E3 2011 Predictions: Day Two

E3 is next week, which means loads of announcements, system news, and other assorted gaming information. To prepare for the hype, the editors at Game Informer have gazed into their respective crystal balls and are bringing you the results. In our first day, we focused our predictions on the NGP, Nintendo's next system, and how Sony plans to deal with the PSN outage fallout. Today, we're speculating on HBO Go, Duck Tales, and more.

Joe
Capcom's new Devil May Cry is going to make a reappearance in some form. However, after all of the backlash surrounding Dante's redesign when the game was first revealed, I think we're going to see a new design for the character that leans more toward his classic look.

Phil
For years now, a portion of Microsoft’s E3 show has been dedicated to its consoles growing suite of non-gaming applications, from Twitter to Netflix to ESPN. With the huge level of praise from the recent HBO Go app on iPhone/iPad, I think getting that service onto the 360 is a no-brainer.

Adam
Nintendo: New hardware. Fanboys cry a little bit. First-party stuff looks awesome. Two or three high-profile 3rd party announcements (Metal Gear? Modern Warfare? Final Fantasy?). Smoke and mirrors about how the 3DS is doing amazing, no really, it's an awesome device that consumers love, we promise.

Bertz
The Year Of The Tablet: Sony’s NGP and Nintendo’s new console will garner all the E3 headlines, but I expect to see more tablet games than ever before as well. With over 15 million iPads sold last year and the iPad 2 flying off shelves in 2011, Apple’s new must-have gadget is becoming an alluring gaming platform for those looking for new revenue sources. I expect publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and THQ to announce extensive support for the fledgling gaming destination with new titles for popular brands like The Sims, EA Sports games, and Assassin’s Creed.

Matt
Nintendo announces that Rockstar is developing a new IP exclusive for Project Café. Nintendo says its serious about third party games this time around, and nothing would go further to prove this than a new Rockstar IP. It would also show that this system is aimed at pleasing the hardcore crowd.

Kato
I think this could be the year that Microsoft’s gradual weaning off of first-party partners comes to bite it in the butt when it comes to good, hardcore games for the Xbox 360. Certainly we’ll see a Gears of War Kinect title and Forza 4, but I think their software announcements are going to be very Kinect-focused titles from third-parties. While the peripheral definitely needs a second wave of games, non-Kinect gamers need some titles too, and this is where Microsoft’s lack of strong first-party franchises could be detrimental.

Bryan
Sony and Microsoft ignore Move and Kinect. Maybe this is just wishful thinking after both companies focused almost solely on motion gaming initiatives at last year’s E3, but I hope the arm swinging and dancing is kept to a minimum this time. After all, the Kinect and Move game lineups have been nearly bone dry after launch. Unfortunately, this could very well mean Microsoft and Sony are saving up ALL their announcements for E3.

Miller
Call it wishful thinking, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that we could finally see a Duck Tales game, developed by Spector's Junction Point, and published by Disney. Consider the facts. Spector has repeatedly expressed his desire to create a game in the Duck Tales universe utilizing some of his favorite characters in the Disney canon. Disney's Epic Mickey helped Junction Point get their feet wet in both the Disney universe and with character-driven action platform games. Spector has recently begun writing the Duck Tales comic book (issue 1 is on store shelves now) where he shows a keen eye for understanding the characters and world of the beloved series. Whether Uncle Scrooge and his nephews are out to solve a mystery or rewrite history, we'd be first in line to check out Spector's video game take on one of our favorite childhood memories.

Annette
Tears will be shed during the Nintendo press conference as the company unveils its latest console. It also wouldn’t be terribly surprising if Nintendo reveals a new Zelda title, either for 3DS or Project Café (more tears will be shed). With the disappointing launch lineup of the 3DS I’m guessing Nintendo has to have a few surprises up its sleeve with releases starring its most iconic characters. A 2D Metroid would be killer. Also, it’s about time that Yoshi gets his own game again.

Microsoft is going to be the wild card this E3. Sony has NGP and Xperia, Nintendo has Project Café, so where does that leave Microsoft? Kinect integration rumors in triple-A titles such as Mass Effect 3 have been circulating, which would be a great way to finally expand the sensor’s library if done right. A new Halo will inevitably be announced and other than that I wouldn’t be surprised if the company comes out swinging with an announcement of a big new IP. Also, with Microsoft’s work with Rare on Kinect, I have a feeling Conker and Banjo-Kazooie could make a comeback.

Jeff
The rivalry between Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and EA's Battlefield 3 will wage on, with members of both development teams saying a bunch of dumb (and deliciously quotable) things about their competition. One or both of these games will be launch releases for Nintendo's upcoming system, too.

Ben
I suspect that Sony’s NGP will be one of the talks of the show. Not only will many members of the press get their hands on the unit for the their first time, but I’m anticipating several big announcements about the system. For one, I think we’ll get a more final name for the system. Secondly, I suspect that we’ll receive details about a release date and price. My money is on a March 2012 release for around $250. Go ahead and prove me wrong, Sony.

Tim
Last year it was Nintendo which surprised us with the surprise hardware announcement of the Nintendo 3DS. Months later Sony revealed the NGP and Xperia Play, new PlayStation-branded handhelds set to compete in the portable gaming market. Who’s next up to bat for a hardware announcement? Microsoft. While everyone's eyes are set on Nintendo’s new console going into E3, I think Microsoft will surprise everyone with some exciting new technology.

Jeff M
Sorcery: Considering the lethargic launch of PlayStation Move, Sony will likely want to use E3 to remind players that the motion-sensing peripheral still exists, and to do that the company will need to show off some games that are more than just mini-game collections. My bet is that Sony will show off Sorcery, the only PlayStation Move demo that people really cared about when the peripheral debuted. We still have no idea what kind of game Sorcery will be, but it’s hard to imagine Sony would ignore the buzz the game garnered and not have a developer working on it.

Ben Hanson
When thinking about my anticipation for E3, everything pales in comparison relative to Nintendo’s press conference. I think that this will be the second year in a row where Nintendo blows everyone away. My dream is that they will announce a new Yoshi’s Island game, but my concrete prediction is that Retro Studios will unveil a new Metroid Prime game for Project Café.