By: Staff, GameSpot - Posted on May 15, 2009
The 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo is just weeks away, and just like you, GameSpot's editors can't wait to see what's on tap in the hallowed halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The expo will potentially reveal new games that use Microsoft's and Sony's new motion controllers, updates on the new Nintendo 3DS, and new information for upcoming games on all platforms, including PC, console, and handhelds. Read on to get our editors' picks on some of the most promising games at the show, and join the conversation by leaving us a comment with your top picks. Be sure to join us from June 14 through June 17 at http://e3.gamespot.com for all our coverage of press conferences and games and for our live video stage show.
Best of E3
nominations begin
June
8
Friday
Editors' Choice
winners revealed
Readers' Choice
voting begins
June
25
Friday
Readers' Choice
voting ends
Readers' Choice
winners revealed
July
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While there's a lot to look forward to at this year's E3 (as evidenced by the small novel I've written here), Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is probably my top pick. Yes, I'm sure that probably sounds nuts with all the hot stuff set to hit at the show, but I've got an old-school streak in me that loves fighting games, plus I'm still a comic nerd, so in this case, they had me at "hello." But I also have some very fond memories of fantastic Mickey Mouse games from back in the day, such as Castle of Illusion, Mickey Mania on the Sega CD, and Capcom's nice run of Mickey games, so I'm very excited to see the mouse get a proper makeover in Epic Mickey for the current crop of consoles. The fact that Warren Spector is involved is icing on the cake. The man is brilliant and has worked on games that I have spent countless hours getting lost in. If anyone could make Mickey the all-ages player he deserves to be in games, it's Warren and his team, so I cannot wait to see what the results are.
Also, the Golden Sun games on the Game Boy Advance were easily among my favorite role-playing games on the platform. They were a modern take on the classic 16-bit RPGs I cut my teeth on, especially developer Camelot Software Planning's Shining Force series. So when Golden Sun DS was announced at Nintendo's E3 press conference last year, complete with some teaser footage, it wound up overshadowing the Metroid and Mario announcements for me. I've been patiently waiting for more on the game because I expect something awesome and epic. Oh yes, and I was also a big fan of the original Little Big Planet because of the possibilities the game opened up to aspiring game designers. As someone who still checks up on all the user-generated content that's still being actively created, I'm eager to see how all the new tools Media Molecule is adding to the mix are going to work and what the story mode is going to be like in Little Big Planet 2.
Finally, I'm also looking forward to some updates on all the motion control hardware that was revealed last year. For instance, while I can't single out a specific Natal game, outside of maybe Milo, as something I'm looking forward to at E3, I can say I'm very curious to see what Microsoft and other third-party studios are going to bring to the table. We haven't seen much since last year on the upcoming peripheral, so I'm looking forward to hearing more about what's going to be done with it. The tech is interesting, without a doubt, but, like all things, the proof is in what gets done with it, so I'm eager to see what will be on display. I'm also looking forward to the PlayStation Move for similar reasons--I can't single out a specific Move title that's my must-see at the show (because Sony has kept stuff under wraps since the motion controller's debut at the Game Developers Conference), but I'm ready for the big guns that Sony and third parties are likely rolling out for it. We've had a taste of some of the stuff you'd expect from a controller like this, but I want to see some first- and third-party stuff that sells the hardware.
Which game am I most looking forward to seeing at E3? That's easy. Civilization V. I'm a big fan of turn-based strategy, and I've enjoyed the entire Civilization series. Civ IV was a terrific strategy game that was super-addictive but perhaps not as welcoming for newer players.
Civ V will introduce some of the streamlined interface features from Firaxis' console game Civilization Revolution, and more interestingly, it'll shake up the basics of Civ gameplay with a hex-based map and some very different combat mechanics. I was skeptical at first after hearing about some of these changes, but after seeing the game at GDC, I'm a believer, and I can't wait to see more at E3.
