As difficult it is for me to get my head around (especially as my new passport is still in the post) E3 2011 is only seven sleeps away. As you’ve come to expect, I’ll be there and PlayStation.Blog will be the place to get the breaking news and interviews from the show floor.
Last year, I wrote a series of posts going through the years and looking at the big announcement, and you can check them out again by clicking through the links below.
1995: The inaugural Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) took place a few months before the original PlayStation launched in Europe and America. It gave Western gamers their first glimpse at the console that set us on the road to where we are today.
1996: Two characters that epitomise the original PlayStation were both first seen in ’96. Crash Bandicoot and Lara Croft don’t have a lot in common, but they ushered in a bold new era in gaming.
1997: Not for the last time, Snake was the word hissing around everyone’s lips in 1997. The Metal Gear Solid trailer set a precedent for announcing your game with lavish, cinematic trailers.
1998: The Real Driving Simulator debuted in 1998, redefining how a driving game can look and feel. ’98 was a vintage year that also brought us the brilliant Silent Hill.
1999: Despite appearances from David Bowie and Aerosmith, PlayStation 2 was the star of E3 ’99. At the time, it was a breathtaking display of power from a console demonstrated with a real-time demo of Final Fantasy VIII.
2000: Once again, Solid Snake stole the show with the first reveal of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Such was the impact of that nine minute trailer, each screening drew huge queues as attendees returned for repeat viewings.
2001: For sheer breadth of quality games, 2001 is hard to top. Any show boasting Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, Silent Hill 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and Grand Theft Auto III is bound to be remembered.
2002: The Getaway was debuted at E3 2002 and here’s a little known fact: there’s a pub on the corner of Great Marlborough Street, not far from the SCEE offices, called the Coach & Horses; one of The Getaway’s interiors is based on that very hostelry.
2003: You’d think that the unveiling of Gran Turismo 4 would have been enough to send everyone home excited, when Ken Kutaragi stepped on-stage holding the first PSP, all headlines were rewritten in a flash.
2004-05: E3 2004 was all about pocket-sized fun on PSP and grand brutality as God of War was revealed. In 2005, we were back with new hardware as PlayStation 3 was revealed and footage from Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots and Killzone 2 set mouths to drool mode.
2006-07: Naughty Dog has been creating PlayStation stars since 1996 and in 2007 they revealed their latest: Nathan Drake.
2008-09: A plethora of games announced for PS3, including LittleBigPlanet and God of War III, before PlayStation Move starred in 2010.
Which are your favourite E3 moments and what would you like to see announced a week from now?
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