The perfect Microsoft E3 conference

E3 is just around the corner, and Microsoft is set to kick things off on June 1 with its pre-E3 conference. Last year the platform holder made headlines by announcing that Square would bring Final Fantasy XIII to the Xbox 360 in the West at the same time as the PS3 version. This year the hype machine is already running in overdrive, with everything from a new gaming mobile phone to a motion sensing camera controller being rumoured. We’ve tried to cut through the insanity to bring you what we reckon would make for the perfect, somewhat realistic Microsoft pre-E3 conference.

Microsoft’s iPhone killer

With rumours circulating about Microsoft’s supposed iPhone killer in the shape of a Zune mobile phone with gaming functionality, we think Microsoft will dedicate some of its pre-E3 conference to this new device. If we had to put money on it, we’d wager that it’ll be pretty powerful, with graphical capabilities somewhere between that of a PS2 and Xbox. As for controls, it’ll be touch heavy, but to convince gamers it’ll also have a d-pad and at least two non-touch screen buttons. It’ll obviously have its own version of the App Store and will launch with big name titles like Halo.

Third-parties

The third-party exclusive is a very rare thing indeed, but we reckon that Microsoft will come out with a few big announcements during its pre-E3 conference. Everyone knows about Splinter Cell Conviction from Ubisoft and Mass Effect 2 from EA being console exclusives on the Xbox 360. There is likely to be more in the exclusive line-up than just those two games, although considering the current trends none of these games are likely to remain Xbox exclusives for more than six months to a year. We’ve kept this list somewhat in the realms of possibility, but a Kojima double bill of MGS4 on 360 and a new exclusive would certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Square

Square Enix has appeared in two of Microsoft’s most recent pre-E3 press conferences: last year at E3 2008 and at E3 2005. Considering the kind of moves MS is making in trying to secure third-party exclusives we’re expecting some kind of Square-related announcement, but getting FFXIII as a timed exclusive in the West seems a tad ambitious even for a company of its size. What’s more likely is some timed exclusive DLC for the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII and a new game that is only confirmed to be coming to Microsoft’s platform – most likely appearing on PS3 at a later date.

Halo stuff

It’s the big one. Halo is likely to play a pretty major part in Microsoft’s pre-E3 conference, especially as Gears of War hogged the limelight last year. Halo: ODST is a dead-cert, with an on-stage demo being our bet. We’re also hopeful that we’ll finally see something on the Peter Jackson Halo project, Halo Chronicles, and news on Halo 4 – perhaps with a shocking developer revelation. Not directly Halo related, but Bungie has been hard at work on a new game for some time now, so who knows… maybe E3 2009 will be the place to reveal the non-Halo game it’s working on.

Already known

Microsoft hasn’t made a big deal about its line-up for late 2009 and beyond, but there are a few games that have already been announced or leaked that should be shown off in more detail. Alan Wake will have to be shown in order for gamers to be convinced it’s ever coming out, MS will likely make a big deal out of the second GTA 4 DLC Episode and the lid will finally be lifted on Forza 3. Considering Forza 2 offered some of the best sim racing around and some very nifty community features, we’re expecting something a bit special from Microsoft and Turn 10 – a simple evolution of Forza 2 won’t be enough.

The Return of Rare

Rare hasn’t had an easy time since joining Microsoft. Its Xbox 360 games have largely been good to excellent, with Kameo, Viva Piñata (both of them) and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts being among the best games the console has to offer. For some reason, though, the games haven’t seen the sales they deserve, but with a Perfect Dark double whammy at E3 2009 the studio might have just what it needs. An HD, online multiplayer version of the original Perfect Dark, available to buy on the day of the conference will go down a storm with fans, while the reveal of a new Xbox 360 game in the series – this time built from the ground up as a 360 game, not ported from the original Xbox – will be one of the standout games of the entire show.

Lionhead’s new game

Lionhead will bring out a third Fable game at some point in the future, but Peter Molyneux’s UK-based studio is also hard at work on something else – a game that Mr Molyneux has been cooking up for some time. It’s anyone’s guess as to what this mystery game is, but coming from Lionhead you can guarantee it’ll be something that tries to push the industry forward. We’re not expecting a full reveal at E3 2009, with Molyneux likely to talk about the game and show off a CG trailer, pointing towards a late 2010 release date.

Motion control camera

We’ve seen rumours centred on add-on peripherals for the Xbox 360 before. Everyone was predicting that MS would reveal its motion sensing wand controller at E3 2008, but the show came and went without so much of a sniff of such a device. This year the rumours are all about the motion sensing camera controller, which will let players interact with games by simply moving their bodies. It all sounds a little EyeToy for our liking, and our experience of You’re in the Movies hasn’t done our love of cameras any favours, but this promises to be very different. Hopefully the details and supported games will be revealed at the heart of MS’ pre-E3 conference – fingers crossed for some proper games and not just a collection of fun mini-games starring Master Chief.

What do you think would make the perfect Microsoft pre-E3 conference? Let us know in the comments section below.