The Best of the Other Stuff

RSG's Guide to Reticle-Free E3 Games

There's been plenty of post-E3 hype surrounding big budget sequels, updates of classic games, first-person shooters and big-budget sequels that update classic-first person shooters. I have to admit that one or two of the following games could fit into one of the aforementioned categories. Regardless, here's my short list of intriguing games from E3 2003.

Stage Debut: Shigeru Miyamoto showed this title during a Nintendo breakfast meeting. The game looks to have less of a point than Animal Crossing, which in my mind is a good thing. Characters can be scanned into the game using the E-Reader. Little else is known about the game, except for the fact that a team of three developers has been working on this mystery game for three years.

Shigeru Miyamoto's 4 player Pac Man: One player controls Pac Man on the Gameboy Advance while the other three play Ghosts on the TV screen. The Gamecube players only see a small portion of the maze, while Pac Man can see the entire maze. The idea is simple and brilliant.

Grabbed by the Ghoulies:Of the three games Rare had to offer this year, this one was the most interesting. The game's look and tone recalled Edward Gorey with combat system that plays like Robotron 2084. Look for cameo appearances of Rare characters Banjo and Kazooie in the game.

Uru: I'm very disappointed that I walked past this game. It's a sequel to Myst and Riven produced by the original creators, the Rand brothers. The game will be the first to allow cooperative play with multiple players online. I long for the day when opening a secret door was exciting.

Maximo VS. Army of Zin: The original Maximo, a pitch-perfect 3D platformer based on the arcade classic Ghosts and Goblins, is the only game Capcom has managed to get right in quite a while. This sequel adds a smidgen of depth to the game by introducing characters that you can talk to.

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg: Sonic Team introduces new a Monkeyball-style rolling element to the 3D platformer. This playful game (the main character is a boy dressed in a chicken costume who rolls giant eggs around) looks promising.

Viewtiful Joe: This game earns huge points for proving that the cel-shaded look isn't just a fad, but a stylistic step into a new direction

Tron 2.0 Okay. The game's both a sequel and an old-school update. But as an old-school Tron devotee I just can't help being a teensy bit excited about experiencing the day-glow world of Tron in high-tech, 3D glory.

-Gus Mastrapa