6. A new timezone

I’ve had my fill of M4 Carbines, M16’s, AK47’s and Uzi’s, just like back in 2006 people were sick of Thompsons and MP40’s. We need a new setting developers, simple as that. Modern warfare was certainly a neat idea when Call of Duty 4 spearheaded the campaign in a world of dusty towns and nuclear silos- but it just seems that developers don’t know when to stop. They pounce on popular ideas like vultures, and don’t stop munching on it until we, the consumers, are left with a pile of bones- and that doesn’t leave us an awful lot to chew on.

5. Boss fights

It’s pretty unfortunate, but the shooter genre is almost completely devoid of boss fights, let alone interesting ones. Of course, most levels will round off with you fighting waves of minions, but how about a genuine boss? Lost Planet is a step in the right direction in this respect, but it’s far from perfect.

4. More diverse mechanics

Fire. Move. Duck. Fire. Duck. Move.

I’m not saying that developers need to totally reinvent the shooter genre- after all, the cornerstones of most shooters is ducking and diving, then popping up for a quick shot. But a little diversity goes a long way. Take Sniper Elite. Released back in 2005, it is one of a handful of sniper simulators, and probably the only sniper sim to actually be enjoyable. However, it is a shooter nonetheless, and some missions were such a refreshing break from tradition (see above video), that it is immense fun to replay them over and over again.

3. Cover mechanics do actually get boring, you know.

Despite leaving behind the World War Two village-clearing mechanics about 5 years ago, developers have unwittingly moved into the World War One, trench-warfare genre. I’m not talking about setting, but in mechanics. Almost every shooter in the last 4 or 5 years has used the cover mechanic as a cornerstone of combat, but all this does is simplify fighting into a boring battle of attrition.

2. Better storylines

A good story can infinitely improve the user experience, even without really noticing it. Good stories can also be the difference between wanting to continue the game, and giving up at the 50% mark because you simply have no desire to continue. Although story has been pushed to the wayside somewhat in shooters because, ‘They don’t need it’- a game with a good story will logically always be better than a game with a badly designed story.

Plus, shooter storylines are incredibly predictable- all you need to do is glance at the back of the box, and you know the game will be about bad-men-Russians, space marines or terrorists. Half Life 2 managed to create a rich and involving experience, bordering on Orwellian brilliance. Not so Call of Duty.

1. Improved gore and hit detection

We used to be able to shoot people in the legs, and they’d fall over. We could shoot people in the hand and make them drop their gun. Not so any more. Now both gore and hit detection has been simplified to headshots- or anywhere else. Especially with the latest round of shooters which claim to be super-realistic, it would be nice to see a few limbs fly off.

…Oh, wait.

Of course we can’t be certain what is going to come up, but speculation is mounting for these cool gadgets;

PSP 2

It recently slipped out that we could be seeing a PSP2 as early as this year’s E3. And frankly, we’re excited. Sony didn’t really nail it with the Go, so this could be their oppurtunity for a second chance. It would be nice to see a return of the removable battery, and if they do decide to bring back the disk drive, for gosh sakes’ make it use something a little more universal, like a MiniDisk drive.

DS 2

Another handheld possibility, the DS 2 has a lot of potential as it has already sold so many copies, relying on simplicity instead of graphical grunt. A higher resolution screen would of course be a welcome addition, as would an ability to watch playback TV online, but we will just have to wait and see.

3D Gaming

As we already speculated on in our Gaming in the Future feature, 3D gaming cannot be far off. Having already graced the PC, and successfully blown many people away in the process (as well as making some people nauseous), console gamers are anticipating the ability to have the Helghast burst out of the screen, or watch as the Locust Horde charges into the room. The rumor mill is in full swing over 3D gaming particularly after some leaked PS3 firmware screenshots revealed an option for 3D video output.

Natal

It’s all about Project Natal at the moment, with lag times, predicted prices and more slipping out all the time. However at E3, we want to see a real, properly lengthy demostration of Natal in action complete with definitive lag times and a pricetag. And of course, it’s real name (they may as well just call it Natal now anyway, everyone’s got used to that).

The Sony Wand

While we aren’t nearly as excited for the Wand as we are for Natal, it is something we would like to see more of at E3. Frankly, this editor views the Wand as little more than a cheap rip off of the Wii controller, but there you go. Hopefully our opinions can be improved by some promising gameplay footage.

Some decent PS3 firmware updates

Almost all the firmware updates up until now have been fairly inconsequential; Facebook compatibility, new icons…a sparkly background?! We want the ability to seamlessly swap between web browsers and games without having to jump out of the game. We want to be able to charge our controllers while the console is in standby. And how about throwing some of the PS2 greats on the PSN! I certainly wouldn’t mind Shadow of the Colossus, or Resident Evil 4.

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And of course, no E3 wishlist would be complete without:

Duke Nukem Forever

Shut up. If I want to live in denial, let me.

HOT ON GAMINGBOLT: Crysis 2 versus Crysis 1: HD Screenshot comparison

HERE ARE SOME IMAGES:

Comparison 1

Comparison 2

CHECK THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.