One of the most fun things to do before E3 is argue with your friends about what you think is going to happen, who you think is going to walk away the conference winner, and what the game of the show will be. We’ve all been having that conversation here, so it time to see if you guys agree or disagree with us.

SHAWN

Things I Expect: While I was putting together the list of games I think Microsoft will show, I realized one thing – that even with the huge names, I think they are going to have the weakest showing. This is mostly because I can’t really think of any super new IP or exclusive they can pick up, so let’s run down the list and see what I think they’ll come out with.

Obviously, Halo Reach is going to have a dominating performance at the show, regardless of if it goes first or last. I expect a huge amount of information on the single player to be announced/shown, as well as the numerous tweaks they’ll be making to the multiplayer from beta feedback. To compliment Halo, I think Gears of War 3 will get almost as much camera time. I’m really hoping that they put a huge focus on the multiplayer aspect to show that they’ve got it right this time. We can only hope, of course. For their third blockbuster, Fable III will look killer. Hopefully some of Peter Molyneux’s ambitious ideas will finally come to life here. Fable III will be used to hype Natal, probably with varied reactions from the community.

One of the bigger unexpected things we could see is a teaser trailer for Mass Effect 3. This has grown to be one of the most popular franchises out there right now, so it would make a lot of sense for them to push for some kind of an announcement on it… just don’t expect much. Microsoft will spend some time running down the summer release schedule, mentioning and showing Crackdown 2 and Dead Rising 2. It’ll be their last attempt at pushing Crackdown 2 before release, so hopefully they’ll have a great presentation lined up to push it along the right path.

So what else could we see? Potentially Forza 4… aside from that I’m not sure what else they could have up their sleeve. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that we’ll see Shadow Complex 2, and that the Rare game being teased may just be that Killer Instinct sequel everyone has been begging for. The rest of the conference will more than likely be filled with multiplatform titles, which we will be doing a seperate article on completely.

As for the separate Natal conference, I expect a lot of happy-go-lucky PR speak with some cool looking games, but lack of creative focus or execution. I could be extremely off base here, considering how incredible it sounded when first announced, but unless we get a game where the point is to see the bottom of my avatar’s shoe, it may be too late for this motion stuff. Then again, if stuff like the Milo demo turns out possible? Then it may be the single greatest showing of all time. I’m just not quite convinced yet.

Things I Want: Being an avid Gears of War fan, I could say that tons of info on Gears of War 3 will be enough to make the fanboy inside of me spring to life. However, this is already going to happen, and I need to put my non-biased sunglasses on, so what else do I want to see?

First, I want this top-secret Rare game to be a new entry in the Conker’s Bad Fur Day series. Not only is the game absolutely fantastic, but the online Live and Reloaded had an immense amount of potential to be huge. It’s been long enough were any Pop-culture references would make sense, and it’s time we get a game that puts Rare back on the map.

So what else? Actually, this is going to be my ultimate wish for this E3, even though I know it’s far-fatched. I want a Lost Odyssey 2. It doesn’t need to be a direct sequel, but the storyline that they set up gives them 1000 years to work with. Maybe let us play the beginning of these times, so we see where it all originated from. I honestly don’t even care, I think Lost Odyssey is the best RPG this generation, and anything to along with it will make me cry tears of joy. I’m not lying.

Where Do I Think Microsoft Will Place in the Conference Rankings? 3rd

CHARIS

Things I Expect: Since Shawn already hit all of the highlights, I’m just going to say I agree with a lot of it. I expect a lot of time will be spent on montages. Gears of War 3, Fable III, and Halo: Reach will most likely get the most air time. There will be a small mention of Dead Rising 2 and Crackdown 2, but nothing too spectacular on either, and probably a lot on multiplatform games since Natal will have its own conference. The Natal showing will be interesting, considering the time and date it was given, and I picture it being a huge spectacle. What they showed last year made me stop in my tracks, especially with the Milo stuff, so hopefully it will be more of that. I expect to be disappointed (with Natal), though. Finally I see more of the internet/TV/music integration happening. Hulu will get some attention. There might be a few new additions to the dashboard announced in anticipation for Natal as well… but that’s all you’re going to get from the Microsoft conference.

Things I Want: Gears of War 3 will be enough for me. If the entire presentation was on Gears and Cliffy B., I’d be happy as ever. Other than that? Maybe something like one of the innovative creation games that the PS3 has. A LittleBigPlanet-like game would probably be great for the 360. Either way, while it might not be the most exciting conference ever, it will have a solid offering with something for everyone.

