E3 2011: What Can We Expect?
E3 2011 is nearly upon us. With just two weeks to go until the world’s biggest gaming extravaganza kicks-off, the gaming world has been ripe with rumour about what exciting announcements wait in store. What can we expect from E3 2011? Read on as Stephen Ebert lifts the lid and digs the dirt.
The excitement is almost too much to bear, but there’s not long to wait now. What has E3 2011 got up its sleeves? A heck of a lot. New consoles, surprise announcements and a heap of new games. That’s what. Here are just a few things to expect:
The next big thing in gaming
The launch of the Nintendo Wii back in 2006 catapulted gaming into the brave new world of motion controllers. Four years later, the launch of the Nintendo 3DS proves that Nintendo still has a knack for going it alone with the first ever glasses-free 3D handheld. Now, in 2011 Nintendo is ready to unveil a new console. Currently codenamed Project Café, the new console is rumoured to be sporting a touchscreen controller, possibly with a camera inside, and more powerful than both The Xbox 360 and PS3. Little else is known of the console, but whatever Nintendo has in store, it’s worth sitting up and taking notice of. It could be the future.
The name of Sony’s new handheld
Next Generation Portable? What’s that? It’s the name of Sony’s new portable console, otherwise known as the NGP – the successor to the PSP. Only, it isn’t. At E3 2011 we’ll finally know the name of Sony’s new console. Also expect to see a bunch of games for the handheld, including more of the stunning portable Uncharted game we saw back in January, when Sony first unveiled the console. Other games we may see include Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, WipEout, Metal Gear Solid and more.
Surprise announcements
E3 is always good for a surprise or two. Recent shocks include the announcement that Metal Gear Solid: Rising would appear on Xbox 360 during E3 2009. It is the first time a Metal Gear Solid title has appeared on a non-Sony console. E3 2010 saw Valve’s Gabe Newell announce that Portal 2 would be appearing on the PS3. Given the developer’s critical stance on the console, saying some not very nice things about it in the past, his appearance was a surprise to all. Not only did he announce a PS3 version of Portal 2, he said it would be the “best version.” Who knows what we might see this year? Another major franchise going multi-platform?Grand Theft Auto 5?
Modern Warfare 3 versus Battlefield 3
Just when EA’s Battlefield 3 looked like it was going to go it alone at E3 as the year’s must-have first-person shooter, along came publisher Activision with the announcement of Modern Warfare 3. Battlefield 3 has been tipped by many as the game to break Modern Warfare’s stronghold, so expect the Modern Warfare 3 team to pull out all the stops for E3 2011. We’re hoping for gameplay demos of both so that we can really decide which is the best. Which of the two are you looking forward to most?
