The busiest time of the year in the videogame industry is almost here! In just a few weeks time, we will learn more about exciting games that have already been announced, learn about new games that we didnt know we wanted, and new memes that will be created.In that spirit, I thought it would be fun to write what I expect and hope of the big three conferences(Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft) and in a separate point, the same of the other companies.
As a general rule though, for each segment it will only be listed the games that each company own. So in another words, for the big three, I will only especulate about first party games or collaborations(second party games).As for third parties, they will be listed in a different segment.
Microsoft
This is the conference I am least interested in(out of the big three). Not only because they will focus on a hardware revision, known at the time of this writing as the Scorpio, that will most likely have an effect as strong as the PS4 Pro, both in terms of sales and innovations, but it will likely take a good chunk out of the conference time to talk about things like performance and framerates, and thats just plain boring.
Outside of that, I expect already announced games to appear, such as Crackdown 3(and this one especially being used to demonstrate Scorpio power), Sea of Thieves, and smaller games like Cuphead. And thats it. Which brings me to my dreams segment for Microsoft. They NEED to announce new projects and new IPs. A new Halo or Gears of War or Forza is all fine and dandy, but they wont be bringing a new audience to their ecosystem with the same brands and ideas, nor excite their own fanbase, because those games are already expected. Scalebound was one such title that could have helped in that regard(if it did turn out to be a good game, I mean), but we all know what ended up happening to that venture. Microsoft needs to take more chances, and needs to do that now.
Sony
For Sony, I believe their show will be based more on already announced games, of which they have many, rather than surprises. We will definely get updates and new trailers for God Of War, the new Spiderman game(especially since the movie isnt that far off),Days Gone,Uncharted:The Lost Legacy,Detroid:Become Human and Knack 2(for better or worse). I dont think we will be seeing either The Last Of Us 2 or Death Stranding here, simply because Sony already have alot to cover, along with the usual third party games they will show and the one or two surprises that we will get(from Sony themselves). Not to mention that these games are still ways off, so it makes sense for them to hold them off for another show, like PSX. I could see a Bloodborne 2 announcement being made, but I wouldnt hold my breath for it.
They will also dedicate a part of their time for the PSVR, as they have been doing for quite a while now. I expect only one new first party game to be announced for it though, with the rest of the time being filled by third party games. I feel like this will happen due to PSVR not being a platform that has a big install base(and wont have such potential, due to price point, nature of the product itself as more of an acessory, among other reasons) and that VR is still rather limiting in what you can do with it, and thus it disencourages bigger investiments in more games, especially ones that would require bigger budgets. And there is also the fact that Sony is not known to be very supportive of their hardware iniciatives outside of the home consoles, so there is that too.
As for what I dream to see on the show, I hope that whatever Sucker Punch is working on right now, is not Infamous related. I would like to see the knowledgeand experience they gained from the infamous series being put into a new IP, with a completely different feel to Infamous. And the take on a fresh idea might help them achieve greater heights, as it did help Guerilla games with Horizon.
What I would really like to see is Sony to tackle in the RPG genre, especially the JRPG.There has been some precedent here and there, like Legend of Dragoon in the PS1, but other than that the Playstation brand has been really lacking in that reagrd from the first party perspective.And while Horizon is a great game, its too light on RPG elements to I really consider as such.
As for my final delusion, I would love to see a reboot of the Pursuit Force franchise. It is a rather obscure franchise, one that was developed by Bigbig Studios, a studio previously owned by Sony but that became defunct in 2012. I loved to death the first game( one of the hardest boss I ever fought is in there. Took me three freaking days of continuous tries to take down Hard Balls), and a new game being developed from the groundup for the PS4 could make for an awesome game, seeing that it was already a good one on the PSP.
Nintendo
This is the most interesting of the three. Not only because they have a new system in the wild, a system that goes by the name Switch, but because outside of the first year, we know nothing about whats comming to it. Hell, even most of the first year lineup games are still shrouded in mystery, such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Super Mario Oddysey, Fire Emblem Warriors and that mysterious Ubisoft game… *cough* Mario vs Rabbids *cough*.We should also see the second DLC for Breath of the Wild. So we will see all of those games on the show, both in the Spotlight segment and in the Treehouse segment, along with the likeliness of seeing some of the second party games announced back in January, like Project Octopath Traveler, and Nintendo will reserve some time for the third party stuff, that will surely appear, even if a little.As for Metroid, I dont think we are going to hear anything about it, at least not at this E3. I do believe that one is being developed, but since Nintendo will focus on games releasing on 2017 and (what I guess) going to release up to mid 2018, Metroid wont be shown. Animal Crossing though, is something that will be displayed. The mobile game is bound to release within this fiscal year, and it stand to reason that the actual game will release soon after that to capitalize on the attention its little brother gets. And since the mobile release isnt that far off, the possibility of the actual console game presence on E3 is significant.
