Considering Microsoft showed a trailer hinting at what Black Tusk would be up to last year, it would be a little odd if they didn't at least tease the new Gears of War properly. 'Big games' are being promised as the focus of its press conference this year, and you can't get much bigger than Gears… even if Judgment sucked a little bit. If nothing else, it'll get people hooping and hollering. And that's never annoying…
The Legend of Zelda: Wii U
Another obvious suggestion and another game I would be incredibly disappointed not to see at this year's E3. Nintendo has already stated it will be there in some form - although it downplayed the whole thing massively - and I'm hoping that's the company being conservative. Go big with Zelda, and go hard!
Don't Let Dragon Age Slip
Given how many games have already been delayed until 2015, another going the way of next year wouldn't be the greatest news in the world. With that in mind, Dragon Age: Inquisition better stay true to its 2014 release. I've got a feeling, however, that we may be forced to wait until March before the third in BioWare's series is rolled out.
Tomb Raider 2 Xbox One timed exclusive
Microsoft need to convince gamers that the Xbox One is an essential purchase, and to do so it'll need to get some pretty big titles locked down as full exclusives of timed for at least six months. The sequel to the excellent Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics would be a big deal for Microsoft, and it has a history of showing off the franchise during it's E3 conferences.
Resident Evil game to be Xbox One exclusive
Capcom have already found considerable success on the Xbox One with Dead Rising 3, a joint venture with Microsoft, and if there's a zombie game that gamers love more, it's Resident Evil. Making the next numbered game exclusive would be a bit of a stretch, but I could see a spin-off being worked on exclusively.
TimeSplitters Xbox One exclusive
Many moons ago we heard that a new TimeSplitters game was being worked on exclusively for Xbox One. Despite the legitimacy of the source this never came to be, but what if it rematerializes at this year's show? It's a game that has a strong following and hasn't been seen since Future Perfect on PS2, Xbox and GameCube in 2005.
Goat Simulator
One game can steal the show, and you all know which one. Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft could have a legitimate drop the mic moment if at the end of their respective conferences the lights are momentarily cut to reveal a goat on stage. Goat Simulator is about to be announced for a console. The crowd will go wild, much more so than Sony showing a new God of War, Microsoft demoing Halo or Nintendo revealing a new Zelda game. Everyone in the audience also goes home with a pet goat, or a free Xbox One. You heard it here first.
State Of Decay
If Goat Simulator doesn't show up, and I'm convinced it will, platform holders may have to turn to other games. Expect Microsoft to reveal the most new titles, including State of Decay for Xbox One. Sony could be a little light in terms of major announcements, but we expect a few more PS3 to PS4 remakes to be revealed, plus a bit more on the new Uncharted title.
Zelda
Of the three platform holders Nintendo is perhaps the most difficult to predict, and I'm hoping it doesn't spend half its broadcast listing the character roster for Super Smash Bros. It's about time we had a proper look at Wii U The Legend of Zelda, and like Sony it wouldn't be a huge shock if we saw more classics given the remake treatment in the same way Wind Waker benefited from the Wii U extra grunt.
GTA 5 turns up on Microsoft's stage, Xbox One nabs timed-exclusive DLC
Originally I said this as a joke but, after giving it some thought, there's a very real chance of it actually happening.
God of War 4 teased for PS4 - and it's the best-looking game there
Sony ends its conference with a teaser for God of War 4 as the screen cuts to 'Kartos' ripping the eyeball out of a cyclops. SCEA boss Shawn Layden makes a quip about its eye-popping visuals. Tretton looks on from the audience wishing that was his joke.
Xbox One rumours come true
Microsoft reveals Halo 2: Anniversary, a Halo 5 beta, a white Xbox One and drops a summer 2015 date on Fable Legends. NeoGAF's ntkrnl comes out of hiding. "Told you so."
Microsoft
Phil Spencer to wear a suit jacket over a game t-shirt.
EA
Peter Moore to make some unfunny jokes at the EA conference.
Ubisoft
Watch Dogs to get another trailer.
Capcom will announce Resident Evil 7 as an Xbox One exclusive
There has been a long-standing rumour that Microsoft has a big third-party exclusive in the pipeline for E3, and Capcom has promised to make amends for the truly awful Resident Evil 6.
