Thoughts/expectations from this year's E3

Written by The GN Staff on 6/10/2013 for 360   3DS   AV   MOB   PC   PS3   PS4   Vita   WiiU  

E3 2013 is set to be the biggest show in almost a decade as we're finally getting a new generation of consoles.  Microsoft has already released a bunch of information on what their console will do but hasn't shown off any new games.  Sony has show off almost everything but the console itself and Nintendo, will Nintendo isn't doing much of anything  this year as they aren't even having a press conference. 

Ahead of the show we asked our staff to give us five predictions of things they think will happen at the show.  Some of these were submitted before Microsoft's information dump on Friday so be kind on those that touch on things that have already been revealed.

Nathan Carter
This is probably the most excited I've been for an E3 in a long time for a couple of reasons.

1. First I am excited to see what else Sony is bringing to the table with the Playstation 4. At this point, my money is going to Sony. I absolutely love the look and feel of the new Playstation 4 profiles and how you can share content. As for games, I'm expecting another Killzone trailer and a brand new God of War game reveal. I'm always interested to see the new games that make their debuts at E3 and I'm interested to see if any of them will catch my eye. One last thing. Please Sony... bring back Syphon Filter! If that happens I will pre-order a PS4 the SECOND it's announced.
2. As for Microsoft, I'm excited to see if they are gonna pull me back in. It's pretty much going to take some major exclusive game announcements such as Mass Effect 4, Killer instinct 3, and/or Mirrors Edge 2 to get me interested in this system. Mirrors Edge 2 is all but confirmed at this point and those other two games are wishful thinking. I am going to predict that new Gears Of War and Halo games are shown off. I would be shocked if their two major exclusive franchises don't make some kind of appearance. A new Perfect Dark would be cool as well. I'm sure though that enough games will be shown off that will get me excited. One more thing. This system looks like a gigantic VCR from the 80's. Seriously where am I gonna put this thing?! It looks huge! Now for wishes that will probably never happen. Microsoft brings back Deathrow. Seriously that game was amazing. Oh and a Doom 4 announcement but that probably won't happen either. 
3. Nintendo makes Wii-U owners breathe a sigh of relief as they reveal and show off tons of great Wii-U games coming to the system within the next few years including the next Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart and 3D Mario game. I really want a next gen Zelda reveal but sadly I think that it still one or two years away. We can't forget about the 3DS as well as tons of exciting 3DS games are revealed as well including a bigger look at that new Link To The Past Zelda. 
4. Other companies will show off the usual franchises such as Call Of Duty and Assassins Creed. While I can't think of anything off the top of my head, I just have a feeling that this year a long lost franchise will make its big return and set the internet ablaze with excitement. I personally feel that while great games have come out in the last few years, the game industry has been in a bit of a standstill while we wait for these new consoles. I think this year may be one of those years when we all say "oh my god... so many great games coming out!"
5. Of course there has to be that the completely embarrassing moment that goes viral and generates tons of memes. Konami's Rock Revolution, giant enemy crabs, the Usher / Dance Central concert, Wii Music, Konami's entire 2010 conference, "my body is ready", Jamie Kennedy, Mr. Caffeine, $599 US Dollars, etc etc... 

Bottom line, this is usually my favorite part of the year as a gamer and I am more excited about E3 this year than I have been for a very long time.

Nathaniel Cohen

1. Mass Effect 4.  I want to know anything solid there is to know about Mass Effect 4.  Will it be a prequel or a sequel?  Who will be the main character?  Will it be even more streamlined that Mass Effect 3?  The same goes for Dragon Age 3: Inquisition.  I want to know all the things about them both.
2. (I smell a theme) I want to see a teaser for BioWare's new non-Mass Effect/Dragon Age title.  It's probably too much to ask for a Jade Empire sequel, but a man can dream.
3. Sony exclusives.  I expect there will be some unveiled.  I came late the PS3 and spent all my time with it playing old exclusives that I'd missed before.  I want something to look forward to after The Last of Us.
4. Please, Microsoft and Sony, give us some indication that one or both of you still actually care about making actual videogames instead of trying to convince people to replace their cable box, DVR, PC, MP3 player, toaster, and box springs with your brand-new "one-stop entertainment hub."
5. Finally, and this is last because it's probably the least likely, Microsoft need to show off some exclusives.  I don't even care if they utilize Kinect since XBO comes with one.  Just don't make them Kinect only.  I want to see your next-gen equivalent to Gears of War, and Halo.

