The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which takes place in Los Angeles this coming Wednesday through Friday, is supposed to be one of the most exciting times of the year for both game players and game makers. It's also supposed to be a trove of story ideas for reporters like me.
Then why do I feel so apathetic about this year's show?
Perhaps because the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, DS, and PSP are all mid-cycle. No one expects to see successors to any of these platforms for at least a couple of years. That means the chances of scoping any significant new hardware this year are next to nil. I don't mean to push for the release of next-generation consoles-years of good gaming can and should be squeezed from existing machines-but with the likelihood of laying eyes on shiny new hardware decreased, E3 loses some of its appeal.
Of course, the traditional benefit of being mid-cycle is that the industry's focus shifts to games. Developers have plenty of experience with existing platforms and use that knowledge to help create exciting new software. The problem here is that the industry is currently suffering from a very bad case of sequelitis.
Far Cry 2. Gears of War 2. Killzone 2. Resistance 2. Fable 2. Mercenaries 2. StarCraft 2. Rock Band 2. Just Cause 2. Saints Row 2. Diablo 3. Fallout 3. Soul Calibur 4. Street Fighter 4. Resident Evil 5. The list of games ending in numbers expected to be on display at E3 this year is almost endless. Even many of those that don't trail off with digits- Prince of Persia, Samba de Amigo, Bionic Commando, Sonic Unleashed, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Halo Wars, to name just a few-still belong to existing franchises.
I've nothing against sequels; I play and enjoy them all the time. However, they represent known entities, which are always less mysterious (and consequently less exciting) than a fresh, new intellectual property from a talented studio. Ergo, follow-ups don't factor all that heavily in my pre-E3 buzz equation.
And of the software expected to be shown that doesn't fit the sequel category, much will consist of titles that the gaming community has been aware of for years, such as EA's species simulator Spore, Sony's bizarre looking LittleBigPlanet, and DICE's open-world shooter, Mirror's Edge.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe this time next week I'll be tapping out a post about E3's unveiling of a dozen brand new and innovative games. It is, after all, the prerogative of developers to keep their cards close to their chests until the show's doors open. But I have a hunch that I'll instead be filing missives about the better guns and bigger levels of the latest games in existing franchises.