Gametrash E3 Predictions for 2006

The PC Lineup

PC games have been the staples of the gaming industry ever since gaming has been around. Not only does PC gaming allow you to modify your system and specs according to your price and wishes, but it also allows surprising modification and adjustment, which is why many gamers prefer the mouse and keyboard to the controller.

Unfortunately, it's somewhat hard to come up with grandiose assumptions about the PC. The PC in no way is in danger, nor is it dominating the market. All of the companies seem somewhat the same as always- nVidia is still pimping out dual card layouts, and ATI is still trying to convince everyone one card is just as good as two. We can reasonably expect more powerful setups and some definite upgrades when it comes to power and prowess, but finding out exactly what the major PC manufacturers have in mind would require me to pull out an Ouija board and start calling for divine guidance.

Predictions:
First off, as I mentioned above, the Unreal 3 engine will be displayed in more glory, which will be awesome. Epic Games' engines are always top notch and serve as the standard for the gaming industry when it comes to graphics and overall quality, and we can expect more revelations in Unreal 3. From what I've seen and heard, the engine is going to be one hell of a powerhouse, but we can all wonder exactly who has the system to run it. At this point, PC gamers are going to have to sit in the corner and cry while the graphics and processor manufacturers try to catch up with this level of demand so we can actually play Unreal 3 games in something other than three frames per second.

Second off, I predict that Bioware will have the Star Wars MMORPG license and announce a Star Wars MMORPG at E3. Bioware makes hellishly good games (And on the contrary, Sony makes hellishly good drink coasters) and if they got the Star Wars license, it will be reviving the series like no-one has ever done before.

Honestly, I think Sony deserved to loose the Star Wars rights, because they were screwing it up. With Bioware on the scene, we can expect the phenomenal level of gameplay we saw in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or Neverwinter Nights... except turbocharged. Hell, a game with those credentials could rocket it to seriously compete with World of Warcraft, which would be superb.

My third prediction is that Half Life 2: Aftermath will be shown. Half Life 2: Aftermath is the sequel to Half Life 2, and is rumored to be released on the Steam platform incrementally. While this is very cool, the strange thing is, there isn't much info floating around about it, and I guarantee that if VALVe is going to have a showing at E3, it's going to involve Half Life 2: Aftermath.

The Infinium Labs Lineup

Believe it or not, The “Phantom” (A console that was announced years and years ago as a broadband-enabled powerhouse) is still around. If they show up at E3 this year, they will be hoisted out by E3 security and crucified. I'm not even touching this one.

Sony

Here's where it gets fun. Sony is the biggest contender at E3, and for obvious reasons- we know this is their big time to sell the PS3 to us, as well as try to mop up the crap on the floor regarding the PSP. The PS3 is by far, be it the technical specs or simply the games it's promoted to have, the most promising next-generation system out there, even if it won't be out till November. The mix of Sony, Intel, nVidia, Toshiba, and many other big-name manufacturers almost guarantee this system popularity and power, and all we want now is some info on the system.


Unfortunately, though, not all is good for Sony. The Playstation Portable at the moment is the weakest system on the market, and it even competes with the XBOX 360 for being the most grandiose waste of your money at this point and time. Other than the UMD Video capabilities and the (Now blocked) emulator capabilities, the system is pretty useless, and the games are mediocre. In an attempt to somewhat revive the system, this month's Official Playstation Magazine even promotes the system somewhat needlessly, with huge full-page lineups of the individual games for the system. In my book, that's called trying to tread water in the middle of the ocean, and we can only wait till Sony drowns in their poor sales.

That's not to say that the PSP is going to die. In fact, it may grab onto the bumper of the PS3 and tag along, as the two systems are going to work with each other, much like we have seen the Nintendo Gamecube and Game Boy Advance interface before. Be it that the PSP is used as a controller or just a really fancy black iPod with a screen, we might be able to see some life from the system yet. By all means, the promise of some decent games, like the Power Stone Collection, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, and Tekken: Dark Resurrection. Right now, however, gamers can simply entertain themselves with middle-of-the-road titles like Metal Gear Acid and Me & My Katamari.

Predictions:
My first prediction is that not only will the PS3's controller be revamped, but the whole system itself. My guess as a gamer and as a freak of the business aspect of games is that Sony will cut back on some of the capabilities, most likely the Blu-Ray DVDs or the Cell Processor, both being some of the most expensive parts in the system itself. The 60 gig HDD in the system will be cut back (There's no doubt about it, I'll be floored if they actually intend to stick a HDD that big into a system that runs off discs), and more than likely, they will remove the capability to run two HDTV screens at once. It was hard enough to convince gamers to get HDTV in the first place (And most of us are still on plain old RCA input televisions), convincing them they need two is like convincing gamers they need to go outside and stop playing video games.

My second prediction is that, while it will be overshadowed by the PS3, it will be do-or-die for the PSP. Much like the Ngage, it's going to come to what it can pump out and less of what it actually is, and if Sony can show us games that will make the gamer generation drop their bulky DSes (And some their shiny new DS Lites) and move to the Sony side. It will take some work, but some of the games (Notably the RPG offerings the system has/is going to have) may actually rocket the system into more popularity.


Finally, my third prediction is, kinda tying the two together- that Sony will own the show. Nintendo will simply have Twilight Princess and the cloudy Revolution to show off, and Microsoft will just be playing keep-up with the rest- but Sony has the best chance to come in on the offensive and lure all the gaming journalists who CAN afford to fly to California to their booths.

In closing..

Remember, these are predictions. These aren't hard facts, nor are they something you can take me on later. These are things that I can say with some conviction and will, because having seen the history of E3 up until now, I know how things operate. This year's E3 not only is going to be riding the tail of the new generation of gaming, but it will also be rising somewhat happily with the GDP in the US, as well as the spending on games. If all goes well, and this E3 hits us in the right spot, we may be living in what we will call in the future the best moment in gaming. Or, on the other side, we may be living in what we may call overpriced and undercooked. It all depends- but when May 9th hits and the show ensues, we will finally know.

Page 1    Page 2    Page 3