This show is the gauge for the rest of the year in video games, what is shown here will be the big hitters and major players in the industry for 12 months to come. So why, when the purpose of this show is to excite and tantalise, did two of the industries biggest players, put on such a no show?

Sony, Sega and Nintendo all came to the show with the usual pre-launch hype but only one walked away with some of that intact, and that was Sega.
What makes Sega performance at the show the more surprising, (after all with Sega's less than stellar approach to the industry of late I expected them to put on a poor show at best) is the manner in which both Nintendo and Sony practically handed them the show. On a gold platter.
Sony had the PS2 hype behind them coming to the show and totally failed to do anything with it. The majority of their wares included very early demos and video footage. There were a few playable demos at the show, lucasarts "Starfighter" being the most notable. 
Nintendo had it even worse; aside form conkers bad fur day and the latest Zelda instalment. There only other big game was silicon's knights' new game. Ohh and about 50 pokémon games (I like pokémon but not pokémon snap, card trading, painting, bouncing, nude photo shoot……)
So that brings us back to Sega, who surprised everyone, (that is after the lack to a show form Sony knocked them for six) with a line-up of stunning games, i.e. jet set radio, Phantasy star online, sonic adventure 2, and an online version of Quake 3. That's right Sega has begun their long awaited net revolution with an online compatible quake 3. This last coup de grace was enough for Sega to have the show all wrapped up.
So that's about it then, for the first time in years E3 gives us a major surprise, and Sega finally look like they might just be able to give Sony's PS2 a challenge after all.
the Ragin' Cajun