So read on, and keep those fingers and toes crossed, because at this point that's our only hope.
There are only a handful of things that I look forward to massively at E3 this year. Some might come true, some are definitely going to be there, and others are just dreams of mine that I feverishly desire.
Being the resident PC Master Race Elitist Bastard, it's almost impossible for me not to have my eyes locked onto the behemoth shooter that is Battlefield 3, which is set to rock out and crush all high end systems out there in all its glorified visual flair. I'm also itching to see what CDProjekt Red have up their Polish magic sleeves, as not only are they one of my top developers but are the masterminds behind the Witcher series, which is my favourite RPG and also based off my favourite fantasy book series. Go figure!
Back from the dead?
Then there's the ultimate craving, the one that's been circulating around the internet now for about a week and sent me into a hyped up, childish frenzy of excitement. If the rumours are true, and we do indeed see the return of Legacy of Kain, I'm fairly certain I'm going to cry in happiness. Make it happen Eidos!
Oh and fingers crossed we see some more concrete info on The Last Guardian and some Blizzard stuff too. Team ICO and Blizzard are just way too silent.
E3 2011 hasn’t even started, yet the video games trade show is already causing a stir with the likes of Bungie, Valve and Rockstar announcing their absence. Nonetheless, as we stay glued to out computer screens and brave the early mornings to hear the latest news – much to the bewilderment of non-gaming companions – this year’s E3 is bound to have plenty in store. With Nintendo shaping up as the only publisher to demonstrate new console hardware, the focus of E3 2011 should be less on surprise announcements and more about the big-name titles and franchises chasing critical and commercial fame.
Despite being the dominant market leader, Nintendo arguably has the most to prove, unveiling the first next-generation gaming console. Coming off the astonishing success of the Wii, it will be fascinating to see how Nintendo positions their latest offering between the casual and core markets. Stronger ties with external developers will surely give the new console a boost, but history on this subject dictates otherwise. Existing Nintendo franchises may only figure into early tech demos, but it will not be a surprise to see The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword become a launch title for Project Café. Finally, following the lacklustre 3DS launch, we should expect the portable device to see a large showing, with major announcements and dates pinned on pending titles.
Finally time to shine.
Sony will undoubtedly headline their conference with an apology for the recent PSN outage, and a presentation of the announced incentives on offer to users. On the games front, first party exclusives will be a highlight for the PlayStation 3, including Resistance 3, another God of War, and a massive outing for Uncharted 3. Given Sony’s propensity for system exclusives, we may even see an announcement or two with third-party developers. The NGP will be given a proper and lengthy introduction, including pricing and launch details. The new system will see a slew of game announcements (if mostly first party), and may even come 3D enabled. Sony’s conference will also be the make or break for the PlayStation Move, and expect Kevin Butler’s appearance to be the highlight of the show.
Microsoft will likely continue on the same path as previous years, demonstrating Call of Duty, announcing media partnerships that have zero significance for Australians, and showcasing new Xbox LIVE features with awkward presentations from toothpaste commercial actors. Eyeing strong holiday sales, Kinect will receive a massive push with one new party game after the other. On the core front, the Xbox will see Gears of War 3, Forza 4 and new Halo and Alan Wake projects. In showing they haven’t been completely seduced by the casual market, the Xbox conference will also highlight new action and shooter titles from external publishers, most with some exclusive Xbox content.
Outside the major three, E3 2011 will give gamers the chance to see all the blockbuster holiday releases and those reserved for the 2012 window. Highlights will include Mass Effect 3, Ghost Recon, Deus Ex, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, RAGE, and the aforementioned Uncharted 3. Finally, it may be a long shot, but here’s hoping we see more of Metal Gear Solid: Rising and concrete information on Respawn Entertainment’s next project.
E3 seems to have lost a lot of thunder over the years, with all the major bombs being dropped progressively throughout the year. Still, E3 still holds a special place in the hearts of the misfit men and women that make up our gaming community, and actually attending this glorious media event is seen as a pilgrimage of sorts to us. Our hard working bosses, Adam and Jeremy, will be making this holy pilgrimage once more.
Rumors have been floating around regarding The World Ends With You 2. The original was what that induced me to buy the Nintendo DS, the day the original The World Ends With You released was the very same day I got the console. I would be really happy to see an announcement with some teaser gameplay of the sequel at E3, and I can actually see it happening because Square-Enix knows that The World Ends With You was one of the most acclaimed and successful DS games, and they will definitely not stop with one game (14 Final Fantasy games! Hello!). If this ends up on the 3DS, then I will surely be getting one just for this game.
Out with the old, in with the new. Or in with the new, and keep the old too. Wait...
Sonic Generations has got me extremely excited, and I’m looking forward to reading some hands-on impressions. I don’t care how the 'modern Sonic' sections turn out, if they can nail the 'classic Sonic' portion of the game as perfectly as the Mega Drive releases, then this will easily become my game of the year.
Sega hasn’t done much in the fighting game area lately, which is a real shame because they have pumped out some of the greatest fighting games in history. Virtua Fighter is still considered to be the most mechanically and technically refined 3D fighting franchise, and Sega have produced some amazing fighting games during the Saturn era, games like Fighting Vipers, Fighters Megamix and Last Bronx. With the current surge in the popularity of the fighting genre, courtesy of online gaming and Street Fighter IV, I’m actually surprised that Sega hasn’t taken advantage of it. So basically, I would love to see Sega announce a new fighting game release, be it in the form of a XBLA/PSN HD remake with online play, a home conversation of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, a sequel or even a new IP. I just want Sega to give me a fight.
