The biggest trade fair in gaming is now underway at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Since its inception in over 15 years ago, everything from Starcraft to Half-Life, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been featured at the expo.
As THE premier event for gaming, E3 plays host to all matter of developers and brands to showcase what they hope to be the next hit of the year. Expected to be featured this year are Resident Evil 6, Borderlands 2, Prey 2, Luigi's Mansion 2, Kingdom Hearts 3D, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard (DLC for Skyrim), Madden NFL 13, Metal Gear Rising, Halo 4, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed 3, God of War: Ascension, Aliens: Colonial Marines, and many others.
But what are some of the big events that made their marks at E3 in year's past? Let's take a walk down memory lane.
1995 - The videogame industry had grown a bit too large to be contained at the Consumer Electronics Show. The industry as a whole needed its own show, and that was when the Electronic Entertainment Expo came into being. Held at California's Los Angeles Convention Center, the first year was all about the "next-generation" of gaming. It was this year that Sony's new PlayStation console made its debut, and Saturn announced that its Saturn console was already on store shelves, unbeknownst to many of the attendees. Nintendo's N64 had been brought up, but was not officially showcased. Nintendo had instead focused their attention on their new "portable" system, the Virtual Boy. 3DO also unveiled the ultimately unsuccessful and then overpriced Neo-Geo CD. Games shown that year included Virtua Fighter, Panzer Dragoon, Turok, Darkstalkers: Night Warriors, and Resident Evil.
1996 - Held again in LA, the E3 of '96 was undoubtedly all about Nintendo. Having announced its newest console the year before, Nintendo finally showcased the Nintendo64. One of the last cartridge based consoles, it gave the first ever look at Nintendo icon Mario in three dimensions. While the N64 garnered much attention with new games like PilotWings 64, and Wave Race 64, it hadn't left Super Nintendo behind, as Super Mario RPG was unveiled this year. Sega and Sony were still keeping up pace. Nights and Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei made appearances on the Saturn, while PlayStation revealed Crash Bandicoot, JetMoto, and sequels to Wipeout and Tekken. Other honorable mentions that year were Mario Kart 64, Twisted Metal 2, and Fighting Vipers.
1997 - E3 moved to Atlanta, GA this year, where it would stay next year as well. With no consoles displayed this year, it was all about games. A lot of big names on the PC front were in attendance: Starcraft, Diablo, Unreal, and Half-Life. Other titles met with excitement included Resident Evil 2, Tomb Raider 2, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Metal Gear Solid.
1998 - The infamous Duke Nukem Forever made its debut here, but the game itself would not arrive (as a very expensive paperweight) until over a decade later. Sega also announced its new Dreamcast system this year. Nintendo also gave most Western eyes their first glimpse at the mega-hit Pokemon this year, and also unveiled their Game Boy Color. Also seen were NFL Blitz, Mortal Kombat 4, Perfect Dark, Final Fantasy VIII, and cult favorite Grim Fandango.
1999 - E3 packed up in Atlanta and returned to where it all began, Los Angeles, CA. Shooter games weren't shown much this year, given that Columbine had happened only a few weeks prior. Nintendo announced its GameCube console, then known as the "Dolphin." But they still had their focus on the N64, showing Perfect Dark, and Super Smash Bros. Sega announced the release date for its Dreamcast as 9/9/99, and that it would come packed with a 56k modem for online play, and grabbed attention with Soul Calibur. Other games that deserve mention include Deus Ex Machina, Shenmue, Tekken 3, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
2000 - This year was arguably one of the best years for E3. The new millennium brought in some great consoles. Sony had released PS2 in Japan, Sega's Dreamcast was still going strong, Nintendo announced a release date for their new GameCube, and Microsoft announced its entrance into console gaming by releasing its Xbox. Hot games that year were Metal Gear Solid 2, Diablo 2, Warcraft 2, Tekken Tag Tournament, Halo, Hitman: Codename 47, and the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
2001 - After taking a long part in the console wars, Sega announced this as its last year making consoles. With Dreamcast heading to the showers, and the Xbox still in its infancy, Sony had the spotlight this year, showing future gems like Grand Theft Auto 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Final Fantasy X. But Nintendo still had some aces up its sleeve with Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing, and Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Gamecube, and Super Mario Advance and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon for the Game Boy Advance.
