The plot of the game involves hunting down a group of deadly drug runners, and features a female protagonist for the first time. It also features elements of advanced forensics and computer hacking, in a nod to the popular CSI series. The attempt to modernize the lightgun genre is received well by reviewers, and Virtua Cop 3 outperforms Virtua Cop 2, though the game fails to reach the heights that the series enjoyed in its prime.

Microsoft Xbox:

Blueboyz

An FPS about an elite military squadron known as the “Blueboyz” (they got this name from their armor, which is a shade of royal blue). Featuring very informal, bombastic dialogue and over-the-top action (though it's not quite as gritty or edgy as the Load series, it's more tongue-in-cheek, PG-13 type stuff), the game is a hit among the Xbox's FPS fans, though it's definitely not for everyone, and isn't as well received as games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor.

Dead Or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball

The fanservice-based Dead or Alive spinoff from OTL is back ITTL (though it's called “Extreme” instead of “Xtreme”). Unlike OTL's game, which featured Zack tricking the girls into coming to his island, in TTL's game they're all there hanging out voluntarily, under the watchful eye of a beautiful but mysterious woman known as the “Matron”. The volleyball and relationship elements of the game remain from OTL, and despite being pretty much a fanservice-fest, the game still gets positive reviews and fairly good sales.

Oni 2

A Bungie-developed Xbox exclusive, Oni 2 retains the run and gun gameplay of the Ultra Nintendo original, but with significantly better graphics and presentation. The protagonist Konoko returns, in this prequel title that chronicles how she first joins the rebel faction Freeworld and how she meets up with her friend Shakti (who was the final boss of the original game who Konoko was forced to destroy). Despite the game being a prequel, Konoko showcases even more skills and weapons than in the original game (an amnesia plot twist is used to explain how Konoko gets so much weaker between this game and the original, with Konoko sustaining near fatal injuries from her fight with the final boss and being nursed back to health by Shakti). The game is considered a cross between the gameplay of The Covenant and Devil May Cry, though it's not quite as strong a game as either. It gets favorable reviews and becomes one of the best selling Xbox games of January 2003.

The Suffering

A psychological horror title exclusively for the Xbox and PC, The Suffering is released about a year earlier than IOTL, and thus features some significant differences from OTL's game. While still featuring a man falsely convicted of murder and sent to an island prison invaded by ghostly enemies, the game's actual plot and gameplay are quite different, with less of a focus on horror and more of a focus on action. Thus, it's not quite as good of a game as it was IOTL, and sales are significantly less. It still becomes a bit of a cult classic, but it's not the memorable horror title it was IOTL.

Back Of Beyond

A survival horror game that takes place out in the middle of the woods (think Deliverance). Full of rural stereotypes and hokey acting, the game is remembered much more for its camp value than for being scary or innovative. Still, the gameplay itself is fairly solid, so reviews are decent, even if sales are rather bad.

Contra: Shattered Soldier

A 2-D sidescrolling shooter with 3-D graphics, Contra: Shattered Soldier plays like OTL's game, but features an entirely different plot, more complex weapons, and somewhat better graphics. The game features a new protagonist, Eric Metal, who has been biologically enhanced and tasked with slaughtering an invading alien army. However, the aliens have been sent as an emissary race, not as invaders, and Eric realizes too late that his handlers are seeking to start an interstellar war for the purposes of transforming Earth into a weapon capable of firing across the entire galaxy. Metal must make peace with the aliens and team up with them to defeat the corrupt generals and the evil scientist pulling their strings. Though Shattered Soldier's gameplay is well received, its sales are a bit of a disappointment.

Project Eden

Project Eden is an Eidos-published action game featuring numerous puzzles and the ability to rapidly switch back and forth between four characters at once. The game, which takes place in a futuristic city rife with corruption, essentially features the same basic plot and gameplay as OTL's title, though the graphics are somewhat upgraded due to the fact that the game appears on the Xbox and not on the OTL Playstation 2. It's a quality game with good reviews, but falls through the cracks somewhat amongst the other quality Xbox games of the time.

Septerra Core

A fantasy-based RPG released on PC in 1999, it gets a port to the Xbox with slightly improved graphics and an updated combat system with a more action-oriented feel. As a JRPG-styled game, Septerra Core is one of the few of this type of game available on the Xbox, and thus gets stronger sales than would be anticipated for this type of game (though still fairly weak sales overall).

Spawn: Armageddon

A hack and slash title based on the comic book character Spawn, this is essentially OTL's game, though exclusive to the Xbox instead of being released as a multiplatformer like IOTL (Microsoft is a bit more aggressive about exclusives ITTL, leading to the system getting a few more than it would otherwise be able to get). The game, while scoring only mediocre reviews, is fairly successful financially.

Liberation: France

Another WW2 FPS in the vein of Medal of Honor, Liberation: France puts the player in the middle of occupied France in 1944. A big departure that this game has from others in its genre is its open-ended mission structure. The player can choose from a variety of missions, including the liberation of Paris, the rescue of a small country town, or even the liberation of a concentration camp from the SS. It gets comparisons to Valor, though the storyline isn't as good and the combat isn't as precise. It's a decently popular game, though its open-ended structure is the only thing that saves it from drowning amidst similar games.

Mortal Kombat: Renegade Sonya

A Mortal Kombat side game similar to Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Renegade Sonya centers around the assassin Sonya Blade, who infiltrates enemy lines in order to gain intel on a country that may be attempting to gain power through summoning demons from Outworld. Sonya is captured and placed in a prison and must fight her way out before taking down the country's leader. Featuring a 3-D beat-em-up style of gameplay, with similar controls to the 3D Mortal Kombat games, Renegade Sonya is praised for the characterization of its protagonist and for its plot, but the fighting itself is only mediocre, and sales fall short of expectations.

Myst III: Vision

Released exclusively for Xbox and PC, Myst III: Vision is a Myst title featuring a vast world, many more puzzles, and gorgeous graphics. While it's not as iconic as the classic games Myst or Riven, it's seen as a mostly worthy successor to those two titles, even if the puzzles aren't quite as good. Reviews are excellent (averaging around 8.5/10), though console sales are quite weak (PC sales are much better).

Rise Of Nations

ITTL, this classic RTS receives a port to the Xbox two months after the release of the game on PC. The graphics are slightly downgraded, but the gameplay and content are completely intact, and with online gameplay available, it becomes one of the most popular RTS titles on the Xbox. Initial sales are slow, but as word of mouth spreads, the game becomes a commercial success on both console and PC.

Unreal Championship II

The popular online shooter title sees its sequel released in 2003 for both the Xbox and PC. With largely the same gameplay enhancements as the OTL game (melee combat, lock-on), and a robust single player campaign in addition to the classic online gameplay, Unreal Championship II is a major hit and one of the top selling new console games of March 2003 (only the Wave release hype and the hype surrounding the month's other big releases keeps it from cracking that month's top five).

Game Boy Nova:

Marvel Super Heroes

Largely just a port of the arcade and SNES-CD game, Marvel Super Heroes features a group of classic comic book heroes in a 2-D fighter, battling Thanos for control of the Infinity Gems. It's a solid port, but not a very big seller.

Oculus

A more traditional RPG, Oculus is about students at a magic academy who must master various disciplines of magic by overcoming different trials. While it seems like Academy at first, Oculus differs from that game in the complexity of its magic system and its emphasis on a group dynamic, rather than individual character focus. Each character in the game has their own discipline of magic, and these spells can be combined for fierce combination attacks. As players progress through the game, their characters learn more and better spells, and are able to utilize more powerful combinations. The graphics are in a fairly cutesy anime style, with chibi characters and a rather lighthearted storyline. It's a popular game (not necessarily in terms of sales, but in terms of its devoted fanbase) and probably one of the best non-Squaresoft RPGs for the Nova.

Silent Hill: In The Shadow

A spinoff of the Konami psychological horror series, Silent Hill: In The Shadow has its main character, a man whose name isn't known until about halfway through the story, exploring an abandoned mental hospital in search of a woman known only by the name of Eleanor. Along the way, the man confronts a few deadly enemies, and learns secrets about the disappeared residents of the hospital. However, the most terrifying secrets are the ones the man learns about himself. In The Shadow makes use of the Nova's limitations in order to produce a thrilling, if somewhat cramped, horror experience, and is considered one of the Nova's best horror games.

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

The classic educational series comes to the Game Boy Nova, though this is more of an adventure game than a strictly educational one, allowing players to physically explore a variety of locales in search of Carmen. It's praised for taking the series in a somewhat different direction, and scores decent sales, mostly among the nostalgic crowd.

Castlevania: Brutal Elegance

Brutal Elegance is a continuation of the classic Castlevania formula in TTL's handheld games, playing much like OTL's Rondo of Blood. It's a very violent Castlevania and features a female protagonist named Carmilla (the game alludes numerous times to the classic Carmilla work which partially inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula) who journeys through a castle in search of Lord Vainhart, who has taken on a demonic vampire bride after leaving his one-time fiance Carmilla to die. Like the title implies, Carmilla employs a brutal fighting style that sometimes involves tearing the hearts out of her foes in order to gain their powers. Vainhart's castle is full of deadly denizens and tricky traps, and Carmilla will have to traverse them all in order to get her revenge. Reviews are very strong for this game, even stronger than Simon's Return, though the violence of the game does turn off a few players and sales aren't quite as good.

RC Pro-Am

This updated version of Rare's classic racing franchises features RC cars racing around miniature tracks, and features a huge variety of cars and tracks along with surprisingly deep gameplay. Like the NES originals, the game is a critical hit. Sales aren't huge but they're definitely strong.

Ridge Racer

Namco brings its classic racing franchise to the Game Boy Nova for the first time. With graphics about as good as those of the OTL PS1 original, it's one of the better looking racing games on the system. It's fun, but not as good or as pretty as those of Gran Turismo Nova, and sales are a bit disappointing.

Batman And Superman: World's Finest

This 2-D action title features Batman and Superman teaming up to defeat the threat of Darkseid, who has teamed up with Ra's al Ghul. Players control Batman on some levels and Superman on others, though in a few levels, the two heroes team up. The game features graphics meant to resemble the cartoons, and they're pretty slick, though the gameplay is fairly mediocre. The game itself gets decent sales.

Tekken Nova

A handheld version of Tekken, featuring 12 of the characters from the series in gameplay resembling Tekken 3. The graphics, which are in 3-D, are pretty good for the Nova, and the game itself plays quite well, though the frame rate dips at times. It's a decent enough game if you really want to play Tekken on the go.

The Darkest Ritual

A basically straight up port of Ubisoft's 1995 RPG classic about two high school girls who dabble in witchcraft, The Darkest Ritual is as good on the Nova as it was on the SNES-CD. It features some improved facial expressions in dialogue boxes and a couple of bonus bosses, but it's essentially an identical game otherwise.

The Secret Of Monkey Island: Return Of Guybrush Threepwood

The Secret Of Monkey Island makes its handheld debut on the Nova, putting Guybrush in yet another hilarious and puzzling quest. While alluding many times to the original game, it really is a brand new quest with new puzzles and characters. Guybrush must first rescue Elaine Marley from LeChuck, but afterwards, he himself is trapped and must assist Elaine in rescuing him, before the two work together to save their island from LeChuck and his band of pirates. For those who enjoyed the classic games, it's a fun, if a bit short, adaptation of the series, and scores good reviews and some of the best sales the series has seen in a while.

Multiplatform:

Gauntlet: Dark Legacy

Released for the Xbox and the Katana, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is a somewhat grimmer, edgier (M-rated) take on the classic four player RPG series. It returns the classic four characters to a world in which the deadly necromancer Al Khajar has taken over by resurrecting an army of zombies and dangerous creatures to invade the world. Each of the four characters has played some part in allowing Al Khajar to gain his power, and before they can take him down, they must correct their own mistakes as they explore four great lands before raiding Al Khajar's domain. A bit more hack-and-slashy than previous Gauntlet games, the title allows for single player, local multiplayer, or online multiplayer. For Gauntlet fans, it's quite fun and a good successor to Gauntlet Legends, though sales are rather low.

Mega Man Legends 3

Released on both the Katana and the Ultra Nintendo, Mega Man Legends 3 sees Volnutt return after getting a cryptic clue from his creator about a new model of robot just like him. He wants Volnutt to collect the schematic pieces for this robot and bury them so they can never be used for evil. However, two other people are seeking these pieces: an evil scientist named Burgoss, and the scientist/pirate queen Tron Bonne, who wants to create the ultimate robot so she can sell it for a handsome profit. Volnutt must do battle with Burgoss' creations, outwit Tron Bonne, make new friends, and find all the schematic parts. Eventually, of course, Burgoss does manage to collect the parts and build the robot, which he calls Ultimega. Ultimega, however, has free will of its own, and though Burgoss is able to override Ultimega's free will, forcing it to destroy Tron Bonne's fleet and attack Volnutt, in the end Ultimega turns on its creator and befriends Volnutt. It also falls in love with Tron Bonne, though she comically rejects its advances, and eventually, after Burgoss is defeated, Bonne employs Ultimega as her first mate (though strictly on a platonic basis). Mega Man Legends 3 gets outstanding reviews, and sales are fairly strong on both the Ultra and the Katana, though it's still not as big a hit as the original Mega Man games used to be.

Grim Little Girls

An extremely strange RPG/life-sim game that can sort of be described as Princess Maker-meets XCOM-meets Fairytale-meets The Darkest Ritual. The player is in charge of a school for magically inclined girls, and must guide them properly so that they unlock their powers, then deploy them in real-time RPG battles against evil humans and dangerous creatures. There are a total of 40 characters in all, and players can recruit all of them over the course of the game, but will typically recruit about 20-25 of them. Characters range from Stacie, the prim pink-haired princess who can best be described as a “slightly homicidal valley girl”, to Lilith, the stereotypical goth with a romantic soft spot, to Anna, the silly blonde with surprisingly powerful magic and hilariously bad aim. The game has a sort of Tim Burton motif to it that gives it a creepy/cute aesthetic, and the voice acting (featuring people like Tara Strong, Kari Wahlgren, Grey Delisle, and several other major actresses) is top notch. Despite having all the makings of a niche title, this game is a surprise success, especially the Katana version (the Ultra version mostly sells well in Japan and Europe).

Load 3

A VERY rushed follow-up to Load 2, Load 3 is released just seven months after the previous game. It's released first for the Xbox and Katana in February 2003 and then the Wave in April 2003. The game was developed somewhat alongside Load 2, and features an entirely different protagonist, a more introspective and slightly calmer man named Wayne Acton. Acton is an army sargeant who witnesses his entire unit slaughtered in battle in an enemy ambush, and must hunt down and kill those responsible for killing his men. Though it's still a somewhat campy and edgy game, the developers deliberately sought to make this one a bit more down-to-earth, and are rewarded with the best review scores of the first three games (though it's still not considered a GREAT game). Like the first two titles, Load 3 features a robust multiplayer mode, and the variety and composition of stages in this game is highly praised. The game is very commercially successful, it's one of the biggest releases of February 2003, and the Wave version also sells well upon its release. The series' fourth game would go into development soon after, but development time would be significantly longer in the hopes of making the game even better than the original three.

Need For Speed Unleashed 3

A more streamlined title than Unleashed 2, Unleashed 3 ditches the career paths of the previous game and focuses on illegal street racing, with the protagonist a reluctant entrant into the underground racing world, at the request of his dying brother who left him a hot rod car and enough parts to make it into a truly capable racing machine. The increased focus on racing gave the developers time to seriously work on the cars and tracks, making Unleashed 3 probably the best playing game in the series to date, with innovative tracks that test the player's skills while also giving them the ability to perform spectacular racing maneuvers. The game is extremely well reviewed, and needless to say, it's a hit on all three consoles: the Ultra Nintendo, the Xbox, and the Katana, selling particularly well on the Ultra despite being the worst looking version of the game. It would be released on the Wave in September 2003 as Need For Speed: Unleashed 3 Nitro, and would achieve excellent sales there as well.

The Harrowing

An FPS that takes place in a future where most of humanity is trapped underground. You play a soldier whose job is to hunt down and kill the humans who have escaped from the underground cities, but you decide to defect and must fight your way out. Released for the Katana and the Xbox, the gameplay isn't really noteworthy, but it does get some praise for its thrilling plot and creative underground stages, which are more maze-like than typical FPS fare of the day. It lacks a multiplayer mode, which critics see as a shame due to the creativity of the level design. It mostly flops on the Katana, but does decently on the Xbox despite its lack of multiplayer.

-

Top Selling Console Games In North America (in terms of sales over the first four weeks of release):

January 2003:

1. Kingdom Quest (Ultra Nintendo)
2. Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 (Sega Katana)
3. Blueboyz (Microsoft Xbox)
4. Star Trek Online (Microsoft Xbox)
5. Oni 2 (Microsoft Xbox)

February 2003:

1. Need For Speed: Unleashed 3 (Ultra Nintendo)
2. Need For Speed: Unleashed 3 (Sega Katana)
3. Load 3 (Microsoft Xbox)
4. Load 3 (Sega Katana)
5. Resident Evil: Outbreak (Sega Katana)

March 2003:

1. Killer Instinct 3 (Nintendo Wave)
2. Mario Kart: Double Dash! (Nintendo Wave)
3. White Mountain 3 (Microsoft Xbox)
4. White Mountain 3 (Sega Katana)
5. Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame (Nintendo Wave)

 

[RySenkari]

Tomb Raider: Absolution

Tomb Raider: Absolution is the fifth game in the Tomb Raider series. Developed by Core Design and published by Eidos, the game is the first to be designed for the new wave of consoles, and thus features significantly enhanced graphics from previous games in the series. It also features a revamped, action-heavy style of gameplay, much more so than the puzzle-based Tomb Raider IV. While Absolution shares quite a few similarities with OTL's Angel Of Darkness, it's a significantly more polished game: this is due to OTL's Tomb Raider: Chronicles being butterflied away, allowing Core to focus its entire team on this game. With more time and resources devoted to Absolution than to OTL Angel of Darkness, the game comes out the better for it. In addition, the game has a more streamlined approach to its design: much of the gameplay changes are incremental. While Lara's melee abilities are greatly expanded in this game, it's not a wholesale reworking of Lara's control system, as melee has been slowly incorporated into games throughout the series. There's no stamina meter in Absolution like there was in OTL Angel Of Darkness, allowing Lara to climb and run at will, making for more ambitious climbing segments and more seamless combat in which Lara can freely run and dive away from enemy fire while returning fire herself. The game also isn't quite as heavily inspired by the Metal Gear Solid series, but by a combination of games such as Metal Gear War, the Blackheart series, Squad Four: Rebellion, The Covenant, Novus Ordo, and Glyph. This combination of inspirations allows Absolution to forge its own path as a modern action game while staying true to the series' roots. The game is largely divided into a series of set pieces, an alternating series of action sequences, where Lara will have to evade enemy fire or kill attackers, and puzzle segments, where Lara will have to find a solution to a puzzle. Occasionally, these sequences are combined, and action/puzzle sequences can pop up when they're least expected. The game isn't quite as clean of a break from previous titles either, making it slightly less innovative but also much less of a creative risk. Olivia D'Abo returns for her fifth outing as the voice of Lara Croft, and the game boasts a number of other experienced voice actors as well.

Tomb Raider: Absolution starts back in the Mayan jungles, where Lara is searching for a way to contact her mother, who supposedly passed away when Lara was a young girl but according to the great spirit, is actually "trapped between life and death". After an action sequence in which Lara evades a paramilitary force after finding a cryptic clue, Lara returns to England and to her mansion. There, we get the first of many references to the Celtic queen Boudica, who revolted against the Romans in the first century AD. Much of the game's mythology and storyline will make reference to Boudica, and it is a treasure Boudica stole from a Roman temple that becomes the game's main objective for Lara to find. The Crest of Minerva, a crest brought to Britain by a Roman governor hoping it would grant him the wisdom to rule, was snatched by Boudica during her army's conquests, and was lost during the Battle of Watling Street, which saw Boudica's armies fall. The clue Lara found in the Yucatan referred to this crest, and Lara realizes her mother must have found it at some point, because apparently she was clutching it when she died. Von Croy took the crest and sold it to a museum, and Lara learns that the museum was robbed and the crest stolen. This sets Lara on a quest to numerous countries in Europe in the hopes of tracking down the thieves who took the crest. She eventually learns that the crest was taken by a man working for a German terrorist named Bregge (who is essentially a Tomb Raider expy of Hans Gruber from Die Hard, though not quite as bombastic). At first, Lara thinks that Bregge might have sold the crest to fund his terrorist activities, though she later learns he's kept it, and then learns that the Crest has the power to bind a human soul. It's eventually revealed that the souls of both Boudica and Lara's mother are bound to the crest, which is keeping both of them trapped in a realm between life and death. Bregge wants the crest because as long as it holds Boudica's soul, it gives him the power to command men as she did, and he's been able to raise up a small army to assist him in his attacks. Lara must both foil Bregge's attacks and reclaim the crest. Levels alternate between ancient European historical sites (an ancient underground fort deep in the forests of Germany, the ruins of Pompeii, etc.) and city-based levels where Lara has to foil Bregge's terrorist activities (rescuing hostages in Paris, defusing a bomb in Amsterdam, etc.). Eventually, Lara confronts Bregge at an ancient Roman ruin in Northern England. She manages to get the crest off of him but is seemingly fatally wounded in the process. In doing so, she drifts into the realm where Boudica and her mother are. She meets Boudica first and then her mother. She is only able to free one of them, and though she desperately wants to save her mother, her mother forces her to liberate Boudica, because it will reduce the crest's power and cause Bregge to lose most of his followers. Lara awakens without the crest, being nursed back to health by a friend. She goes to London to take down Bregge once and for all. Though she defeats him, a distraction causes Bregge to get the upper hand, but the soul of Lara's mother intervenes and sends Bregge plummeting to his doom, taking the crest with him. Lara eventually retrieves the crest, which was shattered by Bregge's fall. Lara knows she'll never see her mother again but that her soul is now at peace, and she finally comes to terms with her parents' deaths, ready to start a brand new chapter of her life while remaining what she was born to be: a tomb raider.

