E3 Sony 2006 Giant Enemy Crab
Giant Enemy Crab is a catchphrase that came out of Sony's disastrous E3 2006 press conference, where a producer described a Genji: Days of the Blade boss fight as being based on real Japanese history. The clip, along with lines like "attack its weak point for massive damage" and "$599," became one of the most mocked moments in video game marketing.
Overview
Giant Enemy Crab is the nickname for a mid-level boss shown during Sony's E3 2006 press conference for the PlayStation 3 launch title Genji: Days of the Blade3. The moment became a meme because Sony pitched the game as being grounded in actual Japanese history seconds before the demo cut to a samurai fighting a house-sized crustacean1.
The crab is usually paired with two other quotes from the same show: producer Bill Ritch telling the audience to "attack its weak point for massive damage," and Kaz Hirai's shouted "Riiiiidge Racer!" plug for the PSP1. Together with the $599 PS3 price reveal, they became shorthand for everything wrong with Sony's E3 that year3.
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
The line is typically dropped as a mock-serious voiceover whenever a game presents an absurdly large enemy, or as a reply when a company oversells a mundane feature. "Attack its weak point for massive damage" is common convention for calling out obvious weak spots in any game, and "$599" often gets recycled when a new console price leaks.