Sony Computer Entertainment America
Sony’s surprise on the hardware side of things has (probably) already leaked out in its entirety. 1UP already broke the story on the rumored PSP Go! redesign, and the rumored “PSThree” redesign shots, recently removed from most of the internet thanks to a cease and desist order, also might hold a degree of legitimacy. Those, and possibly a price drop, look pretty certain – but remember last year when Sony and Microsoft were, without a doubt, going to debut new motion controllers? If they appear or not, I doubt any of the above will be tremendous game changers, which is fine given the strength of SCEA’s software lineup.
Heavy Rain is going to be awesome for reasons some might not expect. Critics ignorant of adventure games or people who never played Quantic Dream’s previous game, Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, will be baffled by the gameplay, which, at first glance appears to be nothing more than a series of quick time events. Ordinarily I’d give an enthusiastic middle finger to that tired gameplay device (I’ve hated it from Shenmue to God of War), but, at least in the case of Fahrenheit. it all…worked. The seemingly arbitrary QTE’s serve to support the cut scenes and add an odd degree of tension to what might otherwise feel like a static CG film. I’m sure the core gameplay will still feature split second decisions and the real time, “oh my god what do I do now” situations of Fahrenheit – but this time, hopefully at least, Quantic Dream will maintain focus throughout the entire narrative and not jump off the deep end in the third act. Anyway, for Heavy Rain I want a consistent adventure, a story with real consequences inside of its branching paths, the return of multiple “main” characters, and the narrative making legitimate use of the M rating (not gratuitous nudity or pointless F bombs). The gameplay is going to be obscure and, honestly, niche, but I think Heavy Rain could easily suck the masses in through a strong push from Sony and, obviously, having the best visuals on the system this side of Final Fantasy XIII. Here’s hoping, anyway.
I don’t really know what I want from Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Tools of Destruction was a beautiful visual modernization of the Playstation 2 Ratchet games, but it was a bit light on keeping the gameplay interesting. The largely static world had a prefabricated feel, and wasn’t nearly as interactive as something like Mario Galaxy. Furthermore, the new weapons and gameplay devices largely served to support the existing framework, rather than enhance it. It was still a fantastic experience and I nearly 100% completed that game (I only failed to pick up a skill point or two), but I needed something new. Quest For Booty, last summer’s competent episodic interlude, played mostly the same notes; incredibly solid, but it was Ratchet by-the-numbers. I want A Crack in Time to do something more than throw cool new weapons at me, I want something other than a straight path along a preset course. I don’t want Ratchet to pull a Jak II and go open world or anything, but I want to see Insomniac take a few risks and radically alter Ratchet to some degree. I want to see them do something ambitious and creative with the suggested theme of time travel. Unfortunately I think all we’re going to get is the aforementioned new weapons, a new hacking minigame, a wild spin on the Clank levels, and some sort of time travel gimmick, which I hope to god isn’t bullet-time related.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the safest bets of the show. Naughty Dog’s titles have always oozed quality, and Drake’s second outing appears to be no different. I haven’t seen much of the gameplay, other than bits and pieces that resemble the gunplay from the first game. The environments have changed thematically, but look incredibly vibrant and outstandingly beautiful, which isn’t a surprise given the first game’s status as the objectively best-looking game on PS3. Really, if it’s the exact same game in a new place I can’t say I would be disappointed. I played through Drake three times and never really tired of the gameplay, and all I want is a refined version of that in a brand new place with a different take on the treasure hunting narrative. Critically that’s not the best thing to expect from a game and I’m sure it’s a double standard for games I’ll blast later, but, on this rare occasion, I don’t care.
Uncharted 2’s multiplayer, on the other hand, is a bit puzzling. Like the majority of forum nerds, I don’t feel the game “needed” it. Drake was a fine single player adventure, and shoe horning multiplayer in just seems like another bullet point on the back of the box. Honestly if you’re not Call of Duty, Gears of War, or Halo – why even bother at this point? Unless it’s extraordinary you’re not going to crack the market for people looking to make a long term investment in a persistent online experience. I’m sure it will be competent and a reasonable amount of fun, but Naughty Dog needs to come up with something beyond the standard death match / team death match approach. Do something intrinsically tied to the gameplay, something that, even thematically, no one else has attempted. I’m scared they’re going to pull a Resistance 2 and sacrifice time and resources that could have gone into the main game, but hopefully Naughty Dog will learn from Insomniac’s mistakes.