Outside of games, we will definitely hear more about Nintendo online services for the hardware, along with more details about how the Virtual Console will work on it. I personally believe that the initial Virtual Console catalogue will consist of existing games on both the Virtual Console of the Wii U and 3DS, along with a few more entries, such as Gamecube games. To finish that segment, they will finally announce Mother 3 will be localized to the West through the Virtual Console.
As for the 3DS side, nothing will be shown in the Spotlight. Nothing. The Spotlight will be used exclusively to promote the Switch and everything related to it. 3DS will touched upon only at the Treehouse segment, which I believe will mix 3DS games with Switch games. And whatever new announcement Nintendo wants to make for the 3DS will be made betwenn the games shown at it.
For what I dream of being shown at the show, is the new game that Retro is working on, and that it is a new IP.We all want a new Metroid game, but I will personally be much more interested having Retro work on something entirely new that they have pitched to Nintendo, and thus trying something new.Imagine Retro tackling a big and ambitious adventure game in the veins of Uncharted or Tomb Raider, or making a edgier first person shooter like Metroid, but without the restrains that comes with that brand and having the creative freedom to do whatever they like? My mind simply melts thinking of such possibilities.
One game that I really want Nintendo to go back to is Golden Sun. This franchise holds so much potential, being potentially the best RPG franchise on the GBA. And while the DS title, Dark Dawn, was its weakest entry, it was still a good game. Given that the Switch is also a portable device and that it is also starting to receive, and primed to be, a great console to RPG lovers, Golden Sun deserves a second chance.The game would just need the same breath of fresh air that recent Nintendo titles got and seems to have gotten, like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Oddysey and ARMS.
Other Companies
For Capcom, I expect them to show further footage of Capcom vs Marvel Infinite. We know little about that game, and it is going to release in September, so we are bound to receive more information about it. Oh, and I predict it to have an Switch version announced there too.I also expect to see Resident Evil 7 Not a Hero DLC there, along with a release date.Same goes for Monster Hunter XX for Switch, and only for Switch.
As for what I dream out of this company, is a Megaman X reboot. I NEED a new Megaman X game, and given that it has been so long since the last entry and that its story is a chaotic mess by now to put it lightly, it needs a reboot. Please Capcom, Megaman is probably your biggest mascot and one of the biggest icon in the videogame industry. Give him some love.
For Square, I fully expect a KH III trailer at the Sony conference, along with an extremely vague 2018 release date. Dragon Quest XI will also be showed, with a release date for the west. The Switch version will not be showed, simply because they dont want to potentially lose sales for the 3DS and PS4 version in Japan. But if they do show it, there wont be a release date for it. The new Tomb Raider game will also be showed and, for once in many years, wont be shown when its still at pre production and wont take a decade to release. Also I find that there is a possibility of Life is Strange 2 showing up there, especially due to the fact that the first game will be free on PS plus for June.
As for what I dream out of this hate and love conflict I have with this company, is a new Chrono Trigger game. Either a remake of the first one(that keeps the same philosophy of the battle system) or a sequel that forgets that Chrono Cross ever existed and applies a battle system similar to the first game. Its baffling that this critically acclaimed, and considered by many as the best game of all time, has been laid dormant for so long. Its time for a comeback.
A second thing I hope out of this E3 is that KH III is announced for Switch, along with all the collection games. Assuming the game can run on the Switch, it just makes too much sense.
For Ubisoft, they already showed their hand.Far Cry 5, The Crew 2 and so on.EA will most likely be the same it was last year. Half of the conference will be sport titles, the other half will be Battlefield 1(or its sequel) and Battlefront 2.
For Bethesda, I expect to see more of Quake Champions, and fully expect the reveal of The Evil Within 2. The original game has been succesful enough and there has been too many leaks and clues about it for this title to not exist. And given the early success of the Switch, I also expect Bethesda to briefly mention the Skyrim version for Switch here.
As for Fromsoftware, I think a Dark Souls collections will be announced, and will release in all platforms.I also believe that they will show a new IP, and while it will borrow ideas from Dark Souls, it will be a really different game from what they usually do.
What I really hoped they would do is a remake of Eternal Ring. Even though the game is extremely dated nowadays and was okayish by the time it released, I had so much fun with it and it had so much potential. Fromsoftware is a very different company today, and the game could use a second chance and the experience gained through the years to become something truly special.
And thats it!Obviously I missed many companies, but there are simply too many to cover, and those are the ones that I am personally more excited about. What do you think about these predictions? Too far fetched? Too excited about a possible new Megaman X game to disagree with me? Post your thoughts below!
The Nautilus 