E3 2009: Preview

This year on June 1-4 the Electronic Entertainment Expo will return in full force to the Los Angeles convention center. Probably will not be like 2006, but definitely not be like 2007 and 2008, and this are great news.E3 is back to its original format, open to the general public.This year are expected news, lectures and bombastic revelations. The organization promises an event much better than in recent years and provided that good games are shown, I'm sure that gamers all over the globe are already hyped.

 

Much of the pre-event talk has focused on possible new hardware from Sony and Microsoft that will help them to compete with Nintendo's all-conquering Wii, and hard-core gamers are also salivating at the prospect of sneak peeks at hotly anticipated titles such as Mass Effect 2.

Below I write a few words about the rumours, paying special attention to what the "big three" might have in store.

 

E3 is back and it's back in a big way!

 

Microsoft

Some of the biggest Microsoft rumours in the run-up to E3 focus on the Xbox 360 console. Microsoft has been courting casual gamers in recent months with a host of new titles, such as the karaoke game Lips, which appeal to a wide variety of age groups.

The overhaul of the Xbox Live platform to introduce customisable avatars and sharing capabilities has been designed to transform the Xbox platform into a social hub. Microsoft is looking to build on these foundations with rumoured changes to the console itself. The company is expected to release an innovative control system for the Xbox 360 which could even see it go one better than the Nintendo Wii. The new Xbox 360 system is expected to incorporate a camera capable of picking up players' movement, and do away with the need for a control pad. It means players will be able to shoot at enemies by pulling an imaginary trigger, or score goals by kicking a virtual football, and it could help Microsoft break Nintendo's stranglehold on the casual games market.

In terms of the sort of games Microsoft will unveil, there are more questions than answers. Rumours about Alan Wake have excited game fans, while one game that seems certain to get plenty of promotion is 1 vs 100, in which players compete against other contestants online, through the Xbox Live service, with each player represented by their customised avatar.

 

 

Sony

Sony looks set to have a powerhouse line-up at E3 this year, with titles such as Heavy Rain, God of War III and Uncharted 2 among some of the most anticipated titles of the year. Hopes are also high for the launch of Project Trico, a follow-up to Ico, the PlayStation 2 sleeper hit that enjoyed plenty of word-of-mouth popularity when it was released in 2001. Expect to hear more, too, about MAG, the multiplayer online action game that we got a glimpse of at last year's show, which enables up to 256 players to battle one another.

Rumours abound that Sony will launch another PSP console. The device, dubbed the PSP Go!, may have a slide-out control pad, and do away with UMD game disks in favour of internal flash memory. That would make sense in the context of another anticipated announcement - moves to allow PSP users to download rented games straight on to their console.

The PlayStation 3 will also be getting a makeover, if some sources are to be believed. Sony is apparently set to unveil a Wii-like motion-sensing controller, but one that is more accurate than the Wiimote, and thus better suited to Sony's library of hard-core games. Reports suggest the new controller will use a webcam and LEDs to track movement and velocity, and translate that into on-screen action.

 

 

Nintendo

Nintendo's showing at E3 last year was 'quite akward'. An appearance by gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto aside, there was a pervading sense of frustration and disappointment from gaming fans at Nintendo's seemingly uninspiring line-up. Although Wii Music was a fairly enjoyable game, as a centrepiece for a major industry showcase like E3, it served to underline some commentators' suspicions that Nintendo's grab for casual gamers, and its reliance on the Nintendo Wii platform, was stymying the innovation for which it is renowned.

It looks certain that we'll see some more Wii games, such as Wii Sports Resort (a follow-up of sorts to the hugely popular Wii Sports), and more titles that make use of the improved Motion Plus Wiimote controllers. Expect, too, to see some games that utilise the dual cameras on the new DSi hand-held console, and which could compel existing DS owners to upgrade their device. There are high hopes for a new Zelda game, and with Miyamoto once again expected to attend the show, fans are not ruling out a surprise announcement. But with Sony and Microsoft breathing down its neck, and Nintendo admitting Wii sales are on the verge of plateauing, it needs a strong line-up to ensure continued success.

 

Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed