The Week Before E3 Week: Part 1

Next week is the 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and this week we'll take a look back at Next Generation magazine's recap of the 1999 show (Wednesday) and my time at the 2003 show (Friday). This year's show is actually open to the public for the first time. The tickets were a bit expensive but they did manage to sell out of all 15,000 that were available. I'm curious to see how that goes because as I'll mention on Friday, the show may not be exactly what the public expects and there's a good chance that the professionals attending for work will have a more difficult time getting hands on time, and thus the press coverage from the smaller outlets may suffer.

Los Angeles Convention Center, E3 2003

Now I'll kick off the week before E3 week by attempting to make some predictions for fun:

Activision
Activision has already revealed Call of Duty: WWII and Destiny 2. Although Spyro appears in Skylanders, that series is taking the year off so I'm going to guess there will be something else with the character similar to the upcoming Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Also, it's not much of a secret but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered will almost certainly be getting a solo retail release ($49.99). That will probably be announced during the Sony press conference and release that day for PlayStation 4 and a month later for Xbox One and PC.

New Game Predictions: Spyro the Dragon remaster
Retro Long Shot: new version of Pitfall

Bethesda
Bethesda has a press conference and hinted at two new games, possibly original properties. Another Elder Scrolls must be in development but I don't know if Bethesda would want to overshadow the Switch release of Skyrim coming later this year so I could see the publisher waiting until next year for an unveiling of a new entry in the series.

New Game Predictions: Wolfenstein, at least one original property
Early Long Shot: The Elder Scrolls VI

Electronic Arts (EA)
EA isn't technically at E3 anymore but it does set up its own thing nearby and holds a press conference. I'm not expecting much in the way of original properties here and it probably already announced just about everything ahead of time (FIFA 18, Madden 18, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Need for Speed Payback). Maybe there will be a trailer for the Star Wars game in development at EA's Motive studio but that's not a new announcement either. Is Dead Space 4 in development? That's been rumored on and off. EA Sports could return to boxing and although highly unlikely, I'd like to see another college football or MLB game.

New Game Predictions: Dragon Age 4
Lester's Long Shot: Skate or Die 30th Anniversary Edition (I was going to guess Skate 4 but this is more fun!)

Microsoft
The Scorpio version of Xbox One will be the main event with Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, and State of Decay 2 being the primary games we know of. A reveal of Forza Motorsport 7 and Gears of War 5 seem likely as those are definite games at some point in the future. The Xbox One needs more exclusives and the old properties are wearing thin so I'll guess there will be at least one original game and one revival of an older property. Microsoft is the most difficult to predict as it is most in need of exclusives but doesn't have as large of a back catalog to draw from or as many in-house development studios as the other console makers have. Perhaps it will do another one of those deals like it did for Rise of the Tomb Raider or maybe purchase IO Interactive to acquire the Hitman series? Agent 47 would be right at home with Master Chief and Marcus Fenix, though the Xbox brand could use some characters with personality.

New Game Predictions: Forza Motorsport 7, Gears of War 5, original property
Long Time, No Siege Shot: Age of Empires IV (highly unlikely but possibly the best older franchise Microsoft owns), Hitman acquisition

Nintendo
Nintendo already announced a 2DS XL is coming in July, and we know the Switch is getting Splatoon 2 in July and Super Mario Odyssey before the end of the year. It might be too early for a Switch Smash Bros. but an announcement doesn't mean a game will be out this year or even next. If Nintendo announces a new Metroid will it be for Switch or 3DS? Although the 2DS XL isn't new in the sense that it is part of the same family as all of the other 3DS and 2DS handhelds, Nintendo may want a new game to help push sales of the 2DS XL.

New Game Predictions: Smash Bros. (Switch), Pokémon (Switch),
Alienating Long Shot: Metroid (2DS/3DS)

Sony
Sony has quite a few games in development that were announced at the 2016 E3 or earlier that are still a ways off (Gran Turismo Sport, Spider-Man, Days Gone, God of War, The Last of Us 2, Death Stranding, Detroit, Wild). Plus Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Everybody's Golf will be out in a couple months. Could Sony really be working on more than that? Sony probably has at least a couple titles in development for PlayStation VR and something for PlayStation 4 (PS4). It really doesn't need anything else immediately for PS4 though, with the aforementioned games and the strong support the platform receives from third-party Japanese companies.

