E3 2010: Pure, Unadulterated Speculation
by Logan
So E3 2010 is drawing very near, and I'm pretty excited. It's the gamers equivalent to the NFL draft. Expectations are soaring high, everyone has their own ideas of what they'd like to see and the excitement is almost palpable. However, more often than not, rather than get what you want, you get a Jamarcus Russell sized bust. Here's a brief rundown of some things that I want to see, some things I expect to see, and some things I'll be ultimately disappointed with when I see. Also, I'm going to try to focus on some surprises I expect, we can all safely assume that there'll be tons of Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Zelda, etc.
I just have to talk about this first being a pretty big Capcom fan myself. Capcom's Unity Blog recently mentioned that there would be a "huge" sequel announce by them at E3. Now this could encompass many things considering their wealth of IPs, so let's detail a few of these.
After the success of 3 and 4, DMC is one of Capcom's more profitable franchises.
I'll consider this the slam dunk prediction for this announcement. Devil May Cry 4 was the best selling game in the series, and it's over two years old now. There have been plenty of rumblings of Capcom already giving Western development teams the reigns and that DMC5 has been well underway for some time. This would probably be the most logical guess for this "huge" announcement.
Mutterings about RE6 hint at a departure from the action heavy style of 4 and 5 and a return to the series roots.
Here's another matter of not if, but when. We all know there'll be a Resident Evil 6, there's just no telling when that might happen. Hell, RE5 was announced all the way in 2005 and it didn't see the light of day until four years later. However, this also shows how Capcom isn't afraid to give fans a little taste of what's to come. I don't really look for this to happen, but it'd be pretty cool. Speaking of RE6, please for the love of God Capcom put all four of the heroes together in one game.
Think like this, only not terribly photoshopped!
Okay, this might be a long shot, but why the hell not? Mega Man 9 and 10 were both huge successes for Capcom, especially after the poorly performing Mega Man 8. So why not reboot the equally beloved Mega Man X franchise? It certainly doesn't consume the development capital that a full budget title does, and would make a lot of people happy. Please, Capcom?
I'll just ramble from here on out, many things are a given to be announced, but let's take some time to consider some surprises we might see.
Kirby is like Nintendo's bastard child they're afraid to admit to.
Metroid, Mario, and presumably Zelda are all going to make a splash for Nintendo in 2010, but Kirby just can't seem to stake a claim on the Wii for his fat pink ass. After artfully answering the question of Kirby Wii with the lines of "Definitely yes," "Definitely No," "No comment," and finally the classic "Probably maybe," It should be expected that the puffball will finally see some love on the Wii.
Boycotters, start your engines!
Yeah that's right, even after all the flak Valve received when they announced Left 4 Dead 2; I've got an inkling suspicion that L4D3 isn't far off. Obviously Valve isn't scared to release another sequel as they demonstrated with L4D2, and with its burgeoning popularity on Xbox, it's an effective way to keep the series fresh for that half of the community. I'd actually go as far to say that the only thing that would keep Valve from releasing this game would be the problem that Left 4 Dead 4 sounds so dumb.
More Grand Theft Auto is never a bad thing.
After the commercial and critical success that was GTA IV and its DLC companions, it'll be no surprise when one of gaming's biggest franchises receives its follow up. GTA IV is a couple of years old now, so an announcement for this game isn't too farfetched. However, it might be a bit preemptive for T2 to bust out the big guns this soon, considering the latest expansions haven't even been available to all consoles for that long. As for GTA V itself, I'm banking on a return to Vice City in the same realistic style as its predecessors, what about you guys?
DLC like the extra squad member Kasumi gives ME2 legs, but everyone wants the conclusion.
After releasing ME2 earlier this year, a lot of people are clamoring for more. With DLC still continuing to trickle out, anything formal about Mass Effect 3 might still be a little ways off. However, we know it's coming and we know it'll be totally awesome. If anything, a light teaser trailer might be in order just to satiate some of the anticipation. Still, if nothing arises relating to the third installment, I'd be willing to bet my life that there will be some sort of announcement concerning a larger DLC pack/expansion that branches the two games.
Despite only one appearance, the fluid combat system has made Bayonetta a premiere action franchise.
Yeah that's right. Versus XIII, the presumed second game of the Fabula Nova Crystallis production, will be a multiplatform game. Squenix's president already mentioned that the company was "looking into it", which is business talk for "Yes, yes, OH GOD YES!" Despite being outsold by the PS3, the 360 version of FFXIII still sold pretty damned well and SE is surely content with its decision to publish the game on both consoles. Let's not forget that last year's announcement of Final Fantasy XIV wasn't even able to maintain its PS3 exclusivity for one WEEK before being confirmed for both the PC and 360. However, since there's so little known about Versus XIII, I'll give it 10 to 1 odds that we hear anything about what consoles it appears on this time around. However, I'm one hundred percent sure that it'll find its way onto Microsoft's white box before all is said and done.
Cue the jackpot sound of "Ding-a-ling-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!"
Yeah that's right. Versus XIII, the presumed second game of the Fabula Nova Crystallis production, will be a multiplatform game. Squenix's president already mentioned that the company was "looking into it", which is business talk for "Yes, yes, OH GOD YES!" Despite being outsold by the PS3, the 360 version of FFXIII still sold pretty damned well and SE is surely content with its decision to publish the game on both consoles. Let's not forget that last year's announcement of Final Fantasy XIV wasn't even able to maintain its PS3 exclusivity for one WEEK before being confirmed for both the PC and 360. However, since there's so little known about Versus XIII, I'll give it 10 to 1 odds that we hear anything about what consoles it appears on this time around. However, I'm one hundred percent sure that it'll find its way onto Microsoft's white box before all is said and done.
It's always exciting to see what the gaming industry has to offer, and I'm glad that they've went back to the bigger spectacle that the show has become synonymous with. Obviously, every company will show off their big guns in an attempt to excite people, but the surprises are always the best part. Plus, I've only hit the tip of the iceberg, what are the things YOU want to see at this years E3?