Some thoughts on the days ahead

Can you feel that? It's the E3 excitement. Oh yes I know you can feel it. At the time of posting this it appears that around half the internet is up waiting on Sony's conference; and we've until Friday with this fun. Before Nintendo kick off their stall, here's some thoughts on the best week of the year.

What are you expecting/hoping for from E3?

Jordan:

E3, ahhh my favourite 5 days in the gaming calander. What do I want from E3? Well, after last year I want a lot. In terms of Nintendo, I want another couple of huge suprises. I want to see Mario 128 shown at the end; I want to see Revolution and its final name. I expect Nintendo to show us full details of DS Online as well as some first party online games. Such as Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing maybe even Mario Party.

But we'll see. Microsoft has rather disappointed me with XBOX 360 so I hope Nintendo can restore my faith in games.

Tphi:

Nintendo needs a real strong showing this year to stay in the picture. I want Zelda and Mario 128 playable and release dates announced as sometime soon for them both. Revolution needs to be special, and if it's not generally playable I want tech demos showing it in full action. DS Online should be totally explained and it'd be cool if it linked in with the Revolution's online service somehow.

Apart from that, some suprises (Metroid Prime 3 anyone?) and it'd be nice to have an E3 where yet another Mario Party game isn't anounced, thank you Nintendo. :)

Ash:

Nintendo is against some tough odds this year, with Microsoft showing off Xbox 360 and Sony showing off the PS3. While the Revolution is going to be shown in some way I think it is sensible to try and not compete against these two "big guns" for now. However, I feel Nintendo should show off the Revolution soon, if not at Space World but at some specially made event.

Justin:

E3; Nintendo's biggest showing of each year. Nintendo's chance to really shine, or completely blow it. Nintendo's chance to show us everything we want to see, and some things we never knew of.

E3 is always the greatest time of the year, and I feel/hope this year will be no different. I am going to love seeing more on LOZ for the GCN, and I'm hoping for release dates, and the official name. Mario 128 has waited a long time, I hope they give us at least a heads-up on what it'll be, and when it is coming. I'm hoping they go into huge detail on the Nintendo DS online service that will hopefully start sooner than later.

I'm waiting to see them blow the joint apart when they finally reveal how, and why the Revolution is so Revolutionary. I hope they will at least tell us about it, and show videos to help explain themselves. I'm dying to see more on some of the future releases on the Nintendo DS. This should include a kick-ass trailer for both AC DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, and new Super Mario Bros. This E3 is a big deal, and I hope Nintendo sees that, and reflects it upon us with the best damn E3 we've ever seen. Bring it on Nintendo, we've been waiting.

Justin:

I feel Nintendo is in a dangerous position.. Xbox 360 looks pretty sick.. and PS3 I believe will not disappoint. Nintendo can either unveil "the revolutions" with a big frenzy or they can just let out just enough to keep them in the game.

Its dangerous.. they can WIN the lotto or hit the wall. I myself am nervious. Will they feature wireless pressure sensitive controllers... if that is the idea of revolution then it's not so scary but if its way out the box... (praying its not gimmicky) may the gaming gods have mercy.

This is what I feel. Nintendo should not reveal everything about the revolution.. cause if its not up there with the other 2 then it will look bad out the gate. So I say reveal the design... sleek..(better be sexy) reveal the official name, demo videos, concept, online out the box details and what the revolution is... they just have to hold back on the specifics... but if Nintendo just gives us a speech and no visuals... I will slit my wrists..(joking)

The DS with the online details will have a strong presence and Zelda will command the stage and floor. "Do your thing, Link"

I guess we will find out by the end of the week. Then we can have a roundtable on "after thoughts" called E3 roundtable cleanup.

Db_Daz:

One of the things I would really like to see from Nintendo this E3 is a new franchise of some sort. Don't get me wrong, I love Link and Mario as much as the next person but I think having something fresh and new announced would get Nintendo some deserved attention.

I am probably most excited about the DS's online plans. I hope Nintendo will demonstrate the feature by showing off more of Animal Crossing and hopefully by announcing more online titles.

As for the Revolution, I'm not to bothered as too whether or not we see it. Admittedly it could be in Nintendo's best interest to show something of it and a video would be nice, but I would personally be happy simply with some more details.

Finally, and probably the thing I love most about E3, are the surprises. I want to be amazed by something really unexpected. Last year's biggest surprise for me was The Legend of Zelda (which I want to see more of this year), so I'm hoping that Nintendo has something just as good up their sleeves this time round!

Bas O:

First of all, I am very disapointed that we, of CE, haven't sent any representatives for live coverage. I would have gladly volunteered.

I mean, this is the year; the unveiling of the next gen consoles. I can only wonder how far the companies have stepped up their hardware to stay ahead of the competition. As far as the present, there are only two titles I'm really interested in; Zelda and Final Fantasy XII. No, this year is all about next year's consoles.

Tim:

I expect keeping up-to-date about all that happens at this E3 will be challenging to all of us. Challenging in a good way. This year, E3 will probably feature the biggest announcements it has ever seen in history. Three major consoles and a whopping list of games; has it ever been that big?

I am hoping Nintendo will live up to our expectations. Microsoft has already announced its Xbox360 and it has really blown me away on the possibilities of the in-game visuals. I expect the next PlayStation to also feature a major hardware upgrade. And Nintendo will blow us away with its innovation. At least that is what I hope Nintendo will do. Competition has matured. Gamers are getting older. Survival means more now than it has before. Expect to witness several revolutions this week! I am ready.

Conor:

I want to got through the week without busting any arteries.

I don't expect to.

Check out Cube-Europe for all your E3 Ninty needs! Let the madness begin!