Once a year, the colossal halls of the Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, turn into the Mecca of interactive entertainment for a couple of intense days. Tens of thousands of industry professionals from all around the world, including journalists, analysts, software developers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, go on a pilgrimage to the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to witness the unveiling of hundreds of state-of-the-art products for computers and video-game systems.

For all the avid Nintendo fanatics, this year's long-awaited event kicks off on Wednesday, May 16th, at 10:30 am, when Nintendo of America will be holding its traditional pre-E3 media briefing in downtown Los Angeles. Not only will attendees get an update on the US plans for Game Boy Advance, but they will also experience the worldwide debut of Nintendo GameCube, unarguably one of the most anticipated moments in recent years.

E is for Elegant

The story of E3, the world's largest trade show exclusively devoted to displaying the latest interactive entertainment products, started back in the mid 90s, when the gaming industry didn't have a trade show of its own, but was rather a large part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Even though computer- and video-gaming companies occupied large segments of the show floor, they were not treated with respect. At one Las Vegas show, the Hilton Convention Center was unable to contain all the booths, so the gaming companies were put in a large tent with little protection from wind and weather.

In the light of the unjust treatment of the gaming industry, the concept for a trade show solely dedicated to interactive entertainment was born. The decision was made by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), a trade organization founded in April of 1994 for the purpose of creating a self-regulating rating system for electronic games. While some companies, including Sega, embraced the E3 concept from the very beginning, two of the major players in the industry, Nintendo and Microsoft, needed some convincing to abandon CES in favor of the new trade show.


The E3 show, which launched in 1995 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, was an instant success, as everyone in the gaming industry wanted to participate. The trade show, providing unity and professional appearance, was a milestone in the history of the interactive entertainment industry, as it showed it had grown enough to be taken seriously. Since its debut, E3 has been an annual focal point for the gaming industry and continues to attract some of its most influential and innovative people.

Flashback: E3 1995

The debut of the trade show the gaming industry could call its own was highly anticipated, as rumors persisted that Sony, Sega, and Nintendo would be showcasing their new home consoles PlayStation, Saturn, and Ultra 64 respectively. While Sony and Sega delivered what was expected from them, Nintendo issued a press release just weeks before the show stating that its 64-bit system was delayed to 1996 and would not be shown at E3. Attendees did get to see images of the hardware, though the revolutionary controller was held back for the upcoming Spaceworld event a couple of months later.

E is for Enigmatic

Ever since its first GameCube unveiling at Spaceworld last August, Nintendo has promised playable GameCube titles at this year's E3 event. The company has as of yet not disclosed any details regarding its E3 plans, so we can only go by rumors and speculation when it comes to guessing what Nintendo decides to showcase at its media briefing and on the show floor the following three days.

EAD has been working on its GameCube flagship title for quite some time now, and it would make sense for Nintendo to show it at E3. Most likely Mario will be starring the game, but there are rumblings that suggest his brother Luigi might in fact be the main character. IGN recently reported that Super Smash Bros 2 will be at the show in playable form, as will NSTC's sequel to Wave Race 64.

Rare is currently underway with six or seven GameCube titles, of which two or three might be displayed at E3 in some form. N-Sider reported back in December that Dinosaur Planet has undergone a significant make-over, and there is a chance the new game will be at E3. Another long-rumored title from the UK-based developer is the sequel to the highly acclaimed Perfect Dark, and chances are high that it will make an appearance at the show as well.

Flashback: E3 1996

Nintendo's western debut of its 64-bit system let attendees try out playable versions of seven games -- Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, Wave Race 64, Killer Instinct Gold, Blast Corps, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, and Cruis'n USA -- as well as see video footage of games like Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, Kirby's Air Ride, and Goldeneye 007.

