28th April 2003, 2:42 PM
I guess the first post was kind of a drain of my skepticism. Now, I'll reveal what fueled that skepticism: a feeble attempt to control my excitement. The thing is, I get really excited around this time of year. Big announcements are made. Sales years are won and lost. Brand new games are shown for the very first time. Strategies are discussed. It's so exhillerating I often giggle like a schoolgirl. So for every skeptical word of mine, there are about a thousand thoughts about how I know the game will kick ass. I guess recenly I have focused a bit too much on the gloomy prospects for Nintendo's sales situation, and undeservedly forgot to talk about how much I love the games that I'm critical of. E3 is a perfect time to throw this away and simply bathe in the glory of it all.
Before, I guess I was taking the current expectations as a given and asking, "are these expectations wildly out of proportion?" And that's where my criticisms came from. Realistically, none of these games are going to be Gamecube's Mesiah. But it would be unfair of me to put that kind of expectation on them.
To be even-handed, all of the games I mentioned look like they are going to kick some serious ass. Pikmin 2 is precisely what I want, F-Zero looks amazing and has the racing gameplay prowess of Sega to back it up. Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, and Mario Golf look like they will redefine "addictive multiplayer." I'm thirsty for the traditional fighting action of Soul Calibre II (with Link). I love the artwork for FF:CC. I am a huge fan of the Rogue Squadron series, and I think Rogue Leader is still one of the most beautiful and intense games out there. PN03 has piqued my interest despite cool reception in Japan. Viewtful Joe, to everyon who has played it, is so stylish and smooth that it's hard NOT to have fn playing it. Wario World looks like a great evolution of Wario's 2D adventures. Kirby's Air Ride has a ton a character, and the simple controls guarentee that'll have that "instant fun" factor like Super Monkey Ball. I think I was misunderstood with the list that includes Resident Evil 4. I didn't mean that they wouldn't show up, I meant that they're probably not going to be Nintendo's "marquee" games for whatever reason. That said, I'm looking forward to all of those games. Killer 7's art design is mesmerizing. Resident Evil 4 is unbelievable. Billy Hatcher is Sonic Team's oddball, quirky goodness that I love. Metroid Prime 2 is the sequel to my favorite Gamecube game. Dead Phoenix looks epic, massive, and fun as hell. I had a ball with Timesplitters 2, so I'm eagerly awaiting what Free Radical has in store. I don't know whether MGS:Twin Snakes is a remake or not, but I have never doubted Hideo Kojima's talent. I have faith that whatever Miyamoto delivers in terms of in-house games will be at the forefront of the industry.
I completely believe that every game listed above (and others that I am forgetting) should outplay and outsell Sphinx. Yet the expectations for the above games are already incrediby high. I was merely mentioning that Sphinx has a slight chance of being a "dark horse."
Before, I guess I was taking the current expectations as a given and asking, "are these expectations wildly out of proportion?" And that's where my criticisms came from. Realistically, none of these games are going to be Gamecube's Mesiah. But it would be unfair of me to put that kind of expectation on them.
To be even-handed, all of the games I mentioned look like they are going to kick some serious ass. Pikmin 2 is precisely what I want, F-Zero looks amazing and has the racing gameplay prowess of Sega to back it up. Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, and Mario Golf look like they will redefine "addictive multiplayer." I'm thirsty for the traditional fighting action of Soul Calibre II (with Link). I love the artwork for FF:CC. I am a huge fan of the Rogue Squadron series, and I think Rogue Leader is still one of the most beautiful and intense games out there. PN03 has piqued my interest despite cool reception in Japan. Viewtful Joe, to everyon who has played it, is so stylish and smooth that it's hard NOT to have fn playing it. Wario World looks like a great evolution of Wario's 2D adventures. Kirby's Air Ride has a ton a character, and the simple controls guarentee that'll have that "instant fun" factor like Super Monkey Ball. I think I was misunderstood with the list that includes Resident Evil 4. I didn't mean that they wouldn't show up, I meant that they're probably not going to be Nintendo's "marquee" games for whatever reason. That said, I'm looking forward to all of those games. Killer 7's art design is mesmerizing. Resident Evil 4 is unbelievable. Billy Hatcher is Sonic Team's oddball, quirky goodness that I love. Metroid Prime 2 is the sequel to my favorite Gamecube game. Dead Phoenix looks epic, massive, and fun as hell. I had a ball with Timesplitters 2, so I'm eagerly awaiting what Free Radical has in store. I don't know whether MGS:Twin Snakes is a remake or not, but I have never doubted Hideo Kojima's talent. I have faith that whatever Miyamoto delivers in terms of in-house games will be at the forefront of the industry.
I completely believe that every game listed above (and others that I am forgetting) should outplay and outsell Sphinx. Yet the expectations for the above games are already incrediby high. I was merely mentioning that Sphinx has a slight chance of being a "dark horse."