The Last of Us! PlayStation Vita! God of War: Ascension! PlayStation 4?
With two weeks left until E3 2012 kicks off in Los Angeles, we thought it was about time members of the NGB team put their necks on the line and told you what they expect to happen at this year.
Will Sony announce a new console? Is Microsoft’s showing going to Kinect focused? Are Nintendo going to wow everyone with the Wii U? Which third party title will shine the brightest? So many questions, the answers to which we’ll find out very soon. Exciting times!
In the meantime, have a read of our team predictions below, as we kick things off with some Sony related predictions.
E3 2012 Predictions – Sony
Aaron Sullivan – Sony will undoubtedly have the best first party line-up this year with titles like GoW and The Last of Us keeping them in the mix for best conference this year. I’m expecting a lot of high profile, kick ass trailers to get gamers excited. Also, I’m still holding out for some concrete information and or gameplay to be shown for The Last Guardian as well. However, with the PS Vita not doing so well sales wise at the moment, I think Sony will concentrate heavily on that platform. They need to make the public aware of the awesome titles that they have in the pipeline, and show some of them off if they are going to get the portable out of its sales rut. We’ll also undoubtedly get to hear more of Sony’s plans for the future (PSN and a concrete spec for their new console).
Adam Neaves – I fully expect Sony to announce something regarding the next PlayStation console. I can’t see them wanting to be behind Microsoft this time and will get something out there (even if it’s just a tech demo) to wet the appetite of gamers. That said, I expect that the PlayStation 3 will get a strong showing and expect some new exclusives to be announced. Also, whilst I haven’t purchased a Vita yet, I’ll be watching like a hawk to see what titles they announce.
Adrian Purser – I’m not convinced we’ll see the PlayStation 4 on show, so I’m expecting plenty of new God of War info to fawn over (single player footage of a monster the size of a small planet) and hopefully some other new PlayStation 3 titles to keep the anticipation levels in check. I’m hoping Sony are as mindful of the Vita’s current sales numbers as the naysayers are too, and announce a whole host of new titles to build on the momentum of the launch. I think a price drop / early adopter scheme along the lines of the 3DS ambassador scheme could be on the cards too.
Aryel Abrahami – All the talk is about the next generation of consoles and what sort of package Sony are going to put together. The official word is that no PlayStation 4 will not be unveiled at this year’s E3, but the general consensus is that Microsoft are ahead in terms of next-gen development so we could see a bold move from Sony in a bid to draw level or even pull ahead of their closest rivals. We will obviously get the usual game reveals, “look you can play this with Move!”, and some Vita love.
Asim Tanvir – They might tease it, but I don’t think Sony will be fully revealing a new console this year. Instead, they will place a massive focus on the Vita, and showcase plenty of titles that are currently in development. The PlayStation 3 will also get some love, with the likes of God of War: Ascension and The Last of Us being the highlights of their conference. I think Sony will have a couple of surprises up their sleeves too, with one (if not both) related to the Move. Who knows, maybe we’ll see the return of The Agent!
Dave Duncan – It’s looking set to be a massive E3 for Sony. It’s the Vita’s first official E3, so I’m expecting big things from that mainly. Hoping to see more of The Last of Us too.
David Bryant – If the PlayStation 4 isn’t announced or at least teased, E3 is going to be a major letdown in terms of my fanboyism. Whilst all the recent speculation has been that there won’t be hardware announcements, I just can’t see it and a holiday 2013 release looks nailed on in my opinion. As well as that I think we’ll definitely see the first gameplay from God of War Ascension and the spectacular looking The Last of Us. But beyond all that (yes including PlayStation 4) I really hope we see what David Cage and Quantic Dream have up their sleeve. Oh, and I’d put my left testicle on Monster Hunter for Vita.
Gari Clark – Sony will have a big E3 with some pretty interesting unveils in my opinion. This might surprise some, but I think Sony will announce the next addition to the Syphon Filter series. Other Sony announcements I can see happening are exclusive PS Vita titles, such as Gran Turismo. We’ll also see and hear more regarding PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale and The Last of Us. In regards to the PlayStation 4, I think that it will get a very small mention. Sony will talk quite a bit about the PlayStation Vita too, with the possible announcement of a price drop.
Nick Harrington – It’s fair to say Sony’s shiny new handheld hasn’t set the world alight thus far, even in spite of some decent titles already being available. For that reason I’m expecting them to hit the Vita sales pitch hard, focusing on upcoming goodies such as Call of Duty, Killzone and other anticipated titles. We might even get some updates regarding Remote Play functionality along with the ability to grab PS one titles. There’s certainly plenty of room for growth with the Vita and I’d be surprised if it’s not high on their agenda.
Tom Mills – I’m not expecting a huge reveal from Sony, certainly not the PlayStation 4. I just don’t see the urgency for it. Maybe that’s because I’m still working my way through the PS3 back catalogue having only recently bought one, but seeing tech demos like Kara from Quantic Dream make me feel like people are still only just beginning to harness the power of it. I don’t really see what a hardware upgrade would offer them, the PlayStation 3 seems to still have a lot to give.
That’s our Sony predictions, next up (next week) we talk Microsoft!