2002 - Without a doubt, the biggest event of this year's E3 was when Blizzard decided to destroy thousands of healthy relationships and regular sleep patterns by introducing World of Warcraft. Nintendo insisted on additions to classics with Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Not to be outdone, PlayStation brought Tekken 4 home from the arcades, and Xbox was getting an exclusive remake of Ninja Gaiden.
2003 - This was the year PlayStation finally decided to go portable, announcing the PSP. But the big deal of this year's E3 was Valve co-founder Gabe Newell's announcement of Half-Life 2. Other notables included Soul Calibur II, Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe, SSX 3, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Final Fantasy X-2, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
2004 - Nintendo unveiled what would be known as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, featuring a much more realistic art style than Wind Waker. Nintendo also revealed the DS to the market, featuring dual screens, one of which was a touch screen. Not to be outdone in the handheld market, Sony showed Gran Turismo 4 Mobile, Twisted Metal: Head On, and Metal Gear Ac!d, among others. Microsoft focused on games like Fable, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2. Honorable mentions of this year's show go to F.E.A.R., Final Fantasy XII, and Katamari Damacy.
2005 - Another big year for consoles as Microsoft showed it's new XBox360, Nintendo gave us the "Revolution" (later named the Wii), and Sony showcasing the PlayStation 3. Talked about titles included Gears of War, Perfect Dark Zero, Starcraft Ghost, Kingdom Hearts 2, Call of Duty 2, Shadow of the Colossus, and Guitar Hero.
2006 - Nintendo continued forward, giving more details on Wii, presenting its motion control with titles like Wii Sports, and Super Mario Galaxy. Sony followed suit with sixaxis controlled games Gran Turismo and Warhawk. Microsoft gave us Halo 3, Mass Effect, and the announcement that Grand Theft Auto would join their library. Other games that made an impact were Assassin's Creed, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Metal Gear Solid 4. Aside from the games, eye candy was in apparent short supply when the ESA decided to crack down on booth babes, declaring that "material, including live models, conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative, including but not limited to nudity, partial nudity and bathing suit bottoms, are prohibited on the Show floor, all common areas, and at any access points to the Show.
2007 - At this point, E3 had grown huge, not to mention expensive for some exhibitors to attend. Moving from the LA Convention Center to the Barker hanger in Santa Monica, E3 emerged as the downsized "E3 Media and Business Summit." Nintendo focused attention on Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii, and also introduced its balance board peripheral. Sony came out with Killzone 2, inFamous, and the darling LittleBigPlanet, and Micrsoft gave a demo of Rock Band and touted Xbox Live Arcade. The downsized nature of E3 this year allowed for a "host" of sorts, comedian Jamie Kennedy, which was akward to say the least.
2008 - Still scaled back, E3 returned to the LA Convention Center. Microsoft showed off Fable 2 and Lips, while Nintendo gave more attention to motion control with Wii Sports Resort. Other notables included Dead Space, Resident Evil 5, Steet Fighter 4, BioShock, and God of War 3 was announced.
2009 - E3 returned to its former large scale with over 200 exhibitors and around 40,000 attendees. Halo: Reach and Left for Dead 2 were both announced by Microsoft, Nintendo revealed New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Metroid: Other M. Other notables included BioShock 2, Prototype, and Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
2010 - Console wise, PlayStation Plus was announced as a subscription-based PSN, and Nintendo gave a trailer for the new 3DS. A lot of great games made their debut here including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the re-boot of Mortal Kombat. But Sony mascot Kevin Butler stole the show with a absolutely phenomenal presentation.
2011 - Kinect was in full swing with Microsoft announcing its implementation for Star Wars, Mass Effect 3, and Crytek. They also presented a teaser trailer for Halo 4. Sony announced their new portable system, PSVita, and presented a trailer for BioShock Infinite. Nintendo announced may old favorites would be making their way to the 3DS, such as Mario Bros, Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, and Legend of Zelda. Taking home best of show awards were Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Tomb Raider, Batman: Arkham City, and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.