Is Gran Turismo 5 going to be there? Who knows. More importantly, at this point, who cares? Look, I’m one of the biggest car nuts you’ll find (I’ve dumped an outrageous amount of money into making my Toyota MR2 perform well at local autocross events) and I can appreciate Polyphony’s incredible dedication to crafting the ultimate driving experience, but, in 2009, I’m not entirely sure the GT series can still resonate beyond the hardcore audience. Gran Turismo used to be the only driving game in town. Since GT4, Forza and Project Gotham, with their more frequent releases, have taken away some of the sim crowd, while Need for Speed, Burnout, and upcoming games like Blur and Fuel are snatching away the less patient crowd who prefer arcade racers. I’m not sure if people are going to have the patience for the ridiculous minutia that Polyphony injects into every Gran Turismo title. The rumored feature list is impressive and it will be awesome if even half of it comes to fruition (especially the PSP connectivity). I’ll still play and, in all likelihood, still buy it – but the time has come and gone for Sony to consider Gran Turismo to be the killer app they so desperately need.
Which is fine because I’m sure God of War III will easily slip into that role. “Scale” and “verticality” seem to be the current buzzwords and, knowing that most of it takes place on the living and breathing flesh of the Titans, it doesn’t look like GoW III will have any trouble living up to its billing. The combat looks somewhat identical to its previous iterations, save the predictable additions of a few new weapons. Still, in the case of God of War, ho-hum for the series is easily the pinnacle of so called “character actions” games, so it’s without a doubt the team is eventually going to show us something that raises the bar rather than simply dances around it. My only concern is that Sony might feel compelled to rush it out for the holidays, as opposed to giving them team at Santa Monica Studious time to finish the game properly for a Q1 or Q2 release in 2010.
PixelJunk Shooter (formerly PixelJunk 1-4) has the best chance to steal my heart. Eden was one of the most pleasurable, surreal experiences of Sony’s 2008 lineup, and I expect Q-Games follow-up to be equally endearing. The teaser video is a little mysterious, but I’m already digging the art style and the game’s environmentally sensitive gameplay. Racers, Monsters, and Eden were all released within nine months of each other, so it’s interesting that, with 1-4 Q has waited nearly a year in between titles. Rumor has it the purported 1-4 project, PixelJunk Dungeons, was held off as 1-5 in favor of the current 1-4, but I don’t think that’s particularly relevant. Either way I’m eagerly anticipating my time with the latest entry.
If Trico, the widely accepted moniker for Fumito Ueda’s Ico and Shadow of the Colossus follow-up is present in any form, I might need to pack an extra pair of shorts in my bag that day. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Team Ico’s previous Playstation 2 efforts rank within the top ten of my theoretical “all time” list*, and I’ve been waiting in gross anticipation for any shred of information on their latest product. It was supposed to be at last E3, then it was supposed to be at TGS, then there were rumblings that it was going to appear at GDC a few months ago – but all of those events came and went without as much as a sliver of information. Then, a few weeks ago, out of nowhere, Playstation Lifestyle dropped some a high definition video of some test footage that was, apparently, well over a year old. I almost didn’t get any sleep that night. Sure, the footage was a little rough – but this wasn’t supposed to be a trailer. It was allegedly circulated within Sony as an internal proof of concept (of sorts), and wasn’t intended for mass consumption. Yeah, the boy and the rat/chimera thing did exactly as everyone hoped (it conveyed atmosphere and emotion without the need for frivolous cut scenes or hasty blocks of text), but, in a sense, it did it all without even trying. There is a reasonable chance that this leak was planned to generate buzz for the title, which would be nice if that means we’re going to see more of it at the show, but I’m not going to look forward to crushed dreams again. I think it’ll finally surface with a proper trailer next fall at TGS.
