E3 2012 predictions

Tom, Martin and Neon dust off their crystal balls and indulge in a spot of pessimistic prophesying.

E3 is just around the corner, and Neon and Martin are already preparing for arterial systems to be assaulted by fatty American cuisine, much in the manner of Olympic tourists invading London's feeble underground system.

But E3 isn't just about ice cream and bacon – it's also about games, and wishes that never come true. Join us now as we make our pessimistic predictions about what next week may hold in store.

Don't worry, I'm sure the final event will be pretty exciting all the same. Probably. Follow E3 2012 here on VideoGamer.com using our sparkly E3 2012 hub.

Tom Orry, Editor

I'm slowing coming to terms with the fact that it's looking increasingly unlikely E3 2012 will be the event at which we see the Xbox 720 and PS4, so my hopes are somewhat more down to earth.

The Wii U is going to be there in force (well, at least it should be or else I expect Nintendo will be in a bit of trouble), and I want to see some proper gamer's games. It'd be nice to see a proper demo of Zelda on Wii U, but I expect that game is years away from hitting a retail shelf - possibly a point in time when retail shelves may have ceased to exist.

A new F-Zero and Metroid are quite high up my wanted list, and could realistically be launch titles. The 3DS also needs some new announcements, with 2012 so far looking hugely inferior to what was an excellent 2011 line-up.

As for the other platform holders, Sony needs to reveal a ton of Vita titles, both from its own studios and third parties - hopefully with more original titles than ports. I'm also extremely keen to see gameplay of Forza Horizon and I'm hoping Codemasters announces GRID 2. I've given up on PGR ever making a comeback, but those two games could help ease the pain.

I'm also hoping that rumours of Sony's partnership with a cloud gaming service results in a mass back catalogue of games being available to stream on all its current platforms. If I could access any PS2 game on my Vita or PS3 (ideally as a value add through PS Plus) that would be great.

Martin Gaston, Reviews Editor

Ah, E3 predictions. I predict that the thing you want the most won't happen, and after the party conferences you'll find yourself in a state of subtle melancholy because you got your hopes and expectations up a bit too high this year, just like you do every single year.

But, hey, I'm the same as you. I imagine when the opening bars of the Halo theme kick in during Microsoft's press conference I'll probably poo myself; I am so ready to see that game in action.

I think the one thing you should be prepared to expect is that the games will be good, provided you're into that sort of thing. E3 is the mainstream exhibition for all the most expensive games from the world's biggest publishers - going in expecting a blistering amount of innovation would be a bit naïve, if you ask me, even though I imagine every developer is going to try and spin that concept as much as their PR budgets will allow.

I don't think GTA V will be announced for 2012. I don't think new hardware will be announced, even though I am adamant that at one point it was being heavily considered. I think Assassin's Creed III will be really good - though it wears its Red Dead Redemption influence a bit too prominently, if you ask me. I predict that at least one announcement will have the forums barking with excitement (and Neon) even if it doesn't particularly do much to captivate me.

I predict that the Wii U won't do much to excite anyone, until the moment Nintendo announces what first-party title is scheduled to launch with it and we'll all start jumping up and down and crying with happiness.

Neon Kelly, Deputy and Features Editor

It's kind of tricky doing E3 predictions when I already know what we're seeing next week – in terms of appointments, at least. There's always a chance that the conferences will yield a surprise or two, but after the past two years I've learned not to set my hopes too high.

The general consensus is that Microsoft won't be revealing new hardware this year. Sadly, I'm inclined to agree, if only because the news would probably have leaked out by now. I'd love to be proved wrong, but suspect that its conference will be pretty damn boring, as per the last two years. If I were in Microsoft's shoes, I'd drop in a hint to next-gen hardware at the end, but something tells me we'll get bupkis.

I think Sony will be better, if only because we'll almost certainly see a bit more from The Last of Us. I'm guessing (or perhaps just hoping) that the conference will also reveal a few interesting little indie efforts for PSN and Vita. Sony seems to be placing more emphasis on download games these days, and this would certainly be a good time to underscore its commitment to the hardcore crowd. Like Microsoft, I highly doubt that Sony will make explicit mention of the next gen – they need to push the Vita, after all – but I think we might get a vague allusion or two, just to prove that they're up to something.

Nintendo will have the best of the Big Three press conferences. The first-party Wii-U stuff will look good, if a bit conservative, but there'll be lots of third-party stuff shown off. I reckon a Wii U Castlevania exclusive might pop up, though I've got absolutely nothing to back this up.

Overall I think the third party publishers will emerge victorious from proceedings, but I think it's going to be a fairly conservative year. Cloud gaming will be 2012's major talk point, with most people quietly pretending the whole 3D thing didn't happen. There will be few surprises, but we will learn of two or maybe three (if we're lucky) big new games that we didn't know about before, not counting the stuff that's leaked already.