Tomb Raider: Absolution scores largely favorable reviews, much better than the ones received by OTL Angel of Darkness. While some critics still decry a lack of general innovation, it's seen as the most innovative game in the series since Tomb Raider II, and the graphics and gameplay enhancements are well received. While the Tomb Raider series isn't as big a deal as it once was, the hype for the game and the positive reviews lead to excellent sales when it's released for the Sega Katana and Nintendo Wave on April 14, 2003. The game doesn't see an Xbox release, though Eidos does hope to do an Xbox Tomb Raider game at some point in the future.

-

Blackheart 3

Blackheart 3 is the third game in Ubisoft's acclaimed action series Blackheart, the first for sixth-generation consoles, and the first multiplatform title in the series, for the Wave, the Katana, and the Xbox. As the series' first multiplatform title, Ubisoft wanted somewhat of a "clean break" for the storyline so that new players wouldn't need to catch up. Thusly, while there are a few allusions to previous titles in the series, and while Blackheart 3 does take place after the last two games, the storyline is largely a standalone plot, with few mentions of the events of previous games and no mention of Sadira's rival Messiah, thought to be killed at the end of the previous game. Blackheart 3, as a next generation game, features a massive graphical improvement over the previous two games, and is one of the better looking sixth-generation titles of its time. The gameplay is also heavily revamped: The game is now almost completely action, with very little stealth involved. Instead, the game is rapid-fire, run-and-gun, though it relies heavily on tactical and situational gameplay. There are three different combat meters affecting Sadira during combat: a tempo meter, which boosts or dampens attacks depending on Sadira's momentum during the fight, a position meter, which boosts or dampens attacks depending on where Sadira is relative to the enemy, and an emotion meter, which boosts or dampens attacks based on both Sadira's mood and the enemy's mood. The tempo meter rapidly rises and falls depending on Sadira's actions during each individual skirmish, though the position and emotion meter are affected by the player's actions before and after certain fights. For the position meter, stealth can come into play a little bit, as sneaking around can still provide tactical advantages over enemies: however, the player is largely encouraged to engage enemies head-on, as doing so will provide Sadira with health, weapons, and ammunition. As for the emotion meter: Sadira is able to strike fear into the hearts of enemies depending on how she fights. For example, she can shoot an enemy in the legs, wounding them, and then leave them in a conspicuous area for other enemies to find. In many cases, enemies who find a brutalized comrade will lose their nerve: some will flee the stage entirely, while others will enter into fights with Sadira nervous and prone to make mistakes. The player is encouraged to be cruel and vicious and to win the battle of minds before ever entering into combat. In addition to the revamped graphics and combat system, Blackheart 3 features an all-new voice cast. Instead of a Parisian-based cast like in many of Ubisoft's previous games, the company elected to use Los Angeles-based voice actors, with a young Lana Parrilla cast as the voice of protagonist Sadira Blackheart. Parrilla, whose only previous video game voice role was as Anessa in 1999's Emergency, had previously appeared largely in guest roles on TV shows, most notably a six episode role in The Fixer as an assassin who begins working with Christian Bale's character, only to be killed once her employers realized her duplicity. While Parrilla is extremely good as Sadira, and her performance is acclaimed by most critics, many long-time series fans publicly lamented the recasting of the role, having become very attached to Sadira's original voice actress (Barbara Scaff). However, as the series progressed, Parrilla (who would continue to voice Sadira Blackheart for numerous games, even after what would become her starmaking role as Regina Mills in 2011's Once Upon A Time series) would win over all but the most intransigent fans.

Blackheart 3 sees Sadira under the employ of an underground, off-the-radar group of international operatives who take on missions that countries don't want to get involved with because of the necessary cruelty with which they are executed. Sadira is hired to track down an agent who's gone rogue. What starts out as a simple assassination mission turns into a case of international intrigue after this agent is revealed to have information on every single country that has hired Sadira's group, and plans to sell it to the highest bidder. Sadira kills the man and seizes his list of bidders, which reveals that the man was never planning to sell the information at all: he was hired by the prime minister of an unnamed country to seize the information and blackmail the others. This intrigue becomes an even more tangled web of alliances, agents, and counter-agents, revealing that numerous countries have been playing Sadira's employers for fools. Sadira also has numerous encounters with the mysterious Vandolin family, an aristocratic family living high in the Alps, who somewhat resemble the Addams Family in mannerisms and habits. They're not "bad", per se, and become valuable allies to Sadira, though they are exceptionally weird and a source of much of the game's comic relief. Eventually, Sadira kills enough people to start to unravel all the tangled webs of intrigue she's exposed, and the game's true villain is finally unveiled: Regarti, a man who, while not involved in orchestrating the theft of the information from Sadira's employers, manages to get his hands on it and plans to unveil it all at once, humiliating most of the first world nations of the world and fomenting a massive economic meltdown in order to profit off of the fallout. Sadira tracks Regarti down to his mansion and shoots her way through his private army before dueling Regarti in a fencing match (after being disarmed just before reaching him). Sadira defeats Regarti and has him at her mercy. He offers her the information, saying she could have anything in the world, but she simply retrieves her gun and shoots him in the head, proving that while she is a vicious, sadistic, ruthless killer, she still has her loyalty to her employers.

Blackheart 3 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and for the most part, it doesn't disappoint. The gameplay improvements are very positively received, with praise also going to the splendid graphics, music, and voice acting. The game's violence and controversial content, including sexual references (not as many as Blackheart 2, but still there, many of them involving the very kinky Vandolins) and foul language (many more uses of the f-word than the previous game) don't deter series fans from picking up the game, indeed, the game's edgy content is just what fans of the series have come to love and expect. Reviews are very slightly worse than those for Blackheart 2 but still excellent, making it one of the best reviewed games of the year thus far. It's released on May 5, 2003 for the Wave, Katana, and Xbox, and sees great sales on all three consoles.

-

*Four teenage girls are shown around a television, playing Chu Chu Rocket on the Sega Katana.*

Vicki Mabrey: They are the latest generation of women and girls engaging in a pastime that's been around for more than 30 years. While "girl gamers" may seem to some like a new trend, women have participated in this hobby for as long as men. In fact, it's believed that a majority of video game players worldwide are female. And while most games today focus on the male demographic, these women say that they want to make their voices heard to game developers and publishers.

Girl #1: We love playing video games. I've been playing since the original Super Mario World, I love Goldeneye, I love The Covenant, I love Sonic, I just love playing all kinds of games, and I think companies need to focus more attention on what kinds of games we enjoy.

Mabrey: While many girls enjoy the games made for boys just fine, they also want to see more female representation.

Girl #2: You know, I don't mind playing as a guy soldier, or Mario, or Link, or any of those characters, but I definitely like to see more female characters in video games.

Girl #3: Like Lara Croft, or Sadira in Blackheart.

*Footage of the games Tomb Raider: Absolution and Blackheart 3 appear on screen.*

Mabrey: The games Lizzie is referring to are games such as Blackheart 3, where you play as a female secret agent tasked with retrieving stolen secrets. The main character of Blackheart 3 is Sadira, a take-no-prisoners woman who has no qualms about using lethal force on anyone who stands in her way. While many critics have decried the violence present in such games, these girls say it's empowering to see a woman who can take down her enemies just as well as any of the male action heroes who usually populate the role of hero.

Girl #1: Sadira is really awesome, she kicks a lot of ass.

Girl #2: I mean, it's true we don't always like seeing a woman solving her problems with violence, but it's nice to see that she's just as capable as someone like Duke Nukem or Master Chief. So there's a good balance there. I mean, one of my favorite games is Syrielle and Syrielle hardly ever uses violence at all.

Mabrey: Blackheart 3 was made by Ubisoft, a company that's known for many games featuring female protagonists, such as the Darkest Ritual series, a game in which two young high school girls invoke magical powers to save their school from a demonic invasion *footage from The Darkest Night is shown of Kris, Etienne, and Sephora looking over a spellbook*. And there's also the upcoming Beyond Good And Evil, which features a reporter named Jade who uncovers a worldwide conspiracy. *preview footage is shown from Beyond Good And Evil* We went to the North American headquarters of Ubisoft to talk to Morgan Romine, a public relations employee for the company who is well aware of the large female presence in gaming. Romine is currently putting together a group of woman gamers to help promote both Ubisoft's games and awareness of women in the hobby.

Romine: I've been playing video games since I was really young, and I didn't always have a lot of girlfriends who played. You know, growing up, most of the people I talked about gaming with were guys. It wasn't until the mid-90s that I really started to notice a lot of girls coming into it.

Mabrey: So what kind of games did you play back then?

Romine: I really liked Doom, um, Street Fighter...

Mabrey: Kind of the more violent games.

Romine: Yeah. *smiles and laughs* But also games like Final Fantasy V and Tales Of The Seven Seas, both games that featured really strong women. Women pirates, women warriors, women who helped save the world. That kind of message in games is so empowering.

Mabrey: Are you noticing now, more female protagonists in games or less?

Romine: It's kind of dialed back a bit, recently. I've noticed more of the traditional male protagonists, especially in games for the Xbox. I think the Katana and the Wave, they've still got a lot of women. And there's Jungle Queen and Techno Angel on the Xbox, but most of the games for that system are the typical macho guy kind of games, which is a bit disheartening.

Mabrey: I talked to Romine about the gamer group she's helping to put together, and she told me that auditions are currently in place for a group of women who will not only go around the country promoting Ubisoft games, but will also participate in video game competitions, particularly in the popular first-person shooter genre.

Romine: We're going to be called the Frag Dolls.

Mabrey: The Frag Dolls? As in...

Romine: As in when you frag somebody by throwing a grenade at them and having it explode and hit them with shrapnel. *smirks*

Mabrey: Sounds intense.

Romine: We're putting together the best of the best, a group of girl gamers that can enter tournaments with guys and beat the pants off them.

Mabrey: *narrating* Romine cites inspiration from various stories of women entering game tournaments and winning high-stakes competitions. She also cited inspiration from the hosts of the 90s gaming show GameTV, which featured a pair of female gamers who frequently went toe-to-toe with their male co-hosts and beat them.

Romine: Brittany Saldita, Lyssa Fielding, they really helped pave the way.

(...)

Mabrey: I recently visited the set of the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill, in which Lyssa Fielding plays a supporting role.

*Mabrey is shown approaching Lyssa on set*

Mabrey: Vicki Mabrey, 60 Minutes II.

Fielding: Hey! *smiles and hugs her* It's good to see you.

*The two are seated across from one another in Lyssa's trailer.*

Mabrey: So you still play video games.

Fielding: Every day, or at least I try to! I've got the Wave in my trailer right now.

Mabrey: Do any of your co-stars play?

Fielding: Quentin's in here a lot, we've been playing the new Blackheart together. He loves those games. Uma plays with me a lot, she's really good. She can actually beat me at Killer Instinct 3 a lot of the time. Michelle (Yeoh), who plays O-Ren, she's really good. She didn't play hardly at all before we got her into it but she's a super fast learner. Ko (Shibasaki) is amazing. There's a Dance Dance Revolution machine on set and she's the only one who can keep up with me. *laughs*

Mabrey: So what do you think about the subject of women in games?

Fielding: More. We need more. More developers, more programmers, more publishers, more promoters, more characters. Just as many women play games as men, we need equal representation across the board.

Mabrey: It's actually more now. 52% of gamers are women.

Fielding: Well, there you go.

(...)

Mabrey: *narrating* I also briefly got the chance to talk to Quentin Tarantino about video games, and he shared many of Lyssa's sentiments.

Tarantino: Oh yeah. Women and games, it's a no-brainer. Some of the greatest characters in games today are women. Lara Croft, Joanna Dark, Chun-Li, you name it. Women are badasses. They put up with a hell of a lot more *expletive* than guys do. We need more games about badass women. Hell, I'm making one. Kill Bill. The video game. Coming next year to the Xbox. It's gonna be *expletive*in' awesome.

Mabrey: I heard from Lyssa Fielding that Uma Thurman beats you at Killer Instinct pretty much every time you play.

Tarantino: Yeah, she does. *laughs* But I still beat her at Velvet Dark.

Mabrey: What do you think needs to be done to bring more women into games?

Tarantino: Make better characters. Uma and I worked on The Bride together and that was a serious process. You've gotta put in the work, man, that's the only way these things get done. The writing in games has gotta improve. Look at Metal Gear Solid, that's a *expletive*in' great game because of the writing. What were the best games of last year? Not one of those games had bad writing. I wanna play a game that does the same stuff to me emotionally as a movie. I'm real excited about what's coming up. James Cameron is making a game. Now, that SHOULD be a good game. We'll see. Steven Spielberg made the Medal of Honor games, look how much those sell every year. I don't think he writes 'em, but he makes sure the writing's not *expletive* before he lets those go out. You get the writing, you make the kinds of characters girls wanna be like, that's how you get more women into games.

-from the May 9, 2003 episode of 60 Minutes II

 

[rick007]

The Amazing Race: Season 4: Clowning Around.

Season four had, by far, the lowest ratings in the show's history. At least in the early days. This was not helped by the fact that CBS decided to change not only when the show aired, from Wednesdays at 9:00 P.M. to Thursdays at 8:00 P.M. Worse yet, the show was moved to the summer months instead of being kept in the Primetime schedule.

Still this wasn't the worst thing to ever happen to the show. Another season with twelve teams, it was cast in late 2002, with filming from January to February 2003. The cast was ok for its time:

The Cast

Reichen and Chip: They are a super athletic gay married couple. Though the law didn't recognize their union at the time it was nice that CBS did. Though they did separate after this season ended.

Matt and Ana: A married couple who met in the army, they originally auditioned for season one but were cut in favor of Jill and F.T.

Russell and Cindy: In no way related to the Russell and Cyndi from season 2, these two spent most of their time arguing. Even though Cindy thought the race would bring them closer together, maybe even start dating. After this I highly doubt it.

Debra and Steve: The first of several Steves on this season, these two are self-described as fat and fun. They are out of their depth from the word go.

Al and Jon: The first of several Jons on the show, these two are a pair of clowns. Even though they seem annoying at first they are really the saving grace of this season.

Steve and Josh: A father and son team, who have some issues that they want to work through on the race. Here's a tip: if you have issues in your relationship, the race doesn't usually work to help you sort them out.

Kelly and Jon: An engaged couple, they are one of the strongest teams and yet they fight a lot. For some people that works, and apparently they are two of them.

Dave and Steve: These two air traffic controllers are old fat and don't look like they can do much of anything, their words. They got lucky and coasted.

Amanda and Chris: Dating couple who managed to be quite ruthless.

David and Jeff: Friends who were one of the strongest teams in the race.

Monica and Sheree: Friends and wives of members of the Atlanta Falcons Football team. They wanted to compete for once and this gave them the chance.

Millie and Chuck: Dating couple and virgins. Yes, really. I have no idea why the producers decided to include that particular detail. Anyway, these two are ok and, unless they're sleep deprived are competant.

The Race

Leg #1: "What a Bunch of Cheaters!"

Original Air Date: May 29th, 2003.

Starting in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and getting $100 teams are told to go to Mexico City and find a man named Pablo using only a picture. Soon they figure out that the picture was taken in front of the Angel of Independence in Zócalo Square. Pablo gives teams a clue telling them to go to the Hotel Cortez. There teams have to sign up for a bus that leaves the next day at either 8:00 A.M., 10:00 A.M. or 12:00 P.M.

The Bus goes to the Taquesquitengo Airfield where teams face the Detour: Wings or Wheels. In Wings, teams go tandem skydiving. In Wheels, teams direct a donkey cart, whose driver speaks no English, through seven miles of local streets using a hand drawn map. Then it is off to Chapultepec Castle where the Roadblock is. This Roadblock requires one team member to find and memorize the names and death dates of the Boy Heroes of Chapultepec. Finally the Pit Stop: The Hacienda San Gabriel de las Palmas.

1. Steve and Josh 11:50 A.M. TIE Won a trip for two to Hawaii

2. Millie and Chuck 11:50 A.M. TIE Won a trip for two to Hawaii

3. Amanda and Chris 11:50 A.M. TIE Won a trip for two to Hawaii

4. Jon and Al 11:58 A.M.

5. Monica and Sheree 12:01 P.M.

6. Steve and Dave 1:04 P.M.

7. Kelly and Jon 1:09 P.M.

8. Matt and Ana 1:29 P.M.

9. Reichen and Chip 2:05 P.M.

10. David and Jeff 2:22 P.M.

11. Debra and Steve 3:02 P.M.

12. Russell and Cindy 3:33 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #2: "Now I know how a top feels!"

Original Air Date: June 5th, 2003.

Receiving $170, teams are told to go to the Temple of the Sun in Teotihuacan and climb it's 248 steps to the top to get the next clue. It is here that players have to choose between going on the course and go to Cancun, or get the Fast Forward and go to the Pit Stop in Cancun. Jon and Al choose the latter, though Debra and Steve make an effort. However, since the Fast Forward involves going to the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and find a group of performers called the Voladores of Papantla.Both team members have to climb 100 ft (30 m) to the top and swing around on poles to the ground.

Debra and Steve choose to join the other teams in heading for Cancun by bus. Specifically they have to go to the San Marino Marina. It is here that the Detour takes place: Horse Power or Man Power. In Horse Power, teams have to use skidoos to cover a large area for the next clue. In Man Power, teams have cover a much smaller area for the next clue. The next clue sends teams to the Island of Cozumel by Ferry. There teams find the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to swim with a family of dolphins and search for their clue at the bottom the lagoon they are in. Then it's off the Pit Stop: The Diamante K Bungalows.

1. Jon and Al 2:43 P.M.

2. Reichen and Chip 4:18 P.M.

3. Kelly and Jon 4:19 P.M.

4. David and Jeff 4:25 P.M.

5. Matt and Ana 4:30 P.M.

6. Millie and Chuck 4:33 P.M.

7. Steve and Dave 4:47 P.M.

8. Monica and Sheree 4:49 P.M.

9. Steve and Josh 4:59 P.M.

10. Amanda and Chris 5:05 P.M.

11. Debra and Steve 5:10 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #3: "Hoot Man."

Original Air Date: June 12th, 2003

Getting $480, teams are told to go to Cambridge, England. Once there they have to go to a local business called Scudamore's. It is here that teams face the Detour: Punt or Bike. In Punt, teams have to paddle a boat called a Punt along a one mile course and pick up a clue hanging off a bridge. In Bike, teams have to get to the same bridge, on a tandem bicycle, on a longer route.

Teams are then told to go to Parker's Piece where they will sign up for one of three charter buses to Aberdeen, Scotland. The departure times are 7:30 P.M., 10:00 P.M. and 1:30 A.M. Then teams have to go to Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven. There teams face the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one member of each team participates in three Highland Games: Caber Toss, Hammer Throw, and Shot Put, each time putting them in a specific target. Then teams walk to the Pit Stop: inside the castle.

1. Monica and Sheree 2:54 P.M.

2. Reichen and Chip 2:57 P.M.

3. David and Jeff 2:58 P.M.

4. Matt and Ana 3:34 P.M.

5. Jon and Al 3:37 P.M.

6. Millie and Chuck 5:04 P.M.

7. Kelly and Jon 5:07 P.M.

8. Steve and Josh 5:15 P.M.

9. Amanda and Chris 5:16 P.M.

10. Steve and Dave 5:59 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #4: "The worst kind of cheating."

Original Air Date: June 19th, 2003.

Receiving $444, teams have to go to Paris, France and then take a train to Le Mans. There teams get the Roadblock in a first for the series. In this Roadblock, one team member has to change all the tires on a race car then get in the car and be driven for one lap by a professional driver. After that teams have to pick a marked car and drive 500 miles to the port of Marseilles. Once there, they have to drive to the lighthouse.

Then teams have to go to the Gorges du Blavet. There teams find the Detour: Ropes and Slopes. In Ropes, teams rappel 230 ft down a cliff to a route marker at the cliff's base. In Slopes, teams have to get to the same route marker through a long and winding path. From there the teams have to drive 150 miles to the Pit Stop: The Chateau des Alpilles.

1. Jon and Al 2:40 P.M. TIE

2. Millie and Chuck 2:40 P.M. TIE

3. Monica and Sheree 2:42 P.M.

4. Reichen and Chip 2:50 P.M.

5. Kelly and Jon 2:59 P.M.

6. David and Jeff 3:01 P.M.

7. Amanda and Chris 3:14 P.M.

8. Steve and Josh 4:22 P.M.

9. Matt and Ana 4:44 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #5: "That's a lot of Manure."

Original Air Date: June 26th, 2003.

Getting $90, teams have to go to Amsterdam, Holland, where the next clue is on a skinny white bridge known as the Magere Brug. Once there, teams have to get into a marked boat and, using a map, navigate themselves to the Scheepvaart Museum on the city's canals. The Fast Forward is also here. In this Fast Forward, teams have to go outside the city to the Molen van Sloten Windmill, have themselves strapped to two of the sails and go ten revolutions on the thing. Millie and Chuck are barely edged out by Amanda and Chris for it.

