Techpedition may not be attending E3 this year, but we will definitely be there in spirit. There are a lot of knowns and unknowns coming out of the press conferences and one of the big three is sure to trot out the show stopper. With software publishers also having a lot of games to show, this year’s E3 could be one for the ages. Let’s see what 3rd parties have to offer.
EA is going to dedicate a nice chunk of time to Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect, Activision will focus on Modern Warfare 3, Spiderman and Prototype 2, Ubisoft’s press conference will hinge on Assassin’s Creed Revelations and ZeniMax despite not having a press conference, will have large amounts of Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Rage. Take Two will show Bioshock Infinite, and Spec-Ops: The Line. Capcom will have more Street Fighter X Tekken and Square/Eidos will have a lot of Deus Ex: Human Revolution info.
There are some other games that have already been announced that will come into play, but the most exciting parts of E3 are the surprises.
Here are the projections and conjectures on what might go down:
Activision needs to announce some titles; they can’t live on MW3 and Spiderman all year. The Guitar Hero teams (Neversoft and Vicarious Visions) have to be working on something. They also have the Blizzard side of the business to promote. Diablo 3 needs a release date as do the two Starcraft Expansions. With Cataclysm out, where does World of Warcraft go from here? I’m very excited to see what they have to show.
EA has been pretty successful so far this year, and they will make sure everyone knows this in their press conference. Insomniac has been pretty quiet since announcing their deal with EA and while this may be a bit soon, don’t be surprised if Respawn Entertainment (another EA partner) makes an appearance in some fashion. Star Wars the Old Republic should get a release date. Dragon Age 3 will probably not be mentioned. We don’t know what Criterion Games is working on and considering the sales of the last one, Medal of Honor 2 is almost a given.
Ubisoft should give more details on I Am Alive and Beyond Good and Evil 2. Also expect 1 or 2 Tom Clancy related announcements. Far Cry 3 might drop and it would be nice to see more Prince of Persia and more details on Rayman Origins. With Ubi dabbling in both laser tag games and the film industry, who knows what crazy shenanigans those French dudes will put on stage this year?
Square/Eidos will presumably have details on the new Tomb Raider, Hitman 5, Thief 4 and both Final Fantasy XIII games (2 and Vs). Capcom could show Devil May Cry, and a new Resident Evil is likely. Both Onimusha and Darkstalkers are also possible. Expect Konami to announce something Metal Gear (like usual) and it wouldn’t be a Konami booth if it didn’t have something Castlevania related in it.
Sega will have more Sonic non-sense and licensed titles. What Sega needs to announce is Jet Set Radio 3, Bayonetta 2 or anything else Platinum Games wants to make. Take Two will have a surprisingly robust line up. GTA (something) could be rolled out, and in addition to the above mentioned Bioshock Infinite, and Spec-Ops: The Line, The Darkness 2 and XCOM might be there. THQ should show Saints Row: The Third and have some much needed news on Darksiders 2. Finally, what will Warner Bros interactive have? Two words…Bat and man.
So yeah, that’s a lot to digest, but E3 is big and every publisher in the industry will be there to try and steal the show. For the life of me I don’t know who it will be. What do you want to see?