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Nobody has GameCube E3 Plans?

by Max Lake - April 16, 2001, 7:08 am EDT

Well, we think Nintendo does… What’s up with 3rd Parties? Max tells you what could be going on & what we can expect at the show.

E3 draws closer by the day, and E3 2001 will be the best show yet for Nintendophiles as it will mark the highly anticipated unveiling of Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and GameCube systems. This will be the third time I’ve gone to E3, and I simply cannot wait.

However, this glorious occasion has been marked by several reports coming in that the GameCube debut might not be as fantastic as we once hoped. Recently, there have been numerous reports at other websites and even our own that various third-party developers will not be showing GameCube games at the show. Konami, Square (no surprise) and now even Capcom… What’s the deal?

There is reason to suspect that Nintendo is simply keeping everyone quiet prior to the show. After all, Nintendo has been tightly enforcing Non-Disclosure Agreements up until now. Why should Nintendo loosen its grip mere weeks before the show just to clue game journalists (and their readers) in about what’ll be at the show? Seems somewhat anti-climactic and VERY counter-productive to keeping surprises secret.

This isn’t to say we WILL see tons of 3rd party NGC games, especially with Capcom saying it won’t be showing X-Box stuff at E3 either. Therefore, Capcom may be genuine, not sneaky, when USA Reps say we won’t catch an updated glimpse of Resident Evil: 0.

Which companies will announce what, show what or in what form is still probably known only by a select few. And who knows what will be shown off to anyone better than the companies, many of whom are located in Japan and are probably still working frantically on what they’ll be choosing to represent themselves at E3. It’s possible US Reps haven’t heard about last minute additions?

Will video save the day? At SpaceWorld, Nintendo assured us that GameCube would not be playable, sending everyone into a funk (especially those, like Billy, who were paying to go to Japan to see the darn thing). However, what was seen at SpaceWorld quelled all doubts and made many believers. Many of us are still coasting on the high of seeing GameCube in action for the first time and the lucky ones heading to E3 are shaking with anticipation about getting to play some of the things Nintendo has in store for us. But what’s with third-parties planning to miss the big blowout debut?

If these companies aren’t suffering from gag-orders or are misleading USA representatives, it’s very likely we’ll still see many of the games in playable form. Demos, videos or even game announcements are all capable of stirring up attention and E3 will definitely mark the official declaration for many game developers and publishers. Which ones? Well, probably not Square but other than that, I’m pretty excited. Justin Nation started evaluating and tracking all the potential candidates via Developer Profiles over two years ago back at OperationN2000 and his efforts live on in our Companies section. Sure, all the usual suspects are there, but many, even Sega now, stand a good chance of developing for GameCube and will be ready to announce this at E3.

Right now, one can take comfort in knowing that in addition to Nintendo, many second parties will also be showing their stuff at E3, in playable form no less. Also, from what I know (but cannot say) about what we’ll see at the show, I’m even less worried about any Nintendophiles going home disappointed, third-party games or not.

Could the worst possible possibility be true? That third-party publishers simply are not making any games for GameCube? Well, probably not. Still, if you’re worried, you might find this a good time to sign the Gamers Who Want Games on GameCube petition… But of course, that might just be filtering your hysteria into our fun and that’s not very nice.

Overall, despite what’s being said now (or isn’t) - nothing can truly prepare those heading for E3 or those standing by to see what will happen. We are truly at the eve of Nintendo’s debut and the moment this website has been waiting for, ever since its earliest form(s) hit the ‘net long ago. It’s going to be great!

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