At the Museum, teams find the Detour: 500 Kilograms or 15 Feet. In 500 Kilograms, teams go to an outdoor market, don wooden clogs and use a traditional stretcher to load a scale with exactly 500 kilograms of cheese, no more, no less. In 15 feet, teams have to go to a farm 12 miles outside of the city, putting on suit so as not get their clothes dirty, dig barehanded through a 15 foot pile of manure that only gets bigger as time goes on. Yes, really. Then teams have to go to a statue of a smoker in Amsterdam (a fish smoker, not the one you're probably thinking of) where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to transfer 25 live eels, that become decidedly less lively as the day wears on, from one boat to another. Then it's off to the Pit Stop: Kasteel Muiderslot.

1. Amanda and Chris 2:24 P.M. Won a trip for two on the Mexican Riviera.

2. Kelly and Jon 3:10 P.M.

3. Jon and Al 3:12 P.M.

4. Reichen and Chip 4:15 P.M.

5. Monica and Sheree 4:33 P.M.

6. David and Jeff 5:01 P.M.

7. Millie and Chuck 5:40 P.M.

8. Steve and Josh 5:43 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #6: "This is not what I sign up for!"

Original Air Date: July 3rd, 2003.

Receiving $110, teams have to fly to Mumbai, India and find gate number one at Bollywood's Film City. There teams have to bike to Studio 10 to get the Detour: Suds or Duds. In Suds, teams must find an outdoor Laundromat and wash one bundle of dirty laundry until the next clue emerges in the fabric. In Duds, teams have to locate a hard to find clothing shop and search thousands of saris until they find one with their clue written on it.

After that teams have to go to the Sassoon Docks, where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one member from each team must enter a fish market, find one vendor that has a huge pile of fish, get 20 Palai fish into a basket and deliver them to the market manager. After this, and getting pretty ripe that day, teams head to the Pit Stop: The Gateway of India.

1. Reichen and Chip 12:44 P.M. Won a seven night Alaskan cruise.

2. David and Jeff 12:45 P.M.

3. Monica and Sheree 1:10 P.M.

4. Kelly and Jon 1:15 P.M.

5. Jon and Al 1:30 P.M.

6. Millie and Chuck 1:33 P.M.

7. Amanda and Chris 1:40 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #7: "We're on the Wrong Side of the Road!"

Original Air Date: July 10th, 2003.

Getting $70, teams have to go by train from Panvel Station to Ernakulam Station. Then teams have take a taxi down a freeway looking for a specific billboard on the side of the road. Then teams are directed to a sports field in Alleppey. Once there teams, find the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to compete in bull racing. What is bull racing? Well, the team member has to be dragged, face down, behind two bulls, running at top speed, through mud, amongst other things, the equivalent of an American football field. And if they let go, they have to go to the back of any line that forms and try again. Fun fact: Sheree is the first woman to ever compete in this insanity (From our viewpoint) so she made the local papers the next day.

Then teams have to go to the Beach Road in Alleppey and find the Detour: Baskets or Trunks. In Baskets, teams have to load ten live chickens, in baskets, on a bicycle wagon to a farm circled on an enclosed map. In Trunks, teams have to use an elephant to deliver two bales of fabric to another location. Then it's a short walk the Pit Stop: The Finishing Point.

1. Jon and Al 4:00 P.M. Won a seven night Caribbean Cruise for two.

2. David and Jeff 4:04 P.M.

3. Monica and Sheree 4:15 P.M. TIE

4. Millie and Chuck 4:15 P.M. TIE

5. Reichen and Chip 4:16 P.M.

6. Kelly and Jon 4:18 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #8: "Don't know what you're complaining about myself."

Original Air Date: July 17th, 2003.

AKA the leg where Reichen and Chip out themselves to their fellow racers. Which, as I said before was a pretty big deal at the time. Anyway, receiving $120 teams are told to go to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Then teams have to go to a cultural village where they receive a traditional blessing. Then it's off to the Kota Kinabalu boat jetty where teams find the Detour: Net or Trap. In Net, teams have to go to a floating fishing platform and catch 15 fish with a pole net. In Trap, teams have to go to a fishing boat and haul in a heavy lobster trap.

Then teams have to go to Manukan Island, where the Roadblock awaits. This Roadblock requires teams to hit three different targets with three different traditional Malaysian weapons: a bow and arrow, a blowpipe and a spear. After that, the Pit Stop is a short jog down the beach.

1. Monica and Sheree 2:03 P.M. TIE Won a trip to Vienna, Austria.

2. Reichen and Chip 2:03 P.M. TIE Won a trip to Vienna, Austria.

3. Millie and Chuck 2:15 P.M.

4. Jon and Al 2:16 P.M.

5. David and Jeff 3:00 P.M. NOT ELIMINATED.

Leg #9: "I guess nothing beats a good night's sleep."

Original Air Date: July 24th, 2003.

Getting $130, teams have to travel 78 miles to the Poring Hot Springs and make their way over a series of rope bridges 100 feet off the ground to get the next clue. Teams can then go 145 miles to the next clue at the Trushidup Palm Oil Plantation or go 140 miles to Sepilok for the Fast Forward. Monica and Sheree choose the Fast Forward. In this Fast Forward, teams have to go to a nature reserve for Orang-utans and hand feed four pieces of fruit to some. Unfortunately Reichen and Chip took a wrong turn and get there first. So they have to turn back.

At the Palm Oil Plantation, teams run into the Detour: Chop or Haul. In Chop, teams have to use long bladed poles to chop down nut bunches until they find the one that has a clue on it. In Haul, teams have to use numbered wheelbarrows to load the correspondingly numbered truck with 25 nut bunches. This have is difficult as the trucks are huge and are already quite full. Then it is off to the Gomantong Caves where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to climb a rattan ladder and get their clue fifty feet off the cave floor. Then it's off to the Pit Stop: Sepilok Nature Resort.

1. Reichen and Chip 10:25 A.M. Won a trip for two to Latin America.

2. David and Jeff 12:50 P.M.

3. Jon and Al 1:00 P.M.

4. Monica and Sheree 2:40 P.M.

5. Millie and Chuck 2:41 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #10: "I'm being strangled from the inside."

Original Air Date: July 31st, 2003.

Receiving $400, teams are told to go to the Puu Jih Shih Temple in Sandakan. There they have search through several small Buddha statues for one with their names on it. Behind it is a key that will open a rattan bag which has their next clue in it. Teams are then told to go to Seoul, South Korea. There they have to go to Namsan Park and find their next clue at the base of Seoul Tower. Teams are then told to go to the Sundam Valley, within a few miles of the North Korean border. Some teams are nearly taken over the border by accident.

It is here that teams face the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to jump through a hole in a frozen river, swim with a guide wire against the current and emerge through another hole up stream. There are medical personnel and divers on site to make sure everything goes smoothly. Then teams have to go to the subway station for Seoul University. It's here that teams find the Detour: Strong Hands or Strong Stomach. In Strong Hands, teams go to a local martial arts centre, where, after some instruction, both team members have to use Tae Kwan Do to break three sets of wooden boards. In Strong Stomach, teams go to a local restaurant where have to eat a local Korean delicacy, that they don't discover until they get there, is live octopus. Then teams go to the Pit Stop: Gyeongbokgung Palace.

1. Monica and Sheree 3:44 P.M. Won a Caribbean Vacation for two

2. Reichen and Chip 3:50 P.M.

3. Jon and Al 4:02 P.M.

4. David and Jeff 4:15 P.M. NOT ELIMINATED.

Leg #11: "That's not the right way!"

Original Air Date: August 7th, 2003.

Teams get $130 and are told to go to Hanggang Park, on Yeouido Island, where teams have to pull down a kite for their next clue. It tells teams to go to Brisbane, Australia, where the next clue is waiting at the penthouse suite of the Holiday Inn or take the Fast Forward. The Fast Forward requires teams to go to a beach and perform a lifeguard test, using surfboards to "rescue" a "drowning victim". David and Jeff take that one. The rest of the teams make it to the penthouse and find the Detour: Face First or Feet First.

In Face First, teams put on safety gear and perform an Australian, or face-first, rappel down the 200 foot building. In Feet First, teams have to scan the skyline for a building adorned with the Amazing Race flag, go down the stairs run through the streets of Brisbane and climb 30 stories to the next clue. No one takes Feet First. After the Detour, teams choose a Mercedes-Benz M-Class and drive to Underwater World in Mooloolaba. There teams face the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to don scuba gear and walk through a shark tank. After getting the clue in a chest in the tank teams have to walk to the Pit Stop: The Mooloolaba Yacht Club.

1. David and Jeff 10:40 A.M. Won a trip to Mexico.

2. Reichen and Chip 10:58 A.M.

3. Monica and Sheree 10:59 A.M.

4. Jon and Al 11:48 A.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #12: "Is he crazy!?"

Original Air Date: August 14th, 2003.

Getting only $1 for this leg of the race, teams are told to go to Ferny Hills, where they have to search through huge piles of raw wool to get their next clue. Then teams have to fly to Cairns, Australia, where their next clue is at Wild World Zoo using a marked car. At the zoo, using provided cameras, one team member has to feed a 15 foot crocodile named Sultan using a fish on a pole, while the other takes a picture. Then they have to print the picture for their next clue. Then teams have to go to Wangetti Beach, where teams find the Detour: Paddle or Saddle.

In Paddle, Teams have to inflate a kayak, push it into the surf and then paddle it to an orange buoy to get their next clue. In Saddle, teams have to search a stretch of beach on horseback for one of four race flags. Then they have search within a 25 yard radius for a bunch race envelopes only one of which has a clue. Then it's off to a place called Off Road Rush in Jullatten for the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to drive on a seven mile off road course. Then it's off to the Pit Stop: Ellis Beach.

1. David and Jeff 1:50 P.M. Won a European vacation.

2. Monica and Sheree 2:10 P.M.

3. Reichen and Chip 2:13 P.M. NOT ELIMINATED.

Leg #13: "The safest thing we've ever done."

Original Air Date: August 21st, 2003.

In a repeat of last leg, teams only get $1. Teams are told to go to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park where they watch a local fire ceremony to get their next clue. This clue tells them to go to Cairns Airport's General Aviation Terminal. It's here that the teams find the Detour: Wing It or Wander It. In Wing It, teams tandem skydive with instructors. In Wander It, teams go to a nearby mangrove forest and use boats to get out. No one chose Wander It. Teams are then told to go to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, get into marked cars and drive themselves to the southernmost point of the United States, Kaulana Bay.

Once there, teams find the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, teams have to swim into the surf, get a painted stone from the reef, bring it back and chisel out the clue. This clue tells teams to go to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Then teams have to go to their final destination city: Phoenix, Arizona. Specifically to a monument bearing the anchor of the USS Arizona. From there teams have to go to Sun Devil Stadium where they have to solve a logic puzzle that leads to section 214, row 33, seat 11. Then teams have to go to Papago Park, get on mountain bikes then bike and run to the Finish Line.

1. Reichen and Chip WIN

2. Monica and Sheree PLACE

3. David and Jeff SHOW

The Review

This season is considered not only one of the most forgettable seasons, even by those who love the early "adventurous" seasons (that is the first four seasons) the most, but also one of the worst. I think the reason that it's near or at the bottom of the list of favourite seasons is that it's just a culmination of the worst aspects of the three seasons that came before it: teams bickering over what was "right"; Alpha teams; Detours that relied too much on "Fast but Scary" vs. "Slow but Safe". Not helping matters were the ratings. While they weren't going down, they weren't rising.

I put this season at number 27 on my list of races. The producers had to do something to get the show back on track. Especially since the only reason they got renewed this time was because they won the first Emmy for Reality Competition Programme in 2003. Though the changes got a mixed reception, it did save the show.

-Globetrotting: An Amazing Race Blog by R. C. Anderson on the website Reality Rewind, September 26th, 2016.

 

[The Jovian]

Greetings I'm the Jovian and here's the second part of my ITTL Command & Conquer retrospective with RySenkari's blessing.

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Greetings, I'm the Jovian and welcome back to my Command & Conquer retrospective. This week we're taking a look back at Command & Conquer: Red Alert.

Command & Conquer was such a smashing success that naturally Westwood could not avoid doing a sequel, that sequel was not this game, instead Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a prequel, released in 1996 and set in an alternate version of World War II created when Albert Einstein traveled back in time and killed Hitler before he could turn Germany into the Nazi dictatorship we all know and (I presume) hate. As a result WWII would be fought between the Soviet Union and the Western democratic Allies.

As a history enthusiast, this premise was always very iffy to me. As anyone with any in-depth historical knowledge of that particular time period's politics would know that Hitler vanishing would not have prevented the rise of fascist dictatorships in Spain (the Francoist regime) or Italy (Mussolini anyone?) or even Germany since someone else could've taken Hitler's place in a far-right post-WWI political party that would blame Communist Russia and the Western Allies for the economic bullsh!t that resulted from the war. I'm honestly surprised that there was never a mod for RA2 or RA3 that addressed this issue by presenting the aftermath of RA2 as a place where European politics are overwhelmed with far-right fascists and the Allies become the bad guys while a new faction takes the form of a resistance movement against them. What I'm saying is that historically fascism came as a response to the Communist Soviet Union and erasing Hitler from history would not have erased fascism.

With this unnecessary history lesson out of the way, Red Alert is a better game than C&C95, the story for once feels more than just a very loose framework to get the gameplay across, especially the Soviet campaign that depicts the real-life Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin with frightening accuracy. In this game Stalin is a paranoid, emotionally unstable madman who will turn on his subordinates at the drop of a hat if he so much as believes that they're planning to blow raspberries at him (again, just like in real life). It is a tale of betrayals, intrigue, war crimes and (of course) violence. If you've ever wanted to see a scene where Stalin bitch-slaps one of his generals before choking him to death then this is the game for you. Another note of interest is the appearance of Kane as a silent advisor to Stalin (in an early attempt at continuity between this game and C&C95 before the Allied Commando games put the kibosh on any possibility of the two games sharing a universe).

Not that the Allied campaign is slouching in the narrative department. Every cutscene adds to a growing sense of tension as the Soviet war machine is seemingly unstoppable. Two notable missions in Greece are a massive sucker punch to the gut when the first is about you avenging the Soviets burning a civilian town to the ground (to cement the Soviets as the bad guys) and the second is to hold out until the naval transports arrive to rescue your forces in an historical allusion to the Dunkirk evacuation.

By and large however the story is mostly okay. The Allied campaign ends with the Allies taking over Moscow (in the winter no less!) and Stalin gets to die by being buried alive in rubble. While the Soviet campaign ends with the Soviets using their Iron Curtain superweapon (I'll get to it later) and a captured Chronosphere (I'll also get to it later) to teleport an invulnerable plane to London and drop an nuke on it and end the war.

The presentation is a vast improvement over its immediate predecessor as the FMVs are much better directed and have much, much, MUCH more going on in them, The in-game graphics are better, not by much, but better, and at times it really does feel like Joe Kucan squeezed water out of the proverbial rock given how little he probably had to work with, as some of the FMV shots are really creative, the CGI backdrops are at least now convincing even if they're still very grainy and the FMVs as a whole have a much better feel to them as opposed to the cramped, talking heads of the last game.

The gameplay hasn't really changed from the first game, and like the first game there's still a lack of advanced base defences for the "good" faction. Seriously why does Nod and the Soviets get the cool laser-shooting obelisks and lightning generating coils while GDI and the Allies get nothing? Sure the Allies will get their Prism towers in the sequel but GDI would get nothing that's on par with the Obelisk of Light until Insurrection has them building their Railgun towers (which were awesome but we'll get to that later).

One major addition is naval combat, which would become a staple of the Red Alert trilogy, and it is a welcome addition as it adds a new dimension to the warfare, it isn't extensive by any means, you only have the anti-ship vessel, the artillery vessel and the transport vessel (and by the way I find it hilarious how you can only fit five units into it regardless of their size, it gives me this wonderful clown car image of frustrated Soviet conscripts trying to figure out how to squeeze five Mammoth Tanks into a transport designed to hold five soldiers) and it does feel quaint when compared to how prevalent the naval combat would get it RA2 and especially RA3, where there's amphibious infantry and tanks and there's a ship for every role.

Another addition to the game is the support superweapons. In the original game, GDI had the pathetically underpowered Ion Cannon and Nod had a motehrf@cking Nuke as their superweapons respectively. Here both sides have Slap-on-the-Wrist Nukes as their offensive superweapons (seriously how weak are these nukes? They do like no damage to anything.) but now also have unique support superweapons. The Allies have the Chronosphere, a device that can teleport one (or two if you bunch them up close) of your tanks anywhere on the battlefield and the Soviets have the iron Curtain device that can render one vehicle (or two if you again bunch them close) temporarily invulnerable. As far as superweapons go, these are fairly useless. Two invincible (or teleported behind enemy lines) tanks don't tend to do a lot, and compared to their RA2 and RA3 counterparts these are not something to be bothered with, especially the Chronosphere, which in this game has the annoying tendency to go haywire and generate negative space wedgies that suck up everything nearby if you use it too much.

As with the first game, Westwood would expand the game with two small expansions Counterstrike and Aftermath. Both add nothing but more singleplayer levels (not a campaign, just standalone levels) and one more unit for each faction, the Chrono Tank for the Allies and the Tesla Tank for the Soviets. Not much to say about either of them and much like with The Covert Operations for the first game, there really is no wonder why both expansions now come free with the core game.

Overall I really do think this game mostly holds up, at least it holds up better than the first one. Sure the superweapons kinda suck and the story could've used a little more work and there's still no build queues for your units, but overall when its good, it's really good and still worth playing and enjoying.

Also the soundtrack is awesome, give it a listen.

Next week: the Tiberian Sun rises, and the Command & Conquer series will never be the same afterwards. This is the Jovian, signing off.

- The Jovian's Journal (06/09/2015) - Command & Conquer Retrospective (Part 2) - Red Alert (1996)

 

[RySenkari]

DC Super Clash

DC Super Clash is a 2-D fighting game featuring characters from DC Comics. It features one on one fights, with a standard best of three rounds (though that can be changed to 1, 5, 7, or 9 in the game's options). The game plays more like an SNK fighter than the OTL DC Comics fighting games such as Injustice. It features a four-button input system (weak punch, weak kick, strong punch, strong kick) and allows for combination moves and special moves as well, with each fighter getting their own unique attacks in addition to the standard moves. The graphics are done in a unique cel shaded style that resembles comic book art, giving the game a distinct look that separates it from the other fighting games of its time. While the game plays much like an SNK fighter, it's actually developed by Vermillion Software (developers of Rise a Knight) and published by THQ, so it's different enough from games like King of Fighters and Fatal Fury to not draw any legal problems (it's actually a bit more of a faster-paced game than the SNK fighters as well). The game features some voice acting, but not to the degree that OTL Injustice does, it's just a few voiced lines from each character with no voiced storyline segments (instead, a narrator voices those). Because of this, none of the current DC animation voice actors are utilized in the game. This is one of the main points of criticism from fans, though the rest of the game is considered quite excellent from a presentation standpoint (in addition to the graphics, the game features a widely acclaimed soundtrack).

The 22 playable characters are:

Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
The Flash
Aquaman
Martian Manhunter
Green Lantern
Green Arrow
Hawkgirl
Black Canary
Nightwing
Batgirl
Deathstroke
Lex Luthor
The Joker
Supergirl
Cyborg
Saturn Girl
Wildfire
Killer Frost
Sinestro
Darkseid

Darkseid is the final boss of the game, and the main plot revolves around him. Darkseid has emerged once more from the depths of the universe to claim control over all living things with the Anti-Life Equation. In order to aid him in his conquests, he is using his minions to take over the minds of many heroes as well (so when a hero is facing a hero in a match in Story Mode, it's assumed one of them is being influenced by Darkseid, i.e. whoever the player is fighting against). A number of villains are assisting Darkseid as well for their own selfish reasons (Luthor is attempting to profit, Joker is just doing it because it's funny, etc.). The story mode isn't very deep, it's essentially "Darkseid is bad, he's trying to take over the universe, let's stop him" but there are unique between-fight sequences for each character, so it's worth playing through the story mode with every character at least once. The story mode consists of ten random fights, plus a fight against Sinestro, plus the final battle against Darkseid. The game has a standard arcade mode and a beat-em-up like training mode consisting of five short stages with a boss at the end of each stage. The game also has online multiplayer.

DC Super Clash is generally positively received. It's not as universally beloved as the Marvel vs. Capcom games, but it's a solid tournament fighter with a decent amount of strategy, and definitely the best DC Comics fighting game released up to that point. It's released for the Wave, the Katana, and the Xbox on April 14, 2003, and sales are quite good (on the Xbox and Katana, it nearly beats Tomb Raider: Absolution in opening week sales), good enough for the game to receive a sequel.

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Alex Stansfield: The game features a strong selection of DC Comics characters. Obviously, with so many characters over so many years of comics, there are gonna be some good ones left out. No Cheetah, no Superboy, no Catwoman...

Victor Lucas: No Harley Quinn! Come on!

Alex: And we can go back and forth about that all day.

Victor: But it is really fun. It's not quite as combo heavy as some of the other fighters out there, it's got that thing where you stand still to block...

Alex: Throws break blocks, of course, so you can't stand around and block all day. The game rewards aggression, which I like.

