Gametrash E3 Predictions for 2006

E3, the biggest gaming show in the United States, is coming this May- the 9th through the 12th. And, there's been a lot of speculation about what we're going to see. After all, this is going to be a big year- Sony is trying to balance waning PSP interest and promote the PS3, which will be coming out in less than half a year. Nintendo is trying to keep everyone interested until they get the Nintendo Revolution out in the lineup, while also re-selling the DS as the DS Lite. And, surprise surprise, Microsoft is trying everything but sacrificing a virgin to build interest in the XBOX 360. So, I've decided to write an article on some of the games/systems we are basically guaranteed to see at E3.

The Microsoft Lineup

Microsoft is, as I mentioned before, desperately trying to build up XBOX 360 support. Just like about any new system, the 360 really hasn't caught on due to the fact it has no killer games to go out and buy, and it's suffering. Bill Gates himself has said that he intends to put any amount of money needed to sell the 360, so it's definitely not going to die, but it's very obvious even to an everyday bystander that this system desperately needs a med kit.

Well, it looks like it may get it. First off, Microsoft has been looking into securing some big name companies for themselves, which is nice. Lionhead Studios, AKA the Hype central of England, was purchased by Microsoft a few days ago, because apparently Microsoft likes buying things that they essentially control anyway. As well, it's obvious Microsoft is extending it's reaches with XBOX Live, being as we've seen a lot of Arcade games show up for download on there, as well as negligibly solid support when it comes to Online games like Dead or Alive 4. XBOX Live has always been pretty good so far as actual game play and service quality is concerned, but just like the system as a whole, the 360's Online lineup tends to be undercooked and somewhat mediocre.


But that doesn't mean that it's going to be a flop. Games promised to be shown off more (Some already shown off at GDC) involve beautiful titles like Gears of War and Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. These aren't bad games at all, and the XBOX 360 is taking them like a man and generating them with beautiful results, so when it comes down to hard “You can put this in your system and play it” kind of evidence, the XBOX 360 is going to rule the floor. After all, nothing sells like the fact that the games they show at E3 will be hitting consoles that gamers can get now, which will urge people to go out and support the system.

So what kind of games are we going to see at E3 for the 360?

Predictions:
First off, I predict a massive showing of the Final Fantasy XI port to the 360. It's obvious this is going to happen for multiple reasons, primarily the fact that it will dispel the nasty notion that the 360 is an American system and only for hardcore, shooter-loving American gamers. This will probably be tagged along with whatever bonus characters/places they plan to put in the game, but completely gloss over the fact that the game is not only older than dirt at this point, but extremely boring.

Second off, I predict that the Unreal 3 engine will be another big showoff for the XBOX 360, and probably a huge presentation. Sure, it's supposed to work with the PS3- but the 360 will be able to do it too, and as I said above, nothing sells like the fact it'll be in gamers hands quicker. The Unreal 3 engine has been licensed out to many companies already, and many are mustering the courage to buy it, so we're almost guaranteed that these games (Including Unreal 3 itself) will probably be shown off on the show floor.

Third off, expect a big explosion over the Gundam game for the XBOX 360. It's already been announced, and we all know it- nothing beats big robots, and no big robots beat Gundams. It's a massive phenomenon in Japan (Even culminating to a huge statue in the middle of a city) and there is no doubt that Microsoft will milk this as much as they can. From what I've seen of the Japanese screenshots, the game is absolutely beautiful, and it looks like it plays like a dream. I'll actually be somewhat disappointed with Bandai-Namco if they mess up this one.

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