Now that E3 2010 has come and gone, I decided to take some time to reflect on the convention and all the games that were on display. Even though this was my first E3, I have to admit that overall the show and presentations were severely lacking news on some of the most anticipated, yet unannounced titles. Microsoft and Sony’s decision to embrace the motion controller craze has sickened me while clearly proving that they are now doubting the one edge that they have had over Nintendo from the beginning, strength of AAA Games and Sony Exclusives. With all that said, here is a detailed list of a few titles that would have made E3 more impactful. Feel free to leave your comments, and suggestions below.
5) Resistance 3
When it was announced that Insomniac games was going multiplatform, Xbox 360 fans began to gain interest as to what this would mean for the future of their console. While I personally don’t expect that information to surface until next year’s E3, I was anticipating a formal announcement on the status of Resistance 3. Fans of the series raved about the improvements in the last sequel and no doubt deserve to at least get some type of update by now. There were photos of a billboard that surfaced online several months ago, but up until now this has remained as nothing more then pure speculation. There’s no question about it that Playstation used E3 to heavily promote Killzone 3, and with that approach taken it’s easy to see why they wouldn’t mention Resistance 3. However given that Microsoft only has Halo:Reach and Fable III to make up their fall lineup, the company could have only peeked further interest in their platform and it’s impending holiday sales by dropping some early details on the shooter.
4) Resident Evil 6
Capcom used the showroom floor to display Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Dead Rising 2, arguably two of the most coveted titles in their upcoming lineup. While both won’t fail to deliver a unique player experience, one can’t help but wonder what happened to Resident Evil 6. The company has made claims in the past that neither of these games were part of the big release they were most looking forward to, which leads me to wonder exactly where they were going with that statement. It has been mentioned before that the next iteration in the series will possibly be a reboot aimed towards redefining the horror survival aesthetic. Given how compelling and refreshing Alan Wake was, I’d say Capcom has no choice but to go back to the drawing board and create something with the same amount of flare and risk taking.
Another interesting fact is that part of the fun about talking about a game like Resident Evil usually leads to figuring out how conspiracy theorists will try to use every method in the book to expose the racial stereotypes placed within the game. While I’ll be the first to admit Resident Evil 5 had some questionable material, I don’t believe that should be enough to hold off on letting everyone know the game exists. Chances are fans of the series will be ready to embrace whatever controversy that comes right along with it.
3) Batman: Arkham Asylum 2
Arkham Asylum will easily go down as being one of the best Batman games of all time. Not only did it reinvent the wheel on how a Batman Game should be done, but it also raised the standard on defining a popular franchise through its ability to stay true to the original source material in painstaking detail. The 2009 Spike Video Game Awards provided an early teaser trailer on what you can expect from the upcoming sequel. While no one is expecting this game to come out this year, it still would have been nice to get an updated progress report from the creators.
One of the main messages developers kept stating at E3 was that most of their games wouldn’t be out until mid 2011. With that being said you would expect Rocksteady and Warner Brothers to start the hype train early by leaking information. The fact that the game was no where to be found leads me to believe it’s looking more like a late 2011/ early 2012 release. If you recall the first game was also delayed by months, but even with the high quality that you know will be brought to the sequel I can guarantee it will still be worth the wait.
2) Grand Theft Auto V
Rockstar Games decided weeks before E3 that they wouldn’t be attending, but would rather host special events at a later date to talk about upcoming games. This method of doing business makes very little sense given that E3 is one of the single biggest conventions that happens every year. When you add in the fact that Saints Row 3 news also didn’t surface at the show, then you’ll realize the severity of an opportunity they failed to capitalize on. I fully understand if the game is in development and won’t be unveiled until next year’s show, but again that shouldn’t stop them from giving fans a glimpse of what’s to come next. There has been talk that APB is set to make an impact on PC gaming once it’s released later this year. Lets hope Grand theft Auto V news appears shortly afterward to provide a healthy dose of competition between the two open world, action titles.
1) Half Life 2: Episode Three Or Half Life 3
Valve had singlehandedly provided one of the most overhyped showings at E3. What started out as a rumored special announcement turned out to be heavily focused on Portal 2 and the confirmation that it would also be on the Playstation 3. While our colleagues A.B. Frasier and Gary Swaby stated that Portal 2 looks amazing, one can’t help but feel that the anticipation of an announcement was going to provide new details on the continuation of Gordon Freeman’s story. If you go by the production timeline then you would realize relatively quickly that Episode 3 has to be nearing the end of it’s development cycle and should surface sometime in 2011.
Just like with most of the games on this list I have no doubt that all these titles will most certainly be worth the wait, but dare I ask is it a crime to at least let passionate fans know that they are being made. More then anything E3 is suppose to be about the excitement that comes with announcing powerhouse games coming to your favorite console or consoles. As consumers we should be reminded of why we purchased these systems in the first place, and thus E3 should aim to validate that point every year.Perhaps next year’s show will yield much stronger results then this year. Until then gamers can only dream about the endless possibilities as we progress through the traditionally slow gaming months of summer.
