Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of E3 2011

E3 starts this upcoming Tuesday and I am hyped up for it. So many big games confirmed for E3 and many that we will not know about until the actual event.

So I want to go over the 10 games that I am most anticipating seeing updates on from E3. Before we get into this list, I should say that all of these games have been confirmed to be at E3 which means no games that are not going to be there like Half-Life 3 or games that haven't been confirmed yet, like Bayonetta 2 (please announce it). Games like Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Rage are definitely eligible. But will they make the list? Let's find out.

#10. Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider and Lara Croft have fallen on some tough times over the last few years. Sure they may have technically been good but the early games were revolutionary and the games now don't hold a candle to the vastly superior Uncharted and character Nathan Drake.

Now, Crystal Dynamics is attempting to breathe life back into the series. In a way it kind of started with the surprising success of the downloadable game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. But this will be a full retail release and a complete reboot of the series. They're getting a new voice actress for Lara and are attempting to give the series a more serious and dark tone.

So far we've only seen screenshots and they look gritty. But dark material can go two ways: one is telling mature and thought-provoking storylines and the other is actually getting less mature. Whether Crystal Dynamics can make this work has to be seen. This is the time to sell me on this. Uncharted has made me almost completely forget this series and it's time to sell it back to me. For this reason, it lands at the #10 spot.

#9. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Twilight Princess was one of the original launch titles for the Wii, so why not attempt to close off the Wii with another excellent title in this revered franchise? Nintendo has promised that the swordplay will be much in conjunction with your movements than Twilight Princess with the sword following your Wii-mote rather than just moving it to pull off specific moves. I'm excited about that but what gets me is how little we know about the story.

Yes, I'm definitely interested in seeing more gameplay. However, I've seen no indication as to what the main storyline will be and where it MIGHT fit into the incredibly f'ed up timeline that the series has. Will Ganon fit into this storyline, or just be in the background and pop up at the last minute? Will there be a character who can match Midna's popularity? Will it be a prequel?

I'm also curious to see what new tools will be added to arsenal and if any changes will be made to the tools we currently have. There's a lot to look forward to. Just...please don't let it become another Other M and don't let it suffer the delay that Twilight Princess did, just so it can be on Project Cafe. Give the Wii its swan song.

#8. Bioshock Infinite

Ah Bioshock, you may have been a clone to the superior System Shock 2 but you were still a damn good clone. Bioshock 2 was a little disappointing. It was good but it was too similar in my mind and didn't quite add enough to the series and had quite a few retcons. That's partly why I'm looking forward to Bioshock Infinite, along with the fact that the designer for the original, Ken Levine, is back. The game looks different but has a Bioshock feel to it.

Rather than taking place below water, this one will take place in a city apparently suspended in the air by balloons. It will take place in 1912 and the game will have similar themes that were present in the last two games. What I'm worried about is the atmosphere. The last two Bioshock games were two of the most atmospheric games of the last five years and being trapped underwater helped with that.

But I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt because it feels new. The gameplay is set to be very similar but the setting is just so different and the trailers that I've seen so far give me a good feeling about this game. With the original designer back on board and new angle to approach the Bioshock universe from, I can't wait to find out more about Bioshock Infinite.

#7. Battlefield 3

When it comes to military first-person-shooters, there are two at E3 that matter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. I wanted to choose one or the other for this list and I chose Battlefield 3. The reason for this is that I know what to expect from Modern Warfare 3 and we've had a new Call of Duty every year since 2007.

While we had some fun spinoffs with the Bad Company games, we haven't had a full-blown sequel to the Battlefield series since 2005. I'm curious about what the main storyline will be and I'm curious as to what gameplay enhancements will be involved. I do know that it will consist of mostly urban warfare in 2014 but not much else.

DICE and EA have been giving out little pieces of news about Battlefield 3 for a while now and it's only made me hunger for more. The game is set to come out in November, so what better time to drop some bombshells than at E3? Hit me with some good stuff next week and I'll gladly pick up Battlefield 3 whenever it's released.

#6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I've made it no secret that I wasn't a big fan of the last Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion. I just couldn't get into it for some reason. Which is strange because I loved Fallout 3 and New Vegas. From what I've seen in the trailers and screenshots for Skyrim, I'm really interested in seeing if this game will do for me what Oblivion did not.

What I know about the game is that it's set over a century or two after the events of Oblivion. It will not be a direct sequel to Oblivion but will use many of the design and gameplay of Oblivion. The gameplay that I've seen so far looks AWESOME and apparently they're redoing and revamping the magic system and updating the AI from Oblivion.

The trailers that I've seen so far look excellent and are making me want to put Oblivion back in for another try before Skyrim comes out in November. This is Bethesda's chance to hook me. Do it Bethesda, make me want to pick up this game and not just be kind of interested. Release some more information and trailers and I'll gladly become your bitch in November.

#5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was one of the breakout exclusives for the, at the time, struggling PlayStation 3. It also had some problems due to being a little rushed and lacked the moments that just made you say, "Wow!" Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, on the other hand, had TONS of those and because of this was the best game of 2009. Amazing single-player with a well told story, excellent graphics, great gameplay and multiplayer, and along with Mass Effect probably the best voice acting we've ever seen in video games, it was a masterpiece. So, will Uncharted 3 follow-up? That's what I'm interested in seeing.

We've gotten quite a few updates and videos since its announcement back in December. We know that it's going to primarily be set in the desert. The creative director, Amy Hennig, has said that she wants to push her team to the technological limits as sand and fire are very difficult to animate. This sticks with what we've seen with the excellent animation of snow and water in the last two games. Enemies will now be able to form squads and I'm very interested in seeing what other gameplay enhancements will be in there at E3 as well as seeing more hints about the story.

However, it's the multiplayer that's got my attention. Uncharted 2 had great multiplayer, but it definitely could have used a little more work and depth. Now they're planning on making that a reality, with greater depth and expansions for the multiplayer and co-op. For those reasons, as well as the single-player, Uncharted 3 will definitely have my attention next week.

#4. Rage

Rage has had me curious and interested since I first saw footage of it. Sure, I'm a little worried about the post-apocolyptic setting and that it might make the game feel stale. But a mix of car driving and racing, first-person shooting, and RPG elements has got me stoked to see more of it, especially after the awesome Dead City trailer.

Yeah, it looks awesome. I still don't know much about the actual story, but knowing id, it's going to be a secondary concern to the gameplay. Unfortunately id has said that a demo will probably not be released which has made me a little hesitant despite how cool it looks. That's why its showing at E3 will be so vital to me. This could decide whether I pick it up when it's released in September or not.

Give me some juicy stuff and I will rave about it on this blog. Don't give it to me and I won't give it munch mention. Also, if you give me the juicy stuff, it's a planned purchase on its release. It looks really cool and with the ability to customize vehicles and weapons, it seems like a lot of fun. Sell it to me id and Bethesda, next week.

#3. Dark Souls

The spiritual successor to one of the best games of 2009, Demon's Souls. It was also quite possibly the most difficult game in over a decade. However, Demon's Souls is a perfect example of difficult but fair. If you died, it was because you f'ed up and not because the game cheated you. That's what I'm hoping from Dark Souls.

Dark Souls has been promised to be even MORE DIFFICULT than Demon's Souls. The game will apparently keep much of the design of Demon's Souls which means souls will be a vital and all-around currency for purchasing and upgrading items and leveling up. The RPG gameplay in Demon's Souls was excellent and I hope to see it expanded upon in this game. I don't expect much of a story as the first one's was minimal at best.

As for the online, Demon's Souls had a very unique form of online and it appears to be coming back. Leaving messages behind for other players to see, player vs. player (I wonder if it will be as annoying), seeing deaths from blood splatters, etc. A new co-op system will also be used. As one of my most anticipated games yet to be released this year, I can't wait to see Dark Souls at E3.

#2. Batman: Arkham City

With Mass Effect 3's delay, Batman: Arkham City is my most anticipated game yet to be released this year. Rocksteady has that the outstanding Arkham Asylum was basically a test run for what they really wanted to do and from I've seen from Arkham City, it doesn't look like they were joking. If they're to be believed, Arkham City is bigger and better in almost every way.

If the gameplay trailer was accurate, then Arkham City looks much smoother than its predecessor in terms of navigation and in terms of combat. A lot more characters have been added to the mix including some returning from the first game. We've got Joker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Poison Ivy, etc. Fans should probably know the background for the story at this point and if not there's a comic series being done which is actually receiving great critical acclaim as the prequel to the game.

I'm interested in seeing more gameplay footage at E3 as well as hearing if anymore characters are being thrown into the mix. I want to see what some of the Riddler challenges will entail as they've said they have expanded on them from the first game. Oh and before I forget, this was announced today: Catwoman is playable. That's awesome and here's the trailer for that.

#1. Mass Effect 3

Yeah I know what you're thinking: how predictable. I know but I can't help it. There is no game that I'm excited to hear news about at E3 this year than Mass Effect 3. Quite possibly my most anticipated game EVER, I can't wait to get updates about the story (not too much though BioWare), returning characters and squadmates, gameplay refinements and additions, Clint Mansell's score for the game, and so much else.

BioWare has promised enhanced RPG elements after the streamlining of Mass Effect 2. Now that they've got the shooting down, it's the right time to do so. They've promised powers that branch multiple times, customizable weapons, enhancements to the interrupt system, etc. I'm interested in seeing all of these and writing about them come next week.

I'm interested in seeing some of the characters that will return as well as voice actors either returning or coming in for the first time. The possibility for moral dilemmas is greater than ever with this game and I want to get some more hints about some of the dilemmas we could be presented with along with the save-file transfer system. If there was only one game that I could follow at E3 this year, there's no question that it would be Mass Effect 3.