Fat Princess nearly stole the show last time out, and I expect it to be better fleshed out this time around. The genius hat switching class system has been widely publicized and, by this point, everyone knows the gist of the team based, real time strategy-ish gameplay (details from the semi-public beta are rampant), so I’m curious to see what Titan Studios can show off this time around. Maybe it’ll just be a rehash of what’s been demoing for the last sixth months, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had some kind of ace up their sleeve.
White Knight Chronicle looked fantastic when it first debuted in 2006, but appeared rather dull when I saw it in Tokyo. JRPG’s, as much as I love them, are failing to evolve and the less than competent multiplayer aspects of WKC don’t look to change things too much. Still, Level-5 generally knows what the hell they’re doing, so maybe it’ll connect with Western audience better than Square’s recent offerings.
For the online crowd, The Agency, DC Universe Online, and Free Realms look to satisfy any particular MMO needs (despite offering nothing for my particular interests). The Agency actually looks kind of cool, and it’s been dormant for quite some time, so maybe Sony will do something with that. I’ve also been hearing some buzz about Huxley surfacing on PS3? Wouldn’t that be weird? I’m also reasonably sure Sony has something planned for Home, but, honestly, is it even relevant since Phil Harrison left the company? What could have been a cool casual space for a community to form has devolved into an armed mass of leg humpers and commercial-devouring consumers. Not exactly my idea of fun.
What’s left? Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier looks…interesting, though I’m bewildered by my favorite platformer’s reemergence the Playstation 2. I hope we’ll get some up close and personal time with LittleBigPlanet PSP and Motorstorm: Arctic Edge and, while I am delighted to see a renewed focus on Sony’s maligned handheld, I certainly hope they have a few more tricks up their sleeve in the software department (though I doubt Twisted Metal or the rumored Starhawk will materialize). Sony might have another huge announcement or two, last time anyone checked Final Fantasy XIII Versus is still exclusive, and some very weird ass events have been happening at Kojima Productions recently, but, even if they don’t come out with those guns blazing, they easily have my favorite lineup of any publisher.
Activision
Modern Warfare 2, barring some strange peripheral announcement front Nintendo, is likely going to be the best selling game of 2009. Its predecessor took “core” gaming by storm and notched itself in the same category as Madden, Rock Band, and Halo. People who may only buy two or three games a year have embraced it and made it their go-to game with friends. Similar to Goldeneye in the late 90’s or Halo a few years ago, the Modern Warfare franchise has become a cultural touchstone to which most everyone can relate. I know people who would never consider playing something as hardcore as a JRPG or spending more than ten minutes with Mario, but they’ll sure dump three or four nights a week into prestiging in CoD4. It’s nice that it nails both the casual and the hardcore crowd, but it also doesn’t hurt that Infinity Ward made an amazing game the first (well, second), time around. The single player campaign was, in my opinion, worth the price of admission alone – and, from what we’ve seen of MW2’s campaign thus far, it doesn’t look to disappoint.
The upcoming war between Scratch and DJ Hero is going to confuse the hell out of consumers in a way not unlike the Rock Band / Guitar Hero 3 fiasco of 2007, but hey, at least DJ Hero’s controller looks reasonably well constructed. I know Activision will market the hell out of it and I’m sure it’ll get some buzz from simply having Hero in the title, but scratching seems a little niche to me. Remember the people in “real bands” who were so dismissive of Rock Band? The pretentious douchebags who implored people to drop the plastic garbage and play real instruments? Well, the snobbish DJ community already turns their backs on blasphemous cd-based turn tables, so I’m not entire sure how they’ll take to this, but, at the very worst, DJ Hero will be a cool one-off side story of an established franchise. Either way I’m glad to see Activision take the risk.
Blur looks awesome. I haven’t really been able to sink my teeth into an arcade racer since Burnout Paradise, and with the news that Bizarre Creations is combing an arcade sense with Mario Kart like weapon powerups have me primed and ready for what might be the freshest racing game of 2009. The new skate board peripheral for Tony Hawk: Ride should finally gives that franchise the kick in the ass in needs, and, with Rock Band and Wii Fit dominated the charts; there is no better time to release an incredibly expensive peripheral. Infamous beat Prototype to the punch with the “open world super hero” genre, but the latter looks to define itself through a unique setting (it takes place in real New York City), noticeably different mechanics behind Alex’s abilities, and entirely different, vehicle based mission structure. Prototype wasn’t on my radar until recently, and, even though it’s out in less than a month, I’ll still make a bee line for it on the show floor. I never really found any joy with the first game, but Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 will probably be a fantastic party game, we well as revive any nostalgic feelings of classic arena-ish beat ‘em ups like Gauntlet. Lastly, the best thing I can say about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is that it looks like it won’t suck quite as hard as 2007’s tie-in game.
