What does E3 stand for?

E3 stands for the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Instead of calling it "EEE" (which is a pretty good phonetic reproduction of a common exclamation from show attendees), the show is known as E3.

WOW! Is the show open to the public?

No. The show is a trade show and only those within the industry are eligible to attend. This is not limited to employees of interactive entertainment companies, retailers and media are also able to attend. There are always exceptions to rules it seems, though each year IDSA makes it harder and harder to get into the show.

When was E3 held this year?

May 17-19, 2001

Where Can I find more Information on E3?

Try the official E3 website.

What kind of Dolphin/GameCube Information has Nintendo released at Previous E3 shows?

Here's a rundown of the past few E3's and what was happening Nintendo-wise at each show.

E3 - 1998

This was the last time and perhaps a zenith year for the N64. Zelda, Banjo-Kazooie, Pokemon were all unveiled to a Nintendo-hungry crowd. as well as a first look at Perfect Dark and teasers for the highly anticipated Donkey Kong 64. At a time when Sega was just confirming its “Dreamcast” name, Nintendo seemed to be on top of its game with no one even thinking about a successor for the N64. Many were left wondering where the N64’s rumored add-on, the rewritable drive known as the 64DD was. The 64DD was nowhere to be found, not even behind closed doors.

On the handheld front, Nintendo was previewing the all-new Game Boy Color.

Not surprisingly, several of the titles previewed at the show went on to receive much acclaim during the holiday season of ’99. Much as it had in Japan, Pokemon took the world by storm and Zelda: Ocarina of Time was heralded as one of the best games ever. Meanwhile, Banjo-Kazooie turned out to be a great platformer and one popular enough to merit a sequel, Banjo-Tooie, released in November 2000.

E3 - 1999

E3 1999 serves as the monumental and long-awaited occasion of Nintendo finally announcing its next generation plans. The announcement marked the introduction of Project Dolphin and revealed promising partnerships with IBM & Matsushita. The announcement didn’t actually happen at E3 but at Nintendo’s own pre-show press event. No demos were shown and no specs were given but the news caused a frenzy of excitement that resonated throughout the show.

The news that “Dolphin” would use the DVD format was exciting as was the news that both games and the system would be inexpensive. Although the original late 2000 release for the system turned out to be a bit premature on Nintendo’s part (nothing unusual there) the rest of the news delivered at E3’ 99 has shaped quite nicely…

Although this was a fine year for Nintendo in terms of software releases, it was hard not to see what Sega had planned for the launch of the Dreamcast. Nonetheless, it was hard to stray from Nintendo’s booth and its great N64 games for long, namely Perfect Dark. On top of that, Excitebike and Mario Golf were unveiled and games like Star Craft 64, Pokemon Stadium, Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong 64 among others were also present on the floor. Eternal Darkness, a game now seemingly heading to GameCube, made its first appearance at the show as well.

There was still no sign of the 64DD but it didn’t matter. It was forgotten and we had no reason to care anymore.

Perhaps most exciting news of E3 ’99 outside of “Dolphin” was the planned Game Boy Camera compatibility with Perfect Dark. Using the Transfer Pak & GB Camera, you would be able to take pictures yourself and your friends and then paste them into the faces of your players in Perfect Dark. This would have been the coolest feature ever and became one of the most hyped aspects of Perfect Dark. Unfortunately, E3 ’99 opened with a panel called “Video Games did not Cause Columbine.” Not surprisingly, PD’s awesome camera / face-importing feature would be removed before its release. Many of us are still bummed out about this and can only pray the feature is resurrected in the sequel.

Oh yes, and with the confirmation of the “Dolphin” name, Rick Powers could be seen running through the LA Convention Center Screaming:

”WHOOOOOOOOOOO! I AM THE BEST BABY! WHEN YOU’RE RIGHT YOU’RE RIGHT!!! EAT IT!!!!!!”

Other exclamations were audible, yet not appropriate to print here.

E3 - 2000

With Perfect Dark still not released, this marked the third E3 in a row the game was showcased in Nintendo’s booth. However, the Planet crew was all too happy to meet the Joanna Dark model –and Shiggy too! Games like Mario Tennis, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Eternal Darkness and Banjo-Tooie were ‘tendo representing, rounding out scarce Nintendo offerings.

All too eager to talk about Conker & Pokemon Gold & Silver for the Game Boy Color, Nintendo’s lips were zipped in regard to Game Boy Advance and “Dolphin” info, though said delays were likely due to the popularity of GBC. Nintendo kindly introduced us to the annoying “wait till Spaceworld” slogan that drove us crazy over the following months. Lucky for the Planet (and its readers) we were able to pry some info on fledging GameCube projects and covered a variety of topics.

For a more nitty-gritty look at E3: check out PlanetGameCube’s E3 2000 Coverage!

E3 - 2001

This was it oh yeah! Playable GC titles on the floor! PGC's large rampaging mob in the streets! Denny's! Wait, that wasn't a good thing... *urp*

Er... anyway it's probably best for you to check out our superb E32001 coverage right here!

What were Your E3 Predictions?

You can check them out by merely clicking here.