E3 Expo Countdown

The games industry’s big LA show is only a few weeks away and it looks like it’s going to be the most exciting show for years.

E3 is going to be critical this year for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Of coruse, MS already has it’s next-gen console in the market so we’re bound to see plenty of playable Xbox 360 games across the show floor thanks to strong third-party support.

Sony and Nintendo have huge stands side by side and these are likely to be the only places that working PlayStation 3 and Revolution consoles will be seen. Last year Sony only had pre-rendered footage to show and I really do hope that there are some real games to play this year – the launch of the console is after all not that far away.

It could be that Nintendo will steal the show by showing off the intriguing capabilities of the Revolution controller. All eyes will be on Reggie once again for big announcements and demonstrations from Nintendo.

Meanwhile there’s lots to look forward to from the third parties and PC games. With the advent of Windows Vista and DirectX 10 we can expect to see plenty of new PC games showing off fancy new graphics that will give the next-gen consoles a run for their money. I’m particularly excited about seeing Flight Simulator X in motion.

Publishers approach to E3 varies. Some companies have already stopped releasing news, they want to make their big announcements at E3 in LA. Other companies are busy announcing new games, to build up excitement for their appearances at the show.

Right now though I’m too busy with all the forms and other matters I need to get sorted for my Visa interview at the US Embassy that it’s hard to get too excited about E3 just yet.