Top 25 E3 Moments (1995-2014)

It may have been and gone for another year, but that's not to say that we as gamers can't stop talking about it. E3 is one of the biggest, if not the biggest gaming expo of the year. Its the event which determines the future of gaming regarding games, hardware and whatever else. We all look forward to it and its a great show overall. But that's not to say that the event is perfect because it isn't. Over the years, there have been numerous occasions that we remember the most and these can come in the form of embarrassing things, things that make us annoyed and things that surprise us and even make us hyped for what the future holds. Today, I give you 25 of those moments that I feel is worth a mention and what I consider to make E3 worth it whether it be more embarrassing than others. So let's take a look:



25 - "My Body is Ready" says Reggie Fils-Aime (2012 - Nintendo)

Reggie Fils-Aime is one of those characters at E3 who knows how to do things when it comes to presenting things and make things more exciting than it needs to be and this moment may have had him made a fool of himself in front of millions, but it gave birth to a new catchphrase that would then go on to become an Internet meme. His body is well and truly ready for anything and he made that very clear here and we all love him for it.

24 - Sony kicks Microsoft's butt (2013 - Sony)

Last year's E3 was one of the most exciting yet because just months after, we would then get the release of the Xbox One and the PS4. At the time, Microsoft was getting bad press and comments from everybody about thier extra charges, the DRM and just everything that makes people to not want to buy an Xbox One. So when all that was happening, everybody wanted to know if Sony would go on the same route and the obvious answer because they know how to do things right, is no. Throughout Sony's press conference, they made some very clear points that they care too much about their community to follow suite with Microsoft and after all that, weeks later, Microsoft acknowledged everything and pull the plug on extra charges and the DRM. Its not a great way to reveal a console and then tell the world about the downsides of it all and even then say that if they can't go online, then stick to their last platform. I think if anything, Microsoft care so little about their community than both Sony and Nintendo who both listen and try to do their best with everything and I just hope that they have learned something out of this and choose to not do something like that again. Because if they do, it will become their downfall.

23 - Jamie Kennedy (2007 - Activison)

Its not easy to present things to millions and I for one can understand how hard something like that can be. So when Activison hired comedian Jamie Kennedy to do their press conference, it didn't go down well at all. His lack of understanding the industry and acting drunk while doing it, just made the conference far too embarrassing for himself and Activison. Now I personally haven't really liked the stuff Activison make because they were the guys behind the rehashed Call of Duty series and the OK but not great and now dead Guitar Hero series so it didn't really surprise me that they had this kind of conference. It just sucked all the way and showed just how lazy and in some cases, stupid Activison can really be.

22 - Nintendo 64 Reveal (1996 - Nintendo)

Now I may not have gone to an E3 like ever, but when I saw a video of the reveal of the N64, it was quite a big deal for Nintendo. They had a lot of props and objects on display of things like Mario, Donkey Kong, Banjo-Kazooie and even Superman and at the presentation itself, we saw Mario in 3D for the very first time and that's where 3D gaming started. It was one of the most important moments in not only Nintendo's history but in the history of gaming as well. Such a big deal like is defiantly worth a mention and even though I didn't go then (mainly because I was 6 at the time), I can see how much of a big deal it was so very worthy of being an E3 moment to remember.

21 - Usher's Bad Gig ( 2012 - Microsoft)

Now the thing about E3 is that it is meant to be all about the games, the hardware and nothing else. So when Usher came along to promote Dance Central 3 by performing his new single, everybody wasn't on their feet as Usher wanted them to be. We shouldn't be having things like this. It just wastes everybody's time and the only people that would likely join in with Usher, is his fans (which there was very little of) and those who call themselves "The Usher". At least Microsoft learned from this mistake and have never done that again since. The funny things about this, is that Flo-Rida was also at E3 as well and was doing something similar to Usher, but at Ubisoft's conference. So in the end, I went with Usher because his was more of a big deal than Flo-Rida. But at least he was having fun on stage unlike everyone else.

20 - One Terrible Press Conference (2010 - Konami)

This is one of the worst press conferences I have ever seen. Its clear that Konami didn't think this through and thought that all their Japanese staff can speak good English, but this conference says otherwise. What they needed was some advice from Nintendo who always have translators with the Japanese presenters and that would've worked better. But no, Konami were too lazy for that. As a result of this conference, most of the games they showed off, didn't sell well and I think this is a prime example of how someone shouldn't present something to the world. And I think everybody both Konami and everyone else, made their conferences better based on this experience alone.

