Then and Now: Looking Back at the E3 2004 Twilight Princess Reveal

Ten years ago, the yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) saw one of its most jaw-dropping reveals in a long history of memorable video game announcements. At the tail end of Nintendo’s press conference, the Japanese game company had one last surprise in store. The throng of game enthusiasts crowding the auditorium sat in near-silent anticipation as it set its final trailer in motion.

The lights dimmed as heroic music played over scenes of an unknown hero galloping towards a hostile force gathered on the horizon. As the camera finally panned around the lone horseman, cheers erupted from the audience. There was Link, the timeless hero of Hyrule, seated on his trusty stead, Epona, with his sword raised in triumph. Overwhelming applause and hoots of enthusiasm filled the room as Link dispatched enemies with bow and sword. As the trailer concluded, Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Nintendo’s most popular games, took the stage to bask in the ovation, wielding the Master Sword and displaying his trademark grin.

In many ways, the Zelda series reached its emotional zenith on that E3 stage in 2004. The first unveiling of Twilight Princess, as the game would eventually be called, triggered an outpouring of passion from E3 attendees. “Long-time fans of the series wept at the sight of their hero back in the saddle and all grown up,” Nintendo Power magazine claimed when looking back on the legendary trailer in their 194th issue. I don’t doubt for a second that Nintendo made grown men and women cry that day. Even years later, the footage captured from that E3 conference hall can still inspire powerful feelings among nostalgic Zelda fans.

Of course, Nintendo’s showing at E3 2004 was not all about Zelda. Nintendo icon Reggie Fils-Aime took the E3 stage for the first time to pitch diverse Nintendo products. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes kicked the press conference off with an edgy gameplay-focused trailer. Star Fox: Assault (simply titled Star Fox at the time) promised a return to space-shooting action and Resident Evil 4 offered blood-spattered action horror. Nintendo hit home run after home run, flaunted its financial achievements and finally put the Nintendo DS before the public. But the cinematic Twilight Princess trailer was what ended the press conference with a resounding bang.

You wouldn’t have found an 11-year-old version of me among the 65,000 people packing the E3 floor that year. At the time, I could only follow the aftermath of Nintendo’s unforgettable show in the pages of Nintendo Power. Today my crumpled copy of the 2004 E3 issue shows its age after long years spent stacked in my parent’s musty basement. Resident Evil 4 made the cover that month, and inside a Four Swords Adventures strategy guide chronicled Link’s trek up Death Mountain. But Nintendo’s E3 goodies dominated the pages I gazed over longest. Twilight Princess stood out as a particularly alluring title. The scant details presented, including horseback combat and realistic graphics, hooked me from the first screenshots.

I wasn’t the only one enamored with Twilight Princess. “As soon as the doors opened, fans ran past the PlayStation area, past the booth babes, past the free key-chains and plush toys and into the line for the playable demo of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,” Nintendo Power reported one year later at E3 2005. Originally slated for release that year, Twilight Princess faced drawn-out delays before finally coming out in North America on November 19, 2006. As a launch title for Nintendo’s new Wii home console, the game had much to live up to. The hype built up around it, however, quickly powered the game into blockbuster territory. It drove hardcore gamers to invest in the largely untested Wii, and sold more than 8.5 million discs in the long run.

The sheer enthusiasm that one Zelda trailer inspired ten years ago shows how the series’ clout has since thinned. In 2010, Nintendo was poised to announce a new Zelda game for the Wii. It came as welcome news after a drought of compelling first party titles had frustrated the company’s traditional fanbase. But when Skyward Sword made its appearance on the E3 stage, a bungled glitch-ridden demonstration of the game’s motion controls killed audience excitement. Attendees laughed as the onstage Nintendo representatives fumbled with their Wii Remotes, a far cry from the triumphant cheers of six years earlier. The critically panned demonstration was not forgotten. GameTrailers recently named it the worst E3 moment of all time. The mighty had fallen.

Skyward Sword eventually received the critical recognition it deserved, but disillusionment over the Wii limited its sales potential. Since then, Nintendo’s home console empire has slipped into recession. The Wii U’s under performance has attracted widespread media attention and comparisons to the Dreamcast fiasco that put the final nail in Sega’s hardware business. The beleaguered system won’t gain traction without heavy hitting game announcements. Nintendo needs the Zelda magic of 2004 more than ever.

“The Legend of Zelda never stops changing,” Miyamoto said on the E3 stage ten years ago. “In order to grow, Link must not stand still.” Now Link and the series he champions must go to new lengths to reinvigorate an ailing company. With the secretive Zelda Wii U all but destined to make its first appearance, E3 2014 could make or forever break the Wii U. To revitalize Nintendo’s prospects, the next Zelda must make a strong impression from the start. It needs a trailer that pulls at the right nostalgic heartstrings and revolutionary gameplay that puts the series in a fresh light. Nintendo must avoid alienating crowds with polarizing art styles, while still sticking to the creative flair that makes Zelda games special. It must provide a polished demo on the E3 floor and appease long-waiting fans with a definite release date. Nothing short of a grand slam will wow audiences and propel Wii U’s off store shelves.

Nintendo likely won’t surpass its 2004 performance, even if Zelda Wii U takes the stage by storm. Like last year, the company will ditch a traditional E3 press conference in favor of online events. You won’t see a conference hall reverberating with cheers. But Nintendo can turn its fortunes around if it puts the full weight of its creative energy and marketing talents into its time-tested properties. Rekindling enthusiasm for Zelda is the first step towards bringing the company up to par alongside its console competitors. The company needs a hit, and Zelda has proven that it can deliver one. It’s time to give Zelda fans a reason to cry tears of joy again.

Do you remember Twilight Princess’s debut at E3 2004? What do you want from Zelda Wii U and Nintendo at this year’s event? Let us know in the comments below.