Sony is our last stop on Monday. Are we expecting anything big from last year’s undeniable winner?
R: Uncharted 4 teaser, DriveClub demo, The Order: 1886 gameplay, Destiny gameplay, AC Unity may have a co-op demo.
G: I think we’ll definitely see Morpheus. I honestly don’t give a rat’s ass about VR, though I’m sure they’ll devote a good chunk of the show to it.
K: Another mind-numbing display of the technology with a ‘family having a blast’ as the live demo. I don’t really know of anything big they could do to really blow our minds this time around. Uncharted 4 is a given, but it’s not going to shock or awe anyone, I feel. We’ll hear a voice-over of Drake and possibly a release date, along with the reveal of the final name.
G: As much as I was rooting for Sony last year, I think Microsoft has a really good chance of taking E3 this year. I honestly can’t think of anything big coming. Discounting last year, Sony is usually pretty predictable. Any Vita love, you think?
K: Vita is pretty dead, I feel. It’s not even on anyone’s radar as a system or potential buy.
G: PS4/Vita bundle? Vita is basically an accessory at this point.
R: Or Vita TV. They’ll sell it as a Roku / Chromecast alternative at ~$100. Highlight the Remote Play features, and how it can play Vita / PSP / PSone games.
K: Sony, probably, is our most likely loser this year. I am sure they will bring what they can, but I don’t see the possibility for wow-factor.
Nintendo will be skipping a traditional presentation again and continuing with their own content. What does the arguable underdog have to show us this year?
R: Zelda for Wii U.
K: Really, Nintendo has the strongest lineup this year. Smash Bros., SMT x Fire Emblem, and Hyrule Warrior for starters. Rumors of Mario Sunshine HD, Majora’s Mask 3D, Wii U Zelda, and a Star Fox game. Pretty strong showing if it all happens. Nintendo really needs the win, I think.
R: I dunno about Star Fox. Not likely, though I wish it were.
G: The Wii U has the strongest lineup of all the current consoles as it is.
K: Geoff and I saw a potential showing of Nintendo content a few days ago and it strongly suggested (if real) that we’d see some HD remakes, Majora’s Mask 3D, and a Star Fox. Plus a few unannounced projects that seemed to be integral to the presentations. Plus, there have been new Pokemon games announced. They’ll undoubtably cover those.
G: Smash Bros. will be their biggest push, I’m sure. They’re even doing the tournament for Brawl. I doubt we’ll see much of Zelda U. It’ll be 2015’s holiday game.
K: The Wii U is selling like crazy lately thanks to Mario Kart. All they need to do is announce a few AMAZING titles to get people out there buying the system up and taking advantage of the Mario Kart-free game deal as well. They will take advantage of the hype and publicity of Mario Kart to push the future of the system. People are still very interested in the Wii U and the future of the system really depends on what they announce Tuesday.
G: Do you think we’ll actually get more info on SMTxFE or Yarn Yoshi? It’s been a long time.
K & R: Maybe Yarn Yoshi.
K: Nintendo is my winner this year. Already some great games lined up, but I just can’t see either of the competitors bringing it like Nintendo will this time around.
Any “out-there” predictions or hopeful wishes?
K: Half Life 3. Portal 3. Left ‘3’ Dead. Please, Valve. Anything. I’ll take a logo and a release year. PLEASE. I’d also be thrilled with Fallout 4’s announcement.
G: Hopefully there will BE surprises. It seems like we get more and more announcements ahead of E3 every year.
R: I’m expecting Resident Evil somewhere. And the Last Guardian, finally.
Who will win this year? Who will lose?
G: I think Nintendo has the best potential lineup, and if they come out with guns blazing then they could take it. Otherwise, I think Microsoft could be the come-from-behind winner. I just don’t see Sony having a lot, especially in comparison to the smackdown they laid on Microsoft last year.
R: I’m thinking Microsoft could come out as winner because of their strong first- and third-party lineup (Halo, Forza, Call of Duty, etc.). Meanwhile, I think Ubisoft will come out as loser simply because while they’ll show games that’ll turn out to be decent, none of them will be particularly surprising, especially in regards to Far Cry 4.
G: Yeah, Ubisoft is definitely looking to be the weakest, unless they pull out another surprise.
K: In terms of the “big three”, Nintendo is my clear winner. Such a strong pool of content to pull from and riding the wave of Mario Kart 8 is what will propel them back to the top. I was gonna wait until after E3 to get my Wii U, but Mario Kart 8 was too tempting. Just imagine how people will react after the conference. The loser has to be Sony. They have very little exclusive content to give us. The only possibility would be a Fallout 4 or Mass Effect reveal. At least Ubisoft has games to show that can be hyped up.
That wraps up the 4P Roundtable on E3 Predictions! Thanks for participating, guys.
What do you readers think will be happening at E3 this year? Do the guys here at 4P have it right and are their predictions likely? Let us know what you think of E3’s lineup this year and what to expect. Also let us know what you think of the new Roundtable series. We’d love your feedback in the comments or on the forum.
E3 2014 Retrospective
