E3 is dead, but these 20 mythical moments will live forever in our memories
14/12/2023
Translation: machine translated
E3 is over. In memory of this legendary video game show, I'm looking back at 20 emblematic moments that will forever be etched in our memories.
Unbelievable, but true: the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is going away. The Entertainment Software Association has officially put an end forever to what was once the biggest and most important video game show in the world. To overcome my sadness at the announcement, I'm taking a look back at the 20 funniest, most absurd and craziest moments that punctuated E3's 20-plus year history.
20. Mr. Caffeine (Ubisoft, 2011)
Humour is subjective. Yet it's fair to say that Aaron Priceman's speech at Ubisoft's E3 2011 press conference was woefully bad. His over-excited speech earned him the nickname Mr. Caffeine. The audience fell silent at each of his jokes and were amazed at the bizarre noises he made: doodily doodily doo. A monumental flop.
19. Kevin Butler's epic speech (Sony, 2010)
Sony proves a year earlier that humour can work on the E3 stage. The fictional boss of PlayStation, Kevin Butler, takes to the stage and delivers an epic speech that goes straight to the heart of all gamers. A speech full of humour, self-mockery and enthusiasm.
18. Peter Moore shows off his tattoos (Microsoft, 2006)
After getting a tattoo for the announcement of "Halo 2", former Xbox vice-president Peter Moore presents a new masterpiece at E3 2006. For the occasion, he got the GTA IV logo tattooed on his left arm. The game will not be released first on Playstation, as has been the case until now, but at the same time on Xbox 360. It was a wonderfully bizarre moment. Was the tattoo real? The question divides fans to this day.
17. Nathan Drake stands still as if petrified (Sony, 2015)
Naughty Dog wants to do a live demo of Uncharted 4 gameplay, but Nathan Drake remains motionless, the fault of connection problems with the controller. We won't be seeing breakdowns like this again during well-marked live presentations and demos. What a shame! This incident has also been added to the game's trophies. If you stand still for long enough at the E3 demo location in Uncharted 4, you'll get the "It's stage fright" trophy.
16. Gabe Newell, PlayStation guest (Sony, 2010)
Totally unexpectedly, Valve boss Gabe Newell makes an appearance at Sony's press conference to announce Portal 2 for the PS3. Why is this so surprising? Newell had previously made some very negative comments about the PlayStation 3. In particular, he had described the console in question as "an unnecessarily complicated waste of time". Aware of the situation, Newell jokingly says: "I'd like to thank everyone at Sony for their welcome... and for refraining from rebranding me."
15. Ikumi Nakamura, we love you! (Bethesda, 2019)
Ikumi Nakamura, a developer of Ghostwire: Tokyo, takes to the stage at Bethesda's conference to present her game. The audience there and internet users around the world immediately fall under the spell of her bubbly personality and boundless enthusiasm. Nakamura has since left Bethesda to set up her own studio. At the Game Awards, she teased her new game.
14. David-san, tears in his eyes (Ubisoft, 2017)
Another heart-warming moment. Ubisoft presents the crossover game Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle on stage. Mario's dad, Shigeru Miyamoto, also on stage, thanks game director Davide Soliani for his excellent work. The latter was very moved.
13. The disastrous Project Natal (Microsoft, 2009)
In response to Nintendo's motion-controlled Wii console, at E3 2009 Microsoft presented the Kinect camera system known at the time as "Project Natal". The demonstration was not well received by the professional public and fans alike. This extract, which demonstrates the camera's tracking capabilities with a virtual Xbox avatar, gives an idea of the fiasco. "Have you ever wondered what the sole of your avatar looks like?" "No, never."
12. Konami's strange press conference (Konami, 2010)
I can't find the words to describe Konami's E3 press conference in 2010. Well, I'll try to sum up the disaster anyway: awkward silences, girls in anime looks, half-naked wrestlers, killer translators, breakdowns, President Obama and "one million troops."
11. Sony's catastrophic conference (Sony, 2006)
The PlayStation conference at E3 2006 was a disaster. I could pick different moments from the presentation and fill half my top 20. To leave room for other moments, I consider the whole conference a single memorable moment.
After a successful PS2 generation, Sony's presentation seemed arrogant and aloof. PlayStation CEO Kaz Hirai fails to enthuse the audience ("It's Ridge Racer. Riiiiiidge Racer!") and the games on show elicit nods (Giant Enemy Crab). This embarrassing presentation ended with the announcement of the PS3's exorbitant price tag. The livestream was first uploaded in full in July by Noclip Game History Archive in HD quality.
10. "My name is Reggie" (Nintendo, 2004)
The first appearance of Reggie Fils-Aimé, aka Reggienator, spawned a legend and countless memes. The former Nintendo of America operations director became a legend with this short introductory phrase: "My name is Reggie. I'm about kicking ass. I'm about taking names. And we're about making games."
9. Nintendo Revolution (Nintendo, 2005)
Former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwara presents a prototype of the Wii, then called Nintendo Revolution, on stage. The console looks stylish, small and discreet. Iwata did not reveal exactly what it could do. Motion control was not yet mentioned. However, the CEO did present the Virtual Console. The Revolution combined all the previous Nintendo consoles into a single device. An incredible idea for the time, a revolution, precisely.
8. "My body is ready" (Nintendo, 2007)
Nintendo introduces the Wii Balance Board for the first time, additional hardware for the Wii that lets you play fitness games. Reggie Fils-Aimé about to demonstrate the features on stage, declares "My body is ready". Another unforgettable meme was born.
7. The Wii Music dud (Nintendo, 2008)
With the Wii, Nintendo increasingly banked on a target group of casual gamers. After the Wii Balance Board, the Japanese company presented the musical game Wii Music at E3 2008, although the term "game" is a bit of an exaggeration. The on-stage presentation was a musical disaster. The game is no better. I can't believe such a concept ever saw the light of day.
6. Dreams come true with PlayStation (Sony, 2015)
During its conference, Sony announces three games that no one believed in any more. PS3 game The Last Guardian, thought to be dead, gets a new trailer and is officially announced for the PS4. After 14 years (!) of waiting, the cult series Shenmue finally has a successor. And, for many fans, the highlight of the whole E3: after years of speculation and disappointment, Square Enix finally announces a Final Fantasy VII remake. What an incredible press conference!
5. "You're breathtaking" (Microsoft, 2019)
At the Microsoft conference in 2019, CD Projekt Red presents the long-awaited mega RPG Cyberpunk 2077. And suddenly, Keanu Reeves takes the stage. The big reveal is that the actor plays an important role in the game. Questioned by someone in the audience, Reeves reacts with incredible aptness. We know the rest.
4. Nintendo announces a dark "The Legend of Zelda" (2004)
A little flashback: at Spaceworld 2000, Nintendo presented a technical demo of The Legend of Zelda for the Gamecube. The demo was graphically impressive, very dark and realistic. The first Zelda game for Gamecube came out two years later, but The Wind Waker wasn't the dark Zelda adventure we'd hoped for; it was a colourful, childlike game produced in cel-shading. Many fans are disappointed.
Four years later, Nintendo presented a trailer for the next The Legend of Zelda game at E3. To everyone's surprise, the game once again looks dark, epic, realistic and convincing in terms of graphics. It's everything Zelda fans have always wanted. At the end of the trailer, Shigeru Miyamoto also appears on stage with a sword and shield in front of a cheering audience. A moment to give you goosebumps.
3. Microsoft digs its own grave (Microsoft, 2013)
Microsoft presents its next-generation console, the Xbox One. Yet this presentation is even more catastrophic than Sony's PS3 conference at E3 2006. Microsoft prefers to talk about useless TV features rather than games. The Kinect camera made a comeback when nobody had asked for it. To top it all off, the console has to be permanently connected to the Internet. Not only is this tedious, it makes buying and selling second-hand games impossible.
After that press conference, Microsoft managed to irritate its fans even more, for example in this interview with Geoff Keighley. In it, former Xbox chief Don Mattrick suggests that gamers with poor internet connections should simply do without the Xbox One. After all, the Xbox 360 works fine as an offline console. We're left speechless.
2. Sony's trollish conference (Sony, 2013)
As if Microsoft hadn't already shot itself in the foot enough with its E3 2013 press conference, Sony is at it again. Sony is taking all the criticisms that fans and the media are levelling at the Xbox and turning them into arguments in favour of the PlayStation 4. To top it all off, Sony shows that you can play second-hand games on the PS4 without any problems. The public goes wild. Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, is clearly enjoying every second on stage.
Without mercy, Sony also published this tutorial on sharing PS4 games in the aftermath.
1. Two ninety nine (Sony, 1995)
Sega announced its new console, the Sega Saturn, at E3 1995. Its cost: $399. It was available immediately. The news causes a sensation. Sony reacts to the announcement and reveals the price of its first console, the PlayStation, at its press conference. The president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Steve Race, arrives on the scene. He clears his throat and rearranges his notes. Race utters only one word into the microphone before leaving the stage without further comment: "299".
Newcomer Sony has just announced $100 less than Sega's new console. That moment had a big impact on the world of video games and hammered another nail into the coffin of Sega's consoles.
The newcomer that is Sony has just announced $100 less than Sega's new console.
Headline photo: xxx
Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
