E3 Anticipation: EA and Activision

By Louis Bedigian
GameZone.com

Electronic Arts

Aside from Rock Band 3, EA’s showstoppers will be made for Natal, PS Move, and/or the Nintendo 3DS. (Isn’t it funny how we talk about “Natal” and “PS Move” as if they were new consoles, instead of new peripherals for existing game machines?)

While this may sound like an easy guess for any publisher, it is especially true for EA. In 2006, what were gamers talking about? The fact that Madden was getting another update (that’s a no-brainer), or the news that EA was developing a Wii version with motion controls? Regardless of what you thought of Madden 07, the promise of fresh and innovative game controls overpowered everything else.

The same will be true at E3 2010. My predictions: Madden offshoots will be announced for Natal and the Nintendo 3DS; the former will obviously take advantage of Microsoft’s motion tech, while the latter will be designed as a visual showpiece for the new handheld. The Natal offshoot could very well be a feature packaged within Madden 2011, a move that would please 360 owners already planning to buy the game. But if the offshoot is substantial enough, EA could (and likely would) get away with selling it as a standalone game.

Outside of Tiger Woods and other sports games, PS Move may not get any special treatment from EA just yet. But I will be stunned if EA doesn’t convert the PS3 version of Dead Space 2 to work with the system’s 3D technology. Horror and 3D were made for each other – not necessarily in movies but definitely in video games. EA would be crazy not to recognize that, and honestly, I don’t believe the publisher would make that mistake.

Activision

Will Activision combat the threat of a Rock Band 3 revolution with a new and innovation sequel to Guitar Hero? If the company’s latest announcement – Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock – is any indication, then the answer is no.

However, that doesn’t mean Activision won’t have some music-related surprises at E3. In addition to the rumors (and apparent confirmation) that suggest keyboards will be featured in Rock Band 3, Activision has its own keyboard-related rumor: a game called Keyboard Hero. Right now, I’d say that a game along those lines is much more likely to be announced than anything else.

Alternatively, Activision’s big music plans could involve Natal. I’m not sure how Microsoft’s hands-free controller could benefit a game like Guitar Hero, but if there’s a way, you can bet the developers will find it. One possibility is an air guitar mode where players compete by flailing their hands. As crazy as it may sound, a standalone “Air Guitar Hero” does not seem out of the question. The only reason Activision would ever be against it is if Natal couldn’t handle it or if the publisher feared it would steer gamers away from purchasing its own expensive music peripherals. Otherwise, Activision would be all over the idea – and believe it or not, there is a market for a game like this.

Aside from music game(s), the reported GoldenEye remake/sequel and Call of Duty: Black Ops will be a big part of Activision’s hype machine at E3. Will there be any new Call of Duty announcements? I say yes … but not in the way you might think. While we already know about Black Ops (due this year) and Modern Warfare 3 (due next year, apparently), Activision has only just begun to push the series on the iPhone. The iPad is the next logical step, of course, along with a Call of Duty for Nintendo 3DS in the distant future.

Speaking of the 3DS, I expect Activision to announce at least one 3DS game at E3.

Finally, a new Tony Hawk game is in the works. Surprised? I was too. The last game was so bad I thought it’d be a couple of years before that series would resurface. But it seems that Activision has dropped the silly skateboard peripheral in favor of a more traditional (controller-based) control scheme. I’m willing to bet that isn’t the only change the developers have made: all things likely, the next Tony Hawk will be very similar to EA’s hugely successful Skate series.