E3 10 Anticipation: Ubisoft, THQ and 2K Sports Forecast

By Louis Bedigian
GameZone.com

Ubisoft

In the coming years – maybe even this year, if we’re lucky – Ubisoft is very likely to bring at least one of its hardcore franchises to Natal. But this year, the most likely candidate for Natal’s launch is Rayman Raving Rabbids. This series helped establish the Wii as a platform for quirky, motion-based party games, and I expect Ubisoft to tackle Natal with a similar strategy.

However, let’s not forget that Ubisoft was also the first publisher with enough balls to make the Wii-exclusive Red Steel. Though it may not have turned out to be the long-lasting classic we had hoped for, Red Steel was a first-person action game designed for a system with unproven technology. Even now, Wii isn’t quite right for the genre, but that didn’t prevent a sequel from being produced. Considering all the praise Ubisoft has given to both Natal and PS Move, I expect the publisher to launch at least one new franchise exclusively on Natal within the next 12 months.

What about PS Move? It seems like the perfect console for a Red Steel follow-up – or at the very least a combo pack of first two games with enhanced HD graphics (a la God of War and the rumored ICO/Shadow of the Colossus combo pack).

But it’s doubtful that Ubisoft will approach PS Move development with that much caution. Ports are viewed as secondary games that people rent on the weekends. Original content is what gamers really want. HAWX 2 and Shaun White Skateboarding could easily support PS Move, but those aren’t exclusive to PS3. Which game, if any, will be the company’s most memorable PS Move release? My prediction: if it’s not the next Brothers in Arms sequel (still unannounced and likely to be multi-platform), then it will be an all-new franchise designed specifically for PS3 and PS Move.

Beyond that, it’ll be interesting to see if we finally get some concrete details on the Beyond Good & Evil sequel. I’m hopeful, but Ubisoft has several other sequels heading to E3 (plus unknown Natal and PS Move games), so it may choose to hold off on showing BG&E.

Unless, of course, that IS the major PS Move or Natal game that will be announced…

THQ

Is there anything left to predict? Earlier this year THQ announced that Saints Row 3 and Red Faction 4 would be unveiled at E3. THQ also announced that a new de Blob would be coming out. Warhammer 40,000 is getting a console update, along with an MMO offshoot. Smackdown vs. Raw is returning, and it sounds like Homefront will be back for another E3 showing.

That leaves us with…what, exactly? To predict how much drool we might be produce upon seeing Red Faction 4 for the first time? Seriously though, you do have to give THQ credit for coming clean and announcing what appears to be all of its E3 games long before the show arrived. Not that E3 surprises aren’t great, but what’s more surprising than hearing about Saints Row 3 in the middle of February?

If I had to make any predictions, I’d say that de Blob will (eventually) roll his way to Natal. The two seem like the perfect match: players could theoretically wave their hands, flick their fingers, and flail their bodies to make de Blob do all kinds of cool stuff. Assuming the motion technology is everything it appears to be, a Natal version could be very exciting.

2K Sports

If the reports are to be believed, Rockstar won’t unveil anything new at E3. But that shouldn’t stop 2K Sports from showing off games the world has never/barely seen before.

This is a critical year for 2K Sports since EA is prepping a revamp of its NBA Live (now called NBA Elite) series. To compete, 2K Sports is throwing Michael Jordan on the cover of NBA 2K11. As simple as it sounds, this could be a crucial decision in gaining the interest of diehard basketball fans. But that’s nothing compared to what 2K Sports is promising in terms of gameplay: one very big step forward.

In what way, you ask? Right now, nobody knows. But when you consider who’s on the cover (a sports legend, not a current MVP), and when you think about all of the attention NBA 2K11 will gain from this announcement, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game moved away from its simulation roots. Now before you scream in agony, remember that the most fun basketball game of the ‘90s was NBA Jam. Also remember that, unlike 2K Sports’ hockey offering, the NBA 2K series has never let anyone down. You should also consider the fact that NBA 2K hasn’t received a major gameplay overhaul in four or five years. Now are you excited? If the developers can merge the magic and simplicity of NBA Jam with the depth of NBA 2K, they will have created the most “elite” basketball game on the market.

Beyond that, isn’t it about time for The BIGS 3 to be unveiled? If the game is in development, we should be hearing about it very soon.