E3 and the Surprises that Will and Already Be

E3. It's an exciting time for the people who care about video games. Some pretty major announcements have already happened and the leaks just keep on coming. While it certainly makes easier to not feel a bit of information overload on one day, these things do take away from some of that excitement. However, this flow of information leading up to E3 might point to a show with some real weight behind it.

Fallout 4's announcement wasn't necessarily unexpected, but it was a big potentially show-stealing announcement for a lot of people, and it occurred well before the main event. The Dark Souls III leak is a bit more unexpected so soon after Bloodborne, and with that series' loyal fanbase it might have packed a similar punch come the main event. Platinum Games is always making crazy stuff, so a even a licensed game like Transformers would generate a lot of buzz with an on-stage reveal. A letter from the Mirror's Edge Catalyst devs was put out there so we wouldn't forget it existed. So, with all these leaks and ahead of the curve announcements, what can we expect from E3 this year?

Gameplay. In the past there has been a lot of focus on showing pre-rendered trailers to accompany major reveals, leaving us without any substance. This year, a lot of the pre-E3 information seems indicative of substance as hype rather than name-dropping as hype. Bethesda putting Doom and Fallout trailers well ahead of the main event tells me that they want to show those games off in depth. Microsoft saying Quantum Break and a few other games won't make it tells me that those games aren't ready and that they got a bunch of games that are. EA saying Star Wars: Battlefront will be playable and Mirror's Edge will be shown off ahead of the conference tells me, they are poised to follow suit. Square Enix alongside Bethesda saying they're having conferences in the first place gives me the same vibe.

Nintendo has consistently been about showing gameplay with reveals, especially since they're adoption of their Nintendo Direct format. This year they will be back on stage, and that says to me they are looking to have more of a presence, because they have plenty of stuff they are ready to show off in full. Sony and Ubisoft have played it a lot closer to the chest leading up to E3, so it's hard to say if they're poised to follow the trend, but considering all the other companies seem to be catching on, it's not out of the question.

Of course, maybe no one is catching on. Maybe this forward-thinking communication and announcements are all coming from backward-thinking suits. I'm concerned that all this information will mean there isn't going to much to generate a fuss about come the main event. Part of me really wants to be cynical about it, but for whatever reason, I'm remaining optimistic that this E3 will be a show of substance over flair and that these pre-show reveals and leaks won't take away from it in the slightest. It won't be much longer until we find out.