The Top GameCube Games of E3 2002

For years, gamers have held the name "Nintendo" to be synonymous with the ideal of quality over quantity. Though some Nintendo systems have been home to many hundreds of third-party games, Nintendo itself has always shown interest in taking as long as necessary to produce the best possible games of the day. This year, many E3 showgoers were pleased to find that Nintendo still has its magic touch--arguably all of the company's first-party products looked outstanding. It was incredible to see a number of these games side by side for the first time, competing for attention among gamers who were so excited that they were at a loss to decide which one to try first. We tried them all in time, and these are our selections for the top five GameCube games of E3 2002:

	What's Ahead: Resident Evil 0 is shaping up to be even better than the remake of the original Resident Evil. Anyone who recently purchased Resident Evil will attest to the fact that it's one of the creepiest and most visually astounding games ever created, and 0 promises even more. With the new gameplay elements, and the excellent setting within the claustrophobic confines of a train, Resident Evil 0 is looking to take the crown for the best Resident Evil game ever.

Despite the success of the series, some players have complained that Resident Evil is stagnating where gameplay is concerned. But Resident Evil 0 is doing a lot to change that, which is a big reason why we're so looking forward to it. You can switch between playing as either Rebecca or Billy at any time by pressing a single button, and you can even take on zombies as a team with the computer controlling one character and you controlling the other. But perhaps the biggest improvement to the game is the ability to drop items wherever you please. At last, the days of managing your inventory and trying to guess which items you might need before heading out for more combat will be long gone.

One thing no one complained about concerning the remake of Resident Evil is the game's graphics. The same mix of prerendered backgrounds and polygonal objects has returned for Resident Evil 0, and the results are just as impressive. Again, the lighting looks so realistic that it's hard to comprehend just how Capcom pulled it off. Objects in the rooms will react to the constant movements of the train and will rock back and forth, and lighting coming in through the windows provides the illusion that the train is moving at a breakneck pace. With plenty of new zombies that are faster and more intelligent, the cramped quarters of the train should provide many skin-crawling moments. We can't wait.