No one answered.
Although for these media professionals, who had been in the game industry for years, the answer wasn't certain, the business people in the room knew the answer in their hearts.
The lunch provided for the exhibitors was more elaborate.
The IDSA had reserved a lounge on the second floor for the exhibitors, complete with hot meals, fruit, and decent coffee.
However, most of the executives didn't go there. Instead, they gathered in the backstage areas of their respective booths, eating while holding impromptu meetings.
Takuya Nakayama stood in the backstage corridor of the Sega booth, holding a cup of black coffee. Hisao Oguchi was briefing him on the morning's media feedback.
"So far, the media have asked most about the content of our afternoon press conference. The second most frequent question is when the MGS2 demo area will open."
"The demo area will open as planned after the press conference," Nakayama said, taking a sip of coffee. "What's your take on the morning's events?"
Oguchi flipped through his notebook. "Sony's WipEout really made a splash."
"But they only showcased two games, which shows their first-party development capacity still hasn't caught up. Namco is really carrying the weight for Sony."
"Namco is tied to Sony even more tightly than I expected."
Meanwhile, in Sony's backstage area, Ken Kutaragi was leaning back in a folding chair, his legs crossed over a equipment case in front of him. His assistant handed him a summary of real-time media feedback just collected from the press area.
"[ WipEout ] is mentioned most frequently," the assistant reported. "Next is Namco's [ Tekken ]. Most media outlets are discussing these two together when talking about the PS's 3D performance."
Kutaragi glanced at the summary and casually set it aside.
"What time is Sega's presentation this afternoon?"
"3:15 PM."
"What are they showing?"
"Confirmed to include an [ MGS2 ] demo and a batch of trailers. The specific list hasn't been released."
Kutaragi asked nothing further.
He pulled his legs off the equipment case and stood up, stretching his shoulders.
The two morning games had achieved the desired effect.
No matter what Sega brought out in the afternoon, the PS's technical image had already been firmly planted in the minds of every journalist present.
The rest depended on whether Sega could overwrite that impression.
At 12:50 PM, the crowd began to flow back toward the Central Plaza Exhibition Hall.
Some reporters took advantage of their lunch break to visit the exhibition area in South Hall.
Konami's booth was crowded with people, and a line had formed for the Tokimeki Memorial demo machines, composed entirely of Japanese media outlets and a few curious American journalists.
Sega's booth hadn't yet opened its demo area, but people were already taking photos in front of the massive Sonic mural.
Several display screens showed montage clips of game trailers, drawing the attention of passersby.
At 1:00 PM, the lights in the Central Plaza Exhibition Hall dimmed again.
The afternoon session belonged to Atari.
By 1995, the name Atari carried complex connotations.
Ten years prior, it had been the industry's dominant force; now, its market share was barely a fraction of what it once was.
Yet, as one of the co-founders of the IDSA, Atari had been granted an official press conference slot at E3.
The presenter was Atari's product manager.
He wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with the Jaguar logo—a choice that exuded a frank, almost defiant attitude.
"Today, we're introducing the Atari Jaguar CD."
A black CD drive accessory appeared on the screen, its design language echoing the Jaguar console itself—sharp angles and a heavy industrial feel.
This was the Jaguar CD-ROM drive expansion for the Jaguar console, allowing the cartridge-based machine to also read CD-ROMs.
The audience's reaction was lukewarm.
Not hostile, but something more brutal—indifference.
Since its release in 1993, the Jaguar had sold fewer than 150,000 units in North America. Launching a CD-ROM expansion for such a small installed base made little commercial sense.
Yet Atari's team earnestly demonstrated several Jaguar CD games.
HoverStrike, a first-person shooter, featured graphics that were barely acceptable given the Jaguar's hardware limitations.
AtariKarts, a kart racing game, was clearly aimed at Mario Kart, but it fell short by leagues in track design and character charm.
Attack of the Mutant Penguins, an action game with a bizarre penguin theme and a peculiar art style.
Finally, they showcased a game for the Atari Lynx handheld console—Super Asteroids & Missile Command.
The Lynx, launched by Atari in 1989, was already a commercial corpse by 1995, yet Atari still brought it to the event.
The entire press conference lasted eight minutes.
The applause from the audience was sparse and polite.
"A tribute to the pioneers," the GamePro editor wrote in his notebook, then turned to the next page.
A colleague beside him lowered his voice. "How long do you think Jaguar can hold on?"
"If there's no miracle before Christmas, this machine will be in a museum."
"What a shame. The Atari name deserved a better ending."
"Did it? The moment they decided to release that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial game, its fate was sealed. As long as these greedy bastards are at the helm, Atari will always end up like this." A journalist wearing a Donkey Kong t-shirt scoffed.
After Atari's presentation, the atmosphere in the room needed a jolt of energy.
Fortunately, the next company to take the stage was exactly the one to provide it.
1:30 PM. Enix.
The blue shield logo appeared on the screen, stirring a ripple of excitement among the Japanese journalists in the audience. The Famitsu editor immediately flipped to a pre-prepared page in his notebook—it already contained several questions, all about Dragon Quest.
The producer from Enix took the stage for a brief introduction.
"Today, we're showcasing three titles."
The first was Mystic Ark.
"This Super Famicom action RPG features a Western fantasy art style. While not widely known in Japan, we specifically designed it for the overseas market."
The American journalists in the audience remained largely indifferent. Enix's Japanese RPGs hadn't truly broken through in North America, and the company's name was still unfamiliar to most American players.
The second was Terranigma, also for the Super Famicom.
This game's graphics were a significant improvement. The lighting effects during scene transitions were remarkably refined for a 16-bit console.
The producer demonstrated a transition from an underground world to the surface, with the color palette smoothly shifting from a dark blue-purple to a bright golden yellow—a visually pleasing effect.
"Developed by Quintet?" a Japanese reporter in the back asked his neighbor.
"Most likely. The art style is unmistakably theirs."
Then came the main event.
The screen changed.
A majestic orchestral prelude filled the air, its solemn melody bearing the unmistakable classical arrangement style of Koichi Sugiyama.
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