The Most Anticipated Games For E3 2012

Wii U [Nintendo]

Nintendo's little white console that could is now yesterday's news. At E3, Nintendo must deliver a flash-bang of amazement and delight with the Wii U and demonstrate how the Wii U's tablet controller will be utilized for games—not just tech demos like last year. Because casual gamers have moved onto the next fad, hardcore, more mature games need to be a major focus... but Nintendo should never forget that their fans of any age still love The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Mario. Full launch details, sans a price tag, are expected, as is an announcement of a true Nintendo-branded competitor to Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network, complete with friends lists, invites, gamerscores, and full-scale digital distribution in tow. ~Anthony




Tomb Raider [Square Enix]

Let's face it. The huge boobs, the movies, the steady, persistent decline in game quality, and the complete lack of depth have made Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise somewhat... meh. So what's Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics left to do? How about a complete series reboot, a ship crash on a mysterious island filled with crazies, and some truly brutal environments. ~Daniel
 

SimCity [Electronic Arts]

Electronic Arts revealed SimCity as a surprise during an off-site event at the Game Developers Conference this year to the rousing applause of the audience. After EA began concentrating on The Sims series and every sequel and expansion thereof, it seemed as if the originator, Sim City, would be sidelined indefinitely, well, at least since 2003 with SimCity 4. But now, it's making a comeback, which means I finally get revenge on a series that I played as a child and never understood. Now I'm a full-grown adult... so maybe I won't do any better. Either way, I've got cities to build and ruin... intentionally. ~Nick




The Last of Us [Naughty Dog, Sony]

True survival horror, not that action horror, has been more about schlepping around and solving puzzles than it has about storytelling, character relationships, and cinematics. But The Last of Us, being developed by the kings of blockbuster movie-like setpieces, Naughty Dog, will change that. You'll fall in love with Ellie's innocence and Joel's protective paternal instincts... then pant-shittingly panic when the fungi-infected "humans" try to make cream of mushroom soup out of them. ~Anthony




Assassin's Creed III [Ubisoft]

In the landscape of war and violence that is the American Revolution, no one is safe, not even the little drummer boy. If he's a templar, he's as good as dead because Ubisoft and their team of developers led by Ubisoft Montreal are bringing a new face to the Assassin's Creed franchise and the Creed's centuries-long war. Just how close will we come to stabbing George Washington? ~Daniel

Halo 4 [343 Industries]

I don't even play Halo, and I'm anticipating Halo 4. All of the fanfare and anxiety about how the new developer 343 Industires will handle the beloved franchise is palpable... and it's affecting me. But the concept of a more personal story with Master Chief, and the interesting multiplayer mode that takes place on the UNSC Infinity, specifically how that ties into the single-player campaign, both give an air of mystery that we hope Microsoft will disperse at their early E3 press conference on Monday. Hopefully, its release date won't be tattooed or anything. ~Nick




The Last Guardian (aka The Super Long Shot) [Sony]

Um... are they still even making this? Didn't everyone quit the project? Oh yeah!... The amazing stuff that Fumito Ueda has already created is now in the capable hands of some of Sony's best Western developers, so we hear. Ueda is still overseeing the project on a freelance basis, ensuring that his vision of perfection is met with success. While it's not looking good for The Last Guardian, we still have to keep our hopes high that our friendly cat-bird-thingy takes flight during Sony's E3 Press Conference, and a release date is finally announced. A real release date. ~Anthony