July’s E3 opened this year’s convention season with a bang. Coming up a week from today is the next big event in the gaming industry. Gamescom in Cologne is stealing the thunder normally reserved for Leipzig Games Convention, which fizzled this year as Game Convention Online. Luckily, with the promise of some big name titles from some big name companies, it seems that Gamescom will fill the void quite nicely.
One of the biggest questions is what Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony will unveil at this conference. Microsoft just released its new dashboard firmware, so there isn’t much expected from them. With the PS3 slim rumors hitting a fever pitch, it’s hard to tell if Sony will be making an announcement. Maybe Nintendo will take this opportunity to clarify its mind-boggling Wii Vitality Sensor announcement? I have a feeling we’ll be asking all of these questions again right before TGS in September. Gamescom seems like it will be more about the games. And that isn’t a bad thing at all.
Lets take a look at the companies that have confirmed lineups for the show, as well as look into what else we might be able to expect.
Capcom:
Dark Void
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars
Monster Hunter Tri
Spyborgs
Lost Planet 2
MotoGP 09/10
Capcom has a nice lineup of games, all of which are most likely going to be playable on the show floor. Dark Void has been pushed back to an early 2010 release, but it will be nice to see it in action. I recently got a chance to play an import version of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, and I can tell you with total confidence that it is my favorite fighter so far this year (until Tekken 6, I’m sure). The list rounds itself out with Lost Planet 2 and Monster Hunter Tri, making Capcom a big one to watch for exclusive gameplay footage. They are also bringing what they call the Dark Void Body Flying Machine. It is a machine that will float attendees straight up at 180 km/h. Honestly, it sounds like it could kill you, but what’s a game convention without a little danger?
Square Enix:
Dissidia Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy XIV
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Order of War
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Supreme Commander 2
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Mini Ninjas
Pony Friends 2
Ever since Square Enix became the gigantic publisher it is today, their showings have been somewhat lukewarm. It used to be that if you saw Squaresoft on a game box, you were pretty much guaranteed a nearly flawless gaming experience. That’s not to say they don’t have a great lineup of games. But if you would have told me 4 years ago that I would have seen Pony Friends 2, Kingdom Hearts, and Batman all mentioned in the same breath, I would have called blasphemy. Of course, the most anticipated news out of this entire list is anything on Final Fantasy XIV. The community is scraping for more info, and anything SE can throw us will be devoured faster than you can say “Chocobo.” Noticeably absent from the list is Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII. It is speculated that info on these two juggernauts will be revealed sometime between Gamescom and TGS. In other big news, Supreme Commander 2 will be playable for the first time ever on the Gamescom floor.
Namco Bandai:
Tekken 6
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo
One Piece Unlimited Cruise 2
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Family Trainer: Extreme Challenge
Katamari Forever
Champions Online
Namco Bandai has a healthy list of Wii games in the works, one of which has an extremely disturbing name. Family Trainer: Extreme Challenge? Based on title alone, this seems like the most mature Wii game to date. Obviously my first impressions based on title alone are completely wrong, but you can see where I’m coming from. Along with traning families, Namco Bandai promises a set of “major exclusive new announcements” for the show. Oh joy, surprises! Hopefully we can get some more solid info on .hack//Link, the PSP version of the simulated MMO. It currently has no release date, but was listed as being 50% complete as of January 16th, 2009, according to Famitsu.
Bethesda:
WET
Wheelspin
Medieval Games
Brink
Bethesda’s biggest news will likely be Brink. Doesn’t look like it will be playable, but any info will be nice. What we know so far is that it is an online, team-based shooter with RPG and Parkour elements. It’s a change of pace from Bethesda’s usual sprawling open world RPG, which will make it even more interesting to see how it pans out.
Ubisoft:
Avatar
RUSE
Silent Hunter 5
Red Steel 2
Rabbids Go Home
Academy of Champions
Assassin’s Creed 2
Ubisoft has a decent lineup. Nothing extremely new, but it will be interesting to see if they have any new Assassin’s Creed 2 info. RUSE didn’t get enough air time at E3, so I hope the go more in depth with that game, as well. Also, it will be cool to see if they show off the promised 3D aspect of the Avatar game that was announced at their E3 press conference.
EA:
Mass Effect 2
APB
Brutal Legend
Dragon Age: Origins
The Saboteur
Too many others to list…
EA has the biggest showing, with around 20 titles on the show floor. Most of their games are on track for a late 2009/early 2010 release, so a lot of what we will see at Gamscom will be in our hands in a matter of months. I’m most excited for Brutal Legend, although I am avoiding any gameplay footage like the plague. I don’t like spoilers. Between Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, fans of RPG’s won’t be let down, either.
Looking at that list, it’s no question that Gamescom is going to be a HUGE event. With promised announcements from Sony on their Video Service and Namco Bandai’s “exclusives,” it will be a great week for games. Stay tuned to GoGamingGiant next week for all the best breaking news!