Victor: It's just... it's a bit awkward compared to some of the other tournament fighters out there.

Alex: What did you think of the graphics?

Victor: They're just awesome. They look...right out of a comic book.

*A scene is shown of Wonder Woman talking to one of her fellow Amazons in a flashback.*

Victor: It's really neat, you know, to see it looking like that.

Alex: Yeah, the fights look cool. Sometimes you'll have a dialogue bubble pop up when you land a really good blow.

Victor: I liked that. I mean, it's not overdone like it was in the 60s Batman show.

Alex: Oh no, god forbid, that would've been over the top.

Victor: But the way they do it is nice, so you can see what kind of hit you just landed.

(...)

Victor: DC Super Clash really is something special. While it doesn't quite stand among the best of the best tournament fighters out there, for comic book fans it's a real treat and a borderline must-buy. I'm gonna go ahead and give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Alex: It's flawed, but you can look past those flaws I think, I'm giving it an 8.

*Alex and Victor's scores appear on the screen, Alex's 8.0 in a red circle and Victor's 8.5 in a yellow circle.*

+ COMIC-LIKE GRAPHICS
+ LOTS OF CHARACTERS
+ ONLINE FIGHTING

- CONTROLS A BIT AWKWARD
- SIMPLISTIC STORYLINE
- NO HARLEY QUINN? COME ON

Victor: On the plus side, this game features awesome graphics that make it feel like you're playing a comic book. There's a big roster of classic superheroes and villains to choose from, and you can go online to battle your friends on the other side of the world.

Alex: And on the minus side, the controls take some time to get used to compared to some other fighting games, and we also thought the storyline could've been a bit better. While yes, the main attraction of the game is getting to punch each other with our favorite superheroes, these are complex characters with lots of different motivations, and we felt they could've explored them just a bit more. And finally, Victor and I both agreed that the lack of Harley Quinn is a real shame.

-from the April 21, 2003 episode of G4's Judgment Day

 

[RySenkari]

Gemini: Shadow In The Dark

The original Gemini game, called The Gemini Project, was a third-person shooter game that came out in May 2000 for the Ultra Nintendo. The game took place entirely within the confines of a sprawling laboratory complex, and focused on Angel, a woman who for unknown reasons was trapped inside a research facility in order to be experimented on. Angel's quest to escape involved a journey through this labyrinthine complex, and though Angel discovered the secrets she wanted to know and managed to halt the operations of the lab and its mysterious Gemini Project, she succumbed to her wounds just as she made it out the front door to freedom. The game featured a great deal of hype before its release: it was a third person shooter structured like a Metroidvania game, and featured a deep storyline and intriguing characters. But the gameplay was poorly received: gunfights were difficult due to the useless combat reticle, the game's passageways were repetitive and confusing, and the voice acting was subpar, removing a lot of the seriousness and pathos from the plot. While The Gemini Project sold well initially, it ended up being a major sales disappointment and was largely overshadowed by Divine Wrath at the time of its release. Following the game's failure, Microsoft bought up the rights to the franchise and sourced production of a sequel to a second-party studio, Scalene. Scalene had been formed in 2001 by a team of promising Microsoft Game Studios programmers who desired to make first-person shooters, and were commissioned to work on the Gemini property. The result was Gemini: Shadow In The Dark. Shadow In The Dark is a first-person shooter, unlike the third person original. It features a futuristic looking HUD and a vastly improved aiming system, giving skilled players the ability to shoot with pinpoint accuracy. While the game remains a bit more exploration-heavy than most FPS titles, its environments are significantly scaled down from the original game to eliminate redundant, boring areas. Enemies react extremely realistically: they have some of the best AI to date in a video game, and when an enemy is shot but not killed, he'll usually retreat to patch himself up (though sometimes, especially if the wound isn't serious, he'll stay and fight). While the game doesn't utilize an all star cast of voice actors, the voice acting is significantly improved from the previous game, with the protagonist voiced by Mark Meer. The game features a multiplayer mode, both online and local, that becomes popular soon after the game's release.

Shadow In The Dark takes place a year after the events of The Gemini Project. Its protagonist is a scientist working for the United States military, Abel Anderson, who has been tasked with investigating the illegal activities of the former Shoreline corporation (the corporation operating the research laboratory Angel escaped from in the first game). On the way to a meeting with Abel's superiors, he and his soldier escorts are forced off the road and attacked by hooded men. Abel, the only survivor, escapes into the woods and must fight his way to safety. This kicks off the first of three major segments of the game: the first segment takes place in the area in and around a town, where former Shoreline mercenaries have set up and run the town like a de facto military camp. Abel must find and protect what few allies he can while learning about what Shoreline is still up to. After meeting with and confronting the town's mayor, Abel eventually is forced to kill him, but after doing so, Abel is knocked out. When he wakes up, he's in a place that will be familiar to people who have played the original Gemini Project: it's the facility where Angel was being held captive in the previous game. Abel must now repeat Angel's escape through the now ruined laboratory (though its layout is different from the original game's facility, with the confusing corridors and segments eliminated). He must gather evidence, including signs and symbols left behind by Angel. There's a poignant moment in which Abel finds a video recording of her, telling anyone who finds the video what has taken place in this facility and that Shoreline must be stopped. Eventually, Abel escapes, but is badly wounded. It seems that he will die just like Angel did, but at the last moment he is saved...by a woman resembling Angel. Abel awakens back in his home somehow, and sitting nearby is the same woman. Abel asks the woman if she's Angel, but the woman doesn't know what Abel is talking about and reveals her name as Jessica. Jessica tells Abel that she was drawn to that facility for some reason, but instead of finding answers, she only found Abel. As Abel and Jessica continue talking, the two of them are attacked by more mercenaries and Abel must protect Jessica and fight his way out. Jessica reveals a tattoo on her arm, and when Abel scans it it reveals where she came from: a corporate office complex somewhere in the city. Abel and Jessica head to the office complex, which forms the third major segment of the game. Eventually, Abel realizes that Shoreline is still operating under a false corporate identity, and that he has to try and take them down. Knowing he'll need help, he contacts a friend in the military. While Abel and Jessica infiltrate the main building, a military squadron keeps some (but not all) of Shoreline's mercenaries distracted. Eventually, Abel and Jessica reach the CEO's office and confront him. Abel is about to eliminate the CEO when he is suddenly attacked...by Jessica. It's revealed that the Gemini Project's goal was to create an obediant replicant twin of every single human being on earth to replace them. Jessica cannot defy her programming and Abel must take her down. However, after being fatally wounded, Jessica reverts back to her original self, even revealing that she has Angel's memories as well. Jessica thanks Abel for fighting for her and everyone else who's been hurt in the name of the Gemini Project before dying in Abel's arms. Abel confronts the CEO again and kills him, but the CEO just laughs as he's dying. It's then revealed that not only is the CEO that Abel killed just a clone, but many, many people throughout the world have already been cloned and replaced...including Abel himself, when Abel was injured before. Abel's clone is now resuming Abel's old job, while the military unit sent in to help has been infiltrated and slaughtered by clones who are now closing in on Abel's position. Abel realizes he'll have to go on the run, but manages to download a file containing the names of everyone who's been cloned and replaced so far... over 60,000 people. Somehow, someway, he must find a way to take out the clones and save the world before everyone is replaced...and as Abel goes into hiding, the game ends.

Gemini: Shadow In The Dark scores significantly higher in reviews than The Gemini Project did (an 87.73% on GameRankings, as opposed to 58.25% for The Gemini Project). Sales actually start out a bit slower, but quickly ramp up as word of mouth spreads about the game's excellent campaign and multiplayer modes. It's regarded as one of the best FPS titles on the Xbox, and an excellent way to revive what looked to be a franchise that was dead before it truly got started. It comes out in April 2003, amidst a wave of popular FPS titles that significantly boost the genre's profile on the Xbox (moreso than it was already). The Xbox is also demonstrating itself as a console on which stalled franchises can get a serious jolt, and prompts Microsoft to continue to explore the possibilities for other game IPs that could be given a new life on the system.

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Shadowrun Announced For Xbox Later This Year

Amidst the slow trickle of game announcements leading up to next month's E3 Expo, a popular RPG franchise is making its way to the Xbox for the first time. Shadowrun, based on the classic cyberpunk tabletop series, will be getting an Xbox exclusive RPG title that looks to be released sometime before the end of 2003. The franchise previously saw games released on the Super Nintendo CD and the Sega Genesis, with both games, especially the SNES-CD title, still revered by fans to this day as pioneering titles for the genre. No word yet on what form the Xbox's Shadowrun will take, but we expect to learn more at E3.

-from an article on Gamespot.com, posted on April 25, 2003

 

[RySenkari]

Metal Gear Vaporized

Metal Gear Vaporized is a game in the Metal Gear series for the Game Boy Nova. Vaporized takes place between the events of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear War, with a small segment taking place after War. Vaporized centers around Vapor Snake, AKA Lyra Marin, who was abducted by the Patriots after the events of Solid, given a cocktail of physical enhancement and mind altering drugs, and pressed into service as a counteragent under the employ of the Patriots and the watchful eye of Revolver Ocelot. As Vapor Snake, Lyra's thoughts and memories are based on propaganda fed to her by the Patriots, but a small part of her personality and free will still remains. It's this personality that the Patriots must constantly nurture and guide, lest Lyra realize the truth and regain her true self. The game plays much like Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, with fairly short, disconnected missions taking place in fairly small areas. Vaporized features a mix of stealth, melee action, and shooter gameplay, depending on the various mission parameters given to Vapor Snake. Because of her enhancements, Vapor Snake is able to fight with superhuman speed and strength, enabling her to take out most normal enemies, but she cannot survive sustained gunfire or battles against enhanced foes without proper preparation (she's superhuman, not a superhero). Because of this, the player can't always choose a rush in, run and gun approach. Still, the game features significantly less stealth than Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear War, making it more of an action title than a stealth title. The game's graphics are quite good for a Nova game, comparable in many ways to Metal Gear Solid for the OTL PS1, though textures and frame rates are somewhat reduced. Still, it's considered to be an excellent showcase for the Nova's power and remains one of the most graphically impressive Nova games even after the Nova's lifespan as a console is over. There's even some limited voice acting in the game, but only for Lyra (Mari Devon returns as Lyra's voice actress from Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear War), during certain scenes Lyra can be heard narrating or giving brief lines.

The game shows some of the process used to transform Lyra into Vapor Snake. After being abducted by Ocelot, Lyra was drugged into a coma. During this time, she was injected with massive amounts of drugs and given various bodily implants in order to turn her into a perfect soldier for the Patriots. As part of her programming, the Patriots communicated with her via the use of five AI personas. These personas differ from the ones that formed the Patriots' AI in the OTL series. They each go simply by a last name, which corresponds with the alternate name by which the Patriots were referred to conceal their identity:

Landers: A rich oil company owner descended from generations of oilmen. Landers has a very businesslike, money-centric personality and seeks to advance the interests of the oil industry, with his missions mostly focused on financial manipulation. Landers has a somewhat bombastic personality, and as the "old man" of the five, the others look up to him, though some don't entirely respect him.
Lindeman: Lindeman is a veteran of the CIA. A brilliant spy, Lindeman is an expert at covert tactics and espionage, and is programmed with information on every country and citizen in the world. He serves as somewhat of a "father figure" for Lyra, and she seems to admire him the most. He's very pragmatic in his approach to things, and while he can at times seem kind, he's ruthless when he needs to be. He's the one who sends Lyra on most of her covert spy missions.
Lucas: Lucas is the "youngest" of the five, a brilliant technocrat who runs a military technology company. He's an expect at computer science and hacking, and seeks to drive the world into war to win military contracts. He's impetuous and a firebrand but his knowledge of technology is invaluable. He gives Lyra missions meant to drive the world toward war.
Leonel: A "soldier's soldier", Leonel most resembles Solid Snake/Big Boss, and is said to work as a special forces soldier. He gives Lyra advice about fighting tactics and also gives her most of her assassination missions.
Logan: A four-star general, Logan and Leonel are both soldiers, but Logan takes a much more calculated approach, interested in general strategy on the battlefield rather than Leonel's fierce and sometimes violent approach to combat. Logan usually tasks Lyra with stealing military technology or speaking with certain important individuals.

The Patriots use this AI approach to make Lyra believe she's talking with actual humans, tricking her into not questioning her orders or remembering her true self. These five AIs are also a layer of protection: should the Patriots ever be compromised, evidence implicating five human powerbrokers can be given away, while the true Patriots' AI systems remain safe.

After a few initial training missions given to the player to introduce the five AIs and introduce the player to Vapor Snake's abilities, the bulk of the game concerns Vapor Snake's various missions, which range from stealing certain items, assassinating certain figures, infiltrating installations, or even intelligence gathering. Ultimately, Vapor Snake is helping to continue the consolidation of the Patriots' power over humanity. While this is occurring, she's being pursued by Gray Fox, who Vapor Snake encounters numerous times throughout the game. Eventually, as Vapor Snake is attempting to complete a crucial mission for the Patriots, Vapor Snake and Gray Fox have a final confrontation, where Gray Fox tries to get through to her and nearly succeeds before she remembers something that Lindeman told her and strikes back, severing Gray Fox's arm. Gray Fox attempts to keep fighting but eventually Vapor Snake overcomes and defeats him, leaving him for dead (but as it turns out, he doesn't die, and returns in Metal Gear Solid II). Vapor Snake completes her mission, discovering that Solidus Snake has gone rogue and setting up the events of Metal Gear War. After the credits comes a final scene taking place after Metal Gear War, in which an unmasked Vapor Snake discovers information concerning Big Boss, and that the phrase "the child of war and peace" was originally a statement Big Boss made to Ocelot in 1975, Lyra's birth year. The game ends on the realization that more of Lyra's original personality is starting to emerge.

Metal Gear Vaporized is considered to be an outstanding game upon its release in May 2003, one of the Nova's best action titles and a superb installment in the Metal Gear series. It furthers the popularity of Vapor Snake, answers several fan questions while posing many more, and boasts some of the best production values ever seen in a handheld game to that point. Reviews are excellent, though sales are a bit disappointing, at least initially, as the game didn't get the kind of hype normally seen for a Metal Gear console game. However, sales remain strong and actually pick up a bit in 2004, as the release date of Metal Gear Solid II approaches.

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Mystic Creature Cobalt

Mystic Creature Cobalt is the sequel to the 2000 Ultra Nintendo RPG Mystic Creature, created for the Game Boy Nova. Like the original title, Cobalt revolves around capturing and training magical creatures known as Anima, which become close companions with their human friends. It features the same battle system as the original game, but is somewhat different in terms of party composition. Unlike the original game, which allowed for the use of three human characters at once (out of six total party members), Cobalt only has two playable characters: A boy named Cobalt, and his female companion Minera. In addition, the two can use not one Anima in battle at a time, but two, retaining the six party member composition from the previous game. The game features six playable human characters and 138 unique Anima divided amongst six basic types: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark, with Fire/Water, Wind/Earth, and Light/Dark being weak to each other, a more simplistic version of the Pokemon type system. Unlike the previous game's characters, Cobalt and Minera don't have types of their own, making them type-neutral. Also, unlike the previous game, Cobalt and Minera can use their own life force to guide each other's Anima into battle: that means if Cobalt is knocked out, but Minera isn't, Cobalt's Anima can still fight, and vice versa. However, if both Cobalt and Minera are knocked out, it's game over. Anima can take hits for their human partners, so this isn't as big a problem as it would seem, but with only two human characters instead of three, it does make things a bit more tricky. While the original Mystic Creature was at times a very dark and scary game, with numerous human characters being killed, Cobalt is much more light-hearted (it's similar to the mood change between the console and handheld Final Fantasy Tactics games in both OTL and TTL). While the game does still have some serious and dark moments, it's got much less darkness than the original, something that gets a mixed reaction from fans of the original game. The biggest change in Cobalt is the sheer number of Anima: the original Mystic Creature had 138, this game has well over 300. This includes most (but not quite all) of the Anima from the original game, a number of Anima that couldn't be captured in the original but can be captured in Cobalt, a number of completely original Anima, and a number of Anima based on classic Final Fantasy creatures such as Moogles, Chocobos, Bombs, Tonberries, Malboros, and others. There are even a few Anima from other Squaresoft properties, such as lightlions from Fairytale, Kilwalas from Chrono Trigger, etc. Like the original game, each Anima is a unique creature, there is only one of each Anima in the world. Many battles aren't fought against Anima, but against humans or other creatures that inhabit the world. Cobalt features graphics that, while not as good as those in the original Ultra Nintendo game, are still quite good for the Nova, with a cartoony style that captures the original game's feel and allows for a lot of detail to be used considering the game's size. Yoko Shimamura returns as the game's main composer.

The storyline of the game takes place in a completely different world from that of the original title. Cobalt is an 11-year-old boy raised by a wise old elder out in a forest populated by many different Anima. One day, Cobalt encounters a trading party. Among the members of the trading party is a young girl named Minera. After the trading party is set upon by a dangerous forest creature and their weak Anima can't defend them, Cobalt and his Anima companion, a brand new Anima named Gorgeon, save the trading party. Cobalt and Minera bond, but Cobalt's guardian doesn't trust outsiders and tells Cobalt not to have anything to do with the human interlopers. However, Cobalt is curious about the outside world, and defies the elder, following Minera's trading party to a nearby town. He strikes up another conversation with Minera, but is interrupted by an Anima from the forest telling him that his guardian is sick. Cobalt returns just in time to see the elder taking his last breaths. Cobalt promises to stay in the forest with him, but the elder tells him that he was a fool to tell Cobalt to stay in the forest, because someday there would be no one left to keep him company. He tells Cobalt to go, but to be careful and to try and do good wherever he goes. The old man dies, and Cobalt mourns...but Minera has followed Cobalt back, and she is able to cheer him up. The two return to town, setting off a chain of events that leads to the main storyline of the game. Essentially, Mystic Creature Cobalt, rather than being one large quest like the original game, takes place as a series of small quests, some interconnected into the main story, but many of them forming side quests where certain treasures can be found or Anima can be captured. There are also options for Free Roams, where Anima can be found and captured as well without progressing the main story. The main story itself revolves around a magical book that allows one to find and control Anima. The book has fallen into the hands of a young boy named Feras. The book, however, is an evil book that corrupts whoever possesses it, and Feras eventually begins to capture very powerful evil Anima and attacks innocent people. Cobalt and Minera must capture their own powerful Anima, stop Feras' attacks, and eventually retrieve the book from Feras himself. They are eventually able to do so, returning the boy to normal, destroying the book, and bringing peace to the world.

Mystic Creature Cobalt, while getting some criticism for its more "kiddy" tone, is considered by many to be superior to the original game, despite its smaller scale and inferior graphics. The huge variety of Anima is seen as the game's strongest selling point, while it stays true to the original title's gameplay and features a highly praised soundtrack and beautiful graphics. The game is considered one of the best handheld RPGs of the year, and a worthy successor to the original game. It's released in May 2003, one week after Metal Gear Vaporized, and actually has a slightly stronger first sales week than that game (though overall sales ultimately prove to be less).

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Goldeneye 007

Goldeneye 007 is Rareware's handheld port of the Ultra Nintendo classic. While Electronic Arts was the rights holder to the James Bond franchise as of 2003, Rare retained a "right of remake" clause for the Goldeneye 007 game itself, allowing the company to port Goldeneye 007 to future Nintendo consoles. It features the same gameplay as the original, and even keeps all the original levels. Of course, being a Nova game, the graphics are somewhat downgraded (it still looks quite good for the Nova, with graphics on par with that of a lesser OTL PS1 FPS game, including limited 3-D even if some textures are lacking). In addition, all the cinematic features of the original title, such as voice acting and many of the cutscenes, have been cut out as well. It's still a fantastic shooter, and received quite well. It also has local multiplayer, up to four players via the use of a link cable or the Nova's infrared functionality.

The main significance of Goldeneye 007, other than the quality of the port, is that it was the first game to make Nintendo really think about the need for a Nova successor. Despite the Nova's continued strong sales, competition has been slowly coming in. The Motorola Elite's sales, while still weaker than the Nova's, were slowly but steadily rising, and Nintendo also knew that Apple and Sega might be working on some kind of handheld device together if the rumors about the buyout were true. Numerous fans had been clamoring to Nintendo about the need for an online Goldeneye. In fact, Rare had considered the possibility of a possible link device between the Nintendo Wave and the Game Boy Nova that would allow the Nova to use the Wave's online functionality to play the Nova Goldeneye online. Such a link device had been made for the Ultra Nintendo, but because the Ultra didn't have online capabilities, Goldeneye couldn't take advantage. Martin Hollis and Ken Kutaragi were in numerous talks about the potential for such a device, but Nintendo did not plan to make a link device for the Wave and Nova, at least as of 2003 (had Nintendo not been thinking about the Nova's successor, they may have put such a device into production at that time). So, while Goldeneye Nova didn't have any online capabilities, the possibility came up at many points. Despite the lack of online multiplayer, the game is a major commercial success upon its release in June 2003.

