Let's face it. The only thing keeping this blog alive is my 2 annual posts: The E3 Preview and Predictions and the E3 Review and Response. So let's keep this blog barely going with my preview and predictions of E3 2015. We will start with the 1st party developers, and go in order of when they are presenting, then we'll go with 3rd party developers, once again, going in order of presentation.
1ST PARTY DEVELOPERS
MICROSOFT
A couple years ago, when Microsoft first revealed the Xbox One, Microsoft showed off its new console's capabilities, like 24/7 internet connection, needing Kinect, not needing discs, lacking backward compatibility, and the ability to recharge you for used game. The gaming world said to Microsoft, "We don't like those things." Microsoft replied, "Oh trust me, you'll love them." The gaming community replied, "Oh no we don't, we hate them," and then many hardcore games, including [previous] Xbox fan boys went over to PlayStation. Frantically, Microsoft said, "Just kidding!" and removed a lot of those so-called good "features." Even after Microsoft recanted from its previous ways, almost copying PlayStation, it was too late. Many of its fans had gone over to the other side. So at the last E3, Microsoft played it simple, reassuring the Xbox fanboys that they were still for the hardcore gamers, focusing on titles they knew were popular among hardcore gamers and keeping silent about casual games, like any Kinect games.
I expect to same the same for this year at E3. First and foremost, Xbox will focus on its first party franchises that had made the Xbox famous. Headlining them all will be Halo 5: Guardians. Following Halo 5: Guardians will be Forza Motorsport 6, Fable Legends the new Gears of War game. . Then, they will advertise "safe" 3rd party games that they know will showcase their loyalty to the hardcore games. Frontlining these games will be Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Others 3rd party games to showcase Xbox's loyalty to hardcore gamers might be Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and a sequel to Destiny. Personally, I hope Xbox will give RockBand 4 a chance to show off their latest game. Once again, I expect Kinect to barely be mentioned, if it is mentioned at all. Since Kinect is no longer their newest hardware peripheral, I suspect that Microsoft will try to pass off its tablet, the Surface, as its "handheld" gaming device. Expect to hear more about Smart Glass. I would also hope that the Xbox one will somehow have TV capabilities, too. Xbox One can already use the TV that you have. But with both competitors Sony and Google offering their own TV service, Microsoft needs to get with the times and offer the same. Will this be enough to win back the Xbox fanboys and the hardcore games alike? Time will tell.
SONY
For the past 2 years, Sony has won E3. From the look of things, the PlayStation 4 might win this console generation. Time after time, Sony has proven it is for hardcore and casual gamers alike, with both its PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation Vita. Sony has taken a clear lead against its competitors. This lead will allow Sony leniency to experiment. I expect to hear more about Project Morpheus. It doesn't need to be perfect, just enough to show Sony is willing to take the lead and advance the gaming industry. I also expect to hear more connectivity between the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation Vita. Games have been embracing touch screen controllers with the WiiU, so I expect the same for PlayStation.
This lead in the console race will allow Sony to experiment with brand new games. I'm looking forward to see the new game ideas Sony has, like Drawn to Death, The Tomorrow Children and Until Dawn. I hope they utilize the capabilities of the PS4 to the fullest. Because of its lead in the console race, every 3rd party developers will want Sony to display its game. I would hope Sony would give failing Konami a hand, remember how faithful Konami was to Sony, and demonstrate Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Sony will have a wide array of games to chose to demonstrate its capabilities, but it will stick with that it knows best: its own games. Expect Uncharted 4: A Thief's End to headline the Sony presentation's of the PS4. It will continue to build onto an old franchise, yet introduce new ideas. Even if Sony wants to play that cautious, they have remastered versions of God of War III and Rachet and Clank. For the PS Vita, I would hope Sony would headline Tearaway Unfolded. The first Tearaway fully utilized the back touch panel. I can't wait to see how Tearaway Unfolded continues to fully utilize the full capabilities of the PS Vita. If Sony does what it knows best, which is stick to what the hardcore games like, expect it to win another E3 and come one step closer to sealing itself as the winner of the 8th generation console wars.
