FIVE MOST DISAPPOINTING GAMES AT E3 2001

5.  Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PlayStation 2)
I never played the first Klonoa game, but after playing the sequel, I consider myself lucky. The graphics aren't bad, but this game is so boring to play, and the movie scenes are even worse. I don't have anything against mascot/platform games in general, but it has to be fun, and it has to have more imagination and energy. Maybe the final product will be better, but the game’s current state shows no signs of promise.

4.  Syphon Filter 3 (PlayStation)
Syphon Filter 2 kept the same look and feel of the original, but I enjoyed it because I felt it was successful in providing thrilling 3-D action in front of a compelling backdrop of international intrigue and espionage. This third installment looks and plays exactly like the previous games, only now the series is beginning to look its age. The game isn't finished, but the graphics are just as grainy and bland as they've been throughout the series, and the game's concept hasn't changed at all. I'm sure there are fans that will gladly pay for a new Syphon Filter game, but the absolute least the developers could do was to add some kind of twist, some new wrinkle to the gameplay. And for God's sake, do something to make the visuals a bit easier on the eyes!

3.  Project Gotham Racing (Xbox)
Typical of the rest of Xbox's game line-up was Project Gotham Racing. It looks pretty—and that's it. This game was featured in the Xbox presentation I saw, and all the game's designers could talk about were the graphics. Project Gotham is nothing more than taking a sports car through a romp in a city. The gameplay "innovation" that the designers couldn't stop bragging about was a complete joke. You earn "kudos" in Project Gotham by performing tricks during a race. Since this feature was already seen in Dreamcast's Metropolis Street Racing, I don't see why this is such a big deal. It's certainly not enough to distinguish the game from the thousands of other racing games on the market.

A Microsoft representative told me that in the final game you'll be able to actually race against other cars, and that there will be a multiplayer mode. Wow, I can hardly contain my excitement. Here's the bottom line: I've seen and played this type of racing game countless times before, and I have no interest of seeing and playing it again on the newest generation of game consoles.

2.  Final Fantasy X (PlayStation 2)
E3 was filled with several underwhelming titles, but Final Fantasy X could have shared the lead in this list with Halo. I played the game after watching Squaresoft's excellent preview movie, which did a great job of wowing the audience with spectacular visuals and music. However, Final Fantasy X plays exactly like all of the previous Final Fantasy games. Again, the only differences here are the pretty graphics and new storyline.

The additions to the gameplay are so minor that they're hardly worth writing about. In Final Fantasy X, you can switch members in and out of your party during battle—like in a tag-team wrestling match. All the levels are now in 3D, and the characters look more Asian. That's about it. The game is played exactly like before, with good guys and bad guys taking turns hitting each other during battles, and random encounters still initiate those battles. Of course, this game will probably still sell millions, but personally, I'm sick and tired of role-playing games that all look and play the same. Final Fantasy X was another massively hyped E3 title that's been done to death before.

1.  Halo (Xbox)
By far the biggest joke of the show for me was Bungie's long-awaited Xbox title, Halo. Basically, it's another first-person shooter—nothing more, nothing less. Halo lead designer, John Howard, did a presentation on the game and failed to say anything to convince the audience otherwise. During his walkthrough of Halo's first level, he couldn't stop talking about different ways to "kick ass." Is that all Bungie could come up with after three years of development—finding new ways to kick ass? Howard's presentation was further marred when he praised the game's graphics. Not only did Halo's frame rate grind to a halt when the action got heavy, but Howard had the gall to point out how amazing the lens flare looked when you stare at the game's sun. Wow, lens flare—we haven't seen that before in games have we?

I thought maybe my opinion of Halo would change upon actually playing the game, which I did when took part in a four-on-four round of "capture the flag." However, playing the game only reinforced my negative reaction to this really ordinary experience. Not only is the control scheme awkward, but the split-screen mode looks like a Nintendo 64 game. The frame rate routinely froze during the action, and it sputtered along the rest of the time. I also wondered how the split-screen mode would look on a normal TV. The high-definition, wide-screen set-up used at E3 left a lot of room to divide the screen four ways, but how many gamers out there own a wide-screen TV? A normal TV display will squeeze the partitioned screen layout into the typical, condensed split-screen we've seen in other console first-person shooters. Kick ass? I just don't see it.

The only difference between Halo and other first-person shooters lies in the graphics design and plot. The hype surrounding this game is totally unfounded. Halo left no more of an impression on me than the other boring first-person shooters showcased at E3, like Red Faction and Tribes 2.