 

[RySenkari]

Deep Black 2

Deep Black 2 is the sequel to Microsoft's Xbox launch window FPS Deep Black. The game retains the original's playstyle and level of difficulty, which involves playing as a sparsely armed character who must obtain their own weaponry through any means necessary in order to complete nigh-impossible missions with little to no outside help. While Deep Black was a somewhat simple game, created as a fairly rushed FPS title due to the lack of FPS games in the Xbox's launch window, Deep Black 2 is somewhat more complex and involved. It features improved graphics and more levels, and a more developed plotline as well. Rather than play as a nameless operative, you play as Lorenzo "Ren" Busko, a Marine who ends up trapped behind enemy lines after a botched attempt to capture the terrorist leader Khadal bin Fasaid. This is one of the first video games to deal with Middle Eastern terrorism post-9/11, and considering the subject matter, the game presents a surprisingly multifaceted group of characters: bin Fasaid isn't some cackling, single-minded warlord, he's presented as a well-rounded villain with strong motivations for becoming a terrorist (though none of these are presented as being in any way justified). Also, many of Busko's few allies during the course of the game are Muslims, including a defector from bin Fasaid's organization who sacrifices himself to save Busko's life at a crucial point. The levels are relatively straight-forward, with few opportunities to go off the beaten path. Despite this, the gameplay presents a high variety of situations and numerous approaches to getting through those situations. The difficulty does get frustrating at times, with many gamers complaining of unfair firefights or cheap kills, but overall, the game is quite well received. The multiplayer mode, which includes online gameplay (unlike the original game's multiplayer, which was local only) is among the best in an Xbox FPS to date. Overall, Deep Black 2 builds on the original game, exceeding it both critically and commercially, and ensuring the continuation of the series. It's released on May 12, 2003, and is one of the top selling Xbox titles of the month, beating out rival FPS Gemini: Shadow In The Dark.

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Return To Castle Wolfenstein

Return To Castle Wolfenstein is a port of the 2002 PC title (released in 2001 IOTL) which re-imagines the classic Wolfenstein series with enhanced graphics and presentation. It sees Army Ranger B.J. Blazkowicz return to action to battle the Nazis after being captured and locked inside Castle Wolfenstein, where the Nazis conduct their most deadly and vile experiments. While the game starts out inside the castle, eventually Blazkowicz breaks out and travels to a nearby village, and eventually to other European countries. Blazkowicz must not only battle living Nazi soldiers, but their army of undead as well, and must also battle soldiers armed with futuristic technology. The game's plot and gameplay have much in common with the OTL title, but also includes a mission set in occupied Paris, in which Blazkowicz liberates the city (one year earlier than OTL) by battling an enormous panzer tank that can transform into a giant battlemech. In general, Return To Castle Wolfenstein is somewhat more ludicrous than OTL's game, owing to the longer development time and bump up in technology. There are new characters, including a stoic Nazi sargeant who wields an electric sword, and a femme fatale who serves as a triple agent: she originally works with Blazkowicz, only to defect to the Nazis, only to secretly be working with Blazkowicz's superiors the whole time, even having to fool Blazkowicz so that his reactions to her betrayal would seem authentic. She serves as somewhat of a love interest for Blazkowicz, but even after she reveals that she's been on his side the entire time, he decides he can't be with her because someone that good at being a spy probably can't be trusted. Like OTL's game, Return To Castle Wolfenstein features a robust multiplayer mode with both local and online multiplayer. It pits a team of Allied soldiers against a team of Axis soldiers, and has a large variety of modes, moreso than almost any other Xbox FPS. Return To Castle Wolfenstein is released on May 26, 2003, and like many of the other big Xbox FPS sequels of its time, is a commercial success.

Like the racing title boom of early 2002, the Xbox FPS wave of spring 2003 gives a lot of Xbox owners "FPS fatigue". There are too many quality shooters, and not enough time or money to play them all. In addition, a few of them start to blend together: Gemini: Shadow In The Dark and Return To Castle Wolfenstein have very similar playstyles, which almost certainly limits the sales potential of both games. It also contributes to the ongoing criticism of the Xbox, with some fans of other consoles giving it the "FPSBox" nickname without much irony. Despite this, the Xbox's hardware sales remain strong, a close second behind those of the Nintendo Wave throughout the spring, and far ahead of Sega's Katana. While fans may be starting to tire of the constant stream of FPS games, the Xbox remains a very good seller, and as long as the hardware sales held out, the system would continue featuring the games it's perhaps best known for.

 

[RySenkari]

As E3 2003 approached, the Nintendo Wave was still selling like hotcakes, though the company was able to keep store shelves stocked for the most part throughout the months of April and May. Between Nintendo, Japan, and Europe, the Wave broke the five million units barrier in mid-April, and throughout the entire month of April, sold over one million units alone. While sales began to slow up just a bit into May, Wave sales remained well ahead of those of the Xbox, which was still running a strong second, averaging about 600,000 units sold per month. The Sega Katana, while still running a distant third to the Xbox, hadn't seen its sales dip even after the release of the Wave. In fact, Katana sales were picking up, if only slightly: sales went from 220,000 in March 2003 to 260,000 in April, and the release of Knuckles and Bit was helping May 2003 to be the strongest month for the Katana since 2002. The only console that saw its sales drop that spring was the Ultra Nintendo: Ultra Nintendo sales dipped slightly in March 2003 and April 2003, and then plunged in May, though sales were still outpacing that of the Katana. The Ultra Nintendo was still selling well at $99, with a variety of game bundles available.

The fact remained that the Wave was now on top of the gaming world, and, thanks partially to Nintendo generously stocking shelves, was actually outpacing Ultra Nintendo sales over its first few months of release, if only slightly. The Wave was well on its way to being Nintendo's next big hit, and Nintendo's #1 position in the game industry was still unchallenged.

Though the Wave still lacked a killer app, Killer Instinct 3 and Mario Kart: Double Dash! were still topping sales charts throughout April 2003, along with Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame, which took advantage of heavy sales during the start of the 2003 MLB season to remain a strong third ahead of the Wave's new releases during that month. In addition to the excellent new Wave exclusives popping up that spring, a number of ports, both straight and enhanced, made their way to the console.

April 2003 saw the releases of Devil May Cry and Ridge Racer Wave. Devil May Cry featured a number of graphical and gameplay enhancements, and was the best selling of the early Wave ports, with a great deal of hype accompanying its release in the runup to the release of that year's sequel. Ridge Racer Wave was an enhanced port of Ridge Racer 3, which was exclusive to the Katana. It boasted vastly improved graphics (not quite on par with Gran Turismo 3, but still outstanding compared to any racing game released before it save for perhaps the Xbox's Project Gotham Racing) and a number of new tracks, and also a sleek new presentation style. It was the first Ridge Racer to come to a Nintendo home console, and it was an improvement even over the excellently received original.

Max Payne and Victory came in May. A pair of gritty shooters, the two games were fairly identical to the original Katana/Xbox versions, with Victory boasting a few more enhancements than Payne. Both games sold well, with Victory eventually outselling the Katana and Ultra Nintendo versions of the game. Of course, Victory looked vastly better than the Ultra Nintendo version, showing just how much of a technological leap the Wave was.

In June, The Sims came to the Wave, and while it wasn't quite as robust in terms of options as the PC version was (it lacked all the mods of the PC version, obviously), it was still a very solid port, and slightly better received than those on the Wave and the Katana. Thanks to good promotion by Nintendo, it became the best selling console version of the game, though it would never be the kind of phenomenon that the PC version was.

As 2003 rolled on, the Wave was not only amassing a library of original content, but of some of the best games of the past two years, games that only Katana and Xbox owners had gotten to play up until that point. The biggest of the ports, Grand Theft Auto, wouldn't be announced until E3. But even without Grand Theft Auto, Nintendo and Sony had plenty to be happy about with their marvelous new console.

-”The History Of Console Gaming: Year-By-Year (Part 8)”, Wired.com, posted on July 3, 2012

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Wave Race: Blue Crest

The sequel to Wave Race: Ultramarine, Blue Crest is the TTL equivalent to OTL's Wave Race: Blue Storm for the OTL Nintendo Gamecube. It has many of the same features as OTL's game, including weather forecasts that allow the player to choose to race on days when the weather is more favorable to them. It boasts some of the best graphics of any console game to date, particularly the water, which is universally regarded as the best yet seen in a console game. It boasts 14 characters, six more than OTL's game, with a variety of quirks and difficulties that allow players to select the character best suited to them. Rebecca (from Squad Four) returns as a guest character, though Otacon (from Metal Gear Solid) does not. In his place are three other guest characters: Joanna Dark, Nash Grieves (from Victory) and Aki Ross from the upcoming Final Fantasy X, in the character's first appearance in a video game (and part of Squaresoft's heavy promotional push for the character). The game itself is heavily promoted as part of the general early hypefest surrounding the Wave, with the game's graphics pushed front and center as an example of the console's technological quality. Released in April 2003, Wave Race: Blue Crest sees the best reviews for the series to date, though sales themselves are somewhat less than Nintendo anticipated. Ultimately, the game would become the best selling of the three games in the series, but not the huge blockbuster Nintendo was hoping for. Regardless, the game turns a healthy profit and would continue to see decent sales as part of the Wave's budget re-release program down the road.

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Wario World

Wario World is the first major Nintendo platformer to be pushed for the Wave, sort of taking the place of OTL's Luigi's Mansion, though Wario World doesn't quite make the launch window (it comes out in May 2003). OTL's Wario World was developed by Treasure, but as Treasure remains an Enix subsidiary ITTL, and though Enix now makes games for other companies, Treasure is still focusing largely on the Katana, Wario World is instead developed by Nintendo R&D1, the company that did the Wario Land games both IOTL and ITTL. Thus, Wario World is quite different from OTL's game. It's still a 3-D platformer and still focuses more on Wario fighting than platforming, but there's a great deal of exploration and treasure hunting involved, and the game plays out like the original Wario Land game if it was developed in the same way as the Mario 3-D platformers. The plot involves Wario, whose castle is huge but could always be bigger, learning about a great buried treasure on an island. He obtains a treasure map and hunts the treasure down....but when he finds the archipelago where the treasure is located, he realizes it could be on any one of ten islands, and begins island-hopping to find his riches. He's opposed on his quest by familiar series foil Captain Syrup, a beautiful pirate captain who serves as both friend and foe to Wario on his quest. Wario must battle a variety of overgrown animals, greedy pirates, and sea monsters to win his riches. In the end, he learns that the legendary Sea Kraken has captured his treasure, and he reluctantly teams up with Syrup to descend into the Kraken's lair to find it. He defeats the Kraken, and depending on how much treasure Wario's gathered throughout the game, he'll either end up marooned on an island by Syrup, left with only a little bit of his treasure, left with a lot of his treasure, or left with all the treasure, enough to buy his own huge island and live in a castle so big it makes even Mario cry. With its whimsical storyline and use of some of the best tropes and mechanics from past Wario Land games, Wario World is generally received better than the original. It's not considered as good as the Mario games by any stretch, the platforming isn't as fun, the missions are somewhat repetitive, and Wario himself just isn't as likable, but it's a solid 8/10 platformer and it sells extremely well due to it being the first true Nintendo platformer on the new system. It doesn't exactly quench Mario fans' thirst for a new game on the Wave, but it's a decent appetizer.

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Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Perhaps the most anticipated Wave title following Killer Instinct 3, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is released in June 2003 (after the E3 show in May, where it gets a major presence by Nintendo and Sony). The previous two games both sold over ten million copies each on the Ultra Nintendo, and Gran Turismo 3 had a lot to live up to. A game several years in the making, it serves as both the most advanced racing simulator yet and a showcase for the graphical power of the Nintendo Wave. The game features over 400 cars, significantly more than what appeared in OTL's game, due to the longer development cycle and the Wave's improved capabilities. It features both an Arcade Mode and a Simulation Mode, just like OTL's game, and it also features online gameplay. Upon its release, it becomes the first Wave title to score a higher GameRankings percentage than Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame, and quickly becomes the highest selling game to date on the system, topping Mario Kart: Double Dash! in just six weeks of release. The game raises the bar for simulation racing on consoles, and is considered among the best games of 2003.

The game did mark a departure in terms of advertising and promotion. Ayrton Senna did not return to promote the game. Instead, Formula One racer Michael Schumacher took over as the main promoter for the series, appearing in both television advertisements and magazine ads for the game, which mostly promoted the game's addition of Formula One racers. Senna would respond by taking over for Dale Earnhardt to promote NASCAR 2K4.

 

[RySenkari]

March 31, 2003

Steve Jobs took a few moments to study the sheet of paper that had been placed before him. He looked up at Hisao Oguchi, then briefly turned to the Apple executives seated behind him. He looked down at the paper again.

"This is the best you can do?" asked Jobs, adjusting his glasses for a moment and glancing skeptically at Oguchi.

"This is a fair price," Oguchi replied. Jobs looked down at the paper again.

"I think.... you can come down just a bit more," said Jobs, and wrote something on the paper. He slid the paper to Oguchi, who shook his head.

"Sonic the Hedgehog... Ecco the Dolphin... Shenmue....Virtua Fighter...these are lucrative franchises. We cannot sell them for less than this price. We have already come down so much from our initial offer."

Jobs knew that Toshiba was wavering, but he also knew that other companies were starting to probe Sega, and stabilizing Katana sales were starting to make Sega's valuation creep up. This price was a bargain, and once other companies began making their own offers, this price may not last. Jobs looked down at the paper again.

"It will take us a lot of work to move into this business," said Jobs. "We're taking an enormous risk."

"So did we. It paid off. It isn't the easiest business, but someone with the right mindset and the willingness to break the rules can accomplish many things."

Jobs knew Oguchi was trying to flatter him, but flattery wouldn't make him take a bad deal. He looked down at the sheet of paper again. One of the Apple executives whispered something into Jobs' ear. Jobs nodded, then looked down at the paper a fourth time. He picked it up. He held it in his hands. He showed it to the other executives, who nodded in affirmation. They weren't nodding to signal that Jobs should take the deal, but that it was his decision whether or not to do so.

"This IS a fair price," thought Jobs. "The question is, do I really want to do this?"

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"Woz, what are you playing?" asked Jobs. It was 1990, and Jobs was in preparations to launch his new venture, the NeXT computer. He was spending time at the home of his former business partner and longtime friend Steve Wozniak, and as he was coming back from the kitchen with a glass of orange juice, he saw Wozniak playing a Gameboy.

"Tetris," Wozniak replied, his eyes focused on the screen.

"Oh yeah, that Russian game."

"It's addictive."

Jobs walked over to look at the screen as Wozniak was playing. It was a simple game, perfect for the monochromatic screen of the Gameboy. Nothing like the colorful, vivid game cabinets still guzzling quarters at arcades and pizza parlors everywhere, but something about this game was more engrossing than all the fancy arcade titles put together.

"How are those things doing, by the way? The Gameboys?"

"Beats me," said Wozniak, continuing to play his game. "I'm not a Nintendo shareholder."

"Well I'm gonna find out," Jobs replied. "If people are as into that game as you are I bet they're selling a ton of them."

"Probably," said Wozniak, clearing his 250th line.

"...we could do something like that. The Gameboy. There can't be a very powerful chip in there. ....maybe after this NeXT thing rolls out, we could do something like this. But make it even better, with a color screen."

Wozniak and Jobs had worked on games together, back in the day. The two had cut their teeth on video games before starting Apple. Jobs had always wanted to get back into the industry, but by the time he'd left Apple, Nintendo was just starting to tighten its grip, and there didn't seem to be room for any competitors. Maybe, just maybe, there was room for something else like this.

But it was just a passing fancy. NeXT took off, then Sega rolled out their Game Gear. Jobs focused on NeXT, passed up the deal with Bandai, and finally returned to Apple after they'd bought out his new venture.

13 years after that brief flicker of inspiration in Steve Wozniak's living room, things had come full circle.

-

Steve Jobs set the piece of paper back down on Hisao Oguchi's desk.

"Mr. Oguchi..."

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"I remember being shocked when I heard the news: Apple had bought us out for $986 million. I knew about the rumors, obviously, but just hearing that it had actually happened was really mindblowing. All of a sudden, my colleagues and I had a new boss, and nothing would ever be the same. And soon afterward, I was one of the first people Steve Jobs wanted to talk to. Of course I was nervous, I thought he was planning to fire me. But instead, the two of us had a long conversation. I remember it being almost three hours. We talked about family, we talked about our careers, and of course, we talked about video games. He ran a number of ideas past me, ideas to really shake things up, ideas to come after both Microsoft and Nintendo. I thought most of them were good, the ones that weren't, I told him what I thought. He told me he wanted me to be the number one guy on his team. I agreed, of course, and that was the start of the long, sometimes bumpy, but mostly positive relationship between myself and Steve Jobs. We both knew we had an uphill battle. The thing is, even though he'd come on only recently, I think he had a better grasp of just how tough it would be than even I did."
-Reggie Fils-Aime, in a 2015 interview with Kotaku.com

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Even after Sega and Apple agreed to terms on the purchase of Sega's games division, the two companies still had a number of hurdles to jump, some legal, some financial. The two companies had to negotiate just what sort of relationship Apple and Sega would now have. Sega, of course, would now be primarily a toy company, though they would continue to operate their arcades in Japan. They would also continue to operate the Sega Gameverse arcades in North America, at least for the time being. Those were in a slow decline, a number of locations had closed, though most still remained. Apple would eventually introduce some brand synergy to those facilities, pairing some of them up with Apple Stores adjacent to the arcades. Sega also held the exclusive rights to produce toys based on their game properties, though Apple would receive a cut of this. For the most part, however, Sega had exited the game business completely. They invested the nearly $1 billion from Apple into promotion, research, and development for their toy lines and used a small fraction of it to bolster some of their more popular arcade facilities. The injection of funds would pay dividends for Sega in the years to come, cementing them as one of the world's premier toy companies and joining Hasbro and Mattel in what would be known as the "toy triumvirate".

Apple was about to enter the video game business in a big way. While all the i's were being dotted and all the t's crossed, the two companies would remain mum about the deal itself, though it was one of the worst-kept secrets in the gaming press, especially after Toshiba and the other potential suitors for Sega suddenly dropped out of the race. The first public announcement of the partnership would come at E3 2003, amidst all the glitz, glamour, and game announcements of that year's expo. Rather than launch into developing a new console immediately, Apple would bide their time and continue to push and promote the Katana. Apple began courting software companies to begin developing games for both the Katana and the Macintosh, which would be re-imagined as somewhat of a budget alternative to the Xbox and the Wave. Apple would begin to introduce elements of iTunes to the SegaNet service, starting with the introduction of classic Genesis games that could be downloaded to the system, a home console first (though the Sega Channel allowed the download of games to the Genesis via a cable line, SegaNet would be the first time that a consumer could purchase and permanently own downloadable games). While Apple did begin research into what the Katana's console successor would be, they didn't want to launch anything to early, so as not to be technologically behind whatever Nintendo and Microsoft had coming next. Instead, the company's immediate hardware focus would be on a project that Steve Jobs had been dreaming up for many years...an advanced handheld gaming device, bearing Apple's name and Sega's games. For now, it would largely be business as usual. First-party games would continue to carry the Sega label, and the Katana would continue to be marketed as the Sega Katana. It would be some time before Apple would truly begin to forge its own identity in the video game industry.

-”The History Of Console Gaming: Year-By-Year (Part 8)”, Wired.com, posted on July 3, 2012

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Mindy Kaling: And it has been confirmed that Steve Jobs will be appearing at E3. Not only will he be present on the show floor, but he'll also be giving a keynote speech at the event, fueling the continued rumors that Apple may have purchased Sega. Neither Apple nor Sega has commented on Jobs' appearance at E3.

Patrick Clark: Meanwhile, Sega has a full slate of games on tap for the upcoming event, including numerous Sonic announcements, a new Commander Keen game, and possibly a new Virtua Fighter as well. Katana sales have picked up in recent weeks, and they may pick up even more: many are speculating that Sega will announce a Katana price drop at the show.

Mindy: While Jobs has been confirmed to appear at the show, it's not been announced what he'll be discussing, so it's likely we'll have to wait until E3 itself before we know what the topic of Jobs' speech is going to be. And of course, we'll have all the coverage from the floor of E3, including live footage of Steve Jobs' keynote speech, here on G4.

Patrick: So, do you have any guesses about what Steve Jobs could be talking about at E3?

Mindy: Maybe he'll answer the burning question on everyone's minds: why are there hardly any good games on the Mac? I mean honestly, I go to the store, I pick up a PC game, and almost always it says on the box: not for Macintosh computers. My guess: he's going to come up to the podium, tell us all how much he hates video games, and that we should be doing something better with our lives, like buying the new model iPod for only $599.99.

Patrick: Now with 40 gigs of memory, or just enough to fit In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida!

-from the April 21, 2003 episode of G4 Weekly News

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"From the days of the SG-1000's launch against Nintendo's Famicom in 1983, Sega had been chasing Nintendo. Even after scrapping the SG-1000 for the technologically superior Master System, Sega struggled to achieve the kind of market share to challenge their rival, now a rapidly growing titan of the industry. With the Genesis, Sega had finally found its groove, and thanks to the clever marketing and savvy of executive Tom Kalinske, the company stood a fighting chance, even when Nintendo teamed up with Sony, making the odds decisively uneven. In 1997, with the Saturn going strong and the SNES-CD fading, Sega perhaps achieved its zenith: the one moment when its market share reached a majority, the one moment when it seemed that they might finally topple the giant once and for all. But the Ultra Nintendo exceeded even Nintendo's own lofty expectations, and like the tragic hero Icarus, brought Sega swiftly down to Earth. And yet, the chase continued. Sega continued to pump out great games, and even after the battle was joined by computer company Microsoft, the Katana seemed like it could be a contender. But with sales and fortunes slipping, and with Sega's toy division being held back by the continued failure of the Katana to achieve anything close to what its rivals were achieving, the company finally decided to cut its losses. The finalization of the sale of Sega's games division to Apple, on May 9th, 2003, marked the end of an era in the game industry. It marked a shift of the game industry from a strict focus on gaming to an approach incorporating computers, multimedia, and of course, the Internet, the most epochal technological development of the past 50 years. It marked the end of the industry's Japanese civil war and launched the battle of East vs. West, the one that Microsoft had fired the opening shot in with the launch of the Xbox, but which now had turned into Microsoft/Apple vs. Nintendo/Sony, even as the two American computer companies themselves competed as bitter rivals.

It was a new beginning...and the end of the chase. After 20 years, Nintendo had crossed the finish line first, just as the starting gun went off yet again. Sega, the game company, now Apple. Sega, the toy company, watching from the sidelines with both sadness and relief."
-The Chase: Sega's 20-Year Struggle To Take Down A Giant

 

[RySenkari]

(Authors' Note: Just like last year, we're splitting E3 up into two days. Day 1 is the Apple and Microsoft keynotes, and Day 2 will be Nintendo's keynote, PC game coverage, software company presentations, and reactions/awards. Enjoy!)

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"Hello, and thank you all for coming out today. My name is Steve Jobs, and believe it or not, this isn't my first time working in the video game industry. Thirty years ago, my partner Steve Wozniak and I worked on arcade game boards for Atari. From there, the two of us started working on computers, and together, we founded Apple. Today, Apple is returning to the seed from which it first sprung forth. I know a lot of you have mixed feelings about Apple's acquisition of Sega's classic video game library. But trust me when I say, this was a move many years in the making. It has always been my dream to return to the industry that gave me my start in the technology business, and today, I'm going to share some of my dreams with you. I dream of a company that responds instantly to the needs and desires of gamers around the world. I dream of a company that sits at the cutting edge of multimedia technology. I dream of a world where the games you want can be acquired with the touch of a button, rather than a trip to the store. Today's presentation is about the future, and the future is always changing."
-from the beginning of Steve Jobs' keynote speech at E3 2003, May 12, 2003

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Apple Keynote - E3 2003

Apple's keynote began with a presentation by Steve Jobs, who was giving what was considered to be the most anticipated speech in the history of the event. What would Sega's new direction be after its acquisition by Apple? What was to happen to the Katana? Would there be a brand new console? Right away, Steve Jobs had a lot of questions to answer, and he gave a passionate, informative speech that repeatedly drew cheers from the crowd. While there were lots of people in attendance who were skeptical of Apple's new role in the industry, who were sad to see Sega go and who were fearful that great franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog were on their way out, Jobs did much to reassure Sega's fans that Apple would continue the company's legacy of great games and hardware. He made it very clear that Apple would continue to support the Katana. The system was given a price cut to $149.99, effective immediately, and that would include a copy of Sonic Neon. Apple did not announce a Katana successor, or even allude to one, indicating that a new home console was at least two years away. Instead, Jobs announced a number of new programs to help bolster the Katana's fortunes. Starting October 1, 2003, SegaNet would no longer be a free service. It would be made available to fans at $49.99/year. This cost included online gameplay and online communities. In addition, Jobs promised that at least one free classic Sega game would be made available per month to SegaNet subscribers, from a selection of six. Also starting October 1st, the Katana would be able to download classic Master System and Genesis games to the console. Mega Charger, Sega CD, and Saturn games would be coming later, but on the first day, Jobs promised that more than 50 total games, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, the Phantasy Star games, Ecco the Dolphin, and others would be available, at a cost of $3.99 a piece for Master System games and $5.99 a piece for Genesis games. Jobs didn't discuss any particular games (he would leave most of the game discussion to Reggie Fils-Aime), except for one: the announcement of the next console Sonic title, Sonic Rover, based on 2002's Macintosh platforming hit Roaming Rover. Sonic Rover would be a 3-D platforming title that could use songs stored on the Katana to generate levels and obstacles (though the game also had a storyline mode with pre-designed levels). After briefly discussing Sonic Rover, Jobs teased a new gaming handheld, which he promised would combine the best features of the iPod with the most modern gaming handheld features ever to create a complete portable media device. He then said that development of the device had recently begun and that more information would be forthcoming at a future show. After teasing the new handheld, Jobs ceded the podium to Reggie Fils-Aime. The two shook hands before Reggie stepped up to discuss the Katana's upcoming lineup of games.

Reggie kicked things off by showing a trailer for Commander Keen: A Stitch In Time. The trailer introduced the new character, Billy Blaze's jock brother Bobby Blaze, who instigates the game's time traveling plot by attempting to travel back in time to give himself the answers to a history test. After this fails, the space-time continuum ends up completely out of whack, and Billy, Becky, and Bobby must all go back in time together to set things right. After the trailer, Reggie showed off some gameplay, mostly focused on the new character Bobby, who employs a bully-like, melee-centric moveset, including the ability to give wedgies to enemies (which put the crowd in stitches). An interesting game mechanic shown off in the gameplay footage is that completing a puzzle in one time period will open up secrets in future time periods. We saw a Wolfenstein-inspired level and a Roman-themed level as well. With Apple pushing this as the biggest Katana game of the year, it looks like it could very well live up to the hype, with one of the show's most positive reactions. The game is set to be released in August. Next up was a very bleak but very intriguing looking survivor horror game called Stage 8: Three Mile Island. The game takes place in an alternate reality where the Three Mile Island incident caused the worst nuclear disaster in world history, and in 1989, a group of scientists return to the site to investigate some very mysterious and disturbing occurrences. The game features gorgeous graphics which vividly depict a desolate, irradiated landscape, and the game looks to be truly scary as well. The trailer, which merely teased some of the game's mutated monsters, was one of the most frightening video game trailers we've ever seen, and caused the audience to gasp at certain parts. The game is set to release in July. On a much lighter note, there was a brief preview of a platforming title called Creme-Filled, featuring an anthropomorphic donut who must make his way through numerous food-based stages. The game actually looks to be a lot of fun and features a good deal of visually based humor, such as living ketchup bottles squirting at you, ice cream monsters melting when the sun is reflected at them, and your character powering up by collecting different colored sprinkles. It's a bit of a kiddy looking game, but still seems like a very fun and addictive platformer. It too launches in July.

It wouldn't be a Sega conference without some Sonic titles, and two of them were shown off at E3. We first got a look at a game coming out next year, a spinoff title featuring Sonic's girlfriend Amy Rose: Amy Rose's Wild Ride, which shows a lot of Amy in various vehicles, such as a biplane, a minecart, and even a giant baby stroller. While the game seems to feature a lot of racing and on-rails segments, there's also some standard 3-D platforming too, indicating this game might be a mix of both styles of gameplay. Then we got a gameplay preview video for next month's Sonic Revolution, showing off more characters and stages. The game is an extreme sports title mixing snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, and go-kart racing, and looks to be a much more comprehensive game than Sonic R for the Saturn. The game not only features Sonic characters, but characters such as Vectorman and Billy and Becky Blaze as well. Following up the Sonic segment, we saw a quick trailer/gameplay preview of No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Cate Archer returns in another FPS spy spoof, which looks to feature the same gameplay (but slightly improved graphics) over the previous title. The crowd was happy to see yet another game in this series, and the trailer, which showed Cate utilizing a large variety of gadgets as she attempts to stop the evil organization H.A.R.M. from seizing control of the American and Soviet nuclear missile stockpiles, was very positively received. The game launches in July, making this summer a very crowded one for the Katana, probably something the system needs after continuing to lag behind the Wave and Xbox in sales.

The next part of the segment was probably the biggest bombshell of Apple's presentation (apart from the Steve Jobs speech). After a brief preview of Virtua Quest 5, we got a teaser for Virtua Fighter 5, which is set to release to arcades later this year, and to the Sega Katana in 2004. The game looks fantastic, even moreso than Virtual Fighter 4 which was probably the most advanced Katana game graphically at the time of its release. The Katana needed a good exclusive fighter after losing Soul Calibur exclusivity, and a new Virtua Fighter, which got the crowd on its feet, seems to be just what the doctor ordered. For now, only two new characters were teased: a bald monk fighter with a tai chi based moveset, and a frail but fierce looking woman dressed in a tattered kimono. After Virtua Fighter 5 was shown off, we got a brief teaser for Shenmue III, which consisted mostly of Ryo Hazuki confronting a businessman and demanding answers. The teaser was essentially a "yes, we're working on this game and it'll probably be out in 2004" type of thing, but it did intrigue the crowd and got cheers at the end. The next segment was a preview of Shining Force V, which has recently been released in Japan to quite strong reviews. The game has a new action-based combat system, combining tactical RPG gameplay with action-RPG segments in which players position their units on a map before launching into a Tale-like combat segment. The graphics are a huge improvement from the previous game, which was on the Sega Saturn, and though Shining Force has never been a hugely popular series, it absolutely has its fans, who were excited to see the game previewed at the show. Then we got a series of brief previews of a few multiplatform titles coming to the Katana, including Devil May Cry 2, Legacy Of Kain: Defiance, Medal of Honor: The Blitz, and Dead Midnight: Fade. The crowd reacted the strongest to the new Dead Midnight trailer, which showed Steve Sheckert's squad infiltrated by a mole, forcing him to be unable to trust anyone, even as his team acquired a number of new recruits which were heavily emphasized in the preview trailer. The series seems to be going somewhat of a different direction, but the game looked incredibly impressive and should be a big hit when it launches early next year. The final segment of the address showed off lots of Panzer Dragoon Orta footage. The game looks incredible, especially for the Katana, and is definitely a return to the series' rail-shooting roots. The trailer also revealed that the protagonist won't be fighting alone, but alongside an entire team of dragon riders who communicate with the protagonist during battle. The amazing trailer drew lots of cheers from the crowd and was a great way for Apple's address to end.

The keynote made it clear that Apple's not abandoning the Sega Katana. There are loads of new games, both exclusive and multiplatform, coming to the system in the upcoming months, and at a $149.99 price tag, $100 lower than the Xbox and $150 lower than the Wave, it's definitely the cheapest way to get in on the current generation of games. While the Katana doesn't boast quite as many new games as the Wave or Xbox do, it might just be the best value of the three.

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Microsoft Keynote - E3 2003

Robbie Bach was once again the speaker for Microsoft at the show, and he started off by announcing a few facts about the Xbox itself, including sales figures and Xbox Live subscriber numbers. He boasted that Microsoft had sold more Xbox units in North America than the Katana and Wave combined. That WAS true, considering that the Wave had only been out in North America for just two short months. He boasted that the Xbox had the largest library of any next generation system to date, which, again, was true considering the Wave's short lifespan thus far (though it was impressive that the Xbox did have more games than the Katana, considering the Katana's head start). After talking about the Xbox's success, Bach immediately showed off the trailer for The Covenant 2, which prompted a massive ovation from the crowd after they realized what it was. It showed Master Chief and his squad returning to Earth to accept thanks from the grateful leaders of humanity for stopping the Covenant threat. However, the remaining soldiers of the Covenant have regrouped, and are now launching an invasion of Earth, forcing Master Chief (weakened from losing his enhanced DNA at the end of the original game) to repel the threat. The trailer showed Master Chief defending various futuristic Earth series from the aliens while also attempting to regain some of the power he had lost. It implied that in order to do so, Master Chief will need to reconnect with members of the progenitor race on their homeworld, showing that perhaps at least one member of that race is still living. While very little in the way of gameplay footage was shown (it's still very early in development), the trailer alone excited the crowd, creating a palpable buzz for the rest of the address. Microsoft followed up The Covenant 2's trailer with another bombshell: Techno Angel: Salvation was set for release early next year, and was most of the way through completion, with gameplay footage (which looked much better than that of the previous game) showing Adriana literally dropping in to the middle of a village in order to fire on a group of guerilla soldiers attempting to kidnap some of the children. Techno Angel: Salvation gives Adriana a whole new arsenal of weapons and gadgets to use on her enemies, with the ability to power up and create new technology in the field. In addition, the game's interface can change depending on what weapon Adriana is using. Salvation takes the previous game's formula and ratchets it up to 11, making the original game look like a proof-of-concept compared to what was shown off here. The game was announced to have a January 2004 release, much sooner than most of us expected, and from the looks of things, the game won't be a rushjob either.

There really wasn't much Bach could do to top the first two game announcements, though Special Force, a fighting game involving various special forces soldiers, was definitely a crowdpleaser. In addition to the standard martial arts combat, characters can shoot at one another with guns and other ranged weapons, making the game look like "Soul Calibur with guns". The combat is a lot bloodier than most fighting games, meaning this one will definitely get an M-rating. It also features guest appearances from characters like Resident Evil's Jill Valentine. Special Force was followed up by a preview of Battlefield 1942. We knew it would show up on the Xbox this year (it's also coming to the Wave later on), so the reaction to the trailer wasn't what one might expect. Still, the game does look quite nice on the Xbox and will probably sell quite well once it's released in August. There was then a preview for an Aeon Flux game, which featured a large open city with cel-shaded graphics meant to look like the strange art style of the MTV cartoon. The game seems to be your standard action brawler, though the animation on the various melee moves looked really smooth and nice. There was then a brief trailer/gameplay teaser for what looked like an open world JRPG called Seedlings Of Echo. The trailer emphasized the game's enormous world, which Bach said was only possible on the Xbox. The game features turn-based combat, though characters don't seem to enter a separate battle screen when they fight. After the Seedlings Of Echo trailer, which got a mostly muted reaction, Bach showed off a pair of racing titles, both of which looked quite good. He spent a good deal of time talking about Project Gotham Racing 2, bringing members of the game's development team onto the stage to discuss all the new cars and tracks, as well as the gameplay enhancements from the original. After the PGR2 segment came a segment discussing Excelsior Luxury Circuit, which boasts souped-up expensive supercars racing at tracks in exotic locales around the world, the prize money fueling the racers' extravagant lifestyle. It's Gran Turismo meets Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous, though the graphics looked quite great and the racing quite fun.

There was then a preview for a new exclusive Tom Clancy title from Ubisoft. Called Tom Clancy's Rendition, the game follows a squad of soldiers whose job it is to transport highly dangerous criminals secretly between countries. The game looks to have more of an open combat emphasis than the stealth-heavy Splinter Cell. The Tom Clancy games are usually quite high in quality (especially the recent Splinter Cell), so add Rendition to the list of highly anticipated shooter titles. After the Rendition preview was a bit of a surprise: another Japanese-style RPG preview, though this was a game developed by Ion Storm. That in and of itself was a surprising development (since Ion Storm has developed exclusively for Sega for the past several years), however, the controversy had been addressed in a number of articles leading up to the development of this particular game, which appears to be the result of a separate deal made between Ion Storm and Microsoft before the Xbox's release. The game itself is called Vitalogy, a sci-fi based title featuring turn-based combat about a group of explorers looking to find technology capable of returning their planet to a livable state. The reaction to Vitalogy's trailer was somewhat more favorable than that to the Seedlings Of Echo preview, and the game itself looks significantly different from anything Ion Storm has ever done. The unique nature of the game and the controversy surrounding its development have made Vitalogy one of the most buzzed about games of the show, and one we'll certainly be hearing a lot about before its release in September.

The next few previews were somewhat short and sweet. There was another preview for the upcoming FPS Cyberwar, and then a look at an Xbox exclusive version of SimCity somewhat different from SimCity 4, released on PC in March of this year. Xbox SimCity looked to be in some ways more detailed and in some ways less than its PC cousin, though its most intriguing feature looks to be the animated advisors who talk to the player during gameplay, giving them advice about their city and even at times arguing amongst themselves. We then saw a preview for Shadowrun, which has been growing somewhat in hype since its initial announcement a few weeks ago. Shadowrun will feature a top-down perspective, but with significantly better graphics than any previous incarnation of the game. It has a decidedly retro feel, but with a lot of modern flair, making it one of the more distinctive games of the show. Up next was a long preview of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, with Bethesda representatives appearing on stage to demo some of the gameplay. The game looks nothing like Morrowind, Bethesda is going with a more advanced engine for the game, sacrificing some scale but allowing areas to be more detailed and character interactions to be more in-depth. Unfortunately, we won't be getting to play Knights Of The Old Republic this year, as Bethesda is still hard at work polishing the game to make it play as well as we all expect it to. It appears that it will see a release early next year. The next segment began with a video speech from film director James Cameron, which surprised all of us. Cameron was announcing a new title he had written and was helping to develop exclusively for the Microsoft Xbox, called Manticore. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic future, the game is an action-adventure title. Its protagonist is an enhanced female soldier named Max, and the title of the game refers to the secret governmental organization that created and trained Max to be a killer. The gameplay preview showed off the game's advanced fighting and dialogue systems, and even a combination of the two: players can communicate with enemies who are fighting them, and can attempt to either antagonize them, threaten them, or even befriend them. During the video introducing Manticore, Cameron said that the game is based on an idea he'd been mulling around with a friend while directing Terminator 3. He said that he'd thought about developing the idea into a movie before deciding on developing it into a game, hoping that Manticore would represent the best of both worlds. After the Manticore segment came the trailer for Rise A Knight II: Imperial Dawn, the sequel to the 1999 Ultra Nintendo WRPG. Though the game was announced as an Xbox exclusive, it was soon uncovered that the game would be released for both the Xbox and the Wave simultaneously. The trailer showed a young boy watching soldiers train, and showed the boy growing up and rising through the ranks himself. It seems to imply that the boy's journey might parallel that of Julius Caesar, where the boy would rise from obscurity to start an empire. Rise A Knight had been an extremely successful game, and the announcement that the long-awaited sequel was finally coming in 2004 drew loud cheers from the crowd. The Rise A Knight II trailer concluded Microsoft's presentation.

The Xbox clearly had the more impressive presentation from a games perspective than the Katana did, though the Katana's presentation was quite possibly more impressive from a console and innovation standpoint. Microsoft clearly wanted to make a big impression, announcing a number of big sequels and exclusive franchise games, but it remains to be seen whether the Xbox can keep its strong second place position once Steve Jobs begins making his big moves. The one thing that was missing from the Xbox announcement was a price drop: the system is standing pat at $249. For now, Microsoft seems content to let the games do the talking.

-

(Authors' Note: We won't be covering the Nintendo keynote today, but here's a taste of what's in store...)

Shad: (narration) Lockstar was freed from oppression. Thanks to our rebellion, the planet was liberated from the treachery of General Vasher.

*Lockstar's citizens celebrate as Squad Four is once again paraded through the streets.*

Freedom was restored to the people, and my friends and I could once again rest easy. There would be no soldiers coming to take us in the night. No battles to fight. Finally, we could get some much needed relaxation.

*Shad, Rebecca, Marcus, and Lane are shown participating in various recreational activities, including volleyball, water skiing, and video games. The four of them relax together happily, enjoying the simple pleasures of life.*

But in the chaos of revolution, the galaxy had shifted. Lockstar's attention had been drawn inward, with no eyes toward the shadows.

*During Squad Four's escape from prison in Rebellion, a nameless criminal is seen slipping away amidst the chaos.*

Our armies were too busy fighting each other to keep the peace throughout the galaxy. The upheaval created by the rebellion caused entire planets to fall into the hands of opportunistic warlords and criminals. While we were dealing with our own problems, new ones were popping up everywhere...

*That same criminal is shown reuniting with some of his buddies and raising up a private army. They land on a backwoods planet, where civilization is peaceful and technology is primitive. The takeover is swift...and brutal.*

President Stroma: Squad Four, there's been a distress signal from a planet in a remote sector.

*The squad hears the fearful voice of a young girl.*

Girl: Someone, anyone, please help us.... a very cruel man has taken over....he calls himself Blitzkrieg... he's sent machines and soldiers everywhere....they....they hurt anyone who tries to resist....please....!!!

Rebecca: Blitzkrieg....wasn't he...?

Stroma: Blitzkrieg was imprisoned in Lockstar's District Seven prison, the same one that the four of you were imprisoned in before the civil war. He's the leader of a gang of dangerous space pirates who'd been attacking transport ships before we locked him up.

Marcus: He must have escaped in the riot we caused...

Shad: Which means...

Rebecca: It's our fault he escaped.

Stroma: You can't blame yourselves.

Shad: No. Blitzkrieg is our problem and we have to clean it up. Just tell us which planet he's on and we'll take him down.

*Scenes from the game are now shown, depicting the precise, third person run and gun shooting and exploration gameplay of the previous game, only with significantly better graphics. The game seems to take place on a planet much like that shown in the original Squad Four, giving the environments a lush, unexplored feel. The Squad Four team can be shown battling both native fauna and human technology alike, with some machines seemingly a mixture of both, introducing biotech to the series.*

Shad: *holding a child under one arm as he runs for his life from something massive coming after him* Come on, come on, come on, where are they?!

Lane: *sitting against a rock, typing away at an advanced laptop computer, he comes out from behind his rock and is surrounded by Blitzkrieg's soldiers, but he just smirks and forms his computer into an advanced raygun which he uses to blow them away*

Marcus: *lets out a loud cry as he swings his axe at a frog-shaped robot mech firing lasers at him* I'm getting really sick of these things!

Rebecca: *leaps down from a very tall tree and spins around, swinging her blades at a group of fierce looking cat-like creatures surrounding her*

*The scenes show off numerous panoramic views of the planet, demonstrating the Wave's technical prowess. The environments look beautiful and there are all kinds of weather conditions, including rain and sandstorms. More emotional scenes from the game are shown, depicting characters running in fear, Blitzkrieg laughing loudly, and Lane and Rebecca comforting a pair of young children.*

Lane: We'll make them pay for what they did to your mom and dad. We promise.

