E3 2004 Preview (The First-Person Shooters)
Added 05/05/2004 by Kamahl
The Biggest Video Game EventAll great things happen once per year. Most notably in the video game industry, that annual event that everyone looks forward to is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3. A week from today, literally hundreds of representatives from video game companies will gather together to show off their latest creations. However, despite there being an enormous amount of games, only a few will rise above the rest and drop the jaws of millions. That’s what this article is about – the huge games that are determined to mesmerize us and keep us up at all hours of the night. The following is a list of the major FPS games at E3 this year:
Halo 2 (Fall 2004)
Although most of us thought we would be playing Halo 2 by now, well, we’re not. Luckily for our sanity, Bungie is going to be at E3 will all new footage and details. Last year’s 9-minute seizure-inducing video will be nothing compared to what we’ll be seeing in a week. It’s been a full year since last year’s video, so if you thought that video was visually stunning, you’re in for a real treat this year. Another year of tweaks, bumps, and fixes will surely knock our proverbial socks off.
This previous month, Bungie has been so kind to let Game Informer and Official Xbox Magazine take a sneak peak at Halo 2. What we discovered from these articles was staggering. If you own the magazines (or saw the scans before the evil forces took them away), then you know what I’m talking about. Here are some bits of information that we learned recently that will surely be incorporated into the videos we see at E3:
Multiplayer:
At least four teams simultaneously (red, blue, gold, and green confirmed)
Real-life vehicular damage. Shoot a hog’s tires, it goes flat.
Covenant will be playable in at least one mode.
Duel-wielding is obviously confirmed.
Assault (carry bomb into opponent’s base) and other new modes
Single Player:
Most of the setting is on earth, but some is in space.
New enemies (Prophets, Brutes, new ranks of Elites, and more)
Environments that are much more detailed and exponentially bigger than that of Halo 1.
Those are just a few of the many new features in Halo 2. Without a doubt, all eyes will be on this game in a week. It’s the most anticipated game of the century. We know that, Bungie knows that. This E3 is, undoubtedly, going to be special.
Doom 3 (Winter 2004)
The true blue Doom fans play on the PC, and it won’t be any different for Doom 3. However, we’re fortunate enough that it’s also coming to the Xbox. Like Halo 2, there is a lot of mystery surrounding the newest Doom, but E3 hopefully holds the key that answers these questions.
Perhaps the biggest question gamers have is in regards to how well an Xbox version of Doom 3 can and will look. The PC screenshots released thus far are extremely nice looking, but can the Xbox even remotely match it? If we take a look at other PC ports, such as Wolfenstein and Unreal Championship, we will see a less visually stimulating game. However, that doesn’t take away from how fun these games can be. It’s to be expected that an Xbox game will not be as sharp and sexy as a PC game.
Nonetheless, the creators of Doom 3 will be excited as a little schoolgirl to show us their new footage of both the Xbox and PC versions.
Men of Valor (Fall 2004)
After conducting our exclusive interview with John Whitmore, Director of Development at 2015, we knew Vietnam: Men of Valor was a game to recognize. What we learned about the game is that it’s going to be the next step in war-based first-person shooters. As for the multiplayer, it will support up to 16 players on Xbox Live with the standard modes: Deathmatch , Team Deathmatch, and objective-based modes a la Wolfenstein and Battlefield 1942. Also, it supports online co-operative play, something no other console FPS supports. The single player promises to deliver not only a great gameplay experience, but it also emphasizes the actual Vietnam War. Whitmore commented that it’s easy to forget that Vietnam really happened, so the game is sure to deliver an accurate storyline relevant to history.
At this year’s E3, rest assured, there will be all-new Men of Valor footage for us to drool over. Watch out for it.
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict (Fall 2004)
Here’s another major FPS set to take the video game world by storm. Ironically, this FPS is now a TPS as well. The newly incorporated third-person view will have the video game community paying close attention next week. This new view enables players to use melee attacks and defensive combos, a new innovation in the Unreal series. A major change like this deserves special attention because, frankly, we want to know if this third-person view is going to suck. Knowing the innovative background of the developers, it will surely be a great addition to this constantly changing franchise.
On step above Unreal Championship, UC2 will feature a single player mode. Also, there is supposedly 50 maps in the multiplayer, which allows for 8 players via Xbox Live.
Unreal Championship 2 is to Unreal Championship as Halo 2 is to Halo. Not just a sequel with the same gameplay and some generic levels, but instead, the developers have taken the original to a new level with innovative and revolutionary features. In one week, we’ll all get to see more footage of this latest Unreal installment.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow (Late Summer/Early Fall 2004)
Not much is known about this Rainbow Six expansion, but that’s the beauty of E3. Information on the new single player elements, Live maps, and split-screen co-op have everyone here at TalkXbox giddy as all hell. In a week, we will know more about this Xbox-exclusive game.
Those are just five of many stellar games set to be showcased at E3 next week. Tomorrow, come back here to see five more featured Xbox games.
Other FPS to keep an eye on:
Brothers In Arms
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Far Cry: Instincts
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
Half-Life 2
Serious Sam 2
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
Check out our other E3 2004 Previews:
