My E3 Predictions…
Every year, we all do our E3 predictions like it’s a list of New Year’s Resolutions. We choose what what we want to see accomplished & then hope that reality follows suit. Normally, I don’t really make a list. That’s a little too formal for me. I would much rather join in a discussion on what to expect from the show & just let the opinions, guesses & pipedreams flow. This year is a little different though as now I’m actually writing about it as a profession. Gaming journalism is my main occupation instead of a hobby. As such, I received my confirmation 2 nights ago that I will be covering the event in person. So, since I will be handling things a bit more formally, I figured it would be best to give you all a list of the things I suspect we will see at the show. Please keep in mind though that this is just my opinions, guesses & pipedreams put in list form. Otherwise it’s no different from the discussions I’ve been fortunate to participate in over the last 10+ years. With that being said, I welcome all of your insight, thoughts, opinions, etc… Let me know if you agree, disagree, or have something to add in the comments section below. I’ll also throw out a surprise game announcement. This is strictly my pipedream fanboy guess and nothing more. Without further ado, here we go:
This one is my favorite one to cover as I have no problems saying that this generation, Microsoft has created the best overall entertainment experience (for me). Before all you haters attack me, keep in mind that I was a Nintendo-faithful up until the Playstation generation. Then, I was Sony-faithful until this generation. Not to take anything away from either company, but I just feel that the Xbox 360 has a better package for my gaming tastes. To be honest, I wasn’t an Xbox fan. I preferred the PS2. But Microsoft has brought their A-game this generation & I believe Sony has been fumbling the ball. As a disclaimer, I do own & play all 3 consoles. So, what do I think Microsoft has up their sleeve this year?
1. I personally don’t think they need to look at price drops for the console at this point. With that being said, the best way to make an impact would be to evolve LIVE in a big way. Obviously, we are already on the cusp of the release of LIVE Primetime with 1 vs 100 launching “soon” (read: by E3). There have been rumor’s floating around that several new features to the LIVE service will be added in the form of Gold VIP. What that will consist of, well, the rumors are endless. My only gripe would be a price increase. I hope that the LIVE service doesn’t go up. If they want to differentiate between Gold & Gold VIP, drop the Gold price to $39.99 & release the VIP service at $49.99.
2. With no new Gears of War announcements thus far this year & the Halo trilogy coming to a close this fall, they need something to fill in those blanks. A new GTA announcement would be nice, but I don’t think it’ll happen. Possibaly some DLC news for Gears of War 2 & other franchises like Fallout 3. In lieu of established franchises, I suspect that we are going to hear more about some new IPs. With the focus being on the LIVE service this year along with the 8 tons of rumors about motion control, I’m guessing they won’t want to overshadow that with big franchise announcements. I’m betting on some top name XBLA announcements too like Perfect Dark rumor going around.
As far as what will be on the show floor, I’ll just throw a small list down of the titles I expect to see:
| ODST | Mass Effect 2 | Forza 3 | Lost Planet 2 |
| Modern Warfare 2 | Assassin’s Creed 2 | Bioshock 2 | Final Fantasy XIII |
| Batman: Arkham Asylum | Madden 10 | Alan Wake | AoT: The 40th Day |
| Crackdown 2 | Dead Rising 2 | Lego Rock Band | A New Guitar Hero Title |
Surprise Game Announcement: Metal Gear 360
1. Once again, I don’t think Sony is in any position to do any price drops either. Especially with their installed console base growing like it is. So I suspect, their focus will be on Home & the PSP. I personally haven’t liked Home. For me, it was another missed opportunity that Sony had. In order to combat that, I’m sure we will see a lot of Home plans, attempting to enhance the service in order to bring back people like me. They will probably have some additional online functionality like Skype or something. In addition to that, I think this year will be the year the next evolution of the PSP will be announced. I know, I know, they have said that every year. But the “evidence” that has been floating around on the net has me inclined to believe it this year.
2. I don’t think this will be the motion control year for Sony. They’ve already tried it with the Six-Axis & it sucked. No, for them, it’ll be a focus on their franchises. We will probably finally hear about what Team Ico is working on. GT 5/Mobile will most likely make an appearance. Obviously we will get the God of War 3 release date. I’m betting on a new LBP. Possibly a new Warhawk. Plus, don’t forget the various Final Fantasy rumors that may be confirmed. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few new IPs thrown into the mix either, especially smaller titles for the PSN. I’m seeing a more expanded list of PS1 & PS2 titles available on the PSN as well.
What will be on the show floor? Here you go:
| God of War 3 | GT 5 | LA Noire | Afrika |
| LBP 2 | Uncharted 2 | R&C: A Crack In Time | MAG |
| The Agency | DC Universe | Katamari Forever | White Knight Chronicles |
| Rock Band Unplugged | SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 | Dissidia: Final Fantasy | Fate/Unlimited Codes |
Surprise Game Announcement: Champions Of Norath PS3
Nintendo Wii & DS(i)
Oh Nintendo, what happened? You had me for a bit there. I supported the Wii for awhile, but now, I feel like you don’t love me anymore. I feel like you have left me for my mom. Don’t get me wrong, I still love your potential, and every once in awhile you bring me a beautiful gem to play with. But I play everyday. One or two gems a year won’t do it for me. Are you going to change that at E3 this year?
1. Sadly, the answer to that question is ‘no’. The reason why is because they have created the market they wanted & have no need to woo me back. Sure there will still be a few new titles a year for people like me. But for the most, they are by-themselves in the market they chose. No real competition. So, what are they going to do for E3? Well, I bet we see a price drop. They’re already in the black as far as hardware profits go. It would help them build a demand again now that the supply has caught up. I doubt there will be any new peripheral announcements as they will still have their new expanded storage option & the Wii Motion Plus to focus on. That is, unless they decided to add the Wii Motion Plus to the existing Wiimote.
2. Speaking of the Motion Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or 2 new first party IPs for it announced at the show. I’m sure there will be more info on Spirit Tracks along with a new Mario title (probably in the RPG or Paper franchises). Metroid for the DSI. Personally, I’d like to see the Kid Icarus rumors come to fruition. Maybe a new first party Wii Fit or Brain Age game too? Their MO is one or two franchise announcements & the rest are on new IP’s. WiiWare will still get a heavy push with several new titles announced for it. The DSI will have a few new camera gimmick games announced also.
Nintendo’s showing on the floor:
| Zelda: Spirit Tracks | Wii Sports Resort | RE: The Darkside Chronicles | RE Archives |
| Silent Hill: Shattered Memories | Indiana Jones & TSoK | Red Steel 2 | |
| Pikman 3 | The Conduit | ||
Surprise Game Announcement: Star Fox Wii
4 Responses to “My E3 Predictions…”
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Xbox 360 Gamercard
[...] Before all you haters attack me, keep in mind that I was a Nintendo -faithful up until the Playstation generation. Then, I was Sony-faithful until this generation. Not to take anything away from either company, but I just feel that the Xbox 360 has a …. Metroid for the DSI. Personally, I’d like to see the Kid Icarus rumors come to fruition. Maybe a new first party Wii Fit or Brain Age game too? Their MO is one or two franchise announcements & the rest are on new IP’s. … See the original post here: My E3 Predictions… | Quagmire's Kingdom [...]
[...] Original post: My E3 Predictions… | Quagmire's Kingdom [...]
Hi there,
http://www.kingquagmire.com – da best. Keep it going!
Joker
excuse me what would be wrong with them leaving you for your mom? I don’t know what Nintendo did or understand it but I know a insult when I read one. Shame. Oldies are good.