Sega
Alien vs. Predator pretty much came out of nowhere. The original game (well, the first time a game had this title – I’m not implying this version has anything to do with the previous one, or any of the other ones, for that matter) was, along with Tempest 2000 and Rayman, one of the few stand out titles on the monumental practical joke known as the Atari Jaguar. At its core it was a Doom-clone, a corridor shooter with barely any sense of vertical scale – but it was covered in so much fluff, it was hard to care. Being able to play as the Alien, The Predator (with badass infrared vision), the space Marines was, at the time, a compelling gimmick, and one I hope they’ll revive for this iteration. Anyway I hope it’s impressive, since its existence is apparently the reason why Gearbox’s promising Aliens: Colonial Marines is a no show this year.
Not that anyone was asking for a Mass Effect-like take on the secret agent genre, but Alpha Protocol looks to fill that void. Ordinarily I would have no interest in a game like this, but I heard some good buzz from a few podcasts at last year at E3, and it’s been in development for forever, so most signs point to it, at the very least, being worth a look. Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games will, in all likelihood, be lightly-inspired and heavily rehashed casual garbage that will outsell everything else Sega publishes this years. I suppose that’s sad and it bums me out to see Sonic whored out in everything, but, if this is what it takes to eventually fund the never going to be made Sonic revival, so be it. I suppose his name on anything automatically sells an extra five figures of software, because there is no other way I can explain Sega and Sonic All Stars Racing. Wasn’t Sonic Riders enough of a disappointment?
I know fellow Digital Chumps editor Steve Schardein has a reasonably sized hard on for The Conduit, but this far I’m fairly unimpressed. The customizable HUD is cool and the graphics looks good enough for the ancient hardware, but High Voltage’s take on modern first person shooter mechanics fail to pique my interest. It’s apparently going to be marketed to the newly christened “core” audience, which, as best I can tell, aren’t the casual denizens who play Wii Sports twice a year or the soccer moms with Wii Fit. I’m also fairly certain it doesn’t include the Nintendorks who only (well, rightly) trust first party Nintendo software. What’s left is the starving consumers of games like Okami and Mad World; well executed, deep, and rewarding games on a system without an audience. If a Zelda inspired masterpiece and an ultraviolent, stylized beat ‘em can’t sell well, what’s original IP, first person shooter going to do? I feel that people who expect The Conduit to be a hardcore savior are grasping at straws – someone’s going to have to try harder to appeal to the intended audience.
Bayonetta, on the other hand, is aimed squarely at its target. I was blown away when we saw it behind closed doors last year, and I can’t begin to imagine how far it’s come some 11 months later. Born from Platinum Games, the remnant of Capcom’s wildly imaginative Clover (Viewtiful Joe, Okami, God Hand) Studio, Bayonetta is taking every available opportunity to win over the character action crowd. Fans of Devil May Cry and God of War are likely to be impressed, because, if nothing else, the game looks completely insane. An impossibly proportioned, glasses wearing brunette beats the crap out of angel demon things with her hair and occasionally rips her clothes off? Are you kidding me? I suppose I don’t actually expect this to push the genre forward or, really, outclass God of War 3 – but few can complete with Platinum’s style, and, for me, that alone is worth the price of admission. If you’re still not convinced, I beg you to check out the latest trailer.