19 - A Bad Move Indeed (1995 - SEGA)

So the very first E3 was one that everyone remembers. SEGA made their announcement of the SEGA Saturn, but what they did that made the press and gamers get so p**sed off, was when they said that the consoles would be in the market straight away. This as a result, made the console be a flop and gave Sony the advantage (which we will talk about a little bit later). This may have started the downfall of SEGA because years later upon the failure of the Dreamcast, they stopped making hardware and put their focus solely on the games which was best for everyone. A mistake like that was never made again from then on.

18 - The Undeniable Love of Sport (2013 - EA)

One of the big things that EA love to do, is tell the whole world about their love for sport. Last year, the spent the whole of the second half of the conference talking about nothing but sport, telling the world about all the sport games coming to all platforms, the majority of which were ones that are released yearly such as Fifa, Madden and NFL. We're all sick to death of them going on about it and what was worst, especially with last year's performance, was they bought on board some sport guys to tell the world about their experience as well as the most untalented rapper I have ever seen who raps about nothing but how great he is, Drake, who talked about his experience of playing Fifa. By far the worst amount of my time wasted. I never look forward to what EA have to offer because its all about the sport and very little of anything else.

17 - Sony Says Sorry (2011 - Sony)

The year when Portal 2 came out, was the same year that Sony had got hacked and all the servers went down. None of us could go online and none of us can communicate with each other through social networks. So when the servers were fixed and we got back online, everybody rejoiced and the first thing Sony did at E3, was apologise for what happened and thanked everybody for their patience. Now why can't Microsoft do that? I mean we all have to go on with life with problems like this, but when you think about it, Microsoft can be quite the a**holes when they have to be. They just care very little about the gaming community and are all in it for the money. Fortunately, they showed no sign of this at E3 this year, but in the past, they would've just not cared enough. Still, at least Sony appreciate what their community is like and what we've become so that's good.

16 - The State of the 7th Gen of Gaming as told by Gabe Newell (2010 - Sony)

The minute Portal 2 was announced at E3, it was both unexpected and surprising. Then the guy known as Gabe Newell started talking about the state of the 7th generation of gaming during which he made some very good points about things and then went ahead to show off a trailer for Portal 2. All this, plus news about why Portal 2 will serve as more of a PS3 exclusive than anyone else. This was great and he made some very good points about the 7th generation of gaming which was well worth listening and great in some sense.

15 - An Embarrassing Press Conference (2006 - Sony)

2006 was a big year for everybody and everyone wanted to give it their all. Unfortunately, Sony failed with everything they had to offer in their press conference. They talked about the then upcoming PS3 and what it can do and it just left us all confused and annoyed, not to mention the hefty price tag as well. You can say all you want about the Xbox One's reveal and so forth, but nothing can beat what this thing came to.

14 - They Finally Did Something Right (2014 - Microsoft)

So after a few years of not showing enough care and enthusiasm to the gaming community, Microsoft finally did what they should've done in the past few years and talked about games. I think after bad press last year and people mocking them for making more of a focus on hardware and services and less on software and games, they took notes and finally did a conference dedicated solely to gaming and that was great for all of us. Not only that, but all the games they announced would be games that we all pick up and play (well except for Call of Duty, that series needs to die big time). Just great work from them, I think.

13 - The Last Guardian's one and only reveal (2009 - Sony)

So the Last Guardian was initially a game coming to PS3 which would've provided experiences much like games like Journey, Shadow of the Colossus and Ico. Unfortunately, ever since its reveal, its been in development hell. Durign this time, Sony bought copyright rights to the title and haven't given a product with that title since and whenever people ask them about it, they always respond by saying "still in development". Well to that, I say just as Elsa would say "Let It Go". But you got to admit, the trailer for the game makes it a promising title and whether or not it comes out in the foreseeable future, it was great to see such a game in action anyway.

12 - Unsolved Sound Issues (2013 - Microsoft)

It happens. There is no denying that when you have such an event like E3, there will always be at least one technical issue and this time it was sound. So it was weeks after the Xbox One was revealed to the world and got bad press as a result so Microsoft had to do something at E3 to help with that. Unfortunately, this was another one of those bad press conferences that they do and as such, they had sound issues. Now the first time this happened was with the trailer for what looked like to be a promising game, but nobody paid any attention to the sound problems which really annoyed the hell out of us. But when the Battlefield guy came on, everyone just felt sorry for him as he was being akward when it came to showing the trailer only to have sound issues with that. However, unlike the uncaring Microsoft staff, he actually did something about ti and we got the trailer working. Its annoying that nobody did anything about it to begin with and its bad on Microsoft who should've sorted it out there and then when it first happened and should've sorted it out before the event began. Well let's hope they don't screw that up again.

11 - South Park Creators sum up Smart Glass (2012 - Microsoft)

Microsoft's press conference in 2012 wasn't the best one they've had, but certainly not the worst either. What my biggest highlight from that conference will be this moment. Now at the time, THQ were still a running company and were busy helping create South Park: The Stick of Truth until bankruptcy so publishing rights were bought by Ubisoft and we get the game a year or 2 later after a few delays. When the game was announced, the creators of the show Trey Parker and Matt Stone came on stage and before even saying anything about the game, they summed up Smart Glass in a very humorous manner that would involve all that was said already, plus an oven and a fridge. It was funny, over the top and made what already was a terrible press conference a sort of entertaining one.

10 - Mr Caffeine (2011 - Ubisoft)

Ubisoft have had their fair share of bad presenters in their conferences (but to be fair, out of nearly everyone that's presenting things, they seem to be having more fun than anybody else), but nothing can beat with what we got from this guy. So we get this guy called Aaron Priceman who in 2011 hosted the 25 year anniversary side of Ubisoft's press conference which was mostly filled with bad one liners, mispronunciations of names (Tom Clancy being one of them), him doing a Wayne's World style time machine noise all while getting a very uncomfortable silence and a little bit of criticism as well. Its a moment that instantly became a huge Internet meme and while it may be bad for some, I actually found it to be quite amusing. You don't get these sorts of people presenting at E3 and I feel we should get more of these people who want to have a bit of fun on stage while giving out information about gaming, because at the end of the day, that's what E3 is all about. Fun and gaming.

9 - Natal Works (2009 - Microsoft)

Not sure if this is the right video, but anyway. So before Kinect, everybody was curious as to what Natal (which would later be known as the Kinect) was and so at E3 this very year, we got a glimpse at it and boy was it bizarre. Not only would it be a major player in the motion market (beating both Nintendo and Sony) but it would be the only controller which only requires movement from your body. Of course, the end result was a flop and Microsoft made the right decision to make less games that rely heavily on it and more games that have it as an option. But still, it was worth talking about especially if we want to know if it works and it may have been a flop, but at least Microsoft tried and that's all that matters.

8 - The Sims 4 Reveal (2014 - EA)

OK so I know this is more recent, but I do find it to be quite a step down after what came before it. At the beginning of EA's press conference this year, we got big news regarding new entries in the Star Wars: Battlefront, Dragon Age and Mass Effect games as well as some news about a new IP that BioWare are working on. But then after all those big announcements, what do EA do next? They announce the next Sims game. Now of all the step downs that I have seen in a number of things, this was one of the worst step downs I have ever seen. I'm not saying that The Sims is a bad series because its not (well for the most part anyway), but you could've waited for a better time to announce it than after the announcements of big games. On occasions like this, I think what EA should've moved on to after their big announcements, is sports and then into Sims. Its just bizarre, terrible timing and I just think what a way to go down on. It really annoys me a lot. Talking about sports is one thing, but talking about something less big than the big games after the big games, is far more annoying to listen about, than sports.

7 - Zelda Music by a Live Orchestra (2011 - Nintendo)

25 years of Zelda meant that Nintendo needed to celebrate it in style and what better way to do that, then at E3 with a live orchestra. This may not be something that people want to see in a E3 show, but you have to admit, its better than having a big celebrity artist performing to a uncomfortable and not amused audience. A lot of us gamers have grown up loving and playing Zelda and I for one, did not find this to be a waste of my time but rather a great way to kick off the show before moving into the big stuff and Nintendo generally do things right at E3 (well for the most part anyway) and I was glad that they made a point about the anniversary of Zelda. Great stuff.

6 - Reggie and Miyamoto are Awesome!! (2004 - Nintendo)

One of Nintendo's best E3s was when we got to see Reggie Fils-Amie for the very first time and when Miyamoto had the best entrance on the stage so far, following his announcement of the next Zelda game, later known as Twilight Princess. As for Reggie, this was the first time he appeared on stage and the first time he worked for Nintendo and after a kick-ass speech, he would then later become the President of Nintendo of America and we are very happy to have him. His body may be ready, but he's also about kicking ass and making games. And Miyamoto really knows why its dangerous to go alone.

5 - Kevin Butler's Motivational Speech (2010 - Sony)

So just to address something quickly, Kevin Butler isn't a real person nor is he an executive for Sony. What he is, is a character portrayed by actor Jerry Lambert who protrayed him in a number of commercials for the PS3 and some of the PlayStation's services as well. He appeared in 2010 at E3 where he made his first and so far, only live apperance during the PlayStation Move part and after giving us a motivational speech about the Move and gaming in general, this became one of the greatest moments in both Sony and E3's history that as a result, put Microsoft's embarrassing press conference to shame. Moments like this don't happen often and it makes each press conference more entertaining and moving than it needs to be and let's face it, when we watch E3, there has to be at least some entertaining aspect to it. Can't always be announcement after announcement because that's just boring. Sure there are some of these moments that are unbearable to sit through, but for me, this moment is one that all gamers will remember for years to come, even if it came from a fictional character and not an actual Sony executive.

