E3 2010 Megaton Wish List

E3 is just around the corner. While it’s bound to bring a whole host of big game announcements, there will still be some titles that remain as wishes. With that in mind, we’ve put together our E3 Megaton Wish List – a selection of games that would get us all very excited, but in all likelihood have very little chance of being announced.

Tom Orry, Editor – PGR5, Xbox 360

I’m torn about this. I love the PGR series. PGR2 is my favourite racing game of all time and PGR4 is my most played Xbox 360 title. The problem is that series creator Bizarre isn’t going to be working on a sequel. Now owned by Activision, the Liverpool-based studio can’t work on a franchise owned by Microsoft, which leaves a few options. Forza dev Turn10 could be put to work on PGR5, but its previous games play nothing like the more arcade experience PGR offers. Alternatively, a studio outside of Microsoft could be given the reins. SimBin would be an option, but it’s more known for sim racers; Slightly Mad Studios, having made the excellent Need for Speed Shift for EA, would be a great fit, but probably tied up with the sequel; while Bugbear Entertainment, responsible for the excellent FlatOut series, would certainly have the right technical prowess. In truth all I really care about is an announcement. I doubt it’ll happen, but a new PGR game at E3 2010 would be brilliant.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor – Halo 4

At the end of Microsoft’s E3 Media briefing, as all inside the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles think, ‘that’s a wrap’… it isn’t. The lights dim and a trailer begins. We hear the iconic Choral music, then the ‘du du du duuuu’, and then, ever so slowly, a logo… Halo 4… emerges. For Halo fans, this is what they’ve been waiting for since Bungie’s Halo 3 was released in September 2007. Forget ODST. Forget, even, Reach. Halo 4, due out in Christmas 2011, will see the return of Master Chief, who rises like a phoenix from the ashes of his apparent death. Then a teaser, a CGI movie of such stupendous, heroic wonderment that the hair raises on the back of the neck and the sweat trickles downs the temples. Gasps can be heard from the entranced audience. Then, some cheers. And finally, screams of joy, whoops and a whole lot of hollering. Only one question remains: who is creating it? It matters not. Halo 4 has just blown every other game out of the water, and Microsoft’s grin is so wide it can be seen from outer space.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor – System Shock 3

It’s not an outright certainty that we’ll never see a System Shock 3, but it’s hardly looking likely – and oh how my poor heart yearns. I know how much everyone loves BioShock, but as much as I like exploring the underwater ruins of Rapture, what I really want is the return of SHODAN – one of the most fearsome villains in the history of gaming. System Shock 2 scared the bejesus out of me, particularly the bit with the Meccano Midwives; the first time I heard “Babies need meat!” in that sing-song voice, I didn’t actually poo myself – but I certainly had to check.. EA still holds the rights to the franchise, so if they suddenly reveal a new sequel at E3, and somehow Ken Levine is involved… it’s just not going to happen, is it? Aw, I’m getting all sad now.

James Orry, News Editor – Heavy Rain 2

I love Heavy Rain. Sure, after you’re done with it you can pick apart the story and question just how much of an impact your actions actually have on the game. But, when you’re playing for the first time it’s chuffing brilliant. There isn’t a sequel to another game I’ve played this generation that I want more. Without giving too much away, there are several characters from Heavy Rain who could easily return. Characters fans would love to see fleshed out even further. Heavy Rain creator David Cage is rumoured to be working on a new sci-fi title called Horizon, and in truth some solid info, maybe some footage, on this would be more than satisfactory. Official confirmation of Heavy Rain 2, a trailer, even a teasing snippet from the soundtrack, however, would make the long working hours over E3 much easier to live with.

Failing all that, I’d accept new versions of WaveRace, 1080 and Luigi’s Mansion for Nintendo’s 3DS.

Seb Ford, Video Producer – Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII holds a special place in more than a few gaming hearts. For many, it’s the title that defined the JRPG genre, and for some it remains the best game ever made – some 13 years after its release in 1997. I for one have replayed this game more than any other, and I still get completely absorbed into the story every time; climbing the drainpipe up to Shinra HQ, standing at the edge of the highway leaving Midgar for the first time, and of course, standing helplessly by while Sephiroth fell, sword outstretched, in the Forgotten Capital. When are we going to see a remake? It’s a question the devs at Square Enix have been batting off for years now, and so far we haven’t heard anything better than “wait and see”. I can picture a dark stage at the Sony E3 conference, total silence envelopes the audience. A shaft of light blasts down from upon high illuminating nothing more than Cloud’s buster sword, jammed into the floor. It’s the perfect image of the opening screen from the original game, and it would say everything that needs to be said for fans dying to see the HD remake. Just imagining this scene is giving me goose bumps – if it actually happened, which it won’t, I would cry. Openly and unashamedly.

Jamin Smith, Staff Writer – Skies of Arcadia 2

There are several RPGs I’m desperate to see announced at E3, and while I thought about putting forward a case for Grandia 4, Vagrant Story 2 and a new Breath of Fire game, I doubt any of these will be seeing the light of day anytime soon (if ever). The game I’ve chosen is a slightly more realistic choice, and given the success SEGA’s had over the last few years (and the characters’ appearances in Valkyria Chronicles not long ago), I’d like to think Skies of Arcadia 2 is on the cards.

The original game followed the cutlass wielding Vyse, a young sky pirate who takes on the mighty Valuan Empire in a narrative spanning the skies of the majestic Arcadia. A sequel that returned to that world would make me the happiest guy at E3. The current generation of consoles has been pretty kind to us RPG lovers, and while the likes of Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon and White Knight Chronicles have all been welcomed with open arms, to return to a franchise that’s looked back on as fondly as Skies of Arcadia would really be a treat.