Electronic Arts
Army of Two: The 40th Day might be the least expected sequel in EA’s lineup, but I suppose we could all use another fist bumping, tampon shoving co-op experience. The debut trailer looked pretty good until I saw the animation on the human models, which felt somewhere between uncomfortable and horrifying. Anyway, the sequel looks like a quick cut, slogged together experience. Like the first one, it might wind up being a bunch of dumb fun anyway. Bad Company 2 is getting a lot of good buzz; unfortunately I’ve never played a Battlefield game in my life and can’t really comment beyond a nondescript thumbs up. Dante’s Inferno is taking a few hilarious liberties with the Devine Comedy, but I can’t really complain considering the epic poem had nine circles of hell which, really, is just begging to be transformed into videogame levels. The Dead Space team is apparently developing it, so it’s got that going for it. One can only hope we encounter Satan’s frozen, flying visage as the last boss. Actually after a considerable amount of research (45 seconds), I have no idea what the hell the game is about. Looks Devil May Cry-ish, I guess. Wish I could say the trailer for Dead Space: Extraction generated the same level of excitement. The original Dead Space blazed a trail well worn by the Resident Evil series, and it actually wound up being better than Capcom’s latest iteration. Unfortunately I’m not entirely sure that formula will work as well when they’re taking inspiration from Umbrella Chronicles. C’mon EA, Sin and Punishment 2 is coming – I realize the Wii Shooter peripheral is underutilized, but find something else to do with it than slap the player on rails.
Brutal Legend is already a strong contender for my game of the show. Double Fine’s previous effort, Psychonauts, and was a commercial failure and, while I utterly adored that title, I didn’t expect their eventual next game to generate any buzz. I figured it would have a modest budget and an incredible amount of inspiration but, in this sick and twisted universe, would fly right under the collective gaming radar. Much to my surprise, in a deal undoubtedly conceived with the devil, Brutal Legend is on everyone’s hit list. And rightly so, the debut trailer last winter was fantastic, and the recent follow up wasn’t bad either. There is little question that Tim Schafer’s latest vision will ooze quality out of every atmospherical orifice, but whether or not the mechanics and gameplay can match the intensity of Brutal Legend’s spirit remains to be seen. If they pull it off I don’t see any way this won’t be one of the best games of the year.
EA Sports Active is already out so I’m not sure why that’s going to be there. I’m only mentioning it because I bought it for my mother and she can’t seem to pry herself away from the television. I’m sure that would lead to adverse health effects in any other form on console entertainment, but, through some abstract use of black magik, the inverse is true and, unlike Wii Fit, it’s actually good at burning calories. Who knew? I also plan on taking time to specifically ignore Grand Slam Tennis, FIFA 10, NCAA Football 10, NHL 10, Tiger Woods 10, and Madden 10 because, honestly, when anyone mentions sports games my eyes just glaze over and I blank out for maybe thirty minutes. I’m saying that with complete ignorance of the genres (I only play around with any of the above titles once every five or so years), but, unless they’re going to do something that knocks my socks off, I couldn’t care less. Unless EA Sports is going to do something beyond logical iterations and occasionally experimental gameplay changes (like the All Play series on Wii, for example), none of those titles will gather my attention. I suppose the lone sports exception to this is Fight Night Round 4, which looks seven shades of awesome.
Dragon Age will probably satisfy the sadists who somehow enjoyed Baldur’s Gate. I’m kidding, I’m sure Bioware’s early PC ventures were fine games, but they’re relatively incomprehensible to a guy who was raised on JRPG’s. Similarly, I have no idea what’s going on when I see videos or read previews of their fantasy throwback. On the other hand we have Mass Effect 2, which is the sequel to, for all intents and purposes, my favorite RPG of 2007. Mass Effect was the first Western RPG I ever played, and it sucked my brain through a vortex of science fiction, real time combat, and an enthralling mythos. I don’t even remember the month of November that year, which is really saying something when you consider that I apparently played through Mario Galaxy twice in that same month. One thing, I sure hope they put a rest to the Shepard is Dead nonsense in the first teaser. I spent fifty hours making that guy, and he sure as hell better not be dead.
I’m not entirely sure why we have two Need for Speeds, NITRO and SHIFT this year. Those things started suffering from sequel-itis shortly before ProStreet, which was when it became clear that, even with different teams handling the title, Need for Speed didn’t need to be a yearly franchise. As of late it’s been embarrassed by Burnout, Midnight Club, and virtually every other racer with a trace of inspiration. True, I probably shouldn’t dismiss something before seeing any of it, so what the hell though guys, best of luck.
Capcom
Dark Void looked pretty cool when we saw it in Vegas at CES. At first glance I thought it was going to be another generic, cover based shooter, but a longer look provided unforeseen details. Namely, you have a freakin’ jetpack and you can sky jack UFO’s. The vertical cover mechanics, as well as the flight based platforming, looked appealing too, especially for a title being published by a Japanese developer. The way Capcom handled Street Fighter 4 and Mega Man 9 suggests they better grasp of the Western market than any of Japan’s other publishers, and that sense is certainly visible this year as well. Lost Planet 2 looks pretty cool and, oddly enough, Spyborgs looks considerably interesting. All of my friends are 2D aficionados, so the presence (and netcode) of a reprised Marvel vs Capcom 2 and the semi-unbelievable translation of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is something to look forward to. Dead Rising 2, by far Capcom’s most interesting property this year, looks to be a virtual no show thanks, apparently, the swine flu outbreak. Still, if any game were to pull a prank involving a modern plague, I’d expect it to come from Capcom. Word on the street is that they’re holding back on announcing two titles until E3 stats, one of which is allegedly guaranteed to satisfy the utmost fanboy desires. Personally I’d like to see Mega Man 10, but I’ll also take Strider.
Namco Bandai
I can’t seem to locate any informed hint as to what Namco-Bandai is bringing. I hope Tekken 6, which is apparently the Bloodline Rebellion iteration of the game, is going to be there, which makes my heart flutter. I know that Tekken is basically old and busted at this point, but in the 3D fighter wars of the late 90’s, I stood my ground and sided with Tekken. Tag basically destroyed my first two years of college, and I nearly ruined my PS2 trying to import a copy of Tekken 4, so I’m eager to see where the series is going, even if the base arcade game has been out in Japanese arcades for well over a year. The internets are telling me there is some version of SoulCalibur coming to PSP. Not exactly sure how I feel about that, but Tekken 5 didn’t fair too poorly on the handheld.
Konami
Who knows what in Zeus’ name Konami’s Kojima Productions is up to. A teaser site opened last week, bearing the numeral 5 and possibly “E3.” The meta tags in the html contain the words, “metal, gear, and next,” and, a few days later, pictures of what appear to be Big Boss and Raiden popped up. While we’re pretty sure it’s Big Boss, whether or not the other guy is actually Raiden is up for debate. There’s talk of it being Null/Gray Fox or Sunny, and, honestly, no one really has any idea what the hell is going on. The mystery was further muddled via a cryptic interview in the latest issue of Famitsu, which was only partially completed and had portions of text intentionally blanked out. IGN made a reasonable interpretation of the nonsense, but it’s still safe to say that little evidence exists as to what exactly we’re dealing with. Metal Gear Solid 5? Zone of the Enders 3? Snatcher 2? Or, gasp, maybe it’s a new IP in the form of Lord of Shadow? There is absolutely no way to tell and, even if convincing evidence is eventually presented, it’s still no guarantee of the finished product (Metal Gear Solid 2, anyone?).
Nintendo
Nintendo might be the biggest mystery of the show. It’s entirely possible that they could reprise last year’s disaster of a press conference and (A) refrain from announcing anything exciting, (B) practically insult everyone in the audience, or (C) marginally improve an existing franchise. Wii Sports Resort comes out soon, which could probably generate the Big N enough cash to bail California out of its myriad of financial issues. While I’m sure that’s fine for a company that seems to be enjoying its Scrooge McDuck swimming-in-piles-of-money sessions, it doesn’t do too much for the enthusiast press there to cover the event. I understand that Nintendo’s past is no longer its present (or future), but they’re so ridiculously tight lipped about everything, it’s impossible to know what they’re planning. Such is the luxury of being in first place, so who knows what we’re going to see? Pikmin 3 was sort of confirmed last year, and we were given an ambiguous “they’re working on it” for the Mario and Zelda teams. But will we see Mario and Zelda with proper sequels for the Wii? An in-house Star Fox? The rumored Kid Icarus game that seems to crush our dreams every year? Something new, perhaps? I doubt it, but I hope so. Spirit Tracks failed to set the world ablaze when it was announced last spring, but that doesn’t necessarily imply that we’ll get a look at the first proper Zelda in over five years. I’d really like to see Wii/DSi-Ware take off with some original titles (or even some GBA ports) but, if the service’s current software lineup is any indication, you can pretty much count that one out (save maybe Cave Story). Sin and Punishment 2 is going to deliver, and the Metroid Prime Trilogy is a blessing for idiots (like me) who failed to embrace that series the first time around but, other than that, there are few certainties in the Nintendo camp.
Microsoft
The internets have recently been set ablaze with rumors of a purported motion sensing camera system. Unlike Sony’s Playstation Eye, Microsoft’s alleged answer will hopefully feature a more reliable infrared image tracking, which could lead to a slew of innovated software (or total crap, hey, I owned an Activator). After the implosion of their alleged motion controller last year (and a Rare developed game for it that never existed), I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Alan Wake will hopefully, finally make a real appearance. Remedy has been dark on the project for so long that I nearly forget it existed. I’d pass it off as vaporware in a heartbeat, but these are the guys who made Max Payne, so their work is a degree of exalted legitimacy. Halo: ODST is probably going to do it’s best to outclass Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, but I’m not entirely sure they can regain grown with something as traditionally trivial as a mission pack. Still, this is freaking Halo we’re talking about, so I’m sure the guys at Bungie are planning something amazing. Half Life 2: Episode 3 is a Valve product, but if you’re going to see it anywhere at E3, it has to be on Microsoft’s console. Half Life 2 (and its episodes) are some of the greatest game’s ever made and the reigning champion (in my opinion at least) of meticulously crafted single player campaigns. I doubt it’ll show up, but expect a lot of love if it makes an appearance. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Microsoft’s lineup is…I can’t think of anything else in Microsoft’s lineup. Surely they have a megaton or two just waiting to be dropped, or else maybe Alan Wake really is coming this year.
Everything Else
After skipping last year’s show, I’m pleased to see Atlus making a return. They don’t have anything nearly as exciting as 2007’s Persona 3 or 2008’s Persona 4, but instead we’re being treated to complete remake of the original Persona on PSP. Class of Heroes also looks pretty cool, but the rest of their line-up, a slew of PSP and DS titles that look too Japanese for even me, don’t look so hot. I groaned when Bioshock 2 was announced; I’ll play the sequel, but I always hoped the original would stand alone as a testament to how great a one and done “franchise” could be. Squeenix might bright whatever versions of the Fabulas Nova Crystalis that they find us worthy of viewing, but I really hope it’s Final Fantasy XIII because I have no interest in Agito and I’m not foolish enough to think we’re going to get a look at Versus. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and Dissidia would be nice as well. Ubisoft has a smaller lineup, and Assassin’s Creed 2 will hopefully correct the monotonous sensory assault that was the first Assassin’s Creed, while Red Steel 2 might just right all that was wronged with the practical joke known as the first Red Steel. Beyond Good and Evil 2 is one of those games we’d all like to see, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be there and we should probably just be happy that the damn thing exists. Muramasa: The Demon Blade should address my longing for 2D goodness on the level of Odin Sphere, which is terrific considering it’s from the same team as the horribly overlooked PS2 RPG. I’m not exactly sure if their new title is an RPG or a more platforming/action based game, but I’m sold on the art direction alone. Rock Band: The Beatles will probably be Rock Band with The Beatles in it, which doesn’t interest no-taste heathens such as myself, but should excite a majority of the English speaking populace of planet Earth. Red Faction: Guerilla does a fantastic take on the sandbox genre (and I loved the demo), but I’ll probably skip it because it’s coming out fairly soon. Just Cause 2 was a game I expected to see last year, and I was disappointed when the grappling hook mayhem failed to show. Borderlands looks good, as does Rage – but I’m not sure either of those provocative titles will surface at the show. Batman Arkham Asylum looks inexplicably awesome, at least enough to correct all of the sins committed by the NES Batman game that tortured my childhood.
And that’s all I can think of, I guess. I’m sure I missed a ton of cool games, but I can only scratch so much off the top of my head.
* (Mega Man III, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy VII, Sonic 3 + Knuckles, Nights: Into Dreams, Virtual On, Chrono Cross, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne in any order you please).