Where Do I Think Microsoft Will Place in the Conference Rankings? 2nd

Alright guys, so this is what we’re expecting from Microsoft. Do you think we’ll be seeing some huge unannounced game? Do you think we’re wrong or right? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Not too many heavy hitters are coming out in June, but that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of quality games. After the break you’ll find the games you should be on the lookout for the second half of this month. There are a couple that aren’t getting enough publicity, but people should be paying more attention. You’ll see them first thing after the jump.

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Not too many heavy hitters are coming out in June, but that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of quality games. After the break you’ll find the games you should be on the lookout for the first couple weeks of this month. To be honest, there really ISN’T much, but there is at least one or two to get excited about.

Mega Man or Green Day, anyone?

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Last week, Epic officially released the sixth title update for Gears of War 2. For those who don’t play, yes, it has taken this long for them to stop the game from being a complete mess, but I applaud the fact that they’ve stuck with it for this much time after release. When it came out over a year and a half ago, Gears of War 2’s multiplayer component was everything Gears of War 1 fans didn’t want – a completely different game. Not only did they change the overall speed of the multiplayer, but they also changed the gun mechanics so much that any tactic you learned in the original Gears of War didn’t work. The biggest of these problems was the shotgun, which at first shot directly into the ground if you blindfired it.

So is it fixed?

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If you are one of the few people left without a Nintendo Wii, today may be your lucky day. Best Buy is currently offering the white version of the console for $149.99. This means you can run out and grab the Wii with Super Mario Galaxy 2 to do yourself an enormous favor.

Just remember that this is the original white bundle, so you do not receive Wii Sports Resort or MotionPlus like you do with the black version of the console. However, it’s a great deal if you are interested.

The only drawback to this is that it seems to be online only… but if you didn’t have a Wii yet, I’m sure the extra couple days of waiting won’t kill you!

You can grab one here (The price change happens when you add the console into your cart).

Other deals are after the jump!

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Game:Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Platform:Xbox 360, PS3

Game length: 8-10 hours

Completed? Completed the game on normal one and a half times. Beat both arena modes.

Lead Reviewer: Shawn

The Prince of Persia series (PoP from here on out) is one that has gone through many changes as it has progressed, but one thing has always been consistent – excellent platforming. While many consider Prince of Persia: Sands of Time to be one of the best games ever made, the follow ups to it left most fans wanting more. PoP: Warrior Within bettered the combat, but weird design decisions to make the game “edgy” were frowned upon. PoP: Two Thrones was a good game, but ultimately one that wasn’t exceptional and it played things a bit too safe. PoP 2008 was a reboot for the franchise, which opened up the game world and overhauled the combat completely… while splitting the fanbase in two at the same time.

Ubisoft is trying to satisfy fans, or arguably cash-in on the upcoming movie, with the release of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. A return to the story and gameplay style of the original Sands of Time trilogy is what you’ll find here, with most of the advancements from PoP 2008 nowhere to be found. The hype and marketing for the game are exceptionally low for a title of its caliber, which leaves many to believe that it’s just a cash-in for the movie releasing this weekend. Is this true? Well, no, it’s not.

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I haven’t played any of the F.E.A.R. games, but I have watched enough of them to know that the gameplay in the trailer looks good. Too bad there wasn’t more of it. Instead, we have some wonderful “college film student” worthy live action screens that no one wants to see, even if it shows a little of co-op that was mentioned earlier last month. This makes me question Warner Bros. Interactive, especially when trailers for their other games like Batman: Arkham Asylum are wonderfully done.

Either way, F.E.A.R. 3, or F.3.A.R., will be released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC sometime in the third quarter of 2010.

For one of the first times ever, I watched a Call of Duty trailer specifically looking for something new. Usually I’m fine with just watching all of the explosive action, but not this time. I’ve seen explosions, I’ve seen snow covered mountains, helicopters, etc. Sure there isn’t much more you can do after that, maybe add an explosive crossbow, throw us into Vietnam, and give your characters a little more personality. The crossbow is cool though!

Hopefully we’ll see a little more at E3. Call of Duty: Black Ops will be out November 9th for PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, and PC.

So, every week we used to just write out the games that were coming out and then put the launch trailers in separate posts. Well, why not throw it all into one convenient place? Here you’ll find ALL the games coming out this week, and trailers to accompany them. Enjoy!

First, the list of the biggest releases this week are after the break!

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Ubisoft announced today that Future Solider will be held back until 2011 instead of being released this holiday season. Instead of fighting against other holiday competition for sales, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot thought it would be a better idea for them to wait on the release as well as add extra time to work on the title.

While no one likes waiting, I’m personally happy to see this delay. Last night was hard enough having to decide between Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake, Prince of Persia, Split/Second and Bit. Trip Runner. Let’s not even get started on Mario Galaxy 2 coming out this weekend. My wallet needs a break!