Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall.
The air conditioning was running at full capacity, yet it still couldn't suppress the heat generated by the tens of thousands of people gathered there.
Long lines had formed in front of every booth, and the demo areas were packed.
The Sega booth occupied the most prominent position.
The closed demo area for "MGS2" was surrounded by three layers of railings.
A white youth wearing a baseball cap sat in front of a monitor, gripping the controller tightly.
On the screen, Snake, dressed in a diving suit, was moving along a wall.
"Don't go through the front door, there's a ventilation duct on the left," his companion standing behind him pointed at the screen and reminded him.
"I know. The radar shows two guards ahead." The youth flicked the joystick, controlling the character to crawl forward.
He pressed a button, and Snake knocked on the wall.
A question mark appeared over the guard's head, and he turned to walk toward the source of the sound.
"That's so cool. You can even lure enemies away like that," someone in the surrounding crowd exclaimed in amazement.
The youth took the opportunity to control the character and slip through the door.
Just two steps in, the alarm blared loudly.
"You tripped the infrared beam!" his companion tapped him on the shoulder.
The screen turned red, a few heavily armed soldiers rushed out, and the game was over.
"Stealth games are harder than I thought." The young man put down the controller and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
A staff member handed him a sticker with the game's logo: "Thanks for playing. Please exit through the door on the right."
Not far from MGS2 was the King of Fighters III battle zone.
The clacking of arcade joysticks and the tapping of buttons blended together.
"Iori Yagami's command grab has insane hit detection." A young Black man in baggy jeans worked the joystick, and the red-haired character on the screen grabbed his opponent and unleashed a barrage of grabs.
"Terry's combo rhythm has changed. I haven't adapted to it yet." His opponent, an Asian youth, shook his head.
Next to them, at the demo station for Pro Soccer World (PSW), a few fans wearing soccer jerseys were passing the ball with controllers.
"The players' running animations are a bit stiff, but the tactical coordination is much more complex than the 2D games of the past."
"Yeah, you can really pull off a lot of real-life tactics now."
Passing through the Sega booth, the Square exhibit was equally packed.
On several TV screens connected to Jupiter consoles, real-time gameplay of "Final Fantasy VII" was being displayed.
"What's the name of that guy with the big sword?"
"Cloud. Look at this 3D modeling, that sword feels so impactful."
A player in a plaid shirt held a controller, maneuvering the character through the streets of Midgar.
He stopped in front of an NPC, pressed the confirm button, and a dialogue box popped up.
"The loading time for entering the battle screen is a bit long," he said, turning to a staff member beside him.
"This is a version under development. It will be optimized for the official release," the staff member explained in accented English.
"The summon animation is really long. But the special effects are great," another tester remarked, staring intently at Bahamut on the screen.
Sony's own "Jumping Flash! Baron Aloha's Great Panic" attracted quite a few younger players.
The first-person 3D platforming gameplay felt novel to them.
The children pressed the jump button, watching the mechanical rabbit flip through the air, and let out bursts of laughter.
The Nintendo booth's main color scheme is red and white.
The demo stations for the SFC and Game Boy are still crowded with loyal fans.
The visuals of "Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island" have the texture of hand-drawn crayon sketches.
"This art style is very charming," a female player says as she controls Yoshi, swallows an enemy, and turns it into an egg to throw.
"The feel is still Nintendo's standard," her male companion comments.
Several Game Boy handhelds are secured to stands, running "Super Donkey Kong GB."
"The screen has a bit of motion blur. But being able to play Donkey Kong on a handheld is already pretty good."
The Namco booth is decorated primarily in blue.
The "Tekken" System 11 arcade cabinet and the PlayStation home console are placed side by side.
"Look at the difference in the visuals between these two," a middle-aged man says to his son, pointing at the two monitors.
"The arcade version has a few more polygons, but the PS version is completely acceptable," the boy says, pressing buttons on the controller. "Being able to play arcade games at home is a great deal."
At the "Ace Combat" demo station on the other side, a student wearing glasses was struggling to control the aircraft's attitude.
"The first-person perspective is making me dizzy," he complained.
"Press the Select button to switch to third-person," his friend instructed from the side. "Namco really put a lot of effort into the cabinet this time."
The Capcom booth was the most bustling.
In front of the CPS arcade cabinet for "Street Fighter Zero," several veteran players were studying the new system.
"Ryu's Hadouken has an afterimage now. The art style is quite a bit younger than in the second game."
"They added air blocking. That's going to change the rhythm of the matches."
From the closed-off "Resident Evil" demo room, gasps of surprise could be heard from time to time.
A short-haired girl pushed the door open and walked out, her face pale.
"How is it in there?" someone in line asked.
"There's a close-up of a zombie turning its head. And dogs jumping in through the window," the girl said, patting her chest. "You guys better prepare yourselves mentally."
At the nearby "Mega Man 7" and "Darkstalkers 2" demo machines, players were quietly pressing the controllers, enjoying the mature experience of the 2D action games.
The Konami booth was divided into two areas.
In the SFC demo area for "J.League Perfect Striker: Winning Eleven," several players with South American accents were playing against each other.
"The passing lanes are more realistic than in previous soccer games. The players have inertia."
On the other side was the PS and Jupiter version of "Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You."
"The arcade version has a few more polygons, but the PS version is completely acceptable."
The boy pressed the controller, "Being able to play arcade games at home is a great deal."
"Is this dating sim only in Japanese?"
An American guy looked at the hiragana on the screen, full of confusion.
"This is aimed at the Japanese market, I guess."
"The passing mechanics are more realistic than in previous soccer games.
The players have inertia."
On the other side was the PS and Jupiter version of Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You.
"Is this dating sim only in Japanese?" A young American man stared at the hiragana on the screen, his face full of confusion.
"It's targeted at the Japanese market. They probably don't intend to release it in North America," explained a knowledgeable player. "You'll have to play it with a strategy guide."
In front of Enix's Mystic Ark, fans of traditional Japanese RPGs were carefully reading the dialogue.
At the Hudson booth, the multiplayer battles of Panic Bomber were attracting a crowd of casual gamers.
In front of the Neo Geo arcade cabinet for Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash, fighting game enthusiasts were pitting their skills against each other.
On the second-floor walkway, several gaming media reporters leaned against the railing, looking down at the floor below.
"How many shots have you taken?" a GamePro editor asked the photographer beside him.
"Five rolls of film are already gone," the photographer replied as he loaded a new roll.
"This is what E3 is supposed to be like. The first two days were just press conferences and interviews; it felt like something was missing," the editor noted in his reporter's notebook. "Now, on this public day, the manufacturers have laid out the games, and the players are voting with their feet."
The electronic synthesized music from the exhibition hall, the sound effects of characters taking hits, and the chatter of the crowd all blended together.
No one cared about the passage of time.
For these players who had flocked to Los Angeles, everything in the demo area was the only thing that mattered today.
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