Back and Predictin’

I’m back from my week-long sabbatical with the Ernie Hudson Fan Club, just in time for the ramp-up for E3. It’s the perfect time for some predictions of what we might see at the industry’s premiere loved/hated industry event, so in my next few posts, I’ll be covering what I think we might see from some of the biggest game publishers and developers.

E3 Predictions: Microsoft

I’ll start off with Microsoft because I honestly expect Microsoft to make the biggest announcements this year. Why? Simple. Last year, MS played it fairly quiet so as not to overshadow their announced upcoming games. If you’ll recall, Microsoft’s 2007 conference mainly pumped games like Halo 3, GTAIV, Assassin’s Creed and other already-unveiled games. The new product announcements were minor, like Viva Pinata Party Animals, Scene It!, and PC ports of Gears of War, etc. This year, it’s time to bring out the big guns. Sure, there are still some big exclusives on the way this year (Fable 2), but it’s time to blow the lid off som 2009 titles. The Wii is still hot and the biggest game in recent months was PS3-exclusive (MGS4), so MS needs this show to be a big one. Here’s what I expect to see:

• A big push for Rock Band 2. It’s a timed exclusive for Xbox 360. That’s a big deal, so expect MS to act accordingly.
• GTAIV DLC. Also exclusive to 360, so you can but there will some bragging about it. Expect gameplay footage of the first DLC episode to be shown at the conference.
• Halo Wars and Halo Chronicles. It’s not a Microsoft E3 Press Conference without Halo. Halo Wars is nearly complete, and it’s time to show something on Peter Jackson’s Halo project, or everyone will assume it’s dead.
• Alan Wake – A big exclusive game. Expect to see a 2009 release date confirmed.
• Dashboard Update and Price Cut – It’s time for both. We’re overdue.

All of those predictions are fairly safe. You can also expect to see trailers for big multiplatform releases like every year, including Call of Duty: World at War, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Brutal Legend, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Fallout 3, Mercenaries 2, etc. but you’re not here for safe predictions, are you? You want wild, bold claims that would rock your world if they come true, right? Ok, let’s do it!

• New, non-Halo Bungie project unveiled. Something’s in the works, and they’re getting ready to talk. Microsoft has first publishing rights to all Bungie games, so whatever it is, it’ll be 360 exclusive. My guess? It’s an XBLA game, but they’ll make it clear that they have something larger in the works.
• Haze announced for 360. Didn’t get any love on the PS3, so Ubi will port it to generate more revenue from the project. As a bonus, MS will get to gloat about PS3 losing another exclusive.
• Crackdown 2 announced. Real Time Worlds very publicly stated that MS waited too long to ask them for Crackdown 2 and moved on to other projects, which was a huge PR embarrassment for MS. Crackdown sold well, has a big fanbase, and MS needs to make good. My guess is that after RTW’s statement, they worked out a deal to start a team on Crackdown 2.
• Forza 3 shown. Forza and MS’ E3 conference have a long history together.
• Here’s my biggest one: Kojima Productions will unveil an Xbox 360-exclusive title. Apparently, MS and Konami came to a deal for such a title about 3 years ago, but I’ve heard nothing about it since. MGS4 is done, and Kojima has long stated that he wants to move on. With all the attention he’s gotten later, unveiling a new game while MGS4 is still hot is a great way to ensure interest in what is most likely a brand new franchise. Update: I’ve already heard a bit more on this one. Rumor has it that the Kojima project is a family-friendly RPG that’s along the lines of Kojima’s Boktai games.

That about sums up my Microsoft E3 predictions. We shall see if I’m crazy or not very shortly!

Update Number 2: This one slipped my mind yesterday. MS will announce the project known as “Lips,” a Karaoke game that allows you to import your favorite songs.