Most Anticipated of E3: Martin

E3 is all but upon us, and the hype trains are running totally out of control. Remember that bit at the end of Back to the Future Part III? That's what they're like this year. Where we're going, we don't need roads... although we sort of do, actually, because Los Angeles is like one giant freeway with a few shops next to it.

In this series of articles, VideoGamer.com staff members single out some of the games they're most eager to see at this year's show. Today it's Martin's turn.

Mass Effect 3

Even though Emily mentioned it yesterday, and even though I'm sure it won't win me any favours with Tom, I can't help but mention Mass Effect 3 - easily my most anticipated game in the galaxy. If I had to murder all the other games to ensure Mass Effect's survival, I would do so without hesitation.

I want to see Mass Effect 3. I need to see Mass Effect 3. My entire body is screaming out for Mass Effect 3, and I follow the Twitter feeds of BioWare staff just get snippets of what's coming up in the promised live demo. When they announced Mass Effect was slipping from 2011 to 2012 I literally fell to me knees and wept. It took three people and 14 tranquilizer darts to finally sedate me.

I have to write this without spoiling anything, but one of the reasons Mass Effect has burrowed its shiny space-hooks into me is because of the sheer strength of its cast. I couldn't give a rats pooper about most game characters; I was genuinely hoping [redacted] would snuff it in Heavy Rain, for instance, just because it might make my cold, black heart actually feel something other than utter despair at all the wonky French accents. But Mass Effect somehow found my conscience and beat it to a bloody pulp, so now I'm saying a prayer every night for Shepard and desperately hoping Garrus doesn't get killed by the Reapers.

Really, though, it's one of the few games that's become more than the sum of its parts - Mass Effect has the potential to be the strongest trilogy ever seen in video games. I am completely baffled at how anybody could be more excited about anything else.

Uncharted 3

Uncharted 2 is another one of that extremely rare breed of games that mix action and story in a way that isn't complete guff. I think Naughty Dog's series works so well because of its small cast - I remember originally thinking that Chloe and Harry might even overload the first game's perfect mix of character, but I was proved completely wrong. Provided there's still a bit of banter between Sully and Drake then my heart will forever belong to Naughty Dog.

When it comes to character, few games do it with this much charm. Just take Uncharted 2's closing moments, where [redacted] asks Drake how upset he was that they almost died on a scale of one to ten, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. Team Bondi could use the TRON laser to actually implement the real-life Aaron Staton into LA Noire and it still wouldn't be able to tickle my emotions like some of Uncharted's conversations do.

Naughty Dog has also said Uncharted 3 won't be trying to hit all the same notes as Uncharted 2, and that's exactly what I needed to know: they're not trying to replay their last work, but instead make a whole new tune. That's music to my ears.

Man, I'm good at analogies.

But, seriously, few developers have Naughty Dog's talent for adapting their most fundamental elements. For instance, take the level featuring Temzin in Uncharted 2, which I think is one of the most adventurous steps taken by a developer this generation. To have a series notable for its dialogue and banter-packed exchanges have you paired with a character that doesn't speak English for the best part of an hour was absolutely ingenious, and it also proved Naughty Dog were talented enough show character development with very little dialogue. Plus you could pat a Yak. Job done.