Our bodies are ready.
Every year at E3 some of the most legendary game makers come together to show us their perfect visions of their upcoming projects, along with perfect playthroughs and presentations calculated to whip us into a frenzy they hope will last until launch day.
And sometimes, well, it doesn’t work out that way. Equipment fails, presenters forget their lines, and awkward silences stand in for what should have been rapturous applause.
This is a celebration of 9 of the craziest E3 press Conference moments in history.
Konami’s 2010 E3 Press Conference Trainwreck
Awkward moments tend to creep into most E3 press conferences, but in 2010 they stormed Konami’s conference with the force of a hurricane. It’s hard to pinpoint the moment that makes us cringe most. Is it the three luchadores slapping each other’s’ chests in full regalia? Is it the infamous death stare? Perhaps it’s the awful performance from one of the presenters for Dance Masters, which is no way matches what’s happening on the screen? It was glorious, and terrible.
Mr. Caffeine Makes Everyone Uncomfortable (2011)
Mr. Caffeine hosted Ubisoft’s 2011 E3 presentation, and it was a massive mistake. He mispronounced Tom Clancy’s name, made poop jokes, and kept making that weird Wayne’s World flashback sound effect. The overall reception to his performance is best summed up in the moment when he tried to get the audience to join in on all the flashback sound… but no one did.
Jamie Kennedy Makes Everyone Even More Uncomfortable (2007)
When comedian Jamie Kennedy took the Activision stage in 2011, he immediately launched into the gamer nerds in the audience, and it was all downhill from there. He tried multiple times to associate Neversoft’s name with Viagra, and that was one of the few jokes that did get a chuckle. It eventually got so bad the audience started heckling Kennedy, particularly after an developer scored a perfect comeback that scored cheers from the audience.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HYPE (2004)
This will forever go down as a genuinely cool E3 moment. In this age of leaks and early reveals, it’s getting harder and harder to pull off an honest-to-god surprise, but Nintendo pulled it off in 2004 with the surprise-reveal of Twilight Princess. Nintendo’s show seemed poised to end following the reveal of the Nintendo DS. Some people, as footage shows, had even started to get up and leave. But surprise! A new trailer came on, one with a realistic world. Suddenly, there’s Link riding across the landscape on horseback, accompanied by a sweeping soundtrack. The audience roared in approval. It’s one of those rare, perfect moments when gaming fandom all comes together and celebrates.
Sony’s Awful 2006 Press Conference
If you ever need a reminder that even the giants among us can have a rough time of it, just recall poor Sony at their 2006 conference. Embarrassment followed embarrassment. Awkwardness reigned supreme. It wasn’t just the unpleasant surprise of the PlayStation 3’s $599 price tag that marred the news of otherwise exciting reveals, it was also the other dicey moments, like the sight of Sony’s Kaz Hirai yelling out “Riiiiiddge Raaaaaccccceer” when the audience failed to identify the PSP game he was playing. But the best moment (for us, anyway) was producer Bill Ritch’s discussion of Genji: Days of the Blade, which he’d just described onstage as featuring “famous battles that actually took place in ancient Japan.” On the screen, suddenly a wild giant crab appears! “So here’s this giant enemy crab,” Ritch said, with full deadpan composure as the crab catapulted into action. As for what he said next? Who knows? We were all too busy giggling.
Microsoft Brings Final Fantasy XIII to the Xbox 360 (2008)
In 2008, Final Fantasy was still one of the biggest franchises in gaming, and XIII was the biggest thing on earth. At the 2008 Xbox conference we saw a pink-haired warrior dominate the screen, and we eventually realized it was the next Final Fantasy. It was scarcely believable. Long an easy PlayStation exclusive property, the latest Final Fantasy was coming to the Xbox 360. It was a heavy blow for Sony, especially since it came at a time when the “console wars” were getting nasty.
Sony Delivers the Sega Saturn’s Death Blow with One Word (1995)
Way back in Summer 1995 Sega was preparing to follow the success of the Genesis with the release of the Sega Saturn, but Sony’s PlayStation was looming with a September release. Sega decided to surprise-launch the Saturn right then and there, for $399. The message was clear: Take THAT Sony.
Mere hours later the president of Sony Computer Entertainment America was invited on stage at Sony’s conference for “a brief presentation.” He shuffled some papers, looked at the audience, and said just one word: “$299.” He marched off the stage to over a half a minute of cheers. Sega never really recovered.
Sony Forces Microsoft to Back Down on DRM (2013)
Two decades on, this kind of thing still happens. Following the oddly game-deficient reveal of the Xbox One in 2013, Microsoft seemed poised to force the industry into an age of DRM restrictions so severe the console used game market would have effectively died. Its image bruised, Microsoft didn’t even mention the Xbox One’s DRM at its conference. But other slips made worsened its reception. The sound wasn’t working when they showed Crimson Dragon, leaving the audience to make its own sound effects. An off-color remark during the Killer Instinct presentation generated bad press. EA bungled its Battlefield 4 presentation. And thus the stage was set for Sony later in the day, when Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton announced the PS4 would support used games. Tretton just stood there and smiled while the crowded roared. Within days Microsoft backed off its commitment to DRM, but the damage had been done. The Xbox One has been hitting its stride lately, but it’s still far behind the PS4.
Reggie Fils-Aime Takes the Stage (2004)
In 2004 Nintendo stunned everyone by revealing… a person. On the stage walked Nintendo executive Reggie Fils-Aime. His message was simple: “My name is Reggie,” he said. “I’m about kicking ass, I’m about taking names, and we’re about making games.” It was the beginning of a new image and a new era for Nintendo. Assertive but playful, confident but respectful of Nintendo’s family-friendly image, he captivated the audience. Reggie’s usually been one of the most memorable aspects of Nintendo’s conference ever since. He coined the phrase “My body is ready” just a few years later.
Leif Johnson is a writer covering video games from a ranch near the Gulf Coast of Texas. This year was his third E3 show. You can chat with him on Twitter at @leifjohnson.
