E3 2005: A Retrospective
As this year’s E3 comes upon us next week, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since the 2005 E3, which showed us what to expect from the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and the mysterious Wii. It’s even harder to believe that it would take nearly twice as long before we would see the present generation of consoles, because gamers were used to console refreshes on a 5 year cycle. The announcement of these three systems in 2005 gave gamers a lot of what they wanted to see in future gaming. We were cutting cords with wireless controllers, and adding blu-ray and HD-DVD players (I still have my HD-DVD player by the way!), music players, and ways to link our systems up with our PCs. We were getting systems that would make multiplayer gaming easier as wireless networking was becoming a standard. We were getting systems in which the scale of gaming would increase in ways we couldn’t imagine. Of course one of the big points was that our new systems back then would take advantage of HDTVs which were finally coming down to consumer friendly prices as well. This wasn’t an incremental upgrade for gaming, this was something that would be long lasting. Better graphics, quality sound and multimedia content were on the horizon, but we just didn’t see it at the time. Who could have imagined that, 10 years later, we would be able to watch Netflix, live sporting events, communicate via Skype to friends across the world, and live stream games?
The biggest question once the new systems were announced, however, was what could Sony do to ‘win the console war’ with Microsoft? By the fall of 2005, it was announced that the XBox 360 was going to release at a cheaper price point and a year ahead of the PS3. Not to mention the Xbox 360 had a lot of exclusives at that time, including Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty 2 (which was the big draw for many), Perfect Dark, and more. To look back on it, it’s sad to think that the biggest game that Microsoft pushed at 2005’s E3 was Alan Wake, which didn’t release finally until 2010.
To Sony’s credit, they waited a year before releasing the most expensive blu-ray player at the time because, not only was there a blu-ray parts shortage, they also wanted to see who would win the war between HD-DVD vs blu-ray, for which Sony made a big marketing push. Let’s remember that this is why the PS3’s price point was so high. Even though Microsoft sold the HD-DVD player as a separate unit, it kept costs consumer-friendly for the system because it was an add-on device. Once the blu-ray format became the de-facto standard, Microsoft would be able to quickly ditch the format in later years.
Another memory I have at the time was of a prototype for the PS3 that caused a stir: the boomerang styled controller. That made me want the system even less. Also, the big game seller I remember wishing for (Metal Gear: Guns of the Patriots) was sadly years away. Outside of that, I wasn’t too impressed with the launch titles, which included Madden 07, Call of Duty 3, and Marvel Alliance, or the exclusives (Resistance: Fall of Man or Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom). The steep price of $400 dollars and severe shortages also kept a lot of us away. It’s funny how different the PS4 launch was just 2 years ago.
The Wii was also unveiled and, while many scoffed at Nintendo’s system, little did anyone know that it would become the system to beat during that time. Even though the Wii’s launch was a year way from its announcement in 2005, many people speculated about what it could do. Nintendo was very tight lipped on the system at that E3, and its penchant for giving us very little on how the system would control games would become its signature mark.
So, it’s been 10 years since the 7th generation of gaming began, and we are now almost through the 2nd year of our shiny Xbox Ones and PS4s. Next up, our PCU writers share their memories of E3 of 2005.
by Aitch Cee
Sony and the PS3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHDTbqCufJI
Ok guys, it’s time to go back to an era before high defintion graphics. To a time when no console gamers were arguing over 60 frames and 30 frames, or complained that my version of a game is not running in full 1080p. Let’s go back to 2005’s E3 press event, where the future of so many great gaming franchises would begin with the announcement of HD gaming via the Xbox 360 and the PS3.
Any E3 conference will amaze you with all of the games that you could possibly be feasting upon in the coming months, but this E3 was more. It was the future of our favorite past time. One example of that future was when they previewed Killzone 2 during the Sony press conference. Killzone 2 would be not only the first high definition entry in the franchise, but also the first time the game would be shown on Sony’s new powerhouse system. The segment they previewed was amazing, detailing a gritty, violent, futuristic sci-fi world engulfed in a world war. It featured beautiful destruction, amazing sound effects, and also a few technical tricks to make the audience believe this was truly in-game footage like health bars and HUD items. Now, of course, we are all way more savvy when it comes to seeing vertical slices of games that are in development, but, in 2005, this footage was the sole reason why I ran out the next day and proudly pre-ordered my PS3. This was not the first time or the last time a game had a great gameplay reel that didn’t truly reflect the final product (I’m looking at you, Aliens Colonial Marines, or even the more recent Watchdogs). In the end, Killzone 2 was a great game, but it just didn’t have the visuals or even that entire gameplay sequence that I fell in love with, and, because of that, I classify this as my most exciting and most disappointing moment of the 2005 E3 press conference. Do you have any fond memories from 2005’s E3?
What games or announcements were you excited for? Were there any games that disappointed you due to a delay or cancellations? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
From PC to Consoles…a mixed bag
Looking back to 2005, I was very excited about several upcoming games. Spore and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion were on the top of my list. I was (and still am) an Elder Scrolls fan, but I was a bit hesitant to give the long-awaited Oblivion a try, because I am a Final Fantasy fan.
Trying a game that was meant for PC on a console was something I didn’t think I was ready for. Boy, was I wrong. Oblivion put my faith back into console role-playing games. The graphics, without question, were unbelievable. It was definitely different from the cartoon animation of Final Fantasy. Gone were the split-screen fight scenes and I perfected my ability to sneak up on the enemy. My PC sat untouched for a month after the game was released as I became totally immersed in role-playing games on the console. I played for hours because there was so much to explore. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion gave me something to look forward to in future role-playing games.
I’m a Sims fan and so it was only natural that I grabbed a copy of Spore. When it was announced at E3 in 2005, I was excited to see how the game was going to be different from the Sims. Unfortunately, Spore was delayed several times. I was able to get a rather unimpressive demo copy, but still wanted to give the full game a try. Once I did, I was truly disappointed. It didn’t give me the same feel as the Sims, nor did it have the same quality as other sim games. The process of creating life from a “spore” or micro-organism, and then finding the parts to help it evolve, felt like a biology lesson that I didn’t need. After a couple of days of play, I put the game on the shelf. If EA had taken a little more time to develop the game, it may have been a bit more exciting. This game was not The Sims by any means. I didn’t feel like I was playing God, rather, I felt like I was building aliens to crush a city. That might sound cool in theory, but, in this game, it completely bored me.
A Quick Perspective from a Nintendo Fan
It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since the announcement of the Nintendo Wii, which was previously code-named “Revolution.” And what a revolution it has been. The Nintendo Wii was one of the biggest success stories for Nintendo, selling well over 22 Million units worldwide. I remember reading articles about the Wii during that time and it was a BIG deal. As a whole, E3 2005 was great for gaming, with the announcements of Microsoft’s Xbox360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s “Revolution.” If there was a negative in all of this, it would probably be the Nintendo DS not getting the attention it deserved.
Pop Culture Uncovered 