E3 2012 is less than a week away, and like my most fans of gaming, I can’t wait to see the latest on the biggest games of the year. While it will be great to see new gameplay from things like Assassin’s Creed III and Halo 4, what I really look forward to is the stuff we don’t know about yet. The following ten things are announcements or details that would make this year’s E3 outstanding in my eyes. Now, some of the things I have on this list have already been debunked or confirmed not to be present at the show, but these are things I would like to see at E3, not necessarily predictions of what will actually be there; and hey, you never know.
10. Skyrim DLC Details
Outside of the title, “Dawnguard”, we know absolutely nothing about the upcoming downloadable content for Skyrim. Skyrim was my personal game of the year for 2011, so needless to say I’m looking for any excuse to jump back in and add to my 100+ hour total. With Bethesda’s track record of outstanding post release DLC like Shivering Ilses for Oblivion, and Broken Steel and Point Lookout for Fallout 3, I have really high hopes for Dawnguard, whatever it turns out to be.
9. GTA V Release Date and Details
GTA V may have been officially announced, but we know almost nothing about it, and Rockstar has been completely silent in the months since the first (and only) trailer. Rockstar typically doesn’t do much of anything at E3, but it would be nice to get a firm release date and perhaps some actual details about the game besides the city it takes place in.
8. The Last of Us Release Date and Details
Naughty Dog has been a little more forthcoming with informing about The Last of Us than Rockstar has with GTA V, but what I really want is a release date, preferably this year. While I enjoyed the Uncharted games, there were some aspects of them that I had major problems with, so I was initially skeptical of The Last of Us. However, the more I see and hear about it, the more I really want to play it. If The Last of Us can deliver the same type of amazing writing and cinematic quality as the Uncharted games and improve or change the gameplay (mainly the combat), this could be a truly outstanding game, and I eagerly await every new detail.
7. Retro Studios’ Next Game
Retro studios is without a doubt Nintendo’s best external developer, and they have yet to make a bad game. Given that I have thoroughly enjoyed everything they’ve done thus far, I can’t wait to see what they’ve got coming next. It’s been a couple of years since their last game (Donkey Kong Country Returns), so the timing adds up for them to unveil their next project. Personally, I am hoping they’re working on a Star Fox game, but a return to either Metroid or Donkey Kong would be welcome as well. While I think it would be cool to see them do something completely new, I am betting they bring a classic Nintendo franchise to the Wii U.
6. Respawn Entertainment’s First Game
For those who are unaware, Respawn Entertainment is the development studio founded by Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella after they were fired by Activision following the release of Modern Warfare 2. The studio is comprised of several dozen former Infinity Ward employees that left following the firings, and they are rumored to working on a science fiction first person shooter to compete with the likes of Call of Duty and Halo. I am not sure how much interest I will have in the game itself, given my dislike for Call of Duty, but I have been intrigued by the whole situation since it began several years ago, and I would like to see where it goes from here. As an interesting aside, the trial between West/Zampella and Activision is scheduled for during E3.