NINTENDO
Once again, Nintendo has chosen to not host a press conference, but to have an online show streaming a conference of sorts. It scares me because Konami withdrew from the conference for an online show before it dropped out altogether and now is now struggling to avoid bankruptcy. I fear Nintendo may face the same fate. Nintendo hasn't had much success since the turn of the console generation. To use the metaphor of a race, Nintendo thought it caught up its competitors, huffing and puffing, with the WiiU. Then the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 came out, giving Microsoft and Sony the lead again, while Nintendo is still catching its breath. The WiiU finally gave Nintendo 1080p graphics, but the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 had better 1080p graphics, with a fresher refresh rate. The WiiU finally gave Nintendo good online connectivity, but one again the Xbox One and PS4 had better online connectivity. Nintendo promised 3rd party developers would back it, only to have all the 3rd party developers back out.
With that in mind, expect Nintendo to barely hang on with its Nintendo fanboys by appealing to them. For the Mario side of the franchise, Mario Maker will headline the conference. Why bother to make a new Mario game when the Nintendo fanboys can make one themselves? For the Legend of Zelda series, expect a new Legend of Zelda game, which will be an open world exploration game. Of course, the big news will be the new Star Fox game, since we didn't have one with the Wii. I'm hoping it will remind us of the classic games, yet will still introduce new ideas that embrace the WiiU's capabilities. Maybe Nintendo will even surprise us with a new Metroid game. As for a reach out to hardcore games, Nintendo will try with Devil's Third. I hope it works for their sake. Without it, Nintendo might go the way of the Sega and turn into a 3rd party game developer.
THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS
BETHESDA
Since Konami is no longer having a pre-E3 press conference, I got someone has to. Bethesda has taken up this role, hosting their first ever conference of the sort. For their first conference, Bethesda should play it safe. They should advertise franchises their fans would be familiar with. So we'll see Fallout 4 and the new Doom game. It won't be enough for them to just show another game in the series. They must prove they have advanced it for the lastest console generation. Also, expect some new games. Get excited for Battle Cry. The developers of the game have good experience, so I would expect gold from them. This could be a good step forward in making Bethesda the new favorite 3rd party developer among gamers.
ELECTRONIC ARTS
What do I expect for EA every year? Sequels to the previous year's game. Obviously, we'd expect that with the sports games. Expect to hear about the newest Madden game, with NFL players, and the newest FIFA game, with soccer players. But it's not just that, it's the regular EA games, too. Oh look, another Mirror's Edge game, another Need for Speed game, another Star Wars Battlefront game, another Plants vs. Zombies game. The problem with this strategy, especially for the EA Sports game, is that the technology of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One allows games to be updated with these features without needing to make a new game. Soon this strategy will run EA bankrupt. So what EA has to do is convince its audience that it is really moving each franchise forward. These games must put the latest technology of the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and even possibly the WiiU to good use. Without it, EA might just end up taking the same route as Konami.
UBISOFT
Ubisoft has been my favorite 3rd party developers for the past few years. They have appealed to both casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike with the many game genres. The only drawback they have experienced is that their press conference has become very predictable. I can tell you what is going to happen. They will start out their press conference with Assassin's Creed Syndicate. They will go into full depth with this game, giving the audience a new trailer, gameplay from the beta, and maybe even a developer interview. In the middle, we'll hear about their new casual gamers, probably the next Just Dance title, or maybe a new Rayman or Raving Rabbids game. The presentation will end with the newest Tom Clancy installments: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Tom Clancy's The Division. While predictable, it means that Ubisoft has found something that works. So if it's not broke, why fix it? Keep doing what you're doing, Ubisoft, and you'll take home the 3rd party gold again.
SQUARE ENIX
With Konami dropping out of E3, E3 must have wanted to have someone to take Konami's place. I couldn't think of a better replacement than Square Enix. Square Enix is probably most famous for its Final Fantasy series, the fantasy that seems like it will never have a finale. So expect to hear the most about Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. Square Enix also has been made famous by the Deus Ex series. So the second biggest game to hear about will be Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. These 2 games alone could put Square Enix on the map as one of the top 3 third party developers. Yet I'm excited to see what new ideas they create.
I'm not going into great detail about the PC Gaming Show because PC Gaming isn't my thing. I can only say I would expect Blizzard to showcase Heroes of the Storm. But the PC Gaming Show, on top of 4 third party developers giving presentations, shows that this E3 will be action packed. I can't wait until it all kicks off in 2 days! :)
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