E3 is dead, as we all know. While it's certainly true that the industry has perhaps evolved to the point where such a massive consumer and trade show isn't strictly necessary any more, E3 has been responsible for some of our greatest memories – and new footage from the 2001 event hammers home just how fantastic it once was.
A new video posted by Game Sack shows raw footage from the show floor and includes some truly amazing titles. "E3 2001 raw tape focusing mainly on the games on display, but some other stuff too," reads the video description. "This was when the GameCube and Xbox were getting ready to launch, but weren't out yet. From an original Video8 camera tape covering the show in March of 2001. This was shot by a friend of mine who worked for an industry news website."
If you want an idea of how amazing this show was, here's a list of the games that were on display: Crazy Taxi 2, Virtua Fighter 4, Shenmue II, Rez, Jet Set Radio Future, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Red Faction, Devil May Cry, Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Star Fox Adventures and Eternal Darkness. Phew!
The footage also includes Sega's E3 confirmation that it would be focusing on third-party publishing after pulling the plug on the Dreamcast at the start of 2001.
It's a fantastic time capsule which reminds us just how incredible this yearly event used to be.
