Geekscape Roundtable: Our Predictions For E3 2014!

Another year has passed, and E3 is nearly upon us once again! As always, we’ll be covering the event live and remotely, so stay tuned for tons of announcements, trailers, and news that you expected to hear, and hopefully a whole lot of reveals that you weren’t anticipating.

Each of us here at Geekscape have our hopes raised for things that may or may not come to pass, but we’ve also got some predictions for games and announcements that we’ll be seeing next week. You can take a look below for each of our thoughts, and be sure to stay tuned throughout next week for all of our live coverage!

Don’t forget to let us know what you hope to see next week in the comments below!

Shane O’Hare

I feel like this year’s E3 is going to be one of the best. All the new consoles are out and have a certain level of pedigree, so this year’s E3 is all about flexing the power of each unit. We will definitely see more on Halo 5 and a whole lot of Kinect garbage we won’t care about from Microsoft. Sony is going to be hyping (hopefully) The Last Guardian. Nintendo should be bringing the heat with Smash Bros, and I think it is time they fill out their roster and let us all know some hard release dates. It will also be interesting to see what they bring to the table in regards to their new NFC gaming device. Also, fingers crossed for some more Bayonetta 2 news. My French homies over at Ubisoft would be stupid not to have something new for The Division. There was a casual statement from a developer on that project and he said “We barely have our engine, 2015 might be pushing it as far as a release date”. JUST GIVE US SOMETHING UBI! ANYTHING!

Juan Carlos Marquez

Nintendo has tremendous momentum heading into E3 this year. With over 1.2. million copies of Mario Kart 8 flying off store shelves last weekend (here’s our review), this may mark the much-needed turnaround for the Wii U–very much like Super Mario 3D Land pulled the Nintendo 3DS from its funk. That being said, expect Nintendo to continue the positive upswing with a couple of huge announcements.

#1 Gamecube Virtual Console HD Games Announced

The Virtual Console for the Wii U offers NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy, and Gameboy Advance games. The only thing missing from the equation (other than the Virtual Boy) is the Gamecube. While not a sales juggernaut, the Gamecube offered an impressive library of games. Due to the success of Wind Waker HD and the recently announced Gamecube Controller Adapter for Wii U, I wouldn’t put it past Nintendo to roll out some of the best GameCube games available on the Virtual Console, such as Super Mario Sunshine, F-Zero GX, Viewtiful Joe, Time Splitters 2, and Wave Race: Blue Storm. While GameCube systems may be cheap to purchase today, their games are not. Used copies of Smash Bros. Melee start at $6o. A used copy of the brutal shooter Ikaruga goes for $55, and for those wanting to play Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance need to spend $125 for a used copy! While brilliant these games may be, not everyone has the means to purchase them. An updated Virtual Console service which includes GameCube games would only boost the Wii U’s library.

#2 Youkai Watch Announced for 3DS

It is part Pokémon/part Dragon Quest…and Japanese gamers love it. With its own manga series and a successful anime, Youkai Watch could very well be a huge hit here in North America–and Nintendo is going to bank on that. Nearly 1 million copies of the first Youkai Watch game quickly sold in Japan and it has been a constant presence atop video game sales charts. A sequel is slated for release this July and chances are North American gamers will be able to play it themselves. Level-5’s trademark filing for Yo-Kai Watch for North America lends me to believe that the Japanese megahit will be making its presence at E3.

#3 F-Zero AND Star Fox coming to Wii U

Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario 3D World, and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games–four different Wii U games featuring everyone’s favorite princess-saving, mushroom–eating plumber, yet some of Nintendo’s other core franchises have been painfully absent. It has been nine years since a new Star Fox game has landed on a Nintendo system and a decade for an F-Zero game. A decade!

At the Nintendo investor’s meeting last April, Saturo Iwata stated that the company would allow licensing of their characters to third parties, and I would fully expect an announcement in the realm of a new Star Fox from Platinum Games or an F-Zero game from SEGA. It appears that Iwata realizes Nintendo not utilizing many of their IP’s, and allowing other third parties to take some of these franchises–just as we are seeing with Hyrule Warriors— would keep a healthy supply of games for Wii U owners to look forward to. All I know is that fans have been clamoring for a new title from either series for years, and I can’t imagine after the popularity of Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud that neither would be denied their own games, just as they were for the Wii.
The saying goes that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, but Nintendo finds themselves in that exact situation. The Wii U has suffered some pretty negative press–some deserved, some not-so deserved. E3 2014 allows Reggie Fils-Aime to hit the reset button and showcase some of the fantastic games the Wii U has to offer and show the industry, gamers, and the press that not only does the Wii U have games, but games and experiences consumers will want to take part in this year.

