Excited for E3

Today marks the beginning of one of the most exciting times to be a gamer.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, otherwise known as E3, starts today. It’s the industry’s largest showcase for the major gaming companies, which reveal upcoming games  for the Christmas season and beyond.

Microsoft Corp. will lead off the conference.

Though the launch of the Xbox One was by no means a failure, it still lags behind the PlayStation 4, despite a price cut in some areas and the bundling of what was supposed to be its killer app, “Titanfall.”

The new head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has announced his intention to rebrand the Xbox One as a gaming console by removing the Kinect Sensor and selling the console itself at $399.

Emphasis will be placed on the AAA exclusives, such as “Quantum Break,” “Forza Horizon 2” and, of course, “Halo 5: Guardians.”

Electronic Arts will go next.

Word from the Twitterverse is that EA will show off six new games. One of these, “Battlefield: Hardline,” is already confirmed. 

We can also expect emphasis on its cash cow franchises, “Madden 15” and “FIFA 15.”

The other potential jackpots from EA could be “Star Wars: Battlefront,” which is being developed by Battlefield developer DICE, or BioWare’s latest entry in the “Dragon Age” franchise.

Ubisoft’s conferences have always been interesting.

Aisha Tyler will emcee the ceremony, as Yves Guillmont and his heavy French accent will once again lead the charge for the French-Canadian developer.

Games confirmed for this year include yet another “Assassin’s Creed”,  “Far Cry 4” and “Tom Clancy’s The Division.”

Ubisoft has usually ended its conference with a Steve Jobs-style “one more thing,” which has always excited the press and the gaming community.

Sony will anchor the conference as it, like Microsoft, will try to prove that its console is the one to buy this Christmas.

Unlike Microsoft, Sony has been keeping its cards closer to its chest. As a result, Sony’s games are a bit harder to predict.

We do know for certain that “The Last of Us: Remastered,” “DriveClub,” “The Order: 1886” and third-party titles “Assasssin’s Creed: Unity” and “Destiny” will almost certainly be displayed in some form.

But we can only guess what we’ll see for the rest of the conference.

Nintendo will have another Nintendo Direct the day after the conference, where rumors say we will finally get a glimpse at a new “Super Smash Bros,” as well as a much anticipated “Legend of Zelda” title for the Wii U.

Bethesda will likely appear at either Microsoft or Sony’s conference in some capacity, but an announcement of “Fallout 4” is unlikely.

Finally, Rockstar has not traditionally appeared at E3, but it could make a surprise
appearance.

Get ready for some great games.

mjsu@indiana.edu