Shad: BLITZKRIEG!!!! *screaming out as Blitzkrieg stands on a cliff facing him, as Shad is surrounded by an army of mechs and soldiers*

Blitzkrieg: I don't think you and your friends will be bothering us again. Kill him!

Shad: *looks determined but fearful*

*More scenes of combat gameplay are shown, depicting Shad and his friends fighting some of Blitzkrieg's buddies. As a montage of cutscenes plays, Shad can be heard giving a speech.*

We let this happen. We let this terrible monster escape. And no matter what, we're going to stop him. Even if it means our lives.

Blitzkrieg: The galaxy's ripe for the taking. Lockstar can't protect it anymore. Squad Four can't protect it anymore. Anyone with enough strength can take whatever he wants! This planet's all mine, and there ain't a thing anyone can do about it. Anyone wants to take what's mine, come and get it. I'll kill 'em all.

Bullies can't just take whatever they want. We're going to save this planet and these people like we always have. We're Squad Four, and that's what we do.

*There's one more montage of Squad Four fighting and looking determined, then the game's logo is shown.*

SQUAD FOUR: UPHEAVAL

Experience The Power

-the Squad Four: Upheaval trailer, the first thing shown during Nintendo's keynote presentation at E3 2003 on May 13, 2003

 

[RySenkari]

Nintendo Keynote - E3 2003

Nintendo's E3 keynote address began with a trailer for Squad Four: Upheaval, which showed us a lot more of the plot and gameplay than we'd seen before. Bill Trinen then took the stage, along with several members of the Argonaut team, to discuss the game. Upheaval was the big flagship game of Nintendo's show, and there was plenty of footage of some of the new features, including new melee moves and power-ups. The shooting mechanic has changed somewhat to be a bit quicker, with the option to lock onto multiple enemies at once with a multi-projectile weapon. The gameplay in Upheaval has evolved a lot more than early footage seemed to indicate, and the game has taken some inspiration from The Covenant for its shooting mechanics (though it still seems a bit slower paced). Argonaut also unveiled a multiplayer combat mode, a series first. The game's release date was announced for November 3. After the Upheaval presentation, Argonaut remained on stage to unveil X: Heroic Valor, a new installment of the tank combat series. The game seems to be returning to the series' roots, with a much more agile tank and a larger variety of new worlds that sees now-General Xenda and his corps returning to the battlefield. Players will be able to take control of a number of infantry soldiers for this game as well, and these soldiers are rewarded for bravery in combat with special Valor Points. Argonaut also unveiled that their team is in the early stages of working on a new Starfox game, and that the three worlds of Squad Four, X, and Starfox will come together, in a multi-year event called "Heroic Universe". Starting with Squad Four: Upheaval, each of the three games will contain a piece of a puzzle that will be fully revealed in a future game. After revealing this, Squad Four: Eclipse was revealed to have a port coming to the Game Boy Nova later in the year.

The Argonaut team left the stage, and then a trailer played that got one of the biggest reactions of the show: a trailer for Grand Theft Auto, which was announced to be coming to the Wave in October. Right after that, the trailer for Grand Theft Auto: Miami played, revealing that game's port to the Wave in 2004. While Grand Theft Auto has long been considered an Xbox exclusive, fans quietly speculated that Rockstar might someday bring the series to Nintendo, and now we have our confirmation. After the GTA reveal, there was a big segment on Beyond Good and Evil, which showed off a lot more gameplay and gave more detail on protagonist Jade. Next, a pair of racing games were presented. First up was Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, coming to the Wave next month. And in August, we'll be getting F-Zero GX. F-Zero's never looked prettier than it does on the Wave, with more than 30 amazing tracks and the fastest racing action ever, it looks to be the best and most challenging F-Zero game yet. Next was a quick splash reel showing off a few third party games, including ActRaiser: The Master Returns, Alien Lancer: The Rise Of Morgath, and Shade 'n Myco. The last game looked especially intriguing, it's a horror-themed platformer featuring a mysterious shadow creature who has to team up with an anthropomorphic mushroom as the two venture through a world of dark forests and deadly beasts. While ActRaiser will be a Wave exclusive, both Alien Lancer and Shade 'n Myco are multiplatform. Speaking of horror and platformers, the next presentation was by Rareware, and they were quite excited to show off Conker: Grabbed By The Ghoulies, where the fun-loving squirrel has to help a teenage boy rescue his girlfriend by venturing into a haunted mansion. The game looks absolutely lovely, and unlike Shade 'n Myco, looks more silly than scary, with plenty of rude humor and zany enemies. Grabbed By The Ghoulies looks like it could be one of the year's best platformers, and despite the game seemingly taking place inside a single location, the mansion seems plenty big enough to contain a variety of spooky environments. After the Conker preview, the Rare presenters started to leave the stage...but stopped and revealed one last game. It appeared at first to be a new Donkey Kong Country game...but then the Battletoads showed up. The game was revealed as a crossover, featuring levels that seem to combine 2-D platforming with 3-D exploration, and feature Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, who must work together to clear levels populated by enemies, while also completing tricky platforming challenges. The game's official title is Donkey Kong And Battletoads, and it appears that the Dark Queen will be the game's villain.

After that bombshell reveal, which drew almost as many cheers from the crowd as the Squad Four: Upheaval trailer and the Grand Theft Auto reveal, a few more third party titles were briefly shown off, including Afraid, a survival horror title from Activision, and The Containers, a sci-fi action title from Capcom that looks like a cross between Dead Midnight and Mega Man in terms of playstyle, featuring a pair of scientists, one man and one woman, who travel the world in search of energy sources and absorb them into their special suits, which gives them special powers. Namco had a brief presentation afterward, which was quite exciting since the company hasn't presented for Nintendo at E3 in quite some time. After showing off more of Soul Calibur II, which is confirmed to be released on August 11, 2003, they then showed off footage from the Ace Combat reboot, which is coming exclusively to the Wave. The game looks absolutely incredible, with realistic fighter jets flying over a variety of locales, and some incredible futuristic dogfights. The audience gasped at some of the gameplay footage, and the game is reported to be only halfway complete, meaning we won't be seeing it until 2004. Ace Combat got an even more positive reception than Soul Calibur II, which was an encouraging sign for the quality of the game. After a brief teaser trailer for a new Nintendo IP called Big Bad Hero, which depicts a sorcerer who was once evil but has awoken after a long sleep and must recruit a team of outcasts to help him save the world, Bill Trinen introduced Squaresoft's Ted Woolsey to the stage. Squaresoft's presentation began with a preview of Final Fantasy X, which appears to be nearing completion. The game takes place on the Yurei Archipelago, which for countless millennia has played host to a race of spirits known as Phantoms. For many years, humanity and the Phantoms have co-existed, but recently, these Phantoms have begun to harm humans, and many can now kill a human with but a single touch, causing people to live in fear. Few even venture out into the wilderness anymore, but some have learned to calm the Phantoms and can co-exist with them, identifying those among them who are still willing to aid humankind. One of these people, known as Phantom Tamers, is a woman named Aki. Aki is valued greatly for her power, and she is abducted by a band of pirates led by Lancet, who hope to use her power to raid some of the ruins humanity has left behind. However, a sudden attack by a powerful Phantom separates Lancet from his crew, and forces him and Aki to work together to discover how humanity can be saved, before either the Phantoms kill everyone or before overzealous humans destroy themselves in an effort to destroy the Phantoms. Several more playable characters were shown, as were the large variety of settlements that can be visited over the course of the game. Following the Final Fantasy X presentation was a brief teaser for Final Fantasy Online, which is scheduled to come to the Wave in late 2004. Squaresoft then revealed that they were hard at work on "Project Mana", an endeavor to bring two new Mana games to Nintendo systems. First, after a brief teaser for the Secret Of Mana port to Game Boy Nova, Fires Of Mana for the Nova was revealed. They also showed a very brief teaser that announced a new console Mana game for the Nintendo Wave, but didn't give any details or a release date. Finally, some teaser footage, screenshots, and concept art for the long-awaited Squaresoft/Disney crossover Kingdom Hearts was shown. Along with the teasing of worlds for Treasure Island and The Snow Queen, the game was announced to be released in 2004.

There was some footage of new Ultra Nintendo games shown off, including Kirby: Gourmet Grand Prix! and Emergency 3: Claustrophobia, which appears to take place in an underground parking complex under what looks to be a collapsed shopping mall. It's a surprise to see the new Emergency game on the Ultra and not the Wave, but perhaps Sony is looking to reboot the series once it comes to a next-generation system. We're also FINALLY getting Dragon Quest VII on the Ultra Nintendo, and Windborn III will also be localized, a year after its release in Japan. After the Ultra teasers, another trailer played. It started off with a familiar narration: that of Samus Aran, still voiced by Jennifer Hale, which caused the crowd to cheer as soon as they realized who was speaking. The narration played over a montage of ruined Chozo temples and artifacts, and finally, Samus' familiar ship was shown descending to the planet. A very quick snippet of gameplay was shown, depicting fully 3-D gameplay in a Metroid title for the very first time, looking very much like the 3-D Zelda games but with a bit closer of an angle on Samus, that zoomed out whenever the player aims at enemies. From what we saw in the trailer, the environments looked massive, and when the title was finally revealed as Metroid: Homecoming, the crowd went wild. It appears that Samus will be returning to the Chozo homeworld in this game, and while the trailer didn't show much in the way of a primary antagonist, it looks like Samus may stumble upon an ancient secret that could threaten the entire universe. The Metroid: Homecoming segment was followed up by a brief trailer for a new Silpheed title coming to the Wave that looks to have the same classic rail-shooting gameplay as the series' previous games. Then, Bill Trinen introduced Satoshi Tajiri, and kicked off the Pokemon segment of the presentation. We saw lots of Pokemon Alpha and Omega footage, including the reveal of the English names of several Pokemon: a pair of camel-based Fire-types named Numel and Camerupt, a spooky ghost carrying a lantern named Ghide, and a seed that sprouts into a massive flytrap creature, Budling and Flortrap. We also saw footage of the game's location: a built-up industrial area encroaching upon a massive forest filled with small, primitive-looking towns. The game has actually been released in Japan, and there are full spoilers available, but this was a first look at these features in English. The animated series, Pokemon Nova, premieres on Toonami in the fall. In addition to the main Game Boy Nova game, we got a look at some Wave-based spinoffs, including Pokemon Colosseum, which brings the creatures from the first two generations to the Nintendo Wave to battle it out in full 3-D, and Pokemon Gem Hunters, which is an action-adventure title in which the player ventures through a series of dungeons accompanied by one of 30 Pokemon companions. Neither game will incorporate the new Pokemon from Alpha and Omega, but a Colosseum followup is in the works, set to be released in Japan in 2004, that will include all the new creatures.

The Pokemon segment was followed by a Naughty Dog presentation that previewed the upcoming Goblins game for the Wave, simply known as Goblins 2. In it, the goblins from the first game and their human companions must travel around the world to find other goblin colonies, which are in danger from a mysterious goblin-hunting creature. Then, Naughty Dog showed off some footage of Dog Dash 5, for the Ultra Nintendo. After this, we got our first look at the new Tales Of The Seven Seas game, Tales Of The Seven Seas: Hoist The Colors. In it, the legendary pirate crew returns, and the game seems to be more open-ended than The Victorian Legacy, highlighting all seven pirates and returning to the classic gameplay in which players choose which missions they want to focus on. The ocean is depicted beautifully, almost as impressive as the water effects in Wave Race: Blue Crest, and all of the characters look great too. The combat has taken on more of a strategic focus, allowing the player to get into complicated fencing duels and to learn various types of martial arts. Finally, we got some more footage of Valor II. This one mostly showed off the gameplay, which seems to have improved over the previous game, with more realistic firing and physics. The gameplay footage showed the player's character deep in the Vietnamese jungle, where he appeared to be protecting a young girl from members of his own squad advancing on their position. Valor II will be released in September. After Naughty Dog finished up, we got a look at some Konami games, including a brand new Gradius title, Gradius: Wave Of Destruction. Then, Hideo Kojima was introduced, and there seemed to be a palpable energy in the air. After a brief introduction, Kojima showed off some gameplay footage of a brand new Metal Gear Solid game. Snake, or at least someone who looked like Snake, was sneaking through some brush, ambushing a few enemies. Stealth and camouflage were heavily emphasized, with the player stopping several times to change Snake's costume. Finally, Snake climbed up a radio tower and took out the guard up on top. He got out his sniper rifle and began scoping out targets. He scopes out a man who looks like a very young Revolver Ocelot. Then he stops and hesitates. We then see a cutscene showing present-day Ocelot conversing with someone, who is eventually revealed to be Vapor Snake. During the conversation, Ocelot says something that alludes to something Liquid Snake said in the original game, referring to Solid Snake, and seemingly inferring that Liquid Snake may still be alive somehow. Vapor Snake thinks back to her earlier fight with Solid Snake and Raiden. Then we see Solid Snake conversing with someone, and the scene switches back to the scene in the past with the Solid Snake lookalike. As he continues to scope out Ocelot, someone attacks him inside the radio tower. Snake dispatches the man, but by now Ocelot is gone. The faces of the Solid Snake lookalike and the present day Solid Snake are juxtaposed, and then the title is revealed: Metal Gear Solid II: Children Of The Patriots. Kojima reveals that the game will take place in both the past and the present, then says that the game will be released sometime next year.

Bill Trinen then returns to the stage, along with Satoru Iwata. The two men reveal that Nintendo is hard at work on a brand new Mario game, but that it is too early to reveal anything about it at this point, and that perhaps later this year there will be a proper unveiling of the game. Then, they ask fans to watch one more trailer.

-

*Sunlight breaks on a modern city. There are cars and skyscrapers, but everything has somewhat of an otherworldly feel to it. A fancy car parks outside of a tall building, and the chauffeur steps out to open the door. We see the camera pan up on a young woman from her feet up. We see one of her hands, which briefly glows with a faint symbol that resembles the Triforce. There's an audible buzz and some cheers from the crowd. Then we see someone watching the girl from a window. It's a boy dressed in modern clothes, most of them green, resembling Link. There's a mixed reaction from the crowd, but mostly cheers.*

*The camera again shows the city. It's massive, bigger than any city on earth, going on for miles and miles.*

Voice: Hyrule City, the center of Hylian civilization. *more reaction from the crowd, mixed, mostly cheers*

Female Voice (later revealed to be Zelda's): There are legends, you know. *a montage of the city is shown, starting out with modern looking things but then showing the city's underbelly and a number of strange looking places, underground marketplaces, more rustic environments, clues of the city's ancient past* Legends of great temples built to honor the ancient goddesses.

*An entrance to a temple is shown, hidden in plain sight.*

Zelda: I hear them speak, father.

Mayor of Hyrule City: Nonsense.

Zelda: *she looks at the Triforce symbol on her hand*

Link: *sits up, gasping, looking at his hand...there's a Triforce symbol on it as well.... he hears Zelda's voice, crying out for help....he sees the ancient goddesses, struggling to hold back a shadowy evil* ...!!!

*Link sits in class, struggling to concentrate. The symbol on his hand has faded. It begins to glow. His eyes snap wide open.*

Teacher: Link, are you daydreaming again?

Link: *shakes his head and hides his hand*

*A male voice is speaking as a scene of Link being chased by masked men on motorcycles is shown.*

Voice: You have a destiny, Link. You are the Hero of Ages.

*A man holds out a sword to Link.*

Man: It's dangerous to go alone, take this!

Link: *looks at the sword, then at the glowing Triforce on his hand*

*A man is seen stepping out of a limosuine and walking up to a building. A female newscaster is speaking.*

Newscaster: Businessman Ganondorf Dragmire is announcing the divestiture of over a trillion rupees into a unknown venture...

Ganondorf: Have we found the other Triforce holder?

Employee: We believe so, sir.

Ganondorf: Where is he now?

Employee: I....

Ganondorf: FIND HIM!

*Link is shown running through a dark alley, being chased toward what looks like the entrance to another temple. The same male voice from before speaks.*

Voice: Your ancestors were given these pieces of the Triforce so that they could fight against an ancient evil so powerful it threatened all of existence. Hylians have forgotten these events, they've made them into legends and obscured the truth. Even now, they would reject it if it were right in front of their faces. But there are people who believe. Find those people, Link, and find her. Find Zelda. She must be protected.

*Zelda is shown looking around a room as swirling darkness engulfs it, engulfing the other people in the room and causing them to disintegrate.*

Zelda: What is happening?

*Footage is shown of Link exploring at least one ancient temple, it's shown that while the city of Hyrule is modern, the temples are fully ancient, lost ruins embedded within the city itself, hidden from the modernity outside, enclaves of what Hyrule used to be.*

Ganondorf: *standing in an office, facing some kind of glowing black pillar as it lights up* Show me how I may destroy the Hero of Ages...

*Zelda gets on a motorcycle and races through the streets as darkness overtakes everything behind her. The entire city is shown engulfed in darkness as people transform into Moblins and other monsters. Buildings crumble, there's chaos everywhere. Link is shown running across a busy street, leaping over cars and firing arrows at enemies surrounding him as people flee in terror. Link is then shown running to meet Zelda. The two stretch their arms toward one another before something snatches Zelda away, pulling her back.*

Old Woman: You've got to remember the hero you've always been! *punches Link on the arm* Or else we're all doomed!

Voice: Hero of Ages, you must strike back against the darkness... scour every inch of this city, find the temples and restore them all. Let courage be your guide.

Zelda: *on her knees, praying as she holds her Triforce up in the air* Show me the wisdom....

Ganondorf: *standing in the middle of a swirling torrent of darkness as some of his businessmen morph into powerful beasts* GIVE ME THE POWER! *his Triforce symbol glows*

Voice: Link...it's all up to you.

*The camera pans out on the city again to show Link, in his classic green Hero outfit, perched on the spire of the tallest skyscraper in the city, looking out over everything with determination in his eyes and the Master Sword on his back. The camera pans behind him to show Link and the city and the game's logo.*

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: HERO ETERNAL

*The crowd cheers wildly, though there are a few boos that can be heard as well. There are some diehard Zelda fans in the crowd who definitely aren't happy about the game's modern aesthetic. After Satoru Iwata discusses the game for a minute or two, the presentation ends.*

-

*On the G4 coverage, the camera shows Alex Stansfield and Ted Crosley immediately after the presentation concludes. Ted looks really excited and wowed, while Alex has a mixture of perplexity and tentative hype on his face.*

Alex Stansfield: Well...that was....something...

Ted Crosley: That looked amazing, the new Zelda looks absolutely incredible. The graphics are fantastic, Link looks great, the gameplay looks awesome, there's voice acting....

Alex: I'm...not sure what to think about a modern Legend of Zelda. It looked really awesome, but...I mean....wow. That's...that's all I can say. I'm....cautiously optimistic? *mustering up a smile*

Ted: Change is good, man. *pats him on the back*

Alex: Well yeah....it's just.... *takes a deep breath*

Ted: Hey, the temples-

Alex: Yeah, those looked sweet. ....voice acting too....

Ted: Well, Link didn't talk.

Alex: Yeah, I think if he had I'd be kind of pissed right now.

-from the G4 live coverage of E3, May 13, 2003

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While there were plenty of console games to talk about at E3, a lot of the buzz and hype surrounded the massive amount of quality PC games we saw at the show. The biggest, to be sure, was Valve's long-awaited Half-Life 2, which continues Gordon Freeman's adventures, this time seeing him awaken to learn that Earth has been invaded and taken over by the alien race known as the Combine. The graphics looked amazing (better than any of the console games being shown off), and Freeman's array of new weapons, including the Gravity Gun and the Skyhook, are welcome additions to his impressive arsenal. We couldn't get enough of the game, and reporters lined up to play, with long lines forming even considering the generous amount of demo kiosks available. Half-Life 2 is scheduled to be released on PCs next year, and Valve has already stated that the game will remain exclusive to PC, at least for the immediate future. In addition to Half-Life 2, we also caught a glimpse of a fantastic new shooter from Eidos called Atomos. In Atomos, players take control of protagonist Cliff Gladak, who must leap into a wormhole to prevent a space colony from being destroyed by an army of mysterious masked beings. Gladak's weaponry takes power from various elements of the periodic table, he can use radioactive elements to melt his foes, carbon to diamondize them, mercury to poison them, etc. Atomos will be released before the end of the year, and unlike Half-Life 2, we may see it on consoles at some point, but for now it's remaining exclusive to the PC.

2003 has seen somewhat of a renaissance of PC games, largely due to the growing audience for online gaming as more players obtain faster connections. MMORPGs are still huge: in addition to the upcoming World of Warcraft, which had a large presence at the show, we were introduced to Criminal Element, where the player can join a criminal gang. The game takes place in a world much like the Prohibition era but in a modern day setting, as gangsters with Tommy guns clash with trenchcoat-wearing detectives. There's also Round Table, a medieval-themed RPG, where a player can become a knight and rise through the ranks by performing heroic deeds. Players can build castles and form bands of heroes with their friends, quite possibly becoming a legend like King Arthur and his knights. In addition to the new MMORPGs, we saw several strategy games, including Rome: Total War, Punishment From Above, and Status Quo. Punishment From Above sees the player commanding a space colony in battle, targeting foes based on Earth below. And in Status Quo, players operate a spy network, deploying secret agents to prevent countries from going to war.