For most E3s, I find myself looking forward to the things I don't know about, rather than focusing on previously announced games. This year is a bit different. I can't wait to check out Marvel vs. Capcom 3 .
The second installment in the series is perhaps my favorite fighting game of all time, and I had given up hope of a true sequel because of pesky licensing issues. Now all I want is a roster full of unconventional choices, with new characters added every week through downloadable content.
There are a lot of games I'm looking forward to, but what I'm most excited for is Gears of War 3. I had so much fun playing the last two that I'm hoping this one is going to be just as good, if not better. I've always enjoyed cooperative shooters, especially when you're playing with a friend on the same couch, so I'm very curious to learn more about the four-person cooperative campaign that Cliff Bleszinski announced in April.
Oh, and it's about time that Anya joined in on the fight. Not that I didn't appreciate her guidance using the Hammer of Dawn, but it's always nice to have a little bit of diversity. I'm tired of always playing a big, beefy dude.
Though I've got several specific games to look forward to at E3 2010--Test Drive Unlimited 2, Gran Turismo 5, and Gears of War 3--what I'm most anticipating is seeing what exactly Sony and Microsoft have in store for folks with their respective motion control products.
Sony came out of the gates with its Move debut earlier this year, and E3 will be the big unveiling for Project Natal (hey, Microsoft, how about an official name for this thing?). I think we have a pretty good idea of how both motion controllers will work; hopefully E3 will let us know if what we'll be playing will be worth getting excited for.
It's unfortunate that Konami still hasn't released the new trailer for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow that we saw at the company's event a few weeks ago. If more people saw it, I guarantee the game would be higher on everyone's list, because it just looks really good.
There's an incredible amount of detail in the environments, and the gameplay appears to have a healthy mix of intense action and a little bit of exploration. But what gets me most excited is that this could finally be the first really great 3D Castlevania and a revival that introduces this wonderful series to a whole new audience.
Even though Fallout 3 came out in 2008, I spent much of last year playing it because of the steady stream of expansions and the fact that I'm an unrepentant role-playing game junkie. With Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 kicking off this year with a big bang of BioWare excellence, I am beyond excited to see what the crew at Obsidian Entertainment--many of whom developed the original Fallout games--is putting together with Bethesda's toolbox in Fallout: New Vegas. And speaking of Bethesda: How about some Elder Scrolls V news, please?
Also, for a newsman, E3 is about one thing: expecting the unexpected. Lots of leaks happen prior to and during the show (like the PSP Go last year), and sometimes huge announcements--like last year's revelation of a new Wii Zelda--are almost casually divulged without much in the way of fanfare. So while Sony's and Microsoft's motion control schemes and Nintendo's 3DS hog the limelight, look to the shadows for some big surprises to emerge. I'm also interested to see how our new intern takes in his first E3--he starts just two weeks beforehand!
What are your most anticipated games of E3 2010? Post a comment to let us know!
The game I'm most looking forward to at the show this year is Dead Space 2. With most sequels I preview, I tend to fall into either an "I'd rather play the original" or a "That looks way better" kind of mindset.
But with Dead Space 2, I'm in both places at once. Seeing Dead Space 2 for the first time last month, I was thoroughly reminded of how much I need to replay the original, but I still felt very eager to see what other kinds of horror surprises are in store for the sequel.
I can't wait to get a better look at Fable III at this year's E3. I enjoyed the first two a lot, and I'm keen to see if this third game can really deliver on all these interesting, genre-defying promises.
We'll also see how its Natal compatibility works (assuming the game will be compatible with the new motion controls). Besides that, I'm just a sucker for a good Western-style RPG, and importing my game, if not my actual character, from Fable II, sounds great to me.
It's all about Civilization V for me at E3 2010. I've never been very good at any of them, mind you. And in spite of that, all of them from II onward have held me in thrall.
Everyone's in a tizzy about the hex-based maps, but I'm interested to see how the shift away from mass-produced units works out, because I've always been one to go for cultural victories, except for those instances when I'm the first to research modern armor, in which case you can usually see me rolling across the countryside…toward your nation. Nothing personal.
