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Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012 • June 4th thru 7th
Watch Microsoft live on Xbox Live or Spike TV.
Watch Sony live on G4 or online at their E3 website.
Watch Nintendo live on Spike, MTV2, or online at their E3 website.
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Conference time quick reference table:

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With just under a month left to go, its almost time to dust off that wizard cap and glance into the next year and beyond of video gaming. So what better time than now to try and pretend we already know what to expect? Its a transitionary time for most everyone involved, with some stemming the tide, others hitting their stride, and the rest out to prove they're still in the fight. So let's take a cursory glance at what to expect from the major players at this year's E3.

Stream Links: Coming soon
What to expect:
- More Kinect games
- More cable and streaming media services
- More apps and entertainment hub products
- Oh yea, games...or something (Known exclusives include Halo 4, Forza 5, and Fable the Journey...and that's about it!)
- No next-gen news
If ever there was a company that just feels the need to do little more than show up, it's Microsoft. With leading sales and at least a year before having to worry about public hardware announcements, this year's Microsoft showing stands to be more boilerplate than ever before.
Games? I think that's the fourth or so tab down in our complete Media Hub Experience®.
The only first party games we know of from Microsoft are Halo 4, Forza 5, and some Fable Journey Kinect game. All have seen the stage last year, so we can't expect them to headline announcements again in 2012. No, Microsoft has made it pretty clear that their media march is the most important thing that only they can offer. We can expect to hear about how their media offerings plan to expand and multiply, including more cable company offerings, more Kinect and Skype functionality, and probably more things that mean so little to the majority of people reading this. So if all Microsoft has to share is more dashboard clutter and changes, where does that leave the rest of their conference?
Hope you like seeing more trailers and awkward live demos!
Can you expect anything else? Microsoft will continue to try and get everyone to think the Kinect is still in this ballgame by continuing last year's stellar performance. The rest of the show should be dominated by third parties, but with Call of Duty already a known and public quantity, it begs the question: will any software headline Microsoft's press conference? Maybe Respawn or Bungie will crash the show to unveil their projects. Will Epic unveil their Minecraft-inspired game Fortnite? Or would it be more realistic to expect important games to be transitioning to next gen, leaving us with a year of sequels and XBLA scraps. There's no telling, but honestly, third parties are the only salvation to any gaming-specific excitement out of Microsoft's press conference.
That's unnecessarily dour. Are you sure that that's it?
That's really all I think Microsoft has to show! Dare they risk teasing their next generation console when sales of the 360 continue to enjoy their lead month after month? Perhaps they would rather sit back and watch the competition this year. The truth of the matter is that buzz surrounding anything Microsoft gaming this year is incredibly low. So buckle up, ready your Gold account, and prepare for more of everything else.

Conference Time: Monday, June 4th - 6:00PM PDT / 9:00PM EST
Stream Links: http://us.playstation.com/e3-2012/
What to expect:
- What the Vita's been needing: games!
- Vita apps, services and firmware updates
- The PS3 software train to keep on rolling (The Last of Us could make its grand gameplay debut, with LBP Karting, Super Smash Sony, and God of War filling in around it)
- PS3 getting in on the media hub action?
- No next-gen console news
- Last Guardian again? Move titles?
Well, if there was anyone that had the most to prove this E3 there would be no better candidate than Sony. While the company at large works on downsizing and restructuring, it's game hardware is suffering varying degrees of success. But if there's one thing you can count on Sony for at E3, its that they bring out the games. And in a year where Microsoft sees gaming as a subset of their plan, this is Sony's chance to grab headlines and turn things around.
Can the Vita rebound? How about some games!
Much to Pete's chagrin, the world at large doesn't share his enthusiasm for Sony's shiny new handheld. While sales in America trail slightly behind those of the 3DS, things back in the motherland of Japan, where handheld gaming is king, are frankly abysmal. And after a fruitful launch lineup, the schedule for continuing Vita releases looks about as bad. Analysts are foaming at the mouth over the importance of mobile gaming while the 3DS rules the Monster Hunter roost in Japan. So what's Sony to do if they can't afford a Nintendo-calibre emergency price drop? To show the world a multitude of games, services, and feature updates of course. This year's E3 for Sony will probably be all about selling the world on their powerful handheld contender. But other than ports and a few select exclusives, not much is known about what the Vita will have to show. This makes E3 full of surprises for the little monster, possibly more than one can handle at once.
Playstation 3 and the Adventures of More Games! Featuring The Last of Us!
While a problem for the Vita in 2012, Playstation 3 has plenty of titles coming into E3 that we can see for a second time. Chief among them, and sure to be the highlight of Sony's show, is The Last of Us. Naughty Dog's known for spectacular E3 showings, and most everyone is pumped to see what the studio can do beyond Uncharted. Expect to finally see some gameplay footage, marking E3 The Last of Us' first large showing since the VGAs and the GI cover story. Other Sony-exclusive highlights include God of War, LittleBigPlanet Karting, and Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. And there's no telling what other surprises Sony has in store for their console or PSN. Maybe we'll even get to see Last Guardian again before it goes back into hiding. Or maybe at least one more Move game?
With that out of the way, how's about stealing a page from Microsoft's playbook?
Though they may have plenty of games to throw at us this E3, it may be foolish to think that Sony would stop there. Expect to see Sony playing catchup with Microsoft, revealing more content partnerships and applications for the PS3 and Vita. Though it may be a safe assumption that Sony may be a little easy on this strategy, leaving any heavy hitters for the upcoming Playstation 4.

