The closest thing the gaming scene has to Christmas is right around the corner. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is taking place from the 10th to the 12th of June in Los Angeles and millions will be watching online as the biggest names in video game development gather to show off their upcoming games.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are obviously the ones to watch out for, as the latter two attempt to catch up to the formidable lead Sony has taken since the start of the shift to the current generation of consoles last November. After a couple of tepid releases, the thing that will really shift the balance will be the upcoming exclusives on each platform. An iconic game that will move consoles is really what everyone is looking for at the moment.
Firstly, Sony will look to preserve it’s lead in the market with an update on the games it showed last year as they approach imminent release. The racing game DriveClub is expected to be present along with gameplay from the Victorian steampunk shooter The Order: 1886. It is also rumoured that there will be new entries in the Uncharted and God of War series which, along with the imminent release of the massively hyped Watch_Dogs, should ensure that Sony remains a strong competitor in the field.
Microsoft will be playing catch up after a disastrous presentation last year. To succeed this time, they’ll need to focus much more on games for the system, which is why they’ll be showing off sequels to some of their classic exclusives. The recently announced Halo 5 will be there, along with Fable Legends and Forza Horizon 2. On top of this there are rumours of a Gears of War 4 which, combined with the new Call Of Duty game, would complete the trio of shooters that made the Xbox 360 so popular. They’ll be looking to fill the dry spell until then with the wildcard third person shooters of Sunset Overdrive and Quantum Break.
This E3 is really make or break for Nintendo after dismal sales of the WiiU despite having a year’s head-start on the competition. The “console-selling game” is even more important for them. Luckily, they have a few titles that may fill that role. Mario Kart 8 is launching just before E3, Super Smash Bros WiiU will be prominent, including a tournament at E3 itself, Bayonetta 2 will put a more mature-orientated game on the console and rumours of a new Legend of Zelda title and a Pokemon Fighting game will certainly draw interest to the system. If Nintendo pull it out of the bag this year, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t be able to make a U-turn in the market.
Essentially, it’s all still to play for in the console war. Let’s not forget about the multiplatform titles appearing however. Look out for Dragon Age: Inquisition, Batman: Arkham Knight, Destiny, Assassins Creed: Unity, Far Cry 4 and as always, if you’re incredibly optimistic, Half Life 3.