Bonus, extra-cynical, prediction:  Bungie's Destiny will blow people away with it's scope and potential, but secretly will reveal itself to nothing but an excuse to bleed gamers' wallets dry OR an insidious Matrix-style tool of mass pacification implemented by aliens. 

Jeremy Duff

1. Microsoft is going to go on an announcement spree, showing more proof of concept trailers than actual, playable games. We are going to see early trailers for a ton of games that could be as far off as 2-3 years, in order to help make up for the heavy criticism that the Xbone has been getting.
2. The new Super Smash Bros. is a thing and it will be cross platform between the Wii U and the 3DS, marking the one glimmer of hope Nintendo has going for itself.
3. Sony takes a TON of cheapshots at Microsoft and the Xbox One during their press conference... and rightfully so.
4. Xbox Live receive yet another price increase, while Sony adds different levels of memberships to the Playstation Plus program.
5. Nintendo has a new 3DS model coming that serves no real purposes in terms of advancing the hardware.

Travis Huinker
While I don't doubt we're in for a lot of surprises at this year's E3, I'm betting that much of the announcements will focus on series sequels and reveals of additional features for already-announced games.

1. Both Microsoft and Sony will focus heavily on the exclusives for their new consoles with all the favorite series covered from Halo to Gran Turismo. I hope that both will introduce a variety of original titles to utilize the new consoles' technologies.
2. After watching all of the videos that are available and information to devour for Watch Dogs, I'm excited to see expanded gameplay footage of the narrative and various hacking mechanics. Since we've only been shown a small portion of Chicago in trailers, this year's E3 will be the perfect opportunity to truly showcase both the game's world and gameplay in detail.
3. While the new consoles will be receiving a great deal of attention, I'm expecting that in the PC realm it will be the year of Oculus Rift at E3. The device has received a great deal of positive coverage thus far and I believe its interest will only grow as more journalists and gamers have the opportunity to try one in person.
4. I suspect that Bungie's upcoming Destiny game will be receiving an extensive amount of coverage at this year's E3. Specifically, more details will most likely be revealed regarding its release on the next generation of consoles and how that will work within its persistent universe.

Charles Husemann

1. Sony announces pretty much the same policies towards used games and constant connectivity  that Microsoft has.  "Core gamers" quickly turn on the company while simultaneously putting down pre-orders on both consoles.  
2. Wargaming.net continues to make money hand over fist and once again has one of the biggest booths at the show but continues to go unnoticed by the mainstream gaming press.  
3. The new hardware and games are the primary story for this year but the secondary story is all of the developers who aren't at the show this year as developers like 2K Games sit this one out.  People also notice that once again the show floor isn't sold out.
4. There are once again long lines around the Nintendo booth but they are to get into the Sony and Microsoft booth.  Nintendo cuts the price of their hardware but without any new titles no one seems to notice or care.
5. Microsoft shocks the world with several new IP's and announces a new, lower price for their first party games if you buy them digitally.

Randy Kalista

1. Sony ducked behind Microsoft in regards to how the used and rented games market evolves in the coming years, but Sony's system will mimick Microsoft's moves.
2. Blizzard's delayed MMORPG, codenamed Titan, announces an "it's done when it's done" simultaneous launch for Xbox One, PS4, and of course PC.
3. The scope and scale of Bungie's Destiny franchise invites awe and skepticism as it runs across multiple gaming genres on multiple consoles, and is up front about card- and board game marketing plans.
4. Ben "Yahtzee" Kroshaw, Adam Sessler, or some other upper-echelon video game critic, announces they'll serve as a special consultant to an unexpectedly high-profile AAA video game.
5. E3 2013 breaks 2005's attendance record which had 70,000 attendees that year.

Jeff Kintner

1. Xbox One gives more details about the new Xbox Live and announces some kind of MMO.
2. Microsoft and Sony boasting about 'enhanced gameplay' that involves tweeting your achievements.
3. EA shows some of its intentions for Star Wars (Would Battlefront 3 be too much to ask?)
4. Nintendo relies heavily on its old IPs, doesn't announce any new franchises.
5. The long-awaited trailer for the Angry Birds Movie debuts.

Mike Mahardy

1. Everyone's sour outlook on the Xbox One will change when the full list of exclusives is announced.
2. Nintendo will have a few great exclusives, as well as a few gimmicky games that don't do much more than continure in the attempt to make the Wii U a worthy contender.
3. Either a Gears or War, God of War or Dishonored sequel is announced.
4. The 3DS steals all of the handheld attention.
5. The IndieCade booth draws bigger crowds than anyone else.

