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Editorials   E3 2003 - Neal's Overall impressions.
- By Neal Gittens [Senior Editor]

As I finished up my second E3, I was left with a lot to think about, a few disappointments, and a lot to look forward to. As a whole, the Nintendo showing was strong, though not particularly mind-blowing. Having blown their load of major franchises in the last year, Nintendo is relying on third parties, and some traditionally second-tier stars to propel them through the coming year. I'll sum up some of the highlights here:

Nintendo's first party lineup:

For the Cube, there are a number of titles coming, but without the crowning Zelda or Metroid jewel to top them all off. With Mario Kart easily the most visble title in the booth, and on the horizon, Nintendo does have a big holiday title of their own, to complement the third party Christmas highlights. (More on those later.)

Also coming the rest of the year are:

Pikmin 2: playing better than ever with 2-player co-op.

F-Zero: the fast and furious Sega-developed racer is back, faster and, uh, furious-er than ever.

Kirby's Air Ride: which plays much better than advertised by any other media people.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour: the next step in evolution for a great franchise. Playing nicely as of E3. One I anticipate greatly.

Mario Party 5: If you need to ask about this one, then you are a lost cause. Part 5 picks up the ball where 4 left off.

Wario World: Should be an enjoyable beat-em-up. "Funner" than I expected when I played it at E3.

1080: Avalanche: Finally coming out (or so Nintendo is saying) in September, the follow up to the great N64 snowboarder is finally here. Picking up where the original left off, the racing and tricks will hopefully flow rapidly down the various slopes.

And coming for the GBA are:

Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3: Longest title for a game ever. Also the worst kept secret in the history of the world. Regardless, it will be awesome.

Pokemon Pinball: Another great, time-eating, addictive game. The first was good, and this one is as well. I even had the high score on the Sapphire table at E3. Take that, "HBC"!!!

Sword of Mana and FF: Tactics: Two great games from Square. Now we need the other two Mana games on the GBA and my life will be officially complete.

Fire Emblem: The game I have LONGED for is finally coming stateside. Imagine Advance Wars, but with characters instead of units, and RPG elements, like levelling characters up. Yeah, I told you it will be awesome!

Mario and Luigi: A seeming follow up to Paper Mario. Will be a solid action/RPG title, and a hoot to play.

And those are just the first party titles for the systems. There are a bunch of second and third party titles being brought out that will push the lineup to new heights through the holidays. The major additions are as follows:

Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes:
Silicon Knights is putting together a beauty of a game, and I loved the original MGS on the Playstation, so this will be one to keep an eye on. Snake has finally come home to the Nintendo fold.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Perhaps the game I look forward to the most. Four player action utilizing the GBA/GC linkup. This should be a big one for the holiday.

Rebel Strike: Rogue Squadron 3: Pretty game, tons of new stuff. Factor 5 really know their way around the Cube hardware. I don't really need to explain, because you already know this game will be a good one. Another great game for that most wonderful time of the year.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life: Easily in my top 3 games I'm looking forward to. (The GBA version of Harvest Moon is also in there.) The best of all the previous awesome Harvest Moon games rolled into one great, incredible farming game, with a big, sweet dollop of connectivity on top. It will be simply incredible.

Viewtiful Joe: The good things said by everyone who played this game are right on. When it comes out, I will be all over this like a priest on a metaphor that I don't dare finish.

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg: A solid platformer from Sonic Team, which could be a top seller if it turns out to play as well as the quality Sonic Team games before it. Hoping for good things out of this one.

Those are just the exclusives coming that will dot the landscape for Nintendo throughout 2003 and into 2004. There are other games, like TMNT (which NEEDS to have 4 player support in it), the Hulk (which plays way better than I expected), and Soul Calibur II (Link is the coolest), which will also hit other systems.

There isn't one huge game, ready to demolish the competition, but there are many solid games ready to help out the Cube in this year's crucial holiday market. E3 showed a lot to look forward to, and Spaceworld will also return this year, so that can be another occasion for Nintendo to pull out some surprises from their sleeve before Christmas time hits. There is a lot to be excited about as a Nintendo fan, and a lot for gamers in general. So if you own a Cube or a GBA, start saving your pennies, because you will need them once the games start rolling out over the next several months. I'm saving up already.