Microsoft are still trying to claw back consumers following the reveal of the Xbox One, which cost them a huge early lead in the ‘console war’ with Sony. A big exclusive would be a giant step in the right direction for the company.
Halo 5 multiplayer beta bundled with Halo: Anniversary Collection
Bit of an easy one this, as Microsoft love throwing out Halo multiplayer betas. If the Halo Anniversary Collection turns out to be true, then chances are it will come with a multiplayer beta for Halo 5 which will occur sometime in the early part of 2015.
A nice bit of multiplayer will be an easy way to nip the disappointment of a longer wait for 343’s next Master Chief entry in the bud.
Aisha Tyler and Yves Guillemot will share another awkward on-stage moment
Aisha Tyler has been the most entertaining presenter of E3 for the past couple of years. One of the highlights of the Ubisoft conference is when the Ubisoft leading lady welcomes CEO Yves Guillemot to the stage, and you realise that not only is Tyler a very tall woman, but Guillemot is a very short man.
What follows is a very stinted exchange where Tyler tries to add some pizazz to the auto-cue while the Ubisoft boss follows it monotonously. The perfect combination of awkward and delicious.
More Final Fantasy XV excitement
I desperately want to see more of Final Fantasy XV at this year's show. It looks gorgeous, agile and most importantly, very different to the XIII trilogy. That being said, I still don't get how the movement or combat actually works and so I'm going to predict that Squenix comes out and talk about that in some detail. Optimistic? Alright. I’ll take a HD reworking of Final Fantasy XII as a peace offering, I suppose.
Damn it. In the words of that guy from The Godfather: “Just when I thought I was out, I still actually fancy a big, epic Final Fantasy game with a lovely story.”
Project Beast is confirmed
Is it a thing? Does it involve Hidetaka Miyazaki? Was that a shotgun we saw in the leaked gameplay? It’s hopefully time to answer these questions during Monday’s Sony press conference, if the rumours of it being a PS4 exclusive prove accurate.
I’ve enjoyed Dark Souls 2 immensely, but I’m intrigued to see what a next-gen Souls game looks like, especially with the original director at the helm. The leaked clips are dripping with the kind of atmosphere that I want from a game like this. It’s pretty gross actually. Can’t wait.
The Divison doesn’t disappoint anyone
I need The Division to continue to knock my socks off, please. It looked like a real next-gen showcase last year and not just visually either. The idea of a persistent multiplayer system within that world sounds incredible and I’ll be heartbroken to see it pull a Watch_Dogs. Without that focus on other players being friend and/or foe, I’m not sure what that game really offers (aside from the splendid graphics). Survival games are all over the shop right now, but none of them look like that.
Show me the next generation, Ubisoft. Make me believe…
PS4's first Uncharted will get a proper reveal, and it will knock everyone's socks off
Naughty Dog is the master at squeezing every last drop of grunt out of Sony's magic boxes. The first three Uncharted games, and The Last of Us, are still regarded as technical marvels because of the brilliant visuals they managed to drag from the PS3's mysterious, unwieldy innards. Now Naughty Dog has a much better box to work with, and given its reputation for technical excellence, I suspect they are going to show off a better looking next-gen game than anyone else at the expo.
Microsoft will start to turn the tide
After the utter trouncing they’ve been getting from Sony ever since Jack Tretton said the immortal words “PS4 supports used games”, Microsoft will be looking to claw back any good faith they can from both consumers and the press. They have always been a reactive company - they rarely get their products right at first, but one thing they are rarely given enough praise for is their willingness to listen, to refine their products and strategies according to what the customer wants.
They reversed course on DRM and Kinect, and now they’ll be desperate to have good E3. Expect to see them bring out the big guns, and a few surprises. They’ll be doing everything they can to legitimately claim that they have more exclusives than their rivals. They can’t cock it up this year, and they know it. With a new man at the top, and a shifted focus, I think they’re going to surprise everyone.
Next-Gen will finally take shape
The PS4 and the Xbox One are, let’s be honest, not worth spending a week’s rent on. Yet. E3 2012 showcased the last triumphs of old and creaking platforms, 2013 had the novelty of brand new and long awaited consoles. In E3 2014, there will be no shock & awe - everyone is going to have to start showing things we can actually play, and they will. This year’s expo will secure more PS4 and Xbone sales than the last as the realisation starts to dawn on everyone that the new hardware is properly here and it is worth getting excited about.
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