Matt Mirkovich
Well there are certainly plenty of things that can happen at next week's E3. But let's see how good I am at speculating shall we?

1. Square Enix will come out with concrete details on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, it will finally have a release date, and will be for the PS4 and Xbox One. 
2. Nintendo realizes their blunders with the WiiU launch and hits the show floor with something for everyone, Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 will have some presence on the show floor along with a new Smash Brothers title, a new Mario title, and some how, some way, a new Starfox. 3rd party titles will rule the show for the 3DS.
3. Sony will finally have something to say other than 'Please be patient' regarding The Last Guardian. Too bad that something is going to be 'Now for PS4!'
4. Card Wars from the Adventure Time series will somehow become a real playable game, in either digital or physical format.
5. Capcom, Sega, or Namco will drag some long retired franchise kicking and screaming back in to relevance with an HD revision. 

James Russell
A couple of mine my seem a bit far-fetched, but here goes:

1. DICE will surely showcase Battlefield 4 some more but will also give a surprise update on the Mirror's Edge follow-up and possibly even an estimated release date
2. Square Enix will feature more of the Kingdom Hearts HD remake bundle, as well as show and tell more of Final Fantasy Versus 13 but still have no official release date; however, they will announce Final Fantasy 15
3. There will be a tease for the first BioShock Infinite DLC
4. Call of Duty: Ghosts will show off more about the new dog companion in a campaign demo and of the remarkable fish AI
5. At least one of the Xbox One's exclusive IPs will be a game that the majority of people will want to get their hands on

John Yan

1. I want The Last Guardian to be a title for the PlayStation 4 and I want it to be released before the end of the year. Make it happen Sony.
2. Valve's not going to be there, but it would be killer to see some news on a new Left 4 Dead or Portal game at one of the big two's press conference. I'm not going to mention that other big Valve IP that keeps getting delayed.
3. Somewhere in Bethesda's booth, I'd love to see an easter egg teasing Fallout 4. Has a company ever done a physical easter egg teasing an unannounced game? If not, Bethesda should for this one.
4. I really wish all the information for both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One comes out at E3 so we can all make an informed decision on what to get and stop getting these confusing remarks. Let's get it together people.
5. There will be one title that is announced as an Xbox One exclusive that surprises everyone. Microsoft needs good news with their upcoming console and I bet they're holding information on a title that's going to take everyone by surprise.

Sean Colleli

1. Microsoft desperately tries to make up for the lackluster Xbox One reveal by announcing a new Halo, a new Gears of War, and possibly something from Lionhead. They may also finally realize Rare is good for something besides making Wii Sports knockoffs for Kinect, or at the very least, they wake up and see that Rare's only current value is in their old N64 glory days IPs.
2. After closely watching how gamers react to the Xbox One and its...less than savory policies and features, Sony will either be upfront with similar plans they have for PS4, or be even more tongue-tied and noncommittal than Microsoft has been about used game restrictions and always-online DRM. Oh, and we'll certainly get a look at the PS4. I was never too thrilled with the "convex, ovoid PS2 that really let itself go" look of the PS3, but hopefully the PS4 is at least prettier than the "1994-era Toshiba VCR" look of the Xbox One.
3. Valve again pretends like they can't quite remember if something big in gaming is going on this week, but good old Gabe Newell might drop some teasing hint on his Twitter about Half Life 3, Left 4 Dead 3 or Steambox, just to poke fun at the big console makers.
4. After the mixed response to Resident Evil 6 and Operation Raccoon City, Capcom announces a new game in the series that is their latest desperate attempt to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was Resident Evil 4. As long as it builds on the ideas in RE: Revelations, and most importantly exercises some restraint, I'll probably still be excited for it.
5. Nintendo either brings out the big guns and blows everyone away like they did in 2010...or they spectacularly misfire and fade away into irrelevance, possibly for good this time. Wii U is on life support and it's time for Nintendo to go big or go home. They're taking an awful risk by forgoing a big press conference for show floor demos and multiple Nintendo Direct pressers instead, but considering Nintendo blew it during their last few E3 conferences, they might have finally hit on the right idea. Regardless, Wii U needs games most of all right now. If Nintendo brings the games everyone has been asking them for, they might make Sony and Microsoft's feature-focused boxes look even more bloated and unappealing. If Nintendo shows up mostly empty handed, well, it's pretty much over for Wii U.

That's all we have for now be sure to leave your own thoughts in the comments below and be sure to check back this week for our continued coverage of the show.