'Small and intimate', they said, but that won't stop us all getting very excited next Wednesday, as 2007's Electronics Entertainment Expo gets under way in Santa Monica (closing on the Friday). While we're promised a firmer emphasis on business, rather than the attention grabbing glitz and downright posing of consumer-driven expo's of the past - this is still E3, only not as we know it.

So, a low-key opportunity for the press to meet new games and companies to do is on the cards? Well, yes, but we're fairly expectant of a few special announcements none the less, especially with some firms still unable to resist a little teasing beforehand. What we're almost guaranteed less of is the infamous 'booth babes' and neon. The official-sounding E3 Media and Business Summit, as its known, is being held in several prominent hotels and at the Barker Hangar. Though we're sure some companies will still use more traditional tactics in order to catch the eye of the legion journalists still expected to flock to California for the show.

Console conjecture

What will we be looking out for at this year's E3, then? Well, all eyes will surely be on Microsoft, and for signs of major announcements. Microsoft, for one, are promising news on their fresh assault at the Nintendo's 'non-hardcore' audience, with exec promising word on this at E3, having already spoken about the firm's interest in 'peripheral-based' gaming - such as the Wii or series. Something to titillate the mainstream looks likely, then. Meanwhile, some commentators are even looking to a 360 of some kind, in order to give of the console a further poke.

Microsoft are also planning to deliver 'E3 Live' to Live subscribers, hinting that they're clearly plotting something worth shouting about - even if we don't know what it is, yet. Given that last year's E3 saw an exclusive demo hit Live, we could be in for a similar treat or two from this year's show. Indeed, with promising something related to Project Gotham Racing 4 at the show, would it be a leap to suggest we might get an early look at the eagerly awaited racer? The developer will also be showing their title, The Club, at the event.

What of Sony and the PS3? Well, we already suspect that 2 might put in an appearance but with plotting something secret we'd be very surprised if Sony didn't announce something special themselves. A price-cut is perhaps too much to hope for, but a raft of new first party titles must surely be on the cards given noises about such made by execs leading up to the show. With senior bosses at Sony Computer Entertainment having also revealed that a slimline of sorts is also in the pipeline, the more optimistic commentator might even be on the look out for news of that.

Likewise, Nintendo have been conspicuously quiet on their E3 plans, though as with Sony, new first-party titles must be a strong possibility, with the Big N looking to cement the Wii's rising-star status, many already tipping the motion-controlled console for market leadership.

Overall, then, we'll be expecting signs from Microsoft that they're not going to let the Wii overtake the 360, by announcing products tapping into this very market, Sony will be looking to prove the critics wrong with game-related announcements that show the PlayStation is still the console to beat - while Nintendo will be hoping to demonstrate more of the same 'disruptive' gaming, as the Wii entices new audiences to the medium.

And the rest...

What other highlights will we be keeping our eagle eyes out for? 3 from for starters, with something playable top of the wish list. We'd also like to see more of from EA, other than dodgy old videos from YouTube and ancient leeked screenshots. have been very quiet lately, and could wow us with some new game news, and we'd simply love to see something of the variety. Microsoft will hopefully be showing BioWare's in some form, which is good because we're keen to see how that's going, too.

Other big names we might hope to learn more of include IV, which remains a fairly vague proposition despite an October release looming, while Sierra are promising something new, and dare we hope for news from to boot? World in Conflict is likely to feature prominently, as is TimeShift, while elsewhere we seriously hope (nay expect) playable copies of to give us fresh clues about this tantalising release. might also show us more on EndWar, that Beowulf game, and Splinter Cell: Conviction, what's more the publisher could even have a surprise or two in store. We hope.

Moving swiftly along, we're hopeful of something on the unofficial 2 title from Warner and Monolith, while some new game announcements from wouldn't be out of the question. Likewise, will hopefully give us a firmer impression on Sid Meier's Civilization - with perhaps another look at prior to launch on the cards?

Sega's line-up is already looking particularly strong, highlights being The Golden Compass game, Rally, Universe at War and NiGHTS on the Wii. We might also snoop-around for word on Gas Powered Games' new title. 3 will almost inevitably put in an appearance in some form, and it would be good to learn more of the singleplayer game - recent announcements having focussed on the side of things. Then there's Unreal Tournament 3, which are expected to show off, which is by its very nature all about the online play.

Newly formed publisher Gamecock (from the chap that brought us The Gathering of Developers back in the day) are expected to make a splash (via the "Anti-E3" Expo for Interactive Entertainment, Independent and Original [E.I.E.I.O]), showing off their portfolio of original offerings, while word on SimCity Societies or from / would also go down a treat. A few surprises from doesn't appear beyond the realms of possibility, though we've no word on whether we'll be given a look at Devil May Cry 4, or indeed 5, yet. With Eidos' line-up looking fairly bare at present, we'll be looking for revelations from them - perhaps pertaining to or Hitman... or something else entirely.

Konami are keeping very quiet about their plans - which may mean they haven't got anything up their sleeve, or that they're biding their time. We'd predictably like to see more of the new for PS3, or perhaps fresh goodies related to Pro Evo, but time will have to tell. SquareEnix are in attendance at this year's show, but are also proving illusive when it comes to their plans. Something on The Last Remnant seems likely, while we'd love to learn more on the latest for PS3, but who knows.

A smorgasbord of other publishers and developers are in attendance, and no doubt a few games not mentioned here will catch the eye, though given the new format for the expo its unclear quite how significant an event this will prove to be versus the hedonism of past shows.

Wrapping things up, it seems likely that E3 companies will focus by-and-large on existing products, though there may be a few notable exceptions. Industry watcher Dean Takahashi is expecting few headline-grabbing surprises, telling Crunch Gear that he is "not expecting earth-shaking news out of E3," while Gamecock boss Mike Wilson even thinks the show may be a bitter disappointment; a painful reminder of E3's past glories, telling Crunch Gear: "I’d imagine the press will do their required appointments with the wall street publishers’ PR slacks and then dash off to write their lamentations of E3’s of yore, perhaps just before rediscovering their enthusiasm at EIEIO or maybe even the independent games showcase at Barker Hangar. In the end, many glasses will be raised to the E3 that is forever dead, the one we loved to hate so much, and to new hangovers closer to the beach."

Rest assured, whether turns out to be the final death rattle of what was once the industry's most important event, or the re-emergence of the show in an easier-to-swallow form, we'll be on-hand, caffeine-infused, to deliver all the news, as it happens.

By Luke Guttridge

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  1. Charles Unregistered 2 years ago

    To be honest, I have been losing interest in E3 for the past three years, and by now, I think this is more overhyped than ever before. If E3 were to open its doors and allow some of the consumers to enter the expo, maybe things might become more interesting. Other than that, if E3 loses everyone's interest, promoting rights through the media might begin to lose steam.