On the occasion of the 30th anniversary, and with the permission of the author of the original report, Mr. Mario Morele (the first Croatian journalist to visit E3), Virus.hr publishes the lost report from the E3 1996 fair in two parts.
Broderbund
The interview I conducted with the producer of the Myst 2 game was very interesting. Although he couldn't show me images from Myst 2, he told me that a team of 30 people is creating a game that will shake the gaming world again in 1997. The first Myst was made by only three people globally! I can mention without any false modesty that I will be among the first in Europe to receive the beta version of the Myst 2 game!
Broderbund presented at E3: the latest game in the series Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, this time graphically fully crystallized, Koala Lumpur: Journey to the Edge, an adventure in the style of characters from popular American comics,
The Last Express is a game developed in the studio of Jordan Mechner, the man responsible for Prince of Persia, for example. In The Last Express, you must discover the perpetrator of a murder on the Orient Express train in the style of Sherlock Holmes.
Electronic Arts/Origin
EA is the biggest name in the interactive industry. With all its studios, EA earns "only" $530 million annually, so it's no wonder it can afford to produce the Wing Commander 4 game for $10 million.
EA presented a bunch of sequels: Soviet Strike (the sequel to Jungle Strike), PGA Tour 97 (golf), NHL Hockey 97, Road Rash (motorcycle racing)...
Origin continues the successful Ultima game series, Ultima 9 and Multima (multiplayer Ultima) are the latest in the series. Crusader: No Regret brings ten new missions and some flashy improvements. Privateer: Darkening is a game in the style of WC 4, meaning a lot of action and a lot of FMV non-action.
Virgin
Gridrunner is a maze/action game, where you play as Axel and must collect flags while avoiding a bunch of enemies. Virgin also presented the Galactic Mirage space strategy, Circle of Blood adventure, Scorched Planet - a shooting game, Screamer 2, the sequel to the popular game, and Toonstruck, a cartoon-style game with live actors. The long-awaited game Heart of Darkness, developed by the Parisian company Amazing Studio, co-designer of the famous games Another World and Flashback, is coming out in October.
Dynamix
The Oregon-based company, Dynamix, part of the powerful Sierra company, is actually the main engine of this company, and if I may say, makes better games than its parent company Sierra! Dynamix is bringing us two wonderful games this fall: Rama and Betrayal at Antara.
Rama is a game based on the famous SF book Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee. The Rama book series has sold over 7 million copies in 20 countries around the world. As a player, you find yourself in the role of the deputy of a murdered astronaut, sent to investigate a massive, enigmatic cylindrical spaceship that has appeared in the solar system from the depths of space. The mission consists of interacting with both dangerous and peaceful aliens, as well as rescuing the ship and missing colleagues before a nuclear explosion occurs that will destroy the ship and you along with it. Having read the list of people behind the game (including Arthur C. Clarke), the game is definitely not to be missed.
Betrayal at Krondor, one of the best RPG games, has finally received a sequel after three years in the game Betrayal at Antara. Antara brings us SVGA graphics, improved AI (artificial intelligence), and even the ability to learn magic used against us! Like Krondor, in Antara the party you lead must go through several separate mini-adventures and quests in a 3D world of vast terrain. The 3D engine is the enhanced 3space Dynamix engine which, by the way, is used in flight simulations. Undoubtedly, the excellent storyline of the game this time introduces us to the challenges of the Antara empire, mired in nepotism, corruption, intrigue, and murder. One of the few games for which the rule applies as it does for Rama, anyone who misses this is either crazy or pretending to be crazy.
Sierra
Sierra has grown into a huge company, and to its family, the company has added Impressions, Papyrus, and Sublogic. Sierra has a good appetite, obviously! So, Sierra is preparing for the upcoming season: Larry 7 (a quirky adult adventure), Trophy Bass 2 (fishing), Lords of the Realms II (strategy), Robert E. Lee: Civil War General (strategy), Cybergladiators (fighting), Hunter Hunted (action game), 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night (the sequel to the famous pinball), Phantasmagoria 2, Birthright (RPG game), Lighthouse (adventure), as well as sequels to the Front Pages sports game series.
Ubi-Soft
Ubi Soft is preparing two interesting games for autumn. POD is a simulation of futuristic vehicle racing with exceptional 3D special effects, the graphics are phenomenal, and the game also supports online play. Rayman II is the sequel to the mega hit Rayman which was released for all leading consoles and for PC. One of the best platform games, and the sequel is even more addictive, and it should be noted that the enemies this time are much smarter.
New World Computing
Heroes 2 is the sequel to the very popular game Heroes of Might & Magic. Heroes 2 brings us new lands, new characters, a larger battlefield, the ability to play online, and of course better graphics.
M.A.C.E. brings us an old idea (Oh, God!) about androids and saving the earth. To save the earth, the player must complete countless missions in a super-modern fighter, oh upside down!
Wages of War is a tactical game, where mercenaries fight on behalf of large corporations. All three games are coming out in autumn, and only for Win 95.
Novalogic
Novalogic has introduced its new graphics engine Voxel Space 2, and three games where this engine is integrated. Comanche 3, Armored Fist 2, and F-22 Lightning II—all simulations are graphically exceptionally done, and support online play, which is slowly becoming a standard for games.
Blizzard
Prompted by the huge success of the game Warcraft II, Blizzard is making the game Starcraft. As the name suggests, Starcraft's storyline is set in the future, which means we will be fighting with lasers instead of clubs.
Diablo is a 3D isometric action adventure, with a lot of action and some puzzles, the game will be released for Win 95, and will support multiplayer gameplay. In autumn, Blizzard will also release a sequel to its old hit, the game Pax Imperia II, a space strategy.
Sir-Tech
The masters of RPG games are announcing for this year: Shadows Over Riva (an exceptional RPG game, the third in the Star Trail series, published by the German publisher Attic),
Wizardry Gold is a game that will be released as a recap of the entire series, while Wizardry 8 is scheduled for 1997. Nemesis is a game based on the Wizardry storyline, coming out on 4 CDs and guarantees excellent graphics, without the use of video, which is commendable. This summer, a sequel to the very popular strategy Jagged Alliance, named Deadly Games, is also being released.
So, that would be a brief overview of the most interesting things I saw at E3 in Los Angeles; of course, some companies were not presented now due to space, but slowly, they will all come to the forefront either as announcements of new games or as reviews.
Finally, I could tell an anecdote from the fair. Namely, I was already quite loaded with various press materials when I arrived at the Sega
Soft stand, a new company established by Sega of America. The friendly hostess was already about to give me the press material that was in a blue,
very nicely designed envelope. Since I was already overloaded, I asked the hostess if she could give me the envelope and send the papers by mail. She
said: "Take ALL or NOTHING!", and I, being the peasant that I am, asked: "In ALL cases!??". She confusedly replied: "Yes!". Those who understood, understood; those who didn't, what can be done, that's the way it goes.
E3 has ended, and the author of the text, although exhausted, set out into the night, into the night of Los Angeles, but that's a story for another time.
The end of the second part of the report. You can read the beginning here https://virus.hr/najave/e3-i-to-je-amerika-dio-i.
Note: The report was originally supposed to be published in the computer magazine Bug in 1996.