New Game Prediction: Ape Escape VR, Another VR Shooter
Sneaky Long Shot: Syphon Filter

Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed took last year off and there have been some leaks about the next one being in Egypt so I won't predict that since it's about as official as it can be without actually being officially unveiled. We also already know about Just Dance 2018, The Crew 2, Far Cry 5, and a Rabbids + Mario Switch game.

New Game Predictions: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia
Cobra La-La-La-La-La Long Shot: G.I. Joe (I just want someone to make a new Joe game one of these days!)

Here are a few other random guesses from the publishers I didn't get to: LEGO Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Borderlands 3, Tomb Raider 3, and the next Game of Thrones from Telltale. What I want to see is for Sega to announce Shenmue I & II HD remasters for PC. I'm not someone that typically plays remasters but I need to replay Shenmue before the third game (which is probably a long ways off) and in the U.S. we never got the first two on the same platform so it would be nice to replay them with the ability to play the sequel using the first game's save file.

This article really needs more images so here is a photo of the 1998 show's daily magazines. At every E3 there is a show daily handed out to attendees each of the three days; they used to be over-sized but more recently they've shrunk closer to a standard magazine.

E3 1998 Show Daily

This year Microsoft moved its press conference up to Sunday because it likes to be first but it isn't first if Electronic Arts counts as being part of E3. Here is the current schedule:

Electronic Arts - Saturday, June 10th @ 3 PM EDT
Microsoft - Sunday, June 11th @ 5 PM EDT
Bethesda - Monday, June 12th @ 12 AM EDT (Yes, it is at midnight for some of us; 9 PM Sunday for the West Coast)
PC Gaming Show - Monday, June 12th @ 1 PM EDT
Ubisoft - Monday, June 12th @ 4 PM EDT
Sony - Monday, June 12th @ 9 PM EDT
Nintendo - Tuesday, June 13th @ 12 PM EDT (not a conference; live stream event)

The streams can typically be found on YouTube, Twitch, and many of the major video game media websites.

Gaming Ads: Black Pearl Software, Blizzard Entertainment, Bondwell, and Broderbund Software

This week has a couple big name publishers but only 15 ads overall between the four companies. Black Pearl Software was acquired by THQ in 1993 and used as a publishing brand for the company. It published a number of 16-bit games and many handheld ports of console games, such as Madden 96, Shaq Fu, and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Blizzard Entertainment was originally known as Silicon & Synapse when it was founded in 1991 and often worked with Interplay in its early years. Before being acquired by Davidson & Associates and changing its name to Blizzard in 1994, Silicon & Synapse's best known games were The Lost Vikings and Rock 'n Roll Racing. Four other companies purchased the developer over the years and it became part of Activision Blizzard following Activision's merger with Vivendi's games division in 2008. Blizzard continues to develop for its three biggest franchises, StarCraft, Warcraft, and Diablo, and last year launched the very successful online shooter Overwatch. A few of the games it developed do have ads under other publishers.

Bondwell was an accessory maker that acquired the QuickShot brand in the mid-'80s. It released a variety of game controllers for both home computers and video game consoles.

Founded in 1980, Broderbund Software was a major developer and publisher of home computer software during the '80s and '90s. Broderbund found success in both games and non-gaming software, such as The Print Shop and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. It created one of the biggest game franchises in Carmen Sandiego which even became a television game show for kids from 1991-1995. Other significant games from Broderbund include Karateka, Prince of Persia, Choplifter, and Lode Runner. It also published Will Wright's (SimCity, The Sims) first game Raid on Bungeling Bay. In 1998 Broderbund was acquired by The Learning Company and then proceeded to change hands many times over the next five years with portions of the company being owned by Mattel and Ubisoft at one time. Ubisoft now owns the Prince of Persia property while what remains of Broderbund continues to operate as part of Encore Software.

Black Pearl Software albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Blizzard Entertainment albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Bondwell albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Broderbund Software albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Gaming Ads: Beeshu, Bethesda Softworks, and Bignet U.S.A.

First up today is an accessory company named Beeshu that went out of business in 1995. It made many colorful controllers for 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, as well as home computers. Nothing really too exciting as few game accessory makers are. Next is a game developer and publisher that anyone who enjoys video games today should know well.

