E3 is fast approaching now, with only three weeks left until the year's biggest and most anticipated video game event. Thousands of video game media, including MMGN.com's own Ben Salter, will pack the Los Angeles convention Center for three days of sheer video gaming chaos.
There will be a lot to take in from the event, but most of the attention will be centered on the three major platform players: Microsoft, Sony and, probably most anticipated, Nintendo.
What we expect to see and what we'd like to see are two very different things. We know we're going to see Halo 4 from Microsoft, The Last Of Us from Sony and Wii U from Nintendo, but the wishlist of things from gamers is much longer than the list of things we're pretty much assured to see.
What I Want To See From...
Microsoft
A New Franchise
As it stands, Microsoft really only has Gears of War and Halo as its definitive, console-selling brands. Is that enough? It might be for some gamers, but it's been few and far between big-name exclusive releases for Xbox 360 owners, while PS3 owners have had the likes of Infamous 2, Uncharted 3, and now The Last of Us and The Last Guardian to come. Will 343 Industries reinvent Halo 4 in such a way that it's a new experience? Maybe, but it would be nice to see something new, special and exciting, and not of the Rise of Nightmares/Kinect variety.
Steel Battalion
The original Steel Battalion on Xbox was ridiculously hard, especially if you didn't have that controller. Capcom has been talking the game up as of late, and its use of Kinect certainly seems to fall directly in-line with what the motion-sensing device is capable of. While this type of game certainly doesn't appeal to the masses, it defines "hardcore" in that it dictates such an insane amount of commitment and patience to master. However, the showing of this game falls back onto Capcom and its willingness to showcase the game at E3, which is doubtful.
Halo 4 Multiplayer
While the single-player campaign in Halo 4 certainly has more weight than, say, the campaign in Call of Duty games, the multiplayer is definitely the aspect everyone is waiting for. Anyone that does bother to watch the Microsoft press conference probably wants to see what exactly 343 Industries is doing to the game in that regard. They've talked themselves up a lot in regards to what they're doing with the game, so it's about time we saw the competitive side of the newest Halo in action. The Microsoft press conference would certainly be the best opportunity to do this.
RARE
Rare's worth to Microsoft is definitely underrated, especially by core gamers. Everyone expected the world from the company when it was bought by Microsoft, but it has obviously been focusing on the community and interaction aspects of the Xbox 360, with the company creating and developing the system's avatars, as well as a Kinect launch title, which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be the best Kinect game at the time. However, it would be cool to see the developer return to its glory days as a developer, although it seems unlikely at this point.
Sony
Vita Exclusives
Sony is planning a second PlayStation Vita Heaven event in June after E3, which would suggest that some Vita game announcements are on the horizon. That was probably a given, but it would be good to see more exclusive IPs for the handheld, rather than popular Sony franchises like Resistance and Killzone coming to the handheld. It's great to see them planned as future Vita releases, but some new franchises wouldn't go astray.
The Last Of Us Gameplay
We've seen two cutscene trailers from the Naughty Dog-developed game but no actual gameplay. Will we see gameplay during Sony's E3 press conference? It would be great if we did. The game looks superb at the moment from a storytelling point of view, but we really know nothing about how the game actually plays, aside from some small tidbits from the developer.
Agent
This seems unlikely, but a showcasing of Rockstar's Agent would definitely surprise most of those in attendance. Maybe I'm a little obsessed with this game, because I've included it in many articles ever since its announcement. It's currently a PS3 exclusive, but it'll be interesting to see how long that stays the case.
Nintendo
Wii U Launch Titles
It's a given that Nintendo will reveal full hardware details and specs, and many of us already have an idea as to how "powerful" the console is going to be. But what about the games? Most importantly, what will the console be launching with? We know there are going to be a number of already-released games coming to the console, but showcasing first-party software, and perhaps even a new, third-party IP for the console's launch, would definitely drive excitement for the console.
Nintendo Network In Action
This is the big one for me personally. I want to see what Nintendo can do with online. Will it build on what was offered with Wii, or will it scratch it completely and go with something of the Xbox Live or PSN variety? Functionality, retail and interaction are all important aspects I hope to see, and it'll be interesting to see how Nintendo paints its online ambitions at E3.
By Gaetano Prestia - Bio
What's on your E3 2012 Wishlist for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo?