Missing in Action: The Games That Weren't At E3

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Posted June 24, 2010 - By Kevin Kelly

The Games That Weren't At E3

E3 is one of the biggest landmarks for the gaming industry. It looms like Mount Everest in the middle of every year, and sounds a beckoning horn about not only what's going to come out that holiday season, but what you'll be anticipating for the next year. Or longer! We'll never forget Alan Wake being announced at E3 2005.

For the people who write about video games, a lot of E3 means playing the guessing game. Will company X be showing off game Y that they talked about two years ago? Are any of those rumors about game Z true? Will there be a high-profile game flameout during the show? Which one of the Big 3 will win with a seismic announcement?

Most of the time, we like to think we get things right, but our internal sensors pinged over what was missed. You've read our list of the Best of E3 2010. now heck out the list of games we thought we'd hear about ... but didn't.

The Last Guardian E3 2009 Trailer »

The Last Guardian

Heavily teased to much acclaim at last year's E3, The Last Guardian was a complete no-show this year, and Team Ico was nowhere to be found. Apparently the game isn't ready to show publicly yet, despite the "official" appearance of a trailer at last year's E3 (it had leaked online weeks earlier), and we hope this doesn't mean that it now looks terrible. Last year, people were ready to cry when they saw the above trailer (and yes this includes me, dammit), but we got zip this year. I can only pray that this means that they are hard at work on the game right now and working up something impressive for the Tokyo Game Show.

Uncharted 2 screenshot

Uncharted 3

This hasn't even been announced yet, but with all the awards and accolades the game raked in, you know they're working on a sequel. You don't win game of the year several times over and then just drop off the radar ... unless you're working on a huge sequel. I fully expected a title or just a screen to get floated for this at Sony's press conference, but sadly nothing happened. Not that an announcement for this would have surprised us, but it would have gotten us more excited than ... a new PSP advertising campaign. And who are we kidding, it totally would have surprised (and delighted) us.

Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 Teaser »

Batman: Arkham Asylum 2

This game isn't even a secret, but it was nowhere to be found at E3 this year. After a big introductory splash last year, we haven't heard anything more except a few leaks from voice actors. Would it have killed Warner Interactive to throw us bata-bone? After all, the Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year edition came out last month, and we know the game is coming. Why not a new teaser trailer? An appearance by Mark Hamill? The Bat-signal shining from the roof of the convention center? Barring anything featuring gameplay, they could have just handed out Batman logo stickers to keep us happy. Or maybe free comic books. With any luck, we'll hear more about this game at Comic-Con next month.

The Games That Weren't At E3

Resistance 3

This series feels far from finished, and Insomniac recently announced they were working on several new games ... but they didn't tell us what they were. Also, there was a Resistance 3 billboard spotted as a prop in a Columbia Pictures (owned by Sony) movie that is filming for an early 2011 launch, so it's safe to say this game is on the way. So why not tell us about it, Sony? You had the perfect opportunity at your E3 press conference, even if it was just a logo for the game. Just saying, "Yes, it's coming" would have sent spasms of joy through the legion of fanboys.

Project Natal Milo E3 2009 Trailer »

Milo

Seriously, did Milo drown in that creek he's so fond of? After a ginormous appearance at E3 2009, he was nowhere to be found this year. Absolutely not a word. Apparently they were showing Milo off to "celebrities" behind closed doors, so he could learn who they are. I really wonder if Justin Bieber was a part of that crowd. "Hello, Justin! I just loooove your music! Draw me a picture! Dance for me! DEAR GOD GET ME OUT OF HERE!" As much hype as Milo got last year, I'm totally surprised he wasn't back. Surely he's learned something in the intervening weeks and months. Or maybe what he learned was how to escape.

The Games That Weren't At E3 Half-Life

Half-Life

Half-Life 2, Episode 3? Half-Life 3? Half-Life anything? While the announcement of Portal 2 coming to the PS3 was indeed a surprise, it's the only thing Valve gave us. We know something is going on with Half-Life, so where's the news? Why must you toy with us like this? Don't you know we have emotions, even though we've murdered thousands of Companion Cubes? We love Portal and we love Left 4 Dead, but we really want to know that we'll be visiting Gordon Freeman again sometime soon. That crowbar ain't gonna swing itself.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 Leaked Footage »

Beyond Good & Evil 2

It's been seven long years since the original game came out, and Ubisoft has confirmed that this game has been in development for awhile ... so why have we only seen the "leaked" footage above? Which looks amazing, by the way. If this game really is still in development, why not just trot this leaked footage out, and tell us it's officially official? Give us something, Ubisoft, rather than trotting out Battle Tag and Innergy, both of which are better suited for the Consumer Electronics Show, and not the rabid fanbase of E3 video gamers.

I Am Alive

Is this game still alive? While the first trailer was shown at E3 2008, we heard nothing about it this year. But then a mysterious video surfaced online. Did Ubisoft decide to pull it from their press conference for some reason? After all, the FTP site for Ubisoft E3 press conference assets included the entirely awesome Scott Pilgrim vs. The World video game trailer, but that was an E3 no-show as well. Did I Am Alive suffer the same fate? Perhaps our own Stephen Johnson's E3 earthquake prediction scared them off. But it would have been one heck of a promotion.

Pikmin 3 Development Reportedly

Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 was confirmed to be in development by Miyamoto himself at E3 2008, but was still a no-show this year. Maybe Nintendo was afraid the game would get buried in the onslaught of Nintendo 3DS announcements, since it's being developed for the Wii. But here's my pitch: a silhouette of Pikmin appears onscreen, and then a herd of the little guys carry a giant 3 past. The crowd goes wild, right? All Reggie would have had to say is: "And we're not forgetting about Pikmin. They'll be back soon on the Nintendo Wii, and we're also bringing them to the 3DS." Just because it's hard to believe they won't be pushing it onto their brand-new baby as well.

The Games That Weren't At E3

Resident Evil Portable

Sony announced Resident Evil Portable for the PSP last year, so where is it now? It was being designed with the PSP Go in mind, and that handheld device hasn't exactly been tearing up the sales charts ... has it been dumped? Are they reworking it? Did it succumb to one of the strains of the T-Virus? Inquiring minds want to know. There's wasn't as much love thrown at the PSP as we would have liked during Sony's E3 presser ... and this is a title that would have helped tip the scales back in their favor. And speaking of the PSP ...

The Games That Weren't At E3

PSP 2

Rumors abounded earlier this year that a PSP 2 (or a redesigned PSP Go) would be shown off at E3 2010, but that obviously didn't happen. It would have felt a bit premature, since it feels like only yesterday that the PSP Go came out, but the thing does need a redesign. Especially one that incorporates an analog nub on the right side. Sony obviously loves their hardware, and they love their 3D. Maybe they've gone back to the drawing board with 3D in mind, and with the success of the Nintendo 3DS at the show, I wouldn't be surprised if that were now the official case.

Missing in Action: The Games That Weren't At E3

Rockstar

Yes, we knew in advance that they wouldn't be at E3 this year, but they missed a huge opportunity to tout L.A. Noire, Max Payne 3, and even the new DLC Multiplayer for Red Dead Redemption that just came out this week. Heck, they could have had multiplayer kiosks set up with that while trailers for Max Payne and L.A. Noire ran on a giant screen, with a Grand Theft Auto V logo wedged inbetween them and had long lines. With L.A. Noire still due this year and Max Payne pushed to 2011, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to have some sort of a booth presence.

Bethesda Assures Fan Elder Scrolls V Is Coming…Eventually

Elder Scrolls V

Bethesda has hinted and teased about this game in the past, but last year Todd Howard told people not to look for a new Elder Scrolls game "in the near future". I would have expected to see something this year, but Bethesda is bringing us Brink, Fallout: New Vegas, Rage, and Hunted: The Demon's Forge, so I don't really know if I have room to complain. But I will anyway. Where's Elder Scrolls V, already?! Once the dust from these four titles has relatively settled, we hope they get to work on it. In fact, if you work for Bethesda and you're reading this ... get back to work.

A Sleeper Hit

Usually at every E3 there's one "talk of the show" title that is the buzz on everyone's lips. "Did you guys check out Scribblenauts? It's amazing!" was what made the rounds last year, but this year the only thing that sparked conversation was the Nintendo 3DS. There wasn't a game that blew everyone's collective socks off ... although Star Wars: The Old Republic came close. But one thing that virtually everyone I talked to said was "There hasn't been a really impressive game this year." Are we too jaded? Are we not easily impressed anymore? Or was there nothing worth going gaga over?

What do you think? Was there anything that you missed (that we missed missing) from E3?

Tags: E3 2010, Features, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

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CujoSWAoA

Diablo 3? Was it at E3?

Posted: June 24, 2010 5:57 PM
85thday

Some info re 'missing games'
L.A. Noire WAS shown, behind closed doors.
http://www.computerandvideog ames.com/article.php?id=252209

Milo for July:
http://www.vg247.com/2010/06 /17/molyneux-milo-kate-to-re-a ppear-again-next-month/

I Am Alive was also there.

The Last Guardian for TGS, wasn't ready to show.

PSP 2 for gamescom/TGS depending on factors.

Batman AA 2 Games com, spring 2011.

Posted: June 24, 2010 5:40 PM
CALiiGeDDon

The only game I wanted to see was Star Wars Battlefront 3. I guess I have to wait another year.

Posted: June 24, 2010 5:03 PM
ThePsychoGamer

I was really hoping for a new Banjo Kazooie platformer.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:58 PM
M6000

I'm surprised u guys didn't have anything about kingdom hearts 3 on you're list. I'm not a big fan of the series but I know some of the guys and gals at G4 are and that game should have been announced a long time ago another one would have to be FF versus XIII would have thought that would have been at E3 also

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:46 PM
westpusher

I would say quite frankly that Valve may know all too well that Half-Life 2: Episode 3 or Half-Life 3 will sell incredibly well and that it has a firmly established fan base. To not even lightly tease or whet anyone's appetite after this long is a bit of a dangerous game. It's important to play things close to the chest but companies like Blizzard know very well that keeping its core audience's attention is important. It is a pleasant surprise that Portal 2 is coming and congratulations to the PS3 and Mac owners who will both now be getting the benefits of Steam. Upon reading about the PS3 receiving the "Best version of Portal 2 on any console." I felt quite the pang. Not only because it was such a passive aggressive jibe at the second biggest consumer base they have.

Oh, I have no doubt that there is that solid pocket of PS3 owners that are stoked about Portal 2 hitting PS3 but, I would get a loan to throw down 10,000 dollars that the 360 sales will beat out PS3 by a full third if not double. This slew of new found PS3 owners will have no reference point for purchasing Portal 2 and with GameCrazy out of the picture it is incredibly unlikely there will be a large retail sales push to support the PS3 version of the game to that newfound consumer base. Gamestop doesn't use the same one on one interaction and I seriously doubt you would find one that would recommend The Orange Box quite as often when someone was looking for a shooter with "more to it".

I think this is the second time Sony has had a major figure in gaming come on stage and quietly bash the 360 iteration of a game. They had Kojima come up and almost denounce Metal Gear: Rising for being a "spin-off" and now we have Gabe Newell implying that the 360 version of Portal2 will be the "least" of the 3. Is there a person in the industry that managed not to grasp the fact that there are only two consoles in which this game will appear? No, of course not. What Valve seems to have missed is that Sony's platform is not where they will see the sales and I wonder what EA will say when Valve wants to put up DLC. Unless Steamworks will bypass the PSN Store, EA will be biting the bullet to host the content.

So, my "Valve is making a poor decision by not even teasing HL2: EP3" rant turned into "Valve is just making several poor decisions on the whole" rant. This whole thing has me wondering if I should just buy the games for my PC since they are hedging on proclaiming all of the future 360 games they release to be inferior. I wonder how much Sony is shelling out to have these guys knock their own creative properties.

Oh, if only I could muster the energy to be mad at Michel Ancel for not getting involved in this "Beyond Good and Evil 2" debacle. Huge announcement at Ubidays last year, such a perfect tease video and then the leaked footage(yeah maybe its a test but, damn it was sexy and who is to say that it isn't a free flowing navigation tech? The things that Battlefront 3 could do were way beyond what many games do now. Then we have the "MICHEL ANCEL LEFT UBISOFT" garbage that apparently had no basis in reality and was further put to rest by the news that he is working on Project Dust. My only real concern is that the first game missed its shot in the lime-light and it would not be far cry to say that this one will as well if they don't hit hard with the publicity...hell release the first one on Arcade or Games on Demand. The original Xbox version is not compatible and it is a bit of a pain trying to configure a controller for the PC version. This game deserves a little pomp and circumstance when it comes strutting onto the shelves. I wouldn't be surprised if Ancel enjoys the "understated Artist" position he seems to have garnered himself after the first one.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:31 PM
Bollocks_2_ya

I didn't see resistance 3 and I only saw a trailer for inFAMOUS 2. I am pretty pissed of right now because the demo for killzone 3 didn't even show much. The melee was my main focus in it!

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:20 PM
brockt144

i have been a little interested in singularity, maybe I just missed it or something, but I didn't hear about it at all. Maybe because it's release date is so close to E3 but I was looking for some hands on opinions about the game.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:15 PM
Bollocks_2_ya

I didn't see resistance 3 and I only saw a trailer for inFAMOUS 2. I am pretty pissed of right now because the demo for killzone 3 didn't even show much. The melee was my main focus in it!

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:15 PM
BlueRectangleOfLife

Dude. Laser tag...sleeper hit. Duh.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:14 PM
DownwithBigBrother

lol NOW sony unveils their PSP2 after 3DS

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:11 PM
rayken15

I think the 3DS and it's big release lineup could count.... though that is a system and like 10+ games lol.
In general, there were awesome games... just not too much unexpected.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:10 PM
minaxomanoginga

well all those crap was gud back then but im sure they said it will be out in 2011 or later but not much ppl need to see them at E3 since they all have facebook and twitter lol

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:10 PM
yourdog23

Even though it's not a game, Nintendo's Vitality Sensor missing was a huge one for me. I'm still curious as to what the heck it'd matter to anyone but the paramedics keeping grandma alive at the old Wii's home.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:09 PM
gameruler8721

I thought Child of Eden was a pritty big sleeper. But over all i feel like something was lacking. Neither motion controle really was interesting. I don't care about Nitendo at all so Zelda and DK are not big news to me.

The big thing is that there are big games that are missing. Beyond Good and Evil is the new Alan Wake. I do think we are going to see a new Half-Life and Counter Strike with source engein 2 (or whatever the are going to call it) Also I want to see The Secret World but that was a long shoot.

Also it would not surprise me if PAX may become a secound E3 this year. Some devs may be moving away from E3 because Microsoft, Sony, Nitendo, Ubisoft and EA have really taken over E3. They need a place where they can get out of their shadows.

Posted: June 24, 2010 4:02 PM
Gam3rguy55

I feel the reason there might not have been any game that everyone was talking about is because almost of the games coming out now are as good as it gets (graphics and game play wise) and it is getting harder and harder to come up with something original in a game that would blow everyone's mind like the cover system in Gears of War when that was first announced.

Posted: June 24, 2010 3:56 PM
futuredesigner2

Deus Ex: Human Evelution- It's coming out next year, I would have hoped that they would have had some sort of gameplay or something.

Posted: June 24, 2010 3:54 PM
nightsnipe

No Elder Scrolls broke my heart :(

Posted: June 24, 2010 3:51 PM
Connor53

Still can't believe there was nothing on pikmin 3. The wii would be perfect for it and yet all they have done was announce it so far. Kinda disappointed at the lack of HL Episode 3, but it was expected.

Posted: June 24, 2010 3:48 PM
Leopold stotch

There were a lot of good games that have come out in the last 6-12months, I think we're just used to a lot of good games coming out on top of each other. It was bound to slow down, let's just hope we avoid any long term droughts.

Posted: June 24, 2010 3:45 PM