Bethesda Softworks was founded in 1986 and is based in Bethesda, Maryland, hence the company name. When one thinks of Bethesda they surely think of The Elder Scrolls as that's its longest running game series having started in 1994 with the release of The Elder Scrolls: Arena. It's also now known for Fallout since licensing the property from Interplay for Fallout 3 and later acquiring it outright following a legal battle. However, before Bethesda was known for its role-playing games, it actually created a number of sports games and the single ad I've got is for a college basketball game. I'm disappointed I don't have more ads too but many magazines of the early '90s focus on consoles and Bethesda only released computer games until 1999. Bethesda publishes id Software (Doom, Quake) games now as well since its parent company ZeniMax acquired the developer in 2009.

Lastly is Bignet U.S.A., a distributor for Japanese company Micronet Co., Ltd. established in July 1990. There isn't much to say about Bignet but it is the company responsible for the ads which is why I'm putting the album in its name. Micronet was founded in October 1982 and has developed games for a variety of genres and platforms. While Micronet is still in business as a software developer, the last game it released was Marionette Handler 2 for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000.

Beeshu albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Bethesda Softworks albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Bignet U.S.A. albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Gaming Ads: Bandai America

Bandai is a Japanese company founded in 1950 with Bandai America opening in 1978. Before video games Bandai sold toys and model kits, such as the Gundam models of the '80s. Some other notable and more recent toys from Bandai include Power Rangers action figures and Tamagotchi digital pets. Bandai got into the video game business in the late '70s and had quite an impact on the industry over the years. Aside from developing and publishing numerous games, it also created the Family Fun Fitness mat controller (and the rare Stadium Events game) for the Nintendo Entertainment System that North American audiences know as the Power Pad. It even took part in the development of the short-lived Pippin system with Apple and released its own handheld platform in Japan called WonderSwan (and later upgraded to WonderSwan Color).

Bandai still makes toys but in the video game world it is known today as Bandai Namco Entertainment. In 2005 Bandai merged with video game giant Namco, makers of such classics as Pac-Man, Galaga, and Pole Position. The company names from that merger have changed a few times and depending on the region each branch was based could be referred to as Bandai Namco Games or Namco Bandai Games before switching to the aforementioned Bandai Namco Entertainment on April 1, 2015.

Bandai America albums: Facebook - Google Photos

May Update

Last time I wrote an update was in March when I was looking forward to Mass Effect: Andromeda. I did play and complete Andromeda in a little more than 80 hours. While I encountered a few bugs, nothing bothered me too much even though some of the animations did look funny (possibly patched away by now). Overall it is more Mass Effect: fly around space, land on planets, talk to people, and shoot the bad guys. I found it entertaining though there are a couple of things that I didn't like. One is that Ryder can never be too threatening (just a jerk) -- nothing like when the original trilogy's Shepard used renegade dialog choices -- so don't expect to be able play the game like that. Another is that a major plot point is left unresolved. If it's setting up a sequel then I suppose it could be acceptable but I'm concerned they will place it in downloadable content (DLC) and I rarely play DLC. I'm trying to avoid spoilers so I won't say too much else on it; it's just the way that part of the story was introduced around the middle of the game I kept expecting to investigate it and the fact that I never got the chance to annoys me. There are two other story elements that I believe will definitely be sold as DLC so I'll probably miss out on those.

Since finishing Mass Effect once, and briefly playing a second character with the new game plus option, I've mostly been playing Forza Horizon 3 (FH3) again when I've had time to. I did reach the credits for FH3 back in December though there is so much content in the game I'm not certain anyone will want to do everything (I'm at 40% completion). You actually don't have to always race if you don't want to. Instead it can be more fun to drive around looking for boards (bonus XP and fast travel savings) to hit and PR stunts to complete. PR stunts involve driving as fast as you can, drifting, and launching your vehicle off of ramps. There are tools for making car designs as well, though you need patience for anything elaborate. I made a Cobra logo from the G.I. Joe franchise and have placed that on a bunch of cars. It's not perfect but from a distance it looks good enough. While I don't like having a lot of images on my cars, there are some very impressive designs by other players. The Forza Horizon series is my favorite of what little Microsoft publishes and it's a beautiful series to take in-game screenshots of. Here are some of those Cobra designs (if you ever use Blogger let me warn you that lining up images the way you want can be maddening!):

Storm Shadow (I jumped off a cliff
while moving sideways)

Basic Cobra color scheme, though
I refer to this one as Baroness. 

Eels

Major Bludd

Trubble Bubble

B.A.T.S.

Alright, to the blog update. Looks like the comments I've received thus far are spam and here I thought someone actually had something nice to say. The statistics Blogger provides indicates that I do get some views on each post from a variety of countries but mostly from the United States of which a majority of those are probably myself (just now added something to Chrome to block myself). Feel free to post a comment even if it is just to say hi! I've not advertised or even told too many people I know about the blog so it's not surprising the web traffic isn't very big right now. I was waiting until I had a fair amount of content and maybe it is at that point now. I've not written a whole lot either as I post more scans than anything else but as I stated in the About section, the video game magazines were the inspiration to start a blog. I'm also still considering a YouTube channel for a few things.

E3 wasn't always in L.A.

Aside from the usual Saturday morning ad updates I'm also planning an upcoming post about my one visit to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) which was all the way back in 2003. The 2017 E3 begins on June 13th with the press conferences taking place the few days before. E3 doesn't typically have as many surprises as it used to due to online leaks, yet it's still one of the most exciting weeks for those of us that like video games a little too much. Watching (and analyzing) the press conferences and absorbing all of the game news in that one week is great. It's too bad Nintendo doesn't still do a press conference; it has been releasing prerecorded video presentations followed by live streams since 2013. Nintendo has the newest console and recently announced the New 2DS XL so it seems like a great time to try a press conference. Oh well.

I'll look into posting an article or two from the '90s as well if I have any. E3 began in 1995 which is a little after most of my magazines. However, I do have some of the Show Daily magazines that are handed out each day at E3. The older ones are over-sized and don't fit on my scanner which makes getting ads from them a pain. Scanning text is easier though since it doesn't all have to be pieced together perfectly. The plan is to post the week before E3 because I'll be too busy reading about all of the new games the week of E3 like everyone else!

Gaming Ads: Acclaim (Multiple Brands), Balistic Software, and Ballistic

Before I put a cap on the "A" publishers I'm revisiting Acclaim. Acclaim had a few subsidiaries and brands, and some ads feature two or more of them. While I could have copied them to every publisher in each ad, I decided to place them in one grouped album. The publishers involved are Acclaim, Arena Entertainment, Flying Edge, and LJN. Arena was another we've already taken a look at and we'll see the other two in their own albums later.

Next are two very similarly named companies, one being a brand of another big publisher we've already seen. First is Balistic Software, a publisher I know nothing about beyond the single ad I've got that's of a role-playing game for the Commodore 64.

The other Ballistic was a publishing brand used by Accolade from 1991-1994 primarily to get around the licensing contract it had with Nintendo. Nintendo blocked most publishers that wanted to release games for the Nintendo Entertainment System from releasing games on competing platforms so some publishers simply created another publishing brand to do so (like the aforementioned Acclaim and Flying Edge). None of the Sega Genesis games from Ballistic carried Sega's official seal of approval which led to a legal battle between the two. Ballistic was dissolved shortly after that was resolved with future releases carrying only the Accolade name.

Acclaim brands albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Ballistic albums: Facebook - Google Photos

    

After leaving Flickr I opted to group publishers with a single ad in the same album so Balistic Software no longer has its own album but its one ad does appear on this page.

Gaming Ads: Aura Systems and Avalon Hill

This week there aren't too many ads. Up first is Aura Systems, a company that made the Interactor vest that works with the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Aura calls it "Virtual Reality Game Wear" which is a way of saying it makes players feel more like they are in the game. It's basically a device you wear that provides vibration feedback and having released in 1994 it does predate Nintendo's Rumble Pak and Microsoft's Force Feedback controllers. Similar technology was used in arcades but the Interactor is likely one of the earliest home devices to add vibration feedback to games.

Avalon Hill began as The Avalon Game Company in 1954 as a maker of strategical board games. It was acquired by Monarch in 1971 and started a computer games division in the early '80s. Throughout the '80s the company was well known for its computer war games. Toy maker Hasbro purchased Avalon Hill from Monarch in 1998 and it currently operates under Hasbro's subsidiary Wizards of the Coast.

Aura System albums: Facebook - Google Photos

Avalon Hill albums: Facebook - Google Photos