With E3 just one week away, the industry is buzzing with predictions, announcements, and generally what to expect from this years expo. There will be games, there will be game announcements, and there will be plenty of stuff we didn’t see coming. But will anything be as epic as I am hoping them to be? Here is my top ten list of E3 2012 announcements that I wish were coming true.

10. Sega comes back into the console market by releasing the Dreamcast 2.

Not content with the bickering and lack of innovation from this generation’s current console makers, Sega decides to step back into the ring and throw down again with the Dreamcast 2. Better graphics, better games, and slick, streamlined online play and social management, DC2 comes out of left field as the biggest surprise from the company in the past decade. Completely backwards compatible with the original Dreamcast, the DC2 launches prepackaged with a disc that contains every single original Dreamcast game as well as a brand new, 2D Sonic title on par with Sonic 2 and Sonic &Kunckles.Sega’s back, baby!

9. Capcom commissions Keiji Inafune to finish Mega Man Universe

After leaving the company that he helped build, Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is contacted by his old employer to finish an ambitious and highly anticipated title, Mega Man Universe. The game will allow players to play as many different version of Mega Man, from the classic sprite all the way to the .EXE versions of today, as well as allowing players to create their own unique versions of the blue bomber. Inafune also has a special surprise for everyone concerning the game: It will feature every Robot Master from the previous 10 installments of the core series as end bosses. Item get!

8. Nintendo finally gets the online thing down; makes up for lost time

Giving the fans exactly what they want, Nintendo decides it is time to completely revamp their approach to online play. Starting this summer, the company will offer a wider variety of game demos on both the Wii and 3DS platforms, as well as an increased emphasis on Virtual Console titles being produced. Friend codes are still in place for security reasons and to help younger gamers, but it is now much easier to hop into an online game and not have to input friend codes. Best of all, the company is allowing cross-platform purchasing,meaning if you buy a game on the Wii’s Virtual Console it can be used on the 3DS’ Virtual Console as well (if the game is available for both systems). The Wii U is going to be the big pioneer for what is next for Nintendo, and this internet thing is going to be a large part of the new console’s success.

7. Xbox Heroes vs. PlayStation All-Stars vs. Super Smash Bros. gets announced

Seeing the success of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. franchise, Sony has already jumped on the bandwagon with it’s own version, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Not to be left in the dust, Microsoft goes one step further and decides to put to rest who is the greatest gaming company of today by convincing Nintendo and Sony to put up their best gaming icons against one another in an all out death match. Mario vs. Jak & Daxter vs. Master Cheif? Samus vs. Nathan Drake vs. Marcus Fenix? It’s all possible next year when the battle of the ages commences in Video Game Universe Gala: Action Heroes Unite in the Heat of Battle for the Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PS3, PS Vita, and Xbox 360.

6. Capcom finally makes Capcom vs. Capcom

With many successful Vs. series titles (Marvel vs. Capcom, Capcom vs. SNK, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom), the fine folks at Capcom have finally come to their senses and made a Capcom vs Capcom 2D fighter. The game handles like a mix between Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3, with 2v2 fights, unique character super meters, and a roster to satiate a fans wet dream. Characters from ALL of Capcom’s best franchises are here: Street Fighter, Dark Stalkers, Mega Man, Strider, Resident Evil, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Devil May Cry, Power Stone, Rival Schools, Plasma Sword, Phoenix Wright, and more! Get ready to duke it out with the best of the best of them!

5. Kingdom Hearts 3 is getting released. In a few weeks!

A shocker from Square Enix indeed, the RPG heavy company announces that much anticipated threequel Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming, and it’s coming soon. A release date of July 3rd means the game is just one month away from release, a huge surprise for KH fans and gamers alike. Square Enix was asked why they didn’t release any information about the highly talked about yet elusive game and they said they wanted to see how far the ridiculous talks and yearning for the game would go. Right in the heart, Square Enix!

4. Nintendo was trolling us all along, making proper anniversary editions

Nintendo had us all going there for well over a year, making us think that all they were going to do to honor the milestone anniversaries of their greatest franchises was to (maybe) release a paltry game disc and a musical concert. The big N announces at E3 that there will indeed be a huge celebration for Mario, Zelda, Kirby, and even Samus Aran of Metroid fame. Each franchise respectively will receive a compilation disc (or disc depending of the series library size) containing every single main franchise entry of the series, emulated perfectly for the 3DS and/or Wii/Wii U. Better yet, Nintendo has plans already in motion to develop remakes of each franchise’s original game. These remakes will be redone from the ground up with new graphics, taking full advantage of current generations hardware and control schemes. It is truly a good day to be a Nintendo fanboy!

3. Not a single First-Person Shooter is shown off, hinted at, or announced at the expo

The industry as well as gamers understand that all good things must come to an end, and collectively decide at this year’s E3 to put the first-person shooter genre to rest. Not because the games are bad, in fact they have been one of the biggest contributors to many company’s success, but because they simply can’t get any better right now. Halo 4 will be the last great shooter to be made before companies begin spending more money, time, and developmental talent in new IPs, reworking existing genres, and bringing back forgotten-yet-successful franchises. The outlook for the future is good: Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and especially Microsoft are projecting to earn record profits the following years. Gamer’s are expected to look in awe as a bevy of new (yet familiar) games come out every week.

2. A multi-console Achievement/Trophy system becomes available that will actually work

The huge success of the Xbox 360’s Achievement system has lead to many competitors: Sony’s Trophies, Blizzard and Steam’s own version of Achievements, and even Nintendo has attempted to join the fray with 3DS Accomplishments. At E3 2012 that all comes to an end when one central hub is used to gather and display your achievements for every console you’re playing in one convenient place. The service can be accessed online and through each game console and handheld, giving you access to view your friends and what they’re playing, allowing you to see each achievement for every game you’ve played, and chat with buddies even when not in-game. The true future of social gaming has come, and gamers everywhere rejoice.

1. Power Stone 3 is coming!

After nearly 12 years from the release of Power Stone 2 for the Dreamcast, Capcom announces that Power Stone 3 will be coming out at the end of the year for, what else, the Dreamcast 2. Featuring all the fighters from Power Stone 2 as well as a group of new combatants, Power Stone 3 will feature 8-player battles to the death with fully interactive and destructible environments, hundreds of zany weapons to use, a simple yet fun fighting system, and online support for multiplayer. Team battles, survival matches, weapons only modes, and more exciting options will be available to enhance the experience, and best of all, no on-disc DLC to speak of!

Of course you guys, this was just for fun (and fun it was!), so don’t take anything here too seriously. Although if any of this is actually announced at E3 I’d be pleasantly surprised. E3 2012 will be June 5th through June 7th next week, so tune in here to when it’s all over to see my actual top ten E3 announcements.

Laters,
Jsick