Where did they go?
But for every jaw-dropping moment, there were some confusing omissions: several large-profile games that we expected to see simply never materialized. Major titles that wed seen before or expected to see simply didnt make the show.
Which games are we talking about? Without further ado, heres our list of E3 2012s biggest no-shows
7. Grand Theft Auto V
Call us dreamers if you will, but we actually expected to see something from GTA V at E3 2012. Microsoft could have shown off a trailer to promote some sort of exclusivity, Sony could have revealed a weird Vita tie-in application, or Nintendo could have shown it off on the Wii U, further proving its commitment to mature titles. Instead, we didn't get a single murmur.
6. Overstrike
The trailer was undoubtedly awesome.
But that was last year. Now, more than twelve months later, we've not heard a peep from EA, Insomniac, or anyone else about Overstrike. We assumed we'd hear more, or even get hands-on with the four-player cooperative shooter at this year's show, since it was revealed at EA's press conference last year, but... nothing. Perhaps Insomniac should have saved the trailer for this year instead.
5. Alan Wake 2
And then it simply didnt happen. Despite being teased and promoted, the reveal didnt come at Microsofts press conference or elsewhere. Maybe they pulled the viral marketing trigger too early and pissed off Microsoft, maybe it was never supposed to be announced during E3, or maybe its actually not in the works. Maybe its all part of the story, and Mr. Scratch is using Twitter and our excitement to break out of the games and into the real world oh no its happ
4. Animal Crossing 3DS
We expected to get a new trailer, details on how the mechanics would work, and a solid release date at E3 2012, but... yeah. We didn't get any of that. We didn't get any of anything. Here we are, in 2012 - the year it's supposed to be coming out - without a drop of new information. Nintendo didn't forget about Animal Crossing, did it?
3. Brothers in Arms: Furious 4
Sadly, when we got that new information, it wasn't good. A few months back, we began hearing rumors that the game had been flat-out cancelled. Further credibility was added when Ubisoft let the game's trademark lapse, and even though Gearbox explained the reasoning for this, it still didn't look good. We hoped that our paranoia would be invalidated, but with the game not showing up at E3 in any form, we're back to sobbing ourselves to sleep nightly.
2. The Last Guardian
Ueda blames the delays on design decisions, but that doesnt sound like a big enough issue to prevent Team ICO from slapping some footage over dramatic music to show off at Sonys press conference. More disconcerting is the departure of Ueda, the lead designer on the title, who left Sony late last year. Weve been told he's continuing to work on the title as a freelancer, but were not optimistic. Were starting to wonder if The Last Guardian is a prank on the industry an incredibly meta game in which Ueda breaks gamers hearts by creating trailers and prototypes of a game that doesnt exist. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but at this point, were open to believing anything.
1. Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS
We sort of hoped this was typical trickery, and expected to see the game on display at E3 2012. The 3DS was in desperate need of new titles, and the Wii U could definitely use a big game like Smash Bros. in the early months to help sell units. It would also be a great showpiece for the hardware, both by including crisp graphics and and utilizing the second pad to show a close-up view of the fighter. Alas, it wasn't at E3 whatsoever, and Nintendo opted to remain tight-lipped about the project. We might be a few years out from a new Smash Bros. after all.
What did we miss?
Don't just sit there shouting at the screen, though - comment below and let us know what you think of this Top 7.
And if you want to hear about more E3 2012 shenanigans, check out GamesRadar's Most Valuable Games of E3 2012 and our picks for who had the best E3 2012 press conference.
