E3 2013 is shaping up to be the biggest ever, with Sony unveiling its PlayStation 4 console and Microsoft introducing the next Xbox on May 21st. We fully expect both companies to slug it out come June, trying to win us over with their different definitions of “social gaming” and “sharing” while we ogle over the games.
While we remain ever-hyped for E3, year in and year out, there is always a small little piece of ourselves that tells us to keep expectations in check. After all, E3 has long since ceased being an indicator of games that will release soon – and now some games have decided to skip an E3 appearance altogether. This could be for a number of reasons, be it stalled development, lack of progress or just a generally unfinished game.
Here’s our list for the top 5 games that will be MIA from E3 2013. Remember: If you ever need to do a shock announcement for your game, E3 is the place to do it. While there’s a 99 percent chance these titles won’t appear, we can’t account for the other 1 percent, so keep an open mind.
Half Life 3
Valve’s next big game. The third and possibly final game in the Half Life saga. It’s been 9 years since the release of Half Life 2, and still there’s been no news of Half Life 3 aside from some concept art and teases from Valve.
The company has meanwhile been busy revolutionizing PC gaming with Steam, introducing Greenlight for bringing indie titles to the market, taking living room gaming with the PC to the next level with Big Picture, experimenting with Oculus Rift and, oh, bringing us games like the Portal series in the gap since.
We don’t doubt that Half Life 3 will be released one day – Valve themselves have indicated as much. However, as the developer also noted, it won’t be showcased until they’re perfectly show it can be the legendary title they want it to be. So as long as we’ve waited, we’ll have to wait a bit longer.
Mass Effect 4
Bioware has been dropping hints about the next Mass Effect for a while now, indicating that they may explore other stories besides Shepard’s for some spin-offs. However, the next big sequel in the series, reportedly running on DICE’s Frostbite 3 engine, will still be missing from E3 2013.
The technology will still need some time for building assets and developing an entirely new game around. Mass Effect 3 could get away with releasing a mere two years after the second game since it was in development alongside it.
Can Bioware possibly reveal the next big Mass Effect game with little more than a year after the third game’s release, that too when they Dragon Age III: Inquisition already announced and ready to show off? We somehow doubt it.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U
While The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the first true Zelda game on the Wii, there hasn’t yet been a brand-spanking new Zelda title for the Wii U. Nintendo has announced that such a game exists, but they’ve offered up little to no details thus far.
The company’s absence at E3 2013 could either be a big cop-out or just a ruse. Given the number of Nintendo Direct announcements it makes that anyway reach out to a wide number of viewers and outlets, it wouldn’t be impossible if the company decided to distribute information on this model going forward.
Regardless, we find it hard to believe that they’ll suddenly reveal The Legend of Zelda Wii U when there hasn’t been even the slightest hint of the game outside of the company’s official say-so. At least we’ll be seeing Wind Waker HD at the end of year.
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Ask anyone – anyone – one of their reasons for hating Square-Enix. You might hear about how the company’s dedication to the franchise has been sunk thanks to one man’s obsession with a virtual woman. Maybe even legitimate complaints about the amount of resources the company has sunk into the failed Final Fantasy XIV – which is now getting a reboot with A Realm Reborn.
But you’ll also hear about how they struck gold by announcing a mature, action-packed Final Fantasy Versus XIII, developed by Tetsuya Nomura of Kingdom Hearts and Crysis Core: FFVII fame and immediately decided to flip off consumers by continuously developing, changing, re-developing, realigning resources, changing again and ultimately delaying the title.
Like, a lot.
Square-Enix might have promised the next Final Fantasy game at E3 2013 but we’ll believe it’s Final Fantasy Versus XIII when we actually see, hear and confirm the date it’s coming out (sorry guys, teases just aren’t going to work anymore).
The Last Guardian
Team ICO’s next magnum opus has unfortunately run into delays since its announcement at E3 2009 starting with no further information since its reveal and the departure of director Fumito Ueda from the project. The game’s latest release date was to be April 20th 2011, and has since been pushed back indefinitely.
At one point, Sony had to actually come out and confirm that the game was still in development, after rumours had been circulating about its cancellation (which, surprise, began when a rumour began going around that Final Fantasy Versus XIII had been cancelled).
There are indications that it could come to Sony’s PlayStation 4, but honestly, if there’s been this much problem getting it out for the PlayStation 3, shifting the development to a next gen console could only be a recipe for more troubles.
That’s our take on things. Are there any games you think will be skipping E3 this year as well? Let us know below.
