E3 is considered the SuperBowl of the gaming industry and it is a mere 5 weeks away and with the recent announcement of God of War: Ascension coming to the PS3, gamers have been clamoring for more information about the title and what we can expect to see from it. Well, the best place that one would think that we would see more is E3. E3 is perfect place to highlight the best videogames for what some gamers call the best company. Sony has always had the habit of announcing exclusive titles before the event. This is the case with them announcing a New God of War and PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale on GameTrailers. What is left for them to announce? Well, let us examine what we know, have heard, and can expect.

What we know so far…

Let’s take a look at we know so far in terms of videogames that Sony has announced which will most certainly be making a splash at E3 this year. Games among the likes of LittleBigPlanet Karting, God of War Ascension, The Last of US, Sly Cooper 4 and other exclusives titles are poised to make a big splash at this year’s E3. The reason why we really have not heard much about these titles, aside from the little screenshots or random press releases relating to those said games is due mainly in part to E3 coming up so soon.

What I am looking forward to is seeing brand new never before seen gameplay footage for each of the titles that I have mention above. The Last of Us by Naughty Dog is a title that many gamers are looking forward to because everyone and their mothers know that Naughty Dog is one of the best first party studios in the industry. Creating smash franchise after franchise will make you reach that status. Although The Last of Us is a title that we have not seen much of gameplay wise besides screenshots, it is promising but it is not a bombshell surprise, which people would not expect.

Actually, any of the pre-announced titles are not bombshell announcements. Sony needs to have an announcement like when Valve’s Gabe Newell took the stage and announced Portal 2 for the PS3 with steamworks. I just want to note that I am hoping Final Fantasy versus XIII is shown or mentioned with some gameplay at least. (It is the least that they could do after having us wait 6 to 8 years for this title) Then there is also Rockstar’s Agent which was announced Eons ago as a PS3 exclusive and then there is The Last Guardian. (Nothing more to say about that) Many potential games to show that probably will not be shown until a later date. What does this mean for the PS3? Nothing really if you ask me, it just means that Sony is opening the floodgates (hopefully) to announce what gamers can expect for the PS Vita later this year or early 2013.

The newly released handheld had a decent launch lineup, but seems to have disappeared off of the face of the earth with all of flash it moved onto the street with. Now I’m expecting the PS Vita to have a lot of new things announced for it when it comes time. We still have to take into account Zone of the Enders HD for the Vita and Final Fantasy X. These are both titles that many gamers no matter what the age will be looking forward to see.

What we have heard, thus far….

We have heard a lot of rumors around the industry. The biggest rumor was the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royal being developed by Super Bot Entertainment and then earlier in the year we all heard about a potential God of War 4. Alas, some of these rumors held some weight and to gamers’ delights came true. The next few titles are not rumors in the same sense of the word, but go along with the trend that we have noticed over the past couple of years. Killzone 4 could come to fruition in the next few months along with a potential new title from Sucker Punch Games, which would most certainly be Infamous 3.

These are franchise that hold heavy weight for the PS3 and they could sell very well according to VGchartz with the games (Killzone 3 and Infamous 2) selling 2.23 million and 1.17 million in its global worldwide sells. It would be a shame for them not to pursue these franchises more extensively while being in good taste. I really hope that there is some potential to see a Heavenly Sword 2 or maybe even a brand new IP from Sony Santa Monica Studios from the rumored shooter that they are working on.

I know I talked a lot about the PS3, but we also must not forget the PS Vita and the powerhouse handheld that it is. If we can see some new exclusive Ip’s like a brand spanking new RPG on the go that would please a lot of gamers. That would be awesome!

What we can expect to see…

E3 most of the time boils down to a certain formula, certain announcements are leaked days and sometimes hours/mins before press conferences. If we take out all of these spoiled surprises and talk about the trend that Sony most likely follows, there are a few things to look forward to if you are a PS3 gamer. Greatest Hits titles are usually announced at or around E3 time so be on the lookout for some of the best-selling and unique PlayStation titles to be selling for cheaper than usual. This is pretty much my favorite announcement, as I am a major cheap shopper myself.

PlayStation is always a year after major focus for Sony and the PlayStation brand. PSN + whether you like it or not is something that the company doesn’t seem to be giving up on anytime soon. I expect that we will see a lot more major items and plans to make the service grow. I’m thinking we will see more of an emphasis on the handheld market like the Xperia Play in combination with PSN +.

Online services are almost a must in this day and age. Xbox has ESPN and HBOGO, while the PS3 has Amazon Video, Vudu, and both consoles having Netflix. The anatomy of gaming consoles have evolved from being just hardware that play games, but devices that play games, movies and stream videos + music. Even the PlayStation Vita is following that trend with social apps on the device like Foursquare, Skype, Facebook, and Twitter. The Vita is becoming a device that not only holds entertainment purposes, but also serves as a hub for social interaction. I suspect that we can expect to see more announcements and services for the PSN that will further expand on the notion that not just Sony, but all companies seem to be adopting. I suspect that we will see more services and apps coming to both of the devices and they will of course be announced at E3. Who knows, maybe we will see Steam come to the PS3 announced at their press conference.

Summary of the Article just in case you did not bother read. Here is what I think we may see from Sony at E3.   

• LittleBigPlanet Karting Gameplay
• PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale Gameplay
• God of War Ascension Gameplay
• New Greatest Hits Titles
• New Vita Titles
• The Last of Us Gameplay
• PS3 Price Cut
• The Last Guardian Trailer
• Agent??
• Final Fantasy Versus XIII (Gameplay?)
• PS Vita Games: Final Fantasy X and Zone of Enders HD Collection
• Killzone 4??
• Infamous 3??

In conclusion, Sony may have a good showing at E3 if they give gamers what they want to see. Personally, I believe we all want to see new IP’s and exclusive titles, but I really think that this year the emphasis is going to be on games, content, and Vita. I really do not think that they are going to be showing off a new console at this year’s press conference unless it is behind closed doors to select media. If you have, any additional comment, questions, concerns, or thoughts, please post them below and we will come to a conclusion together.

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