One of the most intriguing PC games we saw at E3 was the adventure title The Forest. Based on the tales of the legendary Robin Hood, The Forest takes place in Sherwood and casts the player not as Robin Hood, but as a peripheral protagonist who takes part in events as they unfold, carving a new place in the classic story. The game boasts a complex stealth and combat system that allows players to decide their role in the world as never before, playing as a benevolent sneaky thief, a vicious criminal, or anything in between. The Forest promises to be a new step forward in the adventure genre, and though the game looks very early into development, it generated more buzz of any PC game at the show save for Half-Life 2.

Then, there was a teaser for Fallout: Van Buren, the continuation of the classic Fallout post-apocalyptic role playing game series. The basic gameplay looks to be much the same, but with a bit more emphasis on action, a great deal more graphical detail, and with less of a top-down perspective. The player starts out in a prison cell, and must break out before entering a massive world that looks to be based on the American Southwest. Black Isle Studios is developing the game, and looks to have it ready for release sometime next year.

-from an article on Gamespot, posted on May 16, 2003

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Tony Hawk Returns In Tony Hawk City

While there was no new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game in 2002, developer Neversoft was hardly resting on their laurels. Instead, they've been hard at work on Tony Hawk City, a brand new game that takes the addictive skateboarding gameplay of Tony Hawk and opens it up to an entire city of rail-grinding, board flipping fun.

Tony Hawk himself was present at Activision's booth to show off the game, which had a massive display and plenty of demo kiosks. We asked him what Tony Hawk City was all about, and he had a lot to say.

"It's about fun, first and foremost. It's a whole city where you can make your own name in the world of skateboarding, where you can start off humbly but then turn yourself into a legend. It's such a fun game and when you see it you'll know why it took us so long to work on."

In addition to the player's custom skateboarder, stars such as Tony Hawk himself appear in the game, along with skaters like Bam Margera, Bucky Lasek, and Avril Lavigne. Despite the game's emphasis on its robust campaign mode, there will be plenty of free skating modes available as well, along with online multiplayer to allow players to compete for the high score with others all around the world.

"Tony Hawk City is our biggest game yet and I can't wait for the fans to get to play it, I think they'll have more fun with this game than with any of the games we've made so far," said Hawk, clearly excited about the new title.

Activision also teased that Avril Lavigne would be the focus of an upcoming extreme sports title, but declined to say whether or not it would be a Tony Hawk spinoff or something entirely different, and that we probably wouldn't get more information until next year's E3.

Ubisoft Dominates E3 2003, Shows Off Tons Of New Games

Ubisoft had one of the biggest floor presences of the show. In addition to Beyond Good And Evil, the upcoming adventure title which was one of the most popular games to demo at the show, the company also showed off several new Tom Clancy games, including the Xbox-exclusive Rendition and the multiplatform titles Splinter Cell 2 and Delta Force.

Beyond Good And Evil was definitely the flagship game of the show. The release date has been announced for this October, and in addition to a robust gameplay demo, we also got a new trailer. In it, Jade is raiding a factory in which captured children are poised to be fed to giant mutated bugs for some nefarious purpose. Of course, Jade was able to save them all, but not without being captured herself. Jade's capture ended the trailer, but the gameplay footage continued from where the trailer left off, allowing players to participate in Jade's harrowing prison break. Another gameplay demo allowed visitors to shoot enemies from Jade's watercraft while evading the pursuit of hovering police cars. The game is in a nearly finished state, and though it has somewhat of a cartoony art style, it's still one of the most impressive games at the show. Ubisoft also had a new playable Magicka game: called Magicka Universe, the game boasts multiple protagonists and even multiple playstyles: we were shown an action-adventure segment, an RPG segment, and even a card game. Magicka Universe has been given a release date of early next year.

EA Shows Off The Encounter, "Revolutionary" New Madden

Electronic Arts had a big presence at E3 2003, and in addition to showing off upcoming alien invasion FPS The Encounter, a game revealed to massive acclaim at last year's show, the company was also showing off its lineup of this year's new sports games, including NHL '04, NBA Live 2004, and Madden 2004. Madden 2004, the first game to be designed specifically for the three next generation consoles (but will also appear on the Ultra Nintendo), looked to be a significant improvement from last year's game (which itself was lauded by critics). In addition to a brand new "Real QB" passing mode, which is said to simulate the throwing style of actual NFL quarterbacks, the game will feature an improved Franchise Mode that gives players the ability to start an expansion team in one of 75 North American cities. Madden 2004 also boasts vastly improved tackling, more fluid commentary, and highly detailed stadiums that look much more realistic than those in last year's game.

"We're finally acknowledging the stiff competition from some of the console exclusive football games, and we made this year's Madden specifically to crush them all," said Nikki Rohm, one of the game's lead developers. "We're taking some of the features we've seen in those games and improving on them, along with working to improve every aspect of last year's game."

EA Sports has taken heavy criticism from many for not working hard enough to improve each successive Madden from the last, but with Madden 2004 looking like the best game to date in the series, it seems the company has gotten the message from gamers, and has fired a major shot across the bow toward its competitors.

Novus Ordo 2 Scheduled For November Release

Novus Ordo 2, the sequel to 2001's megahit shooter starring a villainous agent named Vicus, returns this November for both the Wave and the Microsoft Xbox. The original game saw Vicus consolidating the world under the control of a tyrannical AI overlord, and now he returns, with brainwashed former rival Tessa at his side, to stamp out the last pockets of resistance to Novus Ordo's rule. The gameplay is similar to the original game, but looks to feature a sort of "partner" mechanic where the player switches control between Vicus and Tessa, and incorporates a larger variety of locales: there looks to be a car chase set in France, for example, and Tessa will infiltrate a compound that looks to be somewhere in Japan.

The original Novus Ordo got plenty of controversy for its villain-focused storyline and treatment of Tessa, who started the game as a brave, headstrong agent and ended up completely mindwiped. EA promises Tessa's fate will be a "big focus" of the upcoming game, but didn't want to spoil anything else.

-from articles posted on IGN.com, May 18, 2003

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Mindy Kaling: E3 2003 is just about in the books, so what did you guys think of all the amazing games we've seen this week?

Bill Sindelar: Half-Life 2 looks amazing. Squad Four: Upheaval looks amazing. And I'm really interested in that James Cameron game...

Ted Crosley: Manticore?

Bill: Yeah, that looks good.

Wil Wheaton: Apart from Final Fantasy X, there weren't a whole lot of RPGs.

Ted: There was Vitalogy.

Wil: I mean really classic style RPGs.

Alex Stansfield: Squaresoft did sort of reveal a new Mana game...

Mindy: Don't forget about Pokemon!

Alex: I'm already playing that actually, the Japanese one!

Mindy: Well don't spoil it!

Patrick Clark: Guys, aren't we forgetting something?

Mindy: Hmm?

Patrick: The big Apple reveal!

*All the G4 hosts nod and begin talking, they've clearly got a lot to say about that.*

Ted: Apple buying out Sega is just...surreal. I'm still kind of numb from hearing about that.

Dave Meinstein: Just the thought of Apple and Microsoft competing in the video game arena, I mean... isn't it kind of inevitable?

Alex: I honestly thought that Apple would stay away. Even when Apple was first meeting with Sega, I was thinking... "no, this can't happen".

Dave: It blows my mind. What is that new handheld going to be? An iPod? A GamePod? A new Game Gear?

Ted: Honestly, if I can listen to my music and play my games on the same device, I'll be set. You know, listen to Led Zeppelin, play a little Sonic...

Mindy: Can you do both at the same time? Will it let you?

Ted: I don't have a clue, honestly, I honestly don't have a clue.

Bill: Guys, game of the show?

Alex: Half-Life 2.

Ted: Yeah, for sure.

Mindy: Um, I really liked Beyond Good And Evil. I think that's going to be really something special.

Alex: You know, I'm going to say it...why make a modern Zelda when people can just play Beyond Good And Evil? There's your modern Zelda right there. No need to do a modern Zelda, that game is it. *sighing*

Bill: The Covenant 2 looked really awesome. If it's anything like the original, it's going to be a serious Game of the Year contender next year.

Wil: I gotta say Final Fantasy X. It looked fantastic, both from a storyline and gameplay perspective.

Dave: I'll say World of Warcraft. I'm still really hyped to play it.

Patrick: And....hoo boy...there were so many good games at this year's show.

Alex: I know, right?

Mindy: Weren't there? I mean seriously, this is my first E3, and I definitely picked a good one.

Patrick: I actually really liked Virtua Fighter 5. I'm probably going to be the first person who shows up at the arcade to play it. I'm really excited for it.

-from G4's E3 2003 special, which aired on May 19, 2003

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Game Critics Awards E3 2003

Best Of Show: Half-Life 2
Best Original Game: Atomos
Best Console Game: Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Best PC Game: Half-Life 2
Best Peripheral/Hardware: Dash Wheel (Microsoft Xbox)
Best Action Game: The Containers
Best Action/Adventure Game: Commander Keen: A Stitch In Time
Best Role Playing Game: Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Best Racing Game: F-Zero GX
Best Sports Game: Tony Hawk City
Best Fighting Game: Virtua Fighter 5
Best Shooter: Half-Life 2
Best Online Multiplayer: World Of Warcraft
Special Commendation Awards: Half-Life 2, The Forest, Tony Hawk City
Best Booth: Ubisoft

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E3 2003 was perhaps the most exciting in the event's history, before or since. Many of 2004's amazing games were first previewed at E3 2003, but there was only one man that could overshadow them all: Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs made his E3 debut at E3 2003, formally announcing Apple's acquisition of Sega's entire game library, including Sonic the Hedgehog. It was a surreal moment, and Jobs knew he had to convince the gathered crowds that he knew what he was doing. He left the stage to thunderous applause, signaling a new era in gaming had begun. It would take a bit of time for Apple to get its footing, but by the time E3 2004 rolled around and Jobs was ready to announce Apple's first bit of gaming hardware, the company had established that they were here to stay.

While Apple's press conference was certainly the highlight of the show, it was the games that took front and center, and Half-Life 2 towered over them all, leading a resurgence of amazing PC games. Half-Life 2 looked incredible, and took all of us by storm. The graphics were fantastic, the gameplay revolutionary, and Valve had shown that not only was PC gaming was back, it was booming. We'd also wanted to see more of Doom 3, but numerous delays had plagued that title, and by the time of its release in 2004, it would be overshadowed by its competitor from Valve.

It was Nintendo's first E3 since the release of the Wave, and they had plenty of games to show for their shiny new console. We got plenty of Squad Four: Upheaval footage which got fans plenty hyped, but it was the "big three" that really stole the show: Metal Gear Solid II, Metroid: Homecoming, and perhaps the show's biggest stunner, the reveal of a modern-day Legend of Zelda. Hero Eternal looked gorgeous and the trailer did its best to sell fans on the modern setting, but there were plenty of skeptics, and only time would tell whether or not the game would live up to its predecessors. All in all, Nintendo had a pretty great show. The Wave was off and rolling, and for the time being, Nintendo looked every bit like the kings they were.

Microsoft stepped up to the challenge in a big way, kicking off with the trailer for The Covenant 3, and following it up with numerous big game announcements, including Techno Angel: Salvation and Manticore. We also saw plenty more Knights Of The Old Republic footage, and though that game was taking its sweet time in coming out, the footage and gameplay revealed, plus the crowded demo, proved that it would be worth the wait. Microsoft was running a strong second place behind Nintendo at the time, and seemed to have the games it would take to continue to challenge their rivals for the throne.

Pokemon was there, as it had been for the last five years. Alpha and Omega had just launched in Japan, and Nintendo was eager to show off plenty of footage of the English version of the game. While Pokemania had died down quite a bit, the game would still sell millions upon millions of copies.

E3 2003 was full of big games and big names, of Steve Jobs and Half-Life 2 and everything in between. Apple had inherited a Sega that was clearly reeling from facing both Nintendo and Microsoft, and played the role of the savior, the man who would turn the game industry upside down. While it would take a while before we would find out whether or not Jobs was right, he did prove to be the one man who could divert attention away from the strongest slate of games E3 had ever seen. At E3 2003, Steve Jobs proved he could talk the talk. But despite all of his optimism, the amazing games his rivals presented at the show left many skeptical about whether or not he could walk the walk. For now, it would be up to an intriguing new Commander Keen title and a heaping helping of Sonic games to help Jobs bridge the gap between E3 2003 and what lay beyond for the industry. Sooner or later, Apple would need to show off some hardware.

-from IGN's report on E3 2003 (based on this OTL article: http://www.ign.com/wikis/e3/E3_2003 )

 

[RySenkari]

(Time once again for our network TV recap for the past season, fall 2002-spring 2003.)

ABC:

There were two big stories at ABC this year: the spectacular continuing success of Sheffield, and the rookie debut of Lane. Lane, a show revolving around a 11-year-old middle school girl named Lane and her hardworking single mother, proved to be a massive hit. Part of that could be attributed to its lead-in in Sheffield, but part of that could also be attributed to Lane's breakout star, the young actress Kristen Stewart. Stewart, who brought a mix of humor and self-deprecation to the role, would be nominated for a Best Actress in a Drama Emmy, though she would lose to Stone's Dana Delany. Horizon also kept up its strong ratings, though outside of those three shows, there would be little to celebrate at ABC, as pretty much every new show besides Lane was somewhat of a flop. A mild bright spot among new shows was the comedy Recurrent, which is essentially Groundhog Day but spread out over an entire television series and played somewhat more for laughs. It was ABC's second highest rated new show.

CBS:

CBS saw slight ratings declines across the board for its veteran shows, including Mighty Megan (which remained a top-5 hit), Everybody Loves Raymond, Survivor, and CSI, though this was countered by the success of the network's rookie shows. Pineville Drive, an ensemble comedy about the wacky residents of a suburban neighborhood, proved the year's most popular new comedy, while Dispatch, a drama about a harried 911 dispatch center, was quite successful in its debut season as well. Dispatch, starring Viola Davis as a 10-year veteran, Gary Sinise as the lead 911 dispatcher, and Zach Braff and Emilie de Ravin as a pair of nervous rookies, is a mostly self-contained show, but does have a few overarching storylines relating to the workers' personal issues. CBS also premiered Through The Gift Shop, a comedy about amusement park gift shop workers that lampoons parks like Disney World. CSI spinoff CSI: Miami was a bit of a ratings disappointment but still finished in the top 30. Overall, CBS remained the #1 network on television, and doesn't look to cede that ranking any time soon.

NBC:

NBC boasted a mostly balanced lineup of comedies, dramas, and shows for both young and old alike. While none of the new shows on the network managed to crack the top 25, a few did crack the top 50 and will return for second seasons, including the comedies Good Morning, Miami and Coates, and the new police procedural Abducted. ER and Friends remained the strongest shows on the network, with Law And Order still in the top 10 and The Fixer gaining in the ratings yet again. 2002-03 was a season of very little change for NBC, though the network would have liked to see at least one of its younger-skewing debut comedies succeed (rather, it was the slightly older skewing Good Morning, Miami and Coates that proved most successful).

FOX:

The runaway success of American Idol has been a huge bright spot for FOX, though the network struggled mightily finding another reality show hit to add to its slate. Fear Factor continued to be popular due to the insane stunts and excellent hosting performance of Kiefer Sutherland, but the network whiffed on numerous attempts. There were few ideas that FOX didn't try (one, a pitch about a bunch of women competing to marry a millionaire, only to have it revealed to them that the millionaire was actually an average guy, was rejected because an executive thought one of the women would find out too soon). Among the network's scripted shows, only Gainfully Employed was able to crack the top 25. The Simpsons and King Of The Hill continued to chug along, as did Futurama (when it wasn't being pre-empted by football games), though The Patakis had ended its run at the end of the 2001-02 season, and FOX is looking for another animated comedy to take its place.

Top 25 Rated Network Television Programs Of 2002-03:

1. Sheffield (ABC)
2. American Idol - Wednesday (FOX)
3. American Idol - Tuesday (FOX)
4. Mighty Megan (CBS)
5. Monday Night Football (ABC)
6. ER (NBC)
7. Friends (NBC)
8. Lane (ABC)
9. Law And Order (NBC)
10. The Fixer (NBC)
11. Pineville Drive (CBS)
12. Survivor (CBS)
13. Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
14. Horizon (ABC)
15. Stone (CBS)
16. Dispatch (CBS)
17. The West Wing (NBC)
18. Fear Factor (FOX)
19. Gainfully Employed (FOX)
20. 60 Minutes (CBS)
21. Judging Amy (CBS)
22. Speed Dating (NBC)
23. Freaks And Geeks (NBC)
24. Through The Gift Shop (CBS)
25. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

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New York Court Declines Spike TV Injunction, Network Launch Will Continue As Planned

Spike Lee's last-ditch attempt to block the official renaming of the cable network TNN to Spike TV has failed, as the New York Supreme Court has ruled that Spike Lee's lawsuit against the network, citing trademark confusion, is unwarranted. TNN boasts Spike TV as "the first network for men", and plans to air adult-oriented shows such as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge and the animated comedies Stripperella and Slacker U. The network is also the home of WWE Monday Night Raw. Spike TV will launch the new network in a formal televised event airing this Monday, live from the Playboy Mansion.

-from an article on Yahoo News, posted on June 14, 2003

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The massive box office success of 1999's The Matrix, which grossed more than $175 million domestically, made a sequel inevitable. Not only would there be two Matrix sequels in 2003: Reloaded and Revolutions, but there would also be a series of short animated films, dubbed the Animatrix, created by animation studios across the world, primarily in North America, Japan, and France. In addition to the new films, there would be a video game, Enter The Matrix, that would launch simultaneously for the Nintendo Wave, the Microsoft Xbox, and the Sega Katana.

Enter The Matrix, which was rushed into production to launch alongside Reloaded, was somewhat of a mess. It centered around the characters Niobe and Arcane, crewmembers on the hovercraft Logos. The game runs parallel to Reloaded, and revolves around Niobe and Arcane's attempt to help Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, explaining how certain events in the movie took place. It takes the form of a third-person shooter, though with elements of platformers, brawlers, and puzzle games, including a computer hacking sidequest that enables players to manipulate the game in a sort of "cheat" mode. Ultimately, the game itself is a decent brawler, with a compelling sequences of events that culminates in either Niobe or Arcane facing off against the evil AI program Merovingian in an epic final showdown (it explains why we don't see the Merovingian at all in Revolutions after he played such a prominent role in Reloaded). However, due to the rushed production, the game was plagued with glitches. Ironically, the Katana version was the least glitched of all, while the Wave version was somewhat of a mess with numerous game-breaking bugs, due to the programmers not having much time to work on the Wave version of the game. The game received mediocre reviews, though thanks to its connection to a very popular movie, it was a commercial success.

As for The Matrix Reloaded itself, the movie picks up where the original Matrix left off. Neo (played by Brandon Lee) is still helping the Resistance in their war against the Machines. He is in a relationship with Trinity (played by Lucy Liu) while Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) continues to guide the group toward their eventual confrontation with the machines themselves. Agent Smith (played by Hugo Weaving), who was destroyed by Neo at the end of the original films, returns with the ability to replicate himself onto people and agents within the Matrix. The Matrix Reloaded is well known for having a more philosophical bent than the previous film, with numerous characters openly contemplating the nature of fate and free will. The other main theme in the film is the nature of AI: whether or not AI programs are capable of feeling love and human emotion. The Wachowskis were said to be heavily influenced by the Velvet Dark games in the writing of The Matrix Reloaded, and the film introduces a benevolent (and beautiful) AI program named Paradox (played by Mili Avital) who, like others such as the Keymaker and the Merovingian, turns out to be an "exiled" program, a program with no purpose, who was intended to be deleted but who returned to the Matrix. In Paradox's case, her mission was to infiltrate groups of human rebels. However, she fell in love with a rebel and turned on the machines, ultimately "sacrificing" herself to save a human (implied to be a previous One). Her origin story would be told in one of the Animatrix shorts, and she would survive the film (though she would meet her death early in Revelations). The final goal of Neo and his allies in this film is to go to the Source and destroy it, destroying the machines and freeing humanity. The mission doesn't go entirely smoothly, but Neo does meet the Architect, who espouses a fairly long-winded and confusing expositionary dialogue to Neo about human nature. Ultimately, rather than reboot the Source like the Architect wants, Neo chooses to rescue Trinity after she is doomed to die following a botched mission. Neo saves Trinity, and learns that he has the power to stop the Sentinels in the real world, giving the audience new questions to ponder as Reloaded ends with a "to be continued..." following the revelation that Agent Smith has entered the real world by overwriting the mind of one of the human rebels.

The Matrix Reloaded boasted spectacular special effects (though some, including the "Neo vs. 100 Smiths" sequence in the middle of the film, are rather dated today). The film was largely praised, though the philosophical dialogues were seen by some critics as quite confusing, and ultimately the film isn't as well-received as the original. Despite the slightly worse critical reception, The Matrix Reloaded was a massive financial hit. It opened on Friday, May 16, and shattered the opening weekend record set by Spider-Man just two weeks before, with a $130 million 3-day opening (thanks to the film's PG-13 rating, which Warner Bros. was able to secure by cutting portions of a Neo/Trinity sex scene, removing a bit of blood, and cutting a scene where the Merovingian brings a woman to climax with a piece of cake). Ultimately, its sales legs weren't quite so good, and it ended just north of $300 million domestically after dropping off harshly in its second and third weekends. Still, The Matrix Reloaded generated a lot of buzz for Revolutions, which fans could only hope would live up to the hype.