2001 E3 report
The 2001 Electronics Entertainment Expo has come and gone. And while most of the video game world is still reeling from the unveiling of Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's X-Box, the role-playing genre was extremely well represented at the show. Here's a system-by-system rundown of all the RPG news from this year's E3.
Game Boy Advance: E3 brought some good news for "Breath of Fire" fans. Capcom announced that their GBA port of the original SNES classic would be released this October. Then as if that wasn't enough, they followed with the announcement that the sequel would also be ported over to Nintendo's new portable juggernaut. It will come to the U.S. However, no release date is currently known.
That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Nintendo announced that they will publish "Tactics Ogre Gaiden", "Golden Sun", and "Magical Vacation" here in the states. Natsume not only had their soon-to-be-released Game Boy Color offering "Lufia: The Legend Returns" on hand in playable form, but they announced that the series would continue under a new name on the GBA. Lastly comes unconfirmed word from the show that the long-running and immensely popular "Tengai Makyou" series may find its way over to America.
Microsoft X-Box: The mainstream media loves it. Hardcore gamers hate it. Love it or hate it, Microsoft's much-hyped X-Box system is on its way, and it looks like it will make an impact on the gaming world. The console is set to launch on November 8 with an MSRP of $299. Reportedly, 600,000-800,000 systems will be available at that time. Sadly, though, the X-Box was sorely lacking in the RPG department. There was "Nightcaster," but the emphasis in this title appears to be more on action than role-playing. A disappointing showing for RPG fans.
Nintendo GameCube: Nintendo, on the other hand, seems to have learned from their past mistakes. In addition to announcing that their next-gen console will be released on November 5, they revealed that a couple of role-playing projects are already being worked on. The first is the Rare-developed "Kameo: Elements of Power," which will feature real-time battles and Pokemon-esque monster collecting elements. It is set for a 2002 release.
The second is "Raven Blade," also set for a 2002 release. Very little is currently known about this Retro Studios title, except that it will feature a mix of real-time and turn-based combat. Sega also confirmed that a little thing called "Phantasy Star Online" will grace the 'Cube, and while they haven't yet announced any projects, Working Designs has reportedly expressed interest in the artist formerly known as Dolphin. And you though the Big N didn't love 'ya!
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