We’ve spoken a fair bit about the need for Microsoft to come to the party with some big first or second party game announcements. Sony already has an arsenal of in-house games locked and loaded for the next six months (starting immediately with inFamous – review here). Today we received confirmation of sorts that at least one big surprise is due for this year’s E3 conference.
Microsoft’s E3 strategy for media involves a run of four behind-closed-doors demos which you need to opt-in to blindly prior to the event. The nature of what is behind these doors is kept secret you see, although in some cases you don’t have to be Professor Fink to work out what they are. It’s a fair bet that Halo: ODST, for example, takes up one of those slots, but what of the other three? Alan Wake maybe?
One thing is for sure, it sucks when you are trying to manage your busy E3 timetable and you don’t know what you are going to see. Last year, for example, I could fit in two Microsoft demos and one of them turned out be You’re in the Movies… stoked. We got word today, however, that one of the four slots is for an unannounced new AAA exclusive. “AAA†is their word not ours, and it was all we were told. Excitement, much?
Is it a new IP, or is it a sequel? The word ‘unannounced’ removes the likes of Splinter Cell: Conviction, APB, Mass Effect 2, Blue Dragon 2 and the hotly rumoured Duke Nukem: Forever from the possibility list. Technically it could refer to Forza Motorsport 3 which has not been officially announced, although every man and his Valvoline can knows the sucker is coming after a year of consistent leaks. Regular cohorts Lionhead seem to be focused on Fable 2 DLC, Ensemble is dead, Bungie has Halo: ODST and Epic Games are working on additional campaign content for Gears of War 2 (although there is that Nano.Strike rumour...). And Rockstar has told us there will be no GTA IV: Episode II at E3. You know who that leaves? Rare…
So Viva Piñata 3: Epic Whack Off it is!! Nah, just joking. Triple A they reckon: could this be Kojima’s new project? Anyway we could speculate forever: how about you guys tell us what you think it will be in the comments below while we get about making sure we are behind that closed door!