Conference Time: Tuesday, June 5th - 9:00AM PDT / 12:00PM EST
Stream Links: http://e3.nintendo.com/
What to expect:
- The Wii U's second unveiling! This time with games! (Known titles include Pikmin 3, Smash Brothers and a possible Mario title)
- More 3DS software (Known upcoming titles include Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion 2, NSMB2 and Paper Mario)
- A dying gasp of support for the Wii?
- No information on Wii U's price point or release date
- Too many Mario games
With its competition treading familiar ground this E3, Nintendo and the Wii U are primed and ready to steal the show. But with the 3DS' gasping uphill battle paired with investors seeing nothing but more red in Nintendo's future, will it be enough? And can the Wii U survive 2013 or 2014's tide of new game systems?
The game console that can't go one conversation without someone bringing up the iPad.
2011 was the proof of concept showing. 2012 is when we expect the details. With the horrible 3DS launch, everyone's interested to see if Nintendo has learned their lesson with the Wii U. While we won't be discovering when and for how much we will be getting the Wii U for, we can expect to see not only what games the system will have to show us, but just how this new-fangled tablet controller can surprise gamers with tailor-made experiences partnered with multiplatform titles with a little something different to show. The only title we know of for the Wii U right now that could make launch is Pikmin 3 (I believe they announced that a Mario title was in the works, but there's no telling if this is something to be excited about or another New SMB title straight from the factory). With Sakurai and his team just getting started on Smash making it a little too early to see, this means that Nintendo's first party companies have some surprises in store. Will we get to see what Retro is working on? How about Monolithsoft's next title? And just what can the Wii U do? Will the online still suck shit (probably)? There are a litany of questions, and hopefully Nintendo will come prepared.
The 3DS is taking a breather. Now's not the time for that!
Since last year's horrendous launch and subsequent price drop, the 3DS has finally been picking up steam. Sales in Japan are looking rosy while the rest of the world begins to fare decently as well. But the software lineup isn't exactly shining. The same 3DS games from last year's E3 continue to rest on the horizon moving into this year's show: Luigi's Mansion 2, Animal Crossing and Paper Mario. And in a desperate move to ease tensions at their profit-less investor meeting, Nintendo let loose their new Mario game, seemingly right out of the NSMB template. So this year it's time to prove that more than just Japanese third parties are making games for this thing. In addition, Nintendo needs to make their online stores a scene of activity, having dabbled with some great titles earlier this year. Perhaps full retail offerings is just the tip of the iceburg that is eShop nirvana. Or maybe its just another item to the list of squandered potential, right after the lousy 3DS Virtual Console track record.
Anything else? And what about the Wii? The internet is running out of dust jokes.
Are Xenoblade, The Last Story, and New Play Control Pikmin 2 the last from the tap that is new Wii software? That's a pretty safe assumption, honestly. Nintendo's ready to move on from the Wii, though maybe not entirely from the DS if Black and White 2 are any clue. The only other big questions for Nintendo this year are if they are finally going to get their act together for all things online. The easy and most sensible answer would be no. But there is a glimmer of hope that their comment on seeking aid for an online setup may make for some interesting news. One can only hope they start treating their digital space as something more than a forgotten hobby.

Conference Times:
- EA: Monday, June 4th - 12:30AM PDT / 3:30PM EST
- Ubisoft: Monday, June 4th - 3:00PM PDT / 6:00PM EST
What to expect:
- Origin chestpounding from EA
- Resident Evil 6 from Capcom
- Assassin's Creed 3 and Wii U support from Ubisoft
- Square Enix's big game for 2012: Tomb Raider (I wouldn't expect anything out of DQX)
- 2K hoping you aren't sick of hearing about Bioshock Infinite and Borderlands 2. Perhaps some GTAV?
- Not THQ! Though Darksiders 2 will probably be present in some form.
- Another thrilling Konami
livestream
Hold on a second. I'm complaining about sequels to video games on the internet.
As our HD consoles start to pack in at least one more year of life, the third parties may be resting with known quantities to see them through. Though some of these games are looking pretty interesting, its hard to get too excited for "known quantities." Can we expect Respawn or Bungie to make waves with announcements or will they simply continue to rest until they can rule the roost on new hardware platforms? There's really no way to tell, but with a good idea of how the holiday is shaping up, it may be safe to assume the third parties will be playing it easy this year...
What about this Vita? Or this Wii U thingie?
...until we get to the freshest bunch of hardware and their relations with third parties. Maybe Pete can tell you better than I can, but the only major third party game I'm aware of for the Vita is Gravity Rush set for early June. And I guess PSO2 from Sega. Meanwhile, the Wii U has everything to prove this year. Other than Ubisoft with Rayman and that original game from last year I forget the name of, we know nothing of how things will be for the Wii U beyond a bunch of ports of games you may just play on hardware you already own (Batman: Arkham City, Aliens, and Assassin's Creed 3 to name a few). Will any third parties have more than just a slide at Nintendo's press conference? Or are we doomed to continue the tradition of less-than-interesting third party launch titles?
Fuck consoles and handhelds. I'm here to show mobile games!
It could happen!
So, there's my exhaustive look into E3 2012. Did I forget some major stuff? Am I way off base? Let me know!
In the meantime, get ready as things begin to heat up as we get closer and closer to June 5th. Expect stream links throughout this post and on the forum header. In addition, online chats will be back in action so we can all gather together and poke fun at press conferences again this year.
