While I will probably spend a portion of E3 2011 sulking in the corner with my stuffed toy headcrab pondering when Valve will finally shed some light on Half-Life 2: Episode 3, there are still a lot of tantalising tidbits to be found in the holiest of gaming trade shows that I will no doubt turn into a nocturnal creature for the duration of the event.
While my interest in the Nintendo scene has waned in recent years, my curiosity has definitely been piqued by Project Café and whether it will be able to lure core gamers back into the Ninty fold once more. Most of all I'm interested absorbing all of the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword that I can.
Sony and Microsoft's conferences carry great expectation for me, with the promise of more delicious details on Uncharted 3 and Gears of War 3 it's sure to draw the most attention of my bleary eyed browsing. My Kinect loving heart also lives out in hope that Star Wars Kinect gets another showing this year as details on the game have been almost non-existent since last year's showing.
The dark side of motion gaming can be a lot of fun!
Aside from the presentations of the big three, a plethora of blockbuster titles are going to be on display at E3, with games such as Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Batman: Arkham City (more Penguin details please!), Deus Ex, Mass Effect 3, Shadows of the Damned, The Darkness 2 and the Tomb Raider reboot all raising my excitement levels to the roof.
With all of the reboots and HD remakes that are starting to make their way into the market, my gaming heart yearns for the classic Cinemaware titles of the Amiga age - such as Wings and King of Chicago - to see resurrection in the 21st century. Implausible, I know...but a girl can dream.
"Another year, another E3..." you might say to yourself as you sit on the train avoiding the weird looks from the person sat opposite you, but E3 2011 certainly looks to more interesting than most.
Amid the rumours circulating around Nintendo's Project Cafe, I have had cause to wonder whether Nintendo will be canny enough to replicate the success of the Wii all over again. Certainly, their new piece of kit has a lot to prove and even more to accomplish: it must be technologically sound enough to reclaim the old school fans it lost during the lean Wii years, but gimmicky and accessible enough to allow Nintendo to continue their fruitful advertising relationships with Olivia Newton John and Helen Mirren. I for one am expecting a project Cafe blowout, and the announcement that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is set to be a launch title for the new system. Miyamoto performing his usual kabuki-cum-cosplay routine would also not be unwelcome.
He might be lost in the desert, but at least Drake has plenty of fans.
As for Sony and Microsoft, I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering in terms of new hardware announcements (the new PSP aside). In terms of software, some compelling titles for both Move and Kinect may finally be on the way, together with footage reels of their guns for the rest of this year. I for one am gagging for more of Sony's inevitable juggernaut, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Fumito Ueda's almost-mythical The Last Guardian (which I would expect to finally be playable) and maybe, just maybe, another entry in the God of War franchise.
As for those rumours about the development of Metal Gear Solid: Rising being handed off to Hideki Kamiya and his cronies at Platinum Games? Well now, that would be something quite special if true. My fingers are well and truly crossed in preparation for this year's Expo.
I, like many, will be an armchair attendee at E3 this year, encapsulated by the madness via early morning live streams of conferences and chewing up my bandwidth with countless trailers and hands-on videos, all from the comfort of my home. With Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony all locked in for big conferences, as well as some stuff from Konami, EA and Ubisoft, there's going to be plenty to see and drool over.
E3 2011 is going to be a big one. On the hardware front we've got blowouts from both Sony and Nintendo. Personally, I'm keen to see what Nintendo are doing with their so-called 'Cafe' system. Iwata noted recently that his company needs stronger ties with Western developers, and that they'll probably need another party to build their online. Humble honesty that I doubt anybody would disagree with, but will it actually take form? Could we see a surprisingly competent online service from Nintendo? Or maybe even a big third party exclusive that nobody expected?
Come on!
Then there's the software. Obviously we'll see some stuff for Cafe, but we'll also see some much needed new content for the 3DS, including Super Mario 3D from the same team that made both Super Mario Galaxy games. On other platforms, I'm excited to finally see in-game footage of Mass Effect 3, a bigger blowout of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and multiplayer footage of Battlefield 3. Hopefully this year will see the reveal of Far Cry 3, which we know is in development but is yet to be revealed to the public.
This year will also see Tomb Raider and Hitman: Absolution fully revealed to the public. Two iconic franchises revived for a modern era. Despite being a reboot, Tomb Raider is sounding more and more appealing. Hitman, however, is a bit of a grey area. Will it stay true to the puzzle focused legacy of the original games? Or will it be butchered and streamlined to appeal to an action hungry modern market? Fingers crossed for the former. If we're lucky, Thief 4 might continue this trend of old game revivals, and make it's formal splash at the event.
Lastly, and as with every year, my dream is for Valve to reveal the long awaited Half-Life 2: Episode 3, or Half-Life 3 as many suspect it will be called. But they're not going to attend, so nuts to that. How about S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 then? F-Zero? Beyond Good & Evil 2? Eternal Darkness 2?! Rogue Squadron 4?! Homeworld!! SHENMUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excuse me.
That's a wrap! Konami's event kicks off on Friday, and everybody else follows suit the following week. Make sure to stick with PALGN for comprehensive coverage of all things good and bad at E3 2011. Maybe, if we're lucky, all of our dreams will come true.
Loading...
