BrockTalk

In just three days, the biggest video game conference of the year will finally arrive. E3 is where the big 3 companies known as Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft unveil their plans for the next year in regards to their home video game consoles. As an avid video gamer myself you can probably guess that I'm pretty excited for the event and all of the big announcements that will be made. Although dozens of rumors precede E3 each year, until the day arrives we never quite know what to expect, but it's always fun to guess. Here is my breakdown of what my expectations from each company are, and my hopes and wishes from each.

SONY
I think I became a Sony fanboy at heart the second I picked up the original Playstation, and the Playstation 2 and 3 have only continued to capitalize on this fact. Though I own all three major consoles and have a love for video games all around, it's Sony's press conference that I'm always the most excited about.

Sony will no doubt have some major focus this year on their two new technologies; the Move and 3D implementation into their system, but these are just two things that I honestly care very little about. 3D has yet to impress me at the movies so buying a new TV and 3D glasses to experience this fad at home is probably not going to happen any time soon. The Move is Sony's attempt to capitalize on the Wii's popularity by bringing some of that market into the Sony's HD arena with one-to-one control precision. While the Wii can sometimes be fun in a group setting, throwing my arms around to play a video game is just not the least bit appealing to me the majority of the time.What does and always has excited me about Sony's product is their game library, so here's hoping that they don't spend too much time with the Move and 3D and give me what I really want, GAMES!

The game I'm probably most excited to see, but whose existence is still yet unconfirmed is Resistance 3. Developer Insomniac always has presence at Sony's conferences and this year should no different. I fully expect this game to be announced, and my hope is that the awesome co-op mode of Resistance 2 makes a glorious return, while the scope and scale of the single player campaign can be merged back with what made the original Resistance so good.

The just announced Infamous 2 will no-doubt get some major stage time, and while the character redesign of Cole has received some flak I'm interested to see this game in action. The Last Guardian, Rockstar's new IP announced at last year's E3, Agent, and possibly even an Uncharted 3 teaser are all expected to be covered, but what I'm really hoping for is a new major franchise from one of Sony's major developers, maybe even from Sony itself. With the God of War series kind of wrapping up, will Sony Santa Monica have a new IP in store for us?

NINTENDO
My Wii spends a lot of time gathering dust, but I own Nintendo's console for three reasons; Zelda, Mario, and Metroid in that order. With Metroid releasing sometime this year and Mario already seeing two major releases, that leaves only Zelda. I know Zelda has technically already been on the Wii, but it was really no more than a ported over Gamecube game. We know that Nintendo has been working on a new Zelda, and it is fully expected to finally be revealed in a matter of days. If Nintendo follows through with this reveal, and promises that it will be released within the next year, that's all I will need from their conference. Obviously, Nintendo should have much more in store for us however. The Wii is losing ground fast to Sony and Microsoft's consoles which means Nintendo needs to announce some major shake ups to stay in the lead. Nintendo is known for being non-traditional when it comes to the path they follow, and while I don't play the Wii all that much Nintendo has proved time and again that they are geniuses. I can't wait to see what else they have up their sleeve.

MICROSOFT
Last and my least anticipated conference is Microsoft's X-Box. I can't really tell you the exact reason why I have a secret hate for Microsoft's console, but nothing has ever really excited me much when it comes to the X-Box. When it comes down to it I really think it's the games. Microsoft's two major franchises are Halo and Gears of War, which will both make appearances at the show. While these are good games, neither one puts a fire in me the way Sony's and Nintendo's major franchises do. This year Microsoft is expected to put major focus on its' motion controller currently code-named Project Natal. What we've seen from this technology so far is very intriguing, but again I really don't feel like spending the time I play video games jumping around like and idiot. Video game time is sit back and relax time, and while I think Microsoft's technology will open up many interesting opportunities, I'm just hoping it's in other ways other than throwing my arms around to play a game. If Microsoft really wants to capture my attention they need to show me they can release a great game that has a captivating story with personality, looks great, and is something other than a shooter.

Though I obviously have my favorites, I truly cannot wait to see what all three companies have in store for us come Monday as a single announcement could shake up the console war and change the game drastically. While Sony is still king in my heart, sales speak otherwise as the Wii has dominated this generation of consoles. With the gap closing quickly however, this is the opportune moment for Sony to recapture its' crown or for Microsoft to obtain it for the first time. Monday can't come fast enough.