4 - Satoru Iwata VS Reggie Fils-Amie (2014 - Nintendo)

It may be more recent, but we all wanted it to happen. To see the big bosses of Nintendo and its Japan and America offices battle it out. When I first saw this, this gave me a hint that a new challenger was being added to Smash Bros because even though it didn't have the logo at the beginning like the others have, this gave away a very big hint to what was about to happen. Miis coming to Smash Bros as playable characters. Everybody said it wouldn't happen because of how un-unique they are, but as always, Nintendo surprises us and makes them worthy of being used in Smash Bros. The battle is yet another E3 moment that everyone will remember for years to come as being one where Reggie's body was well and truly ready for what Iwata had in store for him and even though Iwata wasn't at E3 due to medical reasons this year, this looks like he is fit and ready for a battle and that is exactly what we got in true Smash Bros. style.

3 - The Most Embarrassing Press Conferences Ever (2010 - Microsoft)

It was a tough choice on who to pick for the worst of the conferences and while I do find that most of them are bad in some sense (Nintendo's 2008 one is a prime example of this as with the Sony and Konami ones that I've mentioned already), but nothing can compare to what Microsoft did in 2010. So the 7th generation of gaming was in full swing and Sony and Microsoft wanted in on the action of motion sensing, something of which Nintendo have already conquered with the Wii and what did they do, you may ask. They made something gimmicky and don't admit to it being a gimick. Sony gave us the PlayStation Move which in a nutshell, was their take on the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and Microsoft gave us Kinect. And boy was it a flop. Not only did the Kinect became a major flop, but its announcement was far more worse than the thing itself. Everything that Microsoft did here was just beyond embarrassing. They say that they will offer new experiences when in fact, those expereinces are nothing more than something that Wii has already done as well as something that nobody will actually pick up and play. Also, we got a demonstration of how Skype can be used which was far too awkward for us all, Justin Beiber being played to us all during a demonstration of the Kinect which all gamers universally hate (well most of us anyway) and even a slight insult to the Wii was made by a fitness expert. It was just terrible. The Kinect could've done way better than what actually happened if people were willing to spend more time working on it than the average game, but this being Microsoft, the games looked rushed which ultimately led to its downfall and even after the Xbox One came out, the company decided to scrap it after giving it an upgrade which in all honesty was for the best. At least we can all learn from this event to never present like that again and give what we as gamers want and not this s**t.

2 - Smack that Price on the PS1 (1995 - Sony)

So after what SEGA did which has gone down in history as one of the biggest mistakes in E3's history, Sony stepped in, showed off the PS1, gave us a price and left. End of conference, see you later. Now interesting fact, Nintendo were actually working with Sony on the PS1 but after opting to work with Phillips on the flop that was the CD-I, Sony were angry and decided to make the console themselves with no help from Nintendo or even admit Nintendo helped them just a little bit. Sony have been in the gaming business since the very first E3 and this was pretty much what we wanted from them. A console, some games, a price and a release date and that's it and that's effectively what we got. This is how you announce something and this is how it should be done. Never spend too much time on something nobody cares about because it would just be a waste of our time. That's how its done.

1 - The Best Press Conference Ever!!! (2006 - Nintendo)

The first time I heard about E3 was when I got the Official Nintendo Magazine for the first time and with it, came a DVD containing information about Nintendo's stuff at E3 2006. Among this stuff, was highlights from their press conference and after being able to see it in full, I can honestly say that I really liked this conference. At the time, nobody really knew what the 7th generation of gaming would be like and Nintendo decided to go big and as always, surprised us with the revolutionary Wii which had one of the best teaser trailers fro any platform to date. All the games shown off looked and felt great and we even got to see Miyamoto peform some music in an early demo of Wii Music and at the time, it was nothing more than just a simple orchestra simulator. Of course when it was in a more completed state, its annoucement wasn't as good as what we got here. But you ahve to admit, when have we had a conference where someone fromt he audience can play along? That's what we got here. Its my all time favourite press conference and my number one pick for the best E3 moment ever.

So to sum up, E3 is something that all gamers look forward to. Its the event that shows us what to expect in the gaming world in the near future and we all love it. Sure its had some ups and downs which haven't always been great, but on the whole, what we see is what we get and I hope next year's E3 is even bigger and better than this year.