Another E3 is approaching, and I thought that I would give a list of possible announcements. Since I don’t have any connections to the industry, I have no legitimate basis for anything that that I have posted.
Mario Visits Reach
Nintendo’s Mario Mario will make an appearance on Microsoft’s console. He will visit Reach from the Halo series where he will have to face snipers trying to take off his head. Is he a match for Master Chief? There’s only one way to find out.
Piñata Bloodbath
This spinoff of Viva Piñata will replace the candy interior of the Piñatas with blood and guts. Have fun watching these child-friendly characters in a gore-filled M-Rated title.
Alpine Legend
It turns out that Alpine Legend was not actually an April Fools joke. Instead, Microsoft was planning on giving people an instrument-playing game with something to stand apart from the competition. Not only do they think that no one else will resort to featuring the alpenhorn, but they feel that the lack of familiarity will level the playing field for newcomers to compete with experienced musicians.
PlayStation Certification
Microsoft will add software (including a gaming-only variant of Android) and meet the certification requirements provided by Sony, making the Xbox 360 a PlayStation certified platform.
100% Reliability
Microsoft will announce that none of their last one million consoles have had any defects. Sony won’t refute the claim. Even with 100% reliability, hardcore Sony fans will refuse to buy current models of the Xbox 360 citing historical failure rates.
Canada Vs. Armenia: Ice Hockey Challenge
It’s time for the ultimate ice hockey grudge match. Play as the Canadians or Armenians as you face off in international play. Online matches will rank your skill. If you are among the best, you will be locked into play as the Canadian national team. If you don’t play as well, you will be forced to play as the lower-ranking Armenians.
Re-Amped
Although Microsoft has sold off its Amped series, they will be revisiting the game in Re-Amped. Expect all of your old favorites, all of the levels in the post-Microsoft games, and all sorts of downloadable content.
Gears of War: the Puzzle Game
Microsoft will be entering the puzzle RPG craze with a new Gears of War game. Line up the gears properly to win battles. Don’t expect any characters from the Gears of War games that you already know. This is Gears of War in name only. They are hoping that the franchise can help increase sales of this new puzzle game.
New Xbox Dashboard Presented by Apple
Apple will expand its marketing efforts to the Xbox 360. They have provided Microsoft with a lucrative deal to replace their dashboard with an ad-rich dashboard featuring all things Apple. In fact, the Xbox 360 startup sequence will be replaced by the Apple logo.
The Real World
Why go out into the real world when you can visit Microsoft’s Real World for Kinect. Feel free to visit the park or go to your local singles bar. Microsoft will try to recreate features of the real world so that you will never have to visit the real real world. After all, if you really want to go outside, why not simulate the experience?
Lunar Trilogy
Although there have been spinoffs of the Lunar franchise, there have only been two core games ever released. We will learn that a third game was finished, but it was never released. Microsoft has worked out a deal to release all three for about five dollars on Xbox Live Arcade.
Flight Simulator: Boeing Edition
Microsoft will be bringing back their Flight Simulator franchise thanks to a sponsorship deal with Boeing. As a result, you can fly all of the amazing planes currently produced by Boeing as well as several classics. In the simulation, you will experience the tremendous flying experience that only Boeing can provide. For an extra challenge, Boeing has allowed Airbus to license aircraft for this game. Just be warned that these competitors crafts are nearly impossible to keep airborne for more than ten feet.
New Kart Racer
After years of developing a reputation for racing simulators, Turn 10 will be releasing a cell-shaded kart racing game. Cartoon physics have never been replicated so flawlessly in a racing game.
Age of Empires FPS
After playing around with a Halo real-time strategy, Microsoft will make an attempt to move in the opposite direction. Age of empires will be converted into a first person action game with the same fundamental mechanics as shooters such as Halo.
Xbox Live Platinum
Microsoft’s Code Creator’s Club will be replaced by a platinum tier of the Xbox Live service. This tier will allow content to be shared and sold along a large variety of games.
Game Makers
Along with the new platinum tier, Microsoft will be releasing a series of free games to support content development. How can they pull this off? They can make money off of fees for content sales and the platinum tier subscriptions. Among titles will be an RPG, a first-person shooter, and a racing title.
Shenmue 3
One of the most anticipated vaporware titles will be announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive. This title will not only feature the original content planned for Shenmue 3 and beyond, but it will include the first two games rebuilt to take advantage of the hardware and provide a seamless transition between chapters.
Kinect Sports Arcade
All three motion sensing platforms on the market have created a sports compilation to demonstrate how the platform works. These sports games are better designed than the core sports games to utilize motion sensing, but they are over-simplified so that they can include multiple games for the same price. By committing to releasing titles on Live Arcade, these sports will have added depth including season play. Due to the casual nature of these games, no licenses will be acquired. Without licensing, yearly roster updates will be unnecessary. Instead, we will see a more complete selection of sports available. That’s right, we are finally getting a legitimate curling game.
One-Handed Controller
There have been concerns regarding the lack of a one-handed controller to use with Kinect. That will change when Microsoft releases their newest accessory. Since Kinect is designed to read the body, Microsoft is not going to worry about Kinect recognizing the controller. As a result, the end of the controller won’t need a camera or the spherical light of Sony’s Move. Instead, Microsoft will place an analog stick on top. This will make it the first one-handed controller to feature an analog stick. The device will be designed to prevent gamers from flinging into their expensive television sets. Even turned off, this can add to the experience for sports titles where holding onto a bat or stick-like controller feels more natural. Also, Microsoft will feel no need to release a secondary Nunchuk or Navigation Nunchuk.
Online Saves
Microsoft has invested heavily in their online service and have online storage in the form of SkyDrive. It was only a matter of time before we saw these two ideas merge into online saves. Surprisingly, Sony actually beat Microsoft to the implementation. Don’t expect that to last. Microsoft already knows how to do it. Execution is inevitable.
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