Gamesugar

As agents of Team Sugar disperse throughout Los Angeles, it seems appropriate to put together a list of what’s topping our radar before the mad rush begins.

We’ve weaved together a list of studios that seem poised to steal most of our attention – as well as some others that we’re cautiously optimistic about – and present it for your reading pleasure while standing ready to be proven completely wrong by the time this yearly dance plays out. More Perfect Dark or Rez 2 or something from Grasshopper or Level-5 could turn us around pretty quick, just saying.

Catch our favorite contenders after the break – and be sure to let us know your own early picks for E3 2010.

Gamesugar’s Sweetest Picks for Pre-E3 2010 –

Konami’s focus on digital titles isn’t just for WiiWare anymore, with nostalgia trips like Rocket Knight already releasing this year, and others like Rush N’ Attack still to come. Add a Contra revisit, under development by Arc System Works, and not only do you have our attention, but clearly you’ve also learned how to keep good company.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising and Castlevania: Lord of Shadow will be looking not just to continue two of gaming’s most long standing and well loved franchises, but also seeking to set a new standard for a company that seems poised to reclaim the hearts, minds, and wallets of gamers.

Of course this still leaves possible reveals for Silent Hill and whatever else Kojima might have up his sleeve.

Zone of the Enders 3 perhaps?

Anything seems possible when the trickiest fox in the industry comes to town.

Finally getting hands on time with Hawaiian dream titles is enough to make the Capcom booth a hot spot for those who missed the earlier trip.

Okamiden, Dead Rising 2, Ghost Trick, Marvel vs Capcom 3, there’s no shortage of games to fight over.

What Capcom may or may not have up its sleeve for further E3 surprises helps cement their place. And yet, what we’re looking for most is some idea of how Capcom’s relationships with external developers continues from here, and what not really giving up on the Wii might mean for the foreseeable future.

Add an obligatory Resident Evil word or two to the mix and we’ll let you stay here.

Another heavy hitter hopeful from Platinum Games, with Vanquish taking on the challenge of proving that it’s not just Japanese Halo. Add to this another chance for Valkyria Chronicles to widen the appeal of the strategy genre with a PSP sequel and we’re warming up to meeting you.

And then there’s the Conduit 2, along with two flavors of Sonic to satisfy nearly all sides of the field, and maybe Sega can prove that they are still something close to the same company that brought us the Dreamcast – which also see’s a return to the floor of sorts with titles set for digital release this year.

Call me old fashioned, but solid Japanese development sprinkled with some nostalgia is enough to merit attention, for now.

By the way, are we extending that Platinum Games publishing arrangement or what?

Telltale Games must have known they were flying low on our radar leading into E3 this year. It’s not that we don’t love what they do, but there’s definitely an air of “been there done that” attached to their well proven and well worn approach to some of our favorite franchises.

When they announced Monkey Island at last year’s E3 for instance, it made complete sense based on their portfolio.

Of all the things to be anticipated this year, we certainly didn’t expect them to reveal two new titles, based on franchises so seemingly contrary to their formula that our finest minds have snapped under the pressure of trying to figure out what Telltale’s take on Back to the Future and Jurassic Park might even remotely look like.

Keep in mind we have no idea what this could look like even while typing this, but to go that far out of the comfort zone for what we expected is astounding, and certainly surprising enough to earn a place here.

There was a time not all that long ago, when some questioned whether Level-5 was the new Square-Enix in many ways.

Following a new publishing arrangement with Falcom that will see the RPG faithful get their fix for some time to come, as well as unique and original titles from well known Japanese developers, it seems worth asking if XSEED Games is the new Atlus. That might sound strange at first, but go ahead, try it out a few times.

Sure they might not have a booth with nurses to warm you over, but they already have enough solid releases this year to cement them as localization royalty. After some unfortunate setbacks last year, they’ve continued serving gamers who increasingly appreciate the effort, especially considering what we’ve seen from the alternatives. XSEED Games also have a lot of heart, and that’s worth a spot here any day.

Usually when Square-Enix talks about diversity, they mean they’ve come up with more strange titles for Final Fantasy games. Don’t worry, that’s still part of what they’ve got.

This year however, they’ve also got Eidos to help fill the booth with Deus Ex, as well as plenty of wide eyed anticipation for Kingdom Hearts and Parasite Eve.

Square’s growing collaborations with other developers, as well as an increasingly attractive range of digital releases presents plenty of ways for them to steal out attention on the show floor this year.

After E3 2008, Editors fought over who would have to cover future Nintendo Press Conferences, and yet here we are in 2010 and you’d probably sell your own mother on the street for a seat to the event that everyone is holding their breath for.

The Big N would have to drop the ball pretty hard to kill the anticipation of new hardware via the 3DS and Wii Vitality, and with Mario’s recent run on the Wii this year and last, the road is clear for potential reveals about other classic franchises – F-Zero, Pikmin, Star Fox are all prime choices.

Reggie could play the Ukulele for two hours while Zelda footage plays on the screen behind him at this point, knowing we’ll be coming home from Los Angeles to Sin & Punishment 2, and Metroid: Other M in the Fall.

And yet Nintendo is poised to take an even larger step ahead of the pack, maintaining their place as a long running industry leader that the rest are scrambling even now to follow.

Somehow hype just seems more fun when Nintendo is involved, and King Kong ain’t got nothing on them right now.



Sugar Coated Potential –

Sony – Every year is the year that Sony is poised to take back the considerable loss of ground that saw it slip from ruler of the gaming world to whatever it is now. When the “me too” peripherals are said and done with, it’s time to talk about games – that’s what this is all about right?

Last Guardian is a given, but it’s time to see if Sony’s got the internal talent it once had, and the ability to work with others in developing additional titles. The PlayStation Network booth might offer some hope, especially if they are lucky enough to have companies like Capybara hanging around again this year. Plus we probably want to hear what Sony has planned for PSN+.

And this still leaves the PSP looking for a reboot from a company that watched it suffer with their own “on again / off again” intentions – looking for a successor that can offer portable gaming that doesn’t get bogged down in trying to be the one device to rule them all.

As so often seems the case, Sony’s got the most to prove, and the most to lose.

Disney Interactive – What’s Epic Mickey been up to since mixed reactions to in-game footage that didn’t meet the expectations of the earlier revealed concept art? That’s one question, along with system exclusivity, that might just make it worth catching up with Disney on the floor.

EA – A Dead Space sequel might bring a game that properly establishes a franchise for the long run, rather than stitching together threads from titles that broke various molds before it. And while we even like some of the digital titles EA has snapped up this year, we’re going to be fickle and suggest they utter the words “Mirror’s Edge 2” at some point next week.

Go back and get 2008 right and don’t give up on all the fancy talk about new IP – which is different from moving IP from other Publishers.

That said, if Grasshopper is hanging with you at the show, we might be impressed.

Ubisoft – We wish Ubisoft all the success in the world selling copies of Prince of Assassins, but it’s time to talk Beyond Good & Evil 2, even if all you have is a static picture of Jade floating in limbo.

Piss or get off the pot already.