As is generally the case prior to E3, the games I'm most looking forward to seeing are those that I know very little about. I'm excited to see what else Peter Molyneux has planned for Fable III; I feel like it has been ages since I've heard anything new about Star Wars: The Old Republic; and I can't wait to find out if Little Big Planet 2 is going to be powerful enough to realize my vision for the Westworld game that nobody else appears to be developing.
Also, as a big fan of the UFC games, I'm curious to see what's going on with EA Sports MMA. In short, I can't wait to get onto the show floor!
When I first heard that Epic Mickey was going to be based on real-life events at Disney, I was thrilled. The studio is infamous for its dark past, particularly in regard to the grim treatment of its animators and the ongoing struggle to adapt to industry changes. Would the game's developers have the guts to turn this brilliant irony into something equally thought-provoking? With Warren Spector of Thief and Deus Ex fame at the helm, it certainly looked that way, but after reading initial previews, I think the direction of the game has changed slightly.
Still, I want to see what the game will do--specifically, how it will combine story and gameplay. After all, there are some very "meta" elements to the story (the Disney archive has been damaged so Mickey has to go around erasing parts of the world with paint thinner and repainting them as he sees fit--yes, very similar to the gameplay of a different game, de Blob), while the third-person gameplay centers around platforming and puzzle-solving elements. And I hear Donald Duck makes an appearance? Sweet.
If 2009 taught us anything, it's that you can have too much of a good thing. What I'm specifically talking about is rhythm games--it seemed like publishers just churned out a glut of games last year while not moving the genre creatively forward in any meaningful way. This is why the mystery around Rock Band 3 has got me hooked.
The early buzz leaking out of Harmonix is that it has something big and game-changing planned, but what could it possibly be? Where can anyone move the genre from here? Other instruments? New ways to play together? Or something else entirely? Reinvigorating the flagging rhythm game genre will be a massive task for Harmonix, and I can't wait to see if the developer can pull it off.
There is no question which game I am most looking forward to seeing at this year's E3: The Legend of Zelda. After playing through 3D Dot Game Heroes earlier this year, the flames of my Zelda passion were once again stoked, and I actually started to replay some of Link's older adventures. The best Zelda games are as good as any game I have ever played, and I'm really curious to see what Nintendo has in store for the first game in the franchise built entirely on the Wii.
It sounds like the development team is trying to make the combat more accessible, which is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. The first game in the series is still my favorite, and that game focused on amazing exploration rather than bogging you down with countless weapons and combat moves. I don't care if it uses the Wii MotionPlus, the Vitality Sensor, or some crazy new peripheral; I just want to play this game.
Some of my favorite PC games of yesteryear are getting long-anticipated sequels soon, and the possibility of seeing them at E3 this year has me giddy. Max Payne 3 is one such game, though I'm cautious about the newly muscled protagonist and his shaved dome. But it's Deus Ex: Human Revolution that has me truly excited.
The recently released trailer contrasts fear and paranoia with hope and freedom--an aura that perfectly captures the slow-burn anxiety of the previous games in the series. What we haven't seen, of course, is gameplay. If we get to see Human Revolution in action and get confirmation that it will embrace all the conspiracy-laden, open-ended action that we Deus Ex fans all want, then I will leave Los Angeles a happy man.
Of all the games that will be shown at E3, there's only one that I've gotten to spend a significant amount of time with, and that's Halo: Reach. At first, the multiplayer beta seemed comfortably familiar, but as I spent more time with each of the different armor abilities, it became clear that the game will have a whole new dimension of tactical possibilities.
Rediscovering the thrills of Halo multiplayer piqued my interest anew for Reach's campaign. I can't wait to see what new enemies, weapons, and combat scenarios are in store for me as I fight to save a doomed planet.
What are your most anticipated games of E3 2010? Post a comment to let us know!
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