Flashback: E3 1997

The popularity of E3 had grown to such an extend that the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center could not fit all the exhibitors, so the 1997 editon of E3 was moved to Atlanta, where it was held in the halls of the Georgia World Congress Center and Georgia Dome. Nintendo showcased games like F-Zero X, Yoshi's Story, and The Legend of Zelda 64 while Rare introduced its two platformers Banjo-Kazooie (Project Dream) and Conker's Quest.

Even though Silicon Knights is working on two GameCube titles, Eternal Darkness and Too Human, only one of them, most likely the former, is expected to appear in playable form at the show, while the other will be shown only on video. IGN recently reported that the Metroid title Retro Studios was developing would probably only be shown on video, and that the same thing was likely to apply to Runeblade, the developer's fantasy RPG. Left Field Productions is reportedly working on a sequel to NBA Courtside as well as a snowboarding game, and the two games might appear at E3 next week.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2 appeared at Spaceworld as a technical demonstration, but has now materialized into a game developed by Factor 5 and LucasArts. The game, which will be playable, is expected to be one of many third-party-developed titles to be displayed at the show. Other third-party developers that will be showing GameCube titles are Sega, Electronic Arts, and Acclaim.

While Nintendo GameCube will undoubtly steal the show, the company will also be showing its promising handheld system Game Boy Advance, which is scheduled for a western launch in June. E3 will mark the first opportunity for the US gamers to try out the new handheld and its flagship titles, including Super Mario Advance and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, as well as never-seen-before titles from Nintendo and its licensees.

Flashback: E3 1998

The 1998 edition of E3 wasn't as big as the year earlier, so all the booths could fit in the Georgia World Congress Center. The show was mostly remembered for the battle of the two titans The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation respectively, but also for the unveiling of games like Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

Flashback: E3 1999

Now back in Los Angeles, E3 1999 marked the introduction of Nintendo's latest system, Project Dolphin, which caused a lot of attention from media when it was unveiled at the company's E3 media briefing. Still, there was no sign of Project Dolphin on the show floor, which was dedicated solely to Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color titles. This was unarguably one of Rare's best shows, as it presented playable versions of Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark.

E is for Enormous

The Los Angeles Convention Center is one of the largest convention and exhibition facilities in the world, offering 870,000 square feet of exhibit space and 64 meeting rooms. It consists of six halls: South Hall, West Hall, North Hall, Kentia Hall, Concourse Hall, and Petree Hall. The E3 show will not use the North Hall, while the Kentia Hall will mainly house computer- and Internet companies. The video-gaming companies will be spread out through the remaining halls.


Many of the largest software developers will be present at the South Hall, including Microsoft, Konami, Capcom, Namco, Square, Electronic Arts, Activision, Infogrames, and Midway. However, the really big boys, namely Sega, Sony, and Nintendo, will have their massive booths at the West Hall. Meanwhile, the Concourse Hall will house developers like Interplay, Titus, and Ubi Soft, while the THQ booth is located in the Petree Hall.

Flashback: E3 2000

Even though Sony showcased its PlayStation 2 at last year's show, Nintendo presented some of the show's best games for the now aged Nintendo 64, namely The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Dinosaur Planet, Banjo-Tooie, and, most importantly, Eternal Darkness, which showed that the investment deal Nintendo had inked with Silicon Knights already paid off.

E is for Exciting

E3 2001 is bound to be nothing short of spectacular, and N-Sider will naturally be there to experience it all first-hand. Not only will we be providing you with impressions of the first GameCube titles unveiled at Nintendo's pre-E3 media briefing, but we will also report daily from the show floor with game impressions, developer interviews, and a plethora of media, from screenshots and photographs to video- and audio recordings.


This will be the first trip to the huge halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center for most of us, and we are all filled with excitement and anticipation as we prepare ourselves for the impending event. For months Nintendo has let all its news-hungry fanatics live on nothing but scraps, but those days are now over, as our beloved developer will finally unveil all the secret weapons it plans to use to reclaim lost ground in a war still in its infancy.