Another E3, another chance to get overly excited

Another E3 slowly dawns upon us and another year of insane pre- E3 rumors are swirling around internet driving gamers into a frenzy.

Is Nintendo’s next system going to really be more powerful than the PS3 and 360? Is Skyward Sword moving to the new Wii 2? Will be see 343 Industries new Halo title? Is Sony really going to halve the NGP’s RAM?

We’ll all find out together in a scant week and a half, if not sooner the way the rumor mill is churning. Last years E3 mind share was clearly “won” by Nintendo. With the buzz surrounding the 3DS, it was everyone was talking about. New hardware announcements and presentations always thrill the masses and scare the wallet. Which is why this years E3 is looking to be one of the best in recent years. Both Nintendo and Sony are going to showing off the NGP and the much ballyhooed successor to the Wii. No matter how both walk away after this years E3 presentation, both are going to be heavily talked about in mass. 

But it’s not just hardware which is heating up this E3, it’s also the deluge of barn burner software. As it stands, this year is already shaping up to be one of the best years this generation for big third party titles; that’s not including the multitude of new expected software announcements at E3. 

My wallet is currently trembling in fear at this falls already announced line-up. Heaven help me with any other must have titles this fall. 

Already on my must haves for this year are Gears of War 3, Dungeon Siege 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and countless others. So what am I looking forward to scope out at this E3. 

Dragon’s Dogma - Considering the pedigree behind this title at Capcom, Dragon’s Dogma looks like a dream game to me. Smash together the aesthetics of Lord of the Rings and the action of a Devil May Cry and bring them all into an open world? Yes please! While some may say the title looks generic, I personally am loving the classic fantasy style.  

343 Industries Halo - 343 has been hiring like mad for years. With the likes of Corrinne Yu, Ryan Payton and artists formerly from id Software, Bungie and about 20 ex-Pandemic Studios developers — something HUGE has to be in the works. I want to know what! Give us a tease, something; but gamers what to know what 343 Industries is bringing to the Halo franchise. 

DMC - This is more a case of sheer stupid morbid curiosity than anything else. When Capcom announced last year that Ninja Theory in conjunction with Capcom’s internal studios were going to be rebooting the Devil May Cry franchise, more than a little DMC fans cried foul. OK, that’s put it lightly, we wanted Capcom’s head on a pike! But after playing through last years Enslaved, a title that did little for the adventure genre but was an enjoyable and emotional title, I have newfound hope that Ninja Theory can pull off a fresh new take on Dante. 

It may not be the Dante I know and love, but I’m more than willing to give it a try. If anything, I think Ninja Theory’s touch with story would serve the franchise well. It’s just the combat I’m more than a little worried about. 

Crimson Alliance - All I know is that it’s a new action-RPG from Certain Affinity. These folks know frenzied combat and an RPG headed up by the studio is bound to be an exciting offer. 

Mass Effect 3 - The final chapter to Commander Shepard’s fight against the Reapers promises to be more one of the biggest titles of early 2012. Now, my only question is, what new stores are there on the Citadel?

Darksiders 2 - The original Darksiders was a gamers game through and through. Featuring some insanely difficult puzzles, fantastic art and satisfying combat — Darksiders was the grown up Zelda, gamers have been wanting for years. Vigil Games and THQ have announced that their hard at work on a Darksiders 2 and damn if I’m not excited to see more of their universe at E3.

Project Draco - As a hardcore fan of Sega’s long beloved Panzer Dragoon series, the idea of a new dragon title headed up by the many of the developers behind Team Andromeda at Sega is more than a little pants tightening. Yes, it’s going to use Kinect but as long as it still maintains the artistic style and musical grace of past Panzer games, I’ll happy swing my arms like an idiot to enjoy it!

BioShock Infinite - Being as the original BioShock stands for me as one of my personal favorite gaming experiences this generation, I thirst for each and every new morsel of info I can gather on Irrational Games follow-up. 

There’s clearly more titles I’m excited to see and hear about. MGS: Rising, Final Fantasy XIII-2 (even though the first was kind of meh), Battlefield 3, Rage, Anarchy Reigns and finally… what in the hell Microsoft has cooking for the 360 —and sadly Kinect. 

OK, I don’t mean that. Kind of.

The potential for hybrid titles with Kinect is huge (G-Gundam game please!!!), I’m just hoping that they can pull off some surprises that core games will actually be excited about besides family shovelware. All in all, I truly can’t foresee any real losers for this years E3 — except for my wallet. 

Ouch.