Jake Lopez

Better and Smoother Looking Titles

While the Kinect may not have taken off as Microsoft planned, an argument can be made that the accessory is still widely used outside of playing a game. Regardless, a recent change regarding the system’s GPU can mean better looking and smother games for the Xbox One. You should expect to hear “1080p” and “60 FPS” tossed around too. Here’s what Microsoft has to say on the matter:

For consumers, simply unplugging Kinect will not impact the performance of Xbox One. The June SDK released to developers gives them access to additional GPU resources previously reserved for Kinect and system functions. Accessing the additional GPU resources is done by the developer, and how developers choose to access the extra GPU performance for their games is up to them.

For titles that ship in the future, if a developer has taken advantage of this SDK change they may access this additional GPU resource. We have started working with a number of developers on how they can best take advantage of these changes, and we’ll have more to share in the future.

What does this mean for us? Well, should the developers take advantage of the additional GPU space at their disposal, we could potentially see sharper textures and smoother frame-rates.

Transmedia Projects

Yes, Microsoft excessively used “TV” during their presentation last year, but wait, where are the shows?! Well, expect to hear AND see more of their transmedia projects, starting with Halo. It has been reported that a Halo project has begun filming in Belfast, Ireland.

This new project has Ridley Scott as the executive producer and Battlestar Galactica’s Sergio Mimica-Gezzan as director. It’s important to note that this project is entirely separate from the Steven Spielberg Halo project that was announced last year. Rumor has it that Ridley Scott’s project may not entirely feature Master Chief at all. In any case, prepare yourselves for a teaser.

With Halo out of the way, one could expect to hear about other transmedia projects Microsoft has in the works. Each show should correspond with first party titles. Expect announcements and/or teasers!

Video Games

Obviously, we’re getting a Halo 5: Guardians teaser, but the Halo won’t end there. I’m sure we’ll get another detailed announcement of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This collection was rumored here on Geekscape way back in January.

#Halo3, #Halo4 will be included in #Halo2 Anniversary War Chest Edition, along with a #Halo5 Beta among other items. #XboxOne#343i

— Jacob Lopez (@jake_108) January 30, 2014

 

Beyond that, we may get word of a Halo 5 Beta to be included with purchase of Halo 2. We may also get an in-depth look at Halo 5’s story and word of another Spartan Ops season.

Gears of War is a franchise we don’t have to look too far back to remember. After turning over everything Gears of War related to Black Tusk Studios, the franchise appears to be ready to make the leap to the Xbox One. One thing to keep in mind during the presentation is a point of interest for Rod Fergusson, Studio Manager at Black Tusk Studios:

This isn’t a great way of phrasing it but I always talk about shipping a sequel to customers as ‘managing betrayal’. They want something new but they don’t want something so new that it doesn’t feel like what they want. But if you put out something that’s very familiar and is the same as the game they just had, then it’s like ‘I’ve already had this. This isn’t new enough.’

You actually have to betray them enough to give them something new and surprising but not so much that they disconnect, and I think that is a big thing that we have to focus on,” Fergusson added. “It’s how we can innovate and bring something new to the franchise while at the same time really proving that we understand Gears – that this is the franchise that you know and love.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if we revisited old franchises such as Crackdown, Dance Central, or maybe even a resurgence of Rock Band. In all, I have a feeling they might save the best for last: A new Mass Effect title. However, this might be instead showcased during the EA press conference.

Josh Jackson

Pokken will be real. And it’ll be awesome.

For months, there have been rumors swirling of a Pokemon fighting game. Ever since an image of an HD Lucario and Blaziken about to face off surfaced, it’s been a huge topic of discussion in the Pokemon community.

Since then, word has been that the guys behind Tekken are the ones who are developing this potential title, which will be a full fledged fighting game featuring various Pokemon, all set to the mechanics of the popular 3D fighter.

