Ask a Dork: E3 Predictions
What do you expect out of the Big 3 at E3? What do you want to see from them? What do you want to see more of/less of in general at the show?
Hmm. This is a multi-part question, so I’ll answer it in a multi-part fashion.
Predictions for Sony:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â More details on PS Now
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Indie games showcase
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Project Morpheus
-Â Â Â Â Â Â New PS4 game announcements (there haven’t been many since launch)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Little-to-no PS Vita coverage (I want to be wrong about this)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Project Beast
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Driveclub
-Â Â Â Â Â Â The Order: 1886
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Uncharted
-Â Â Â Â Â Â The Last of Us Remaster
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Possibly The Last Guardian or Final Fantasy XV
Overall, I think Sony is going to push the PS4 as much as possible in order to maintain its momentum in the West and improve sales in its native Japan. I’d like to say that they will dedicate some time to decent PS Vita titles, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Predictions for Microsoft:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â ID@Xbox (hopefully with the removal of the awful parity clause)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Lame Xbox TV junk
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Sunset Overdrive
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Project Spark
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Fable Legends
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Halo 5
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Gears of War 5
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Possibly Crackdown 3, New Killer Instinct DLC, or D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die
I expect that Microsoft will have the lamest of conferences this year. It’ll mostly be focused on game releases and other entertainment projects, like Xbox TV, that the company has in the pipe. I certainly can’t see any surprise announcements.
Predictions for Nintendo:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Possible price cut (bold assumption, but it could happen)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Unified player account system between Wii U and 3DS
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Downplaying the 3DS to focus on Wii U games
-Â Â Â Â Â Â NFC on Wii U/Super Smash Bros. Wii U
-Â Â Â Â Â Â More HD Remakes
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Bayonetta 2
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Project X
-      Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Yarn Yoshi
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Sonic Boom
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Hyrule Warriors
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Zelda Wii U (I really think this could happen)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Possibly Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Wii U), or a new Metroid game
I honestly think that Nintendo’s Digital Event is going to have the most going on this year. A lot of people will be eagerly watching in order to chart out the future of the Wii U platform. Expect a lot of Wii U games that validate the system’s existence, and hopefully some changes to the way things are done.
What I would like to see of these three companies is a different story.
I would love to have Sony focus just as much attention on the struggling PS Vita as it does the PS4, but the PS4 really does need a larger PR push and E3 is the perfect place. I would also love to see a Canadian price drop on the machine (we currently have to pay $50 more than in the US), and more details on PS Now’s future (PS3, PS2, and PSX game streaming).
Microsoft hasn’t done anything in the past two years to wow me. I wasn’t impressed by the approach they took to the Xbox One as an all-in-one device, I didn’t like how it was designed, I thought most of the policies attached to it were asinine, it was then and is still today too pricy (even without Kinect), and the games library has been kind of “meh,” unless you’re really into Titanfall. In which case, more power to you I guess. I can’t see them surprising me at E3, and I can’t see their event winning anyone over. That’s my opinion at its most bluntness. What I would WANT from them is to try something different and not focus on sports and shooters for a change. Maybe introduce a new RARE title that has the feeling of one of their older titles (Banjo Threeie, Conker’s Other Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark 2, etc.). Oh, and giving Xbox 360 owners something to look forward to on the console they already own would be nice too.
Nintendo has a lot to prove to non-Wii U owners, but all I really want from them is Zelda Wii U. Really. That’s all I they have to show to make me happy. Sure, I’d like more games and even another Star Fox or Metroid Prime title, but at the end of the day the company just has to reaffirm their commitment to the console through the presentation of some new games — with Zelda Wii U leading the pack.
In terms of what I want to see more of/less of at the show in general, I’m pretty ambivalent about it all. I don’t have the time to watch these events live, and I certainly don’t care about what is available on the show floor. I’ll just end up reading about the booth-babes, stupid presentations, and unrealistic tech demos afterwards. All E3 needs to do is bring on the games. Every system is hurting for new and future releases at the moments. We could with more.
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