E32011: What’s next? (My best guesses)

While there have been leaks and clips leading up to E3, fans of all gaming genres will be getting all they can handle as new, highly-anticipated titles will be showing off their stuff.

If action adventure is your style, “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception,” “Batman: Arkham City,” and “Bioshock Infinite” are ready to fill your need.

“Uncharted 3” marks the return of Nathan Drake as he battles thieves and treasure seekers in new locations across Europe and the Arabian Desert. “Batman: Arkham City” pits the Dark Knight against new foes and also gets some playable new help from a certain feline character.

“Bioshock Infinite” reveals the next chapter in a utopian future gone wrong story. The game has moved from under the oceans to high in the sky with new weapons, tonics and, apparently, no Big Daddy.

If first-person shooters are more your style, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” and “Battlefield 3” should offer plenty of bang for those who like the military setting.

“COD: MW3” follows up on the Russian invasion from “COD: MW2”, and will also mark the first game in the new “Call of Duty Elite” service. This brand new online community will allow “COD” players to compare stats, track missions, and access premium content.

“Battlefield 3” will feature a new game engine that will reportedly offer better sound and graphics than previous versions. The developers have publicly stated they are going after the “COD” series, so it will be interesting to see the reactions to the two games at E3.

If military style games aren’t what you are looking for, maybe “The Darkness II” will help satisfy your first-person shooter need. The game is inspired by a horror comic book series and features a visual style that will mimic hand-drawn pages from those same issues. Gameplay is also expected to be unique with a Quad-