Oh god, is it E3 again already?

Hey kids, it’s almost time for E3! The biggest event in gaming journalism is right around the corner, and as your resident armchair games journalist, I have prepared my annual list of predictions for the event.

Microsoft



After last year’s E3 showing, Microsoft made it clear they wanted a piece of the Wii’s motion control market. The Kinect was the forefront of the Xbox lineup, with only a small portion of their show devoted to the “hardcore” market. I’m not entirely sure which way this year’s event will go. The Kinect has enjoyed quite a bit of success, but it’s far from total market domination. It’s entirely possible Microsoft will launch Kinect 2.0, a completely redesigned model at a lower price. Along with this, expect to see a slew of new titles for the device including Dance Central 2, as well as some games that promise to appeal to seasoned gamers as well as the causal crowd.
In addition to that, I have a feeling MS will reveal a new entry into the Halo franchise. Whether that is a proper sequel or a spinoff like Reach I’m not sure, but the Xbox is sorely lacking exclusive titles, and Gears of War 3 will be too close to releasing to be much of a headliner. It’s also a safe bet that the next Call of Duty will be on display, hyping the new CoD Elite service as well as a shiny trailer of the campaign.

Left field, pulled out of my ass predictions:
-Playable Metal Gear Rising demo
-Bioshock Infinite footage
- GTA 5 reveal
-Batman Arkham City footage (with playable Catwoman footage)
-Fable IV announced, Peter Molyneux swears it will be the best game ever created

Sony



Oh, Sony. What can I possibly say? After an embarrassing public disgrace of your security, and the joke that your PSPgo and Move motion controllers have become, I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to skip E3 altogether. Still, gamers are a fickle bunch, and a stellar lineup could go a long way to repairing Sony’s public image.
But is Sony up to it? So far, the biggest rumors coming out of the company are a phone/psp hybrid called the Xperia. Have we learned nothing from the N-Gage?

R.I.P plastic gaming taco phone.


To be honest, I’m not expecting much from Sony this year. New footage of the already announced Uncharted 3 is a given, and short of a major reveal, I really don’t care.

Left field, pulled out of my ass predictions:
-New Final Fantasy
-New Ratchet and Clank title
-Refocused Move push
-Last Guardian gameplay footage
-METAL GEAR!

Nintendo



The clear winner of last year’s show, Nintendo came out on top by delivering beloved franchises with fresh takes. Kirby Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns proved to be excellent games, though we’re still waiting on the new Legend of Zelda. All eyes are on the house Mario built to see if they can continue the momentum started last year, especially with their recently released 3DS handheld and rumor of a new console in development.
Personally, I would love to see the 3DS get a redesign with improved battery life, but it might be too soon for that. At the very least, expect a number of new titles to be announced for the device.
As for Nintendo’s new console, I have a feeling it will be the highlight of Nintendo’s show. It might be too early to show off much more than tech demos, but the thought of a new Nintendo console with current-gen level graphics is enough to give me a fangasm.

Yeah, that's pretty much what a fangasm looks like.



Left field, pulled out of my ass predictions:
-New 3DS titles include 2D Metroid, Super Mario Brothers 3D, Mario Kart, Portal
-New console named, priced, given release date
-The next Mario title will be bundled with the console at launch
-With the exception of Zelda, very little focus on the Wii.
This year’s E3 runs from June 7-9. I’ll be live-tweeting the major (read: broadcasted) press conferences, so if you don’t already follow Critical Hit! On Twitter, you should probably do that.


It should be fun. Or at the very least, entertaining. Ok, it'll probably suck, but what else are you going to do on a Monday afternoon?


-B(!)