It makes perfect sense considering how many popular fighting type Pokemon are in existence, how buddy buddy Namco and Nintendo have been as of late, (including their fighting game devs helping with work on the upcoming Smash Bros.), and even appeared in the credits of Mario Kart 8. Plus, we haven’t seen a core Tekken game since Tekken 6, with their last game being Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition, which introduced Nintendo items and costumes into the King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Coincidence? I think not. Will it be another killer app for the Wii U’s groing library? Who knows? But I know I’ll be first in line when it DOES get announced.

Super Smash Bros. will get six character reveals, three of which will be new.

Super Smash Bros. is easily the most hyped game of the year for Nintendo, (sorry Mario Kart), so what better way to build up excitement right before their live streamed tournament than to reveal a sizable amount of new characters?

As far as new characters are concerned, I’m guessing we’ll see… Paulatena, Chrom and Pac-Man, assuming Ridley is still off the table. They’ll want to end with a big reveal, so that would be the perfect time to show him. If not, I fully expect Pac-Man to take his spot as a gaming icon and knock down drag out brawler. Hey, he’s shown up in Street Fighter X Tekken, stranger things have happened!

Oh, and old characters need to be ones people are afraid are gone for good. C’mon, Mewtwo, Ice Climbers and Snake!

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D Will Be A Reality!

At this point, Zelda is essentially an annual franchise for Nintendo between its console and handheld releases. I can’t think of a better way to hype up the upcoming core Zelda title for the Wii U with a remake of one of the most polarizing entries in the series this side of Zelda 2.

Fans have been begging for it since Ocarina of Time 3D hit stores, and considering that Nintendo has been far less tone def since the surprising success of Xenoblade Chronicles, you better believe that this title is in the works. No better time to announce it than the present!

Microsoft will be all about games. For real this time!

Saying Microsoft has had a rough year with its Xbox One would be a huge understatement, and most of it stems from the controversy last year over their attempt at console DRM and forcing Kinect on everyone who buys the console. A little over six months later, and Kinect is gone while DRM is a distant memory that the company hopes that we forget. They were blasted for catering to frivolous features over its core functionality of gaming, so they’re going to do whatever they can to change that perception.

Will that result in a new Crimson Skies or Mech Assault like I’ve been begging for for years? Maybe an update to Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts? Or maybe someone over there will remember that they have an incredible list of first party titles that they’re just sitting on? Although we’ll probably just get a ton of 3rd party timed exclusives. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

The Vita will officially become a PS4 controller.

Last year alluded to it, the recent PS4/Vita bundle furthers it… we just need official confirmation from Sony.

Let’s face it. As a handheld system, Sony has all but given up on the Vita. For the last two years that I’ve owned the thing, I’ve waited on baited breath for the company to announce something… ANYTHING in the way of quality first party titles.

But aside from the occasional bone thrown our way, (like Gravity Rush and Soul Sacrifice), we’ve had to rely on niche game companies like Atlus and NIS America to do well by us handheld gamers. With the announcement of the bundle on top of everything we know about Sony’s plans, I don’t expect much of anything to be shown game wise aside from maybe a game we know about like Gravity Rush 2, only to be bombarded with buzz words and hype about how amazing the Vita is… as a controller.

And they still won’t drop the price of memory cards!

The majority of the press will say that Nintendo was disappointing while Sony and Microsoft blew them away regardless of the content of their conferences.

True Story.

And lastly, The Last Guardian Will Be Announced For The PS4, while Shenmue 3 won’t.

But they have one thing in common. They’re never coming out. Sorry!

Derek Kraneveldt

I really wish that I was down in LA for this year’s E3, as I feel like we’re set to get some HUGE announcements and revelations this coming week that would be absolutely shocking to see in person. Instead, I’ll be reading about them online and receiving confusing messages from my in-person co-Scapists… but that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited. I hope that it’s a great expo for everyone headed there, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming down the pipeline!

Here’s what I think (or at least really, really, hope) we’ll be seeing this year.

The PS3 is dead… at least to Sony

The PS4 has had a huge start, and with six months behind it and more than 7 million units sold, Sony is ready to say goodbye to its tough start-great finish Playstation 3. Sony is likely to reveal a PS3 title or two that’ll be making the jump to its newest console, but other than that, they don’t even want to look at the thing.

E3, Ubisoft, and other developers have announced continuing support for the console, but I wouldn’t expect anything new from Sony anytime soon.

We’ll get more details on Playstation Now.

