Before it’s irrelevant… too late!

by Andre

I didn’t get to finish up my E3 posts like I intended to, but that’s no big deal. I figured I’d at least try wrap it up before it was time to talk about E3 2014!

1996

Remember when the Nintendo 64 control stick looked like this?

Instead of being “bowl-shaped” and way bigger than the average person’s thumb, Nintendo opted to go with the smaller (and more blister-inducing) design we know and love today.

2000

E3, GDC, Space World… it was all the same to me. Back in 2000, my main focus was on my social life. I had just bought a brand new bass, and I was getting pretty deep into that whole thing. I didn’t have much time (i.e. didn’t MAKE much time) for video games.

Still, I had a channel called ZDTV, and X-Play was a show that reviewed and previewed new games. When I wasn’t watching MTV that summer, hoping to discover that next nü-metal band I’d become obsessed with, I was watching ZDTV.

On a cold and rainy day, as I waited for my very first road test for driver’s ed, I learned about Microsoft’s entry into the console market. That was big news! I mean, the tech demo they showed was somewhat weak, so I knew the console was doomed to failure (ha). It was big news, nonetheless.

That was also the summer I discovered Slipknot, System of a Down, and Static-X. Coupled with the awesomeness of Napster, and getting my beginner’s license, that was a memorable summer indeed.

2001

This was the year we finally got to see what the next generation of gaming would look like. The GameCube and Xbox figured prominently at E3 that year, and Metal Gear Solid 2 wowed everyone with what Sony claimed was actual gameplay. It looked so damn good, we all had our doubts.

Great issue!

During our NASCAR race trip of 2001, this issue of EGM got a workout. I read and re-read every article, wanting to soak in every little detail. Each console’s preview section had its own colour – green for Xbox games, purple for GameCube games, and blue for PlayStation 2 games. The red section was dedicated to the PlayStation 1, but only took up a single page since the console was on its way out.

RIP. Never 4get.

One of the Xbox games previewed was Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. It didn’t jump out at me all that much in 2001, but after playing (and enjoying the heck out of) Frontline a year later, I remembered that preview I had seen in EGM. High and low, I searched for Allied Assault on Xbox. I asked the guys at Electronics Boutique (!!!), and they gave me weird looks, like I didn’t know what I was talking about. I searched online, and even found box art for the damn thing.

Alas, my search never turned up any results. The game had ended up only being released for PC, and I couldn’t find any concrete evidence that the Xbox version had been cancelled. It’s too bad, because it’s a fantastic PC game.

Naturally, it would have been better on a console. *snicker*