Including pricing, more release date details, and hopefully when other countries will be able to jump in. I want this so much, but they haven’t talked about Canada yet at all.

The Last Guardian will be re-revealed.

This has to be the year. It just has to. The third game from Team ICO was first announced all the way back in 2009, and has really never been spoken about again. Until recently, when someone stated that the game was on an indefinite hiatus, and then Shuhei Yoshida himself said that it was still in active development.

This is my biggest hope for E3. Sony, make it happen or I’m smashing my PS4 and dusting of my Vita so I can smash it too.

http://youtu.be/EHzHoMT5eRg

The Vita will get a price cut.

And will be essentially not spoken of otherwise. Unfortunately great hardware means nothing when there aren’t any games coming out.

Bethesda will announce Fallout 4.

A long shot, but my fingers are crossed so hard that it just has to happen. New Vegas came out in 2010, so it’s time to reveal the future of the series.

We won’t get the huge Wii U Zelda reveal that we’re all hoping for…

Nintendo will confirm they’re working hard on the title, but that it’s not yet ready for primetime.

…But they will reveal Majora’s Mask 3D (which we’re also all hoping for).

If they want to continue printing money like they have been with Mario Kart 8, that is.

Nintendo will have a huge NFC reveal, and it’ll blow us away.

Seriously, it’s way cooler than Skylanders. 

Way more Definitive/Remastered Edition games announced for all platforms.

Let’s face it, none of our favourite current-gen consoles have the game libraries that we were hoping for at this point (well the Wii U has a pretty sweet collection so far, but we all know what everyone seems to think of that console), and brand-new games are just so expensive to develop that we’ll likely see a influx of remastered editions of PS3/Xbox 360 games.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as having remade games released is better than releasing no games at all (especially for someone who missed out on the titles last-gen), but it is a little annoying to see a good chunk of games for our newest consoles be retextured rereleases.

That being said, I can’t wait to play The Last of Us (again) on PS4, and I missed out on most of Halo, so this rumoured Master Chief Collection is right up my alley.

S.J. Borger

There’s a lot of buzz around E3 this year—with the two new consoles out and going strong,  companies—from the big AAA guys like Bethesda and Ubisoft to the smaller independent studios—will be out to show they’ve got the games to go with the hardware.

Let’s not forgot Occulus Rift, either. We saw at GDC that VR is something all the big studios are looking at when it comes to next gen gaming; Sony announced its Project Morpheus in March and Microsoft is rumored to be working on a VR system as well. A number of games have Rift-support now, but we haven’t seen very many that were meant to played with a VR headset—EVE Valkyrie being the one major title, and we had to chance to demo that at GDC and it was amaze-balls. So, exciting to see what the next major title will be to enter the Rift-enabled world will be—and how it will look.

A few other items of excitement:

Bethesda: Fallout 4. Oh, please, let it be Fallout 4. With the announcement last year that Fallout 4 is definitely in development (read all about it here), E3 is the right time and the right place for Bethesda to announce the game we’ve all been waiting for FOR SO LONG.

Square Enix: Square Enix has a number of super-secret, hush hush titles—including an MMO—that will be announced at E3. I’ve gotten a sneak peak at some of them and all I can say is OH MY GOD. And Kingdom Hearts will hopefully get some love.

Projekt Red: The Witcher team announced the release date for The Witcher 3 just this week, as well as the closed Beta for The Witcher Adventure Game. But they also said they had more waiting to be announced at E3—what could that be??

In a related note, Good Old Games will announce their new gaming client GOG Galaxy, which is a DRM-free, completely optional game client that includes the ability to allow players to socialize with their friends who are using a different game client.

EA: They will roll out their expected salte of new games to loud roars of approval. I mean, Sims 4. Dragon Age: Inquisition (have you SEEN THE latest trailer? Holy pretty, Batman…)…these games look amazing. They will also tout how nice they are, now that they too give away games every once in a while on Origin. No mention will be made of SimCity.

Microsoft/Xbox: They will make much of their new Live Gold membership—free games! (I predict that a lot of the platforms and clients will be talking about all the FREE GAMES you’ll get if you sign up for their client). And HALO, of course. We’ll hear a lot about HALO, and maybe some about how they are branching out into content creation (Microsoft recently started a new content team out here in LA).

That’s it! Those are our predictions for this year’s E3! Be sure to check back next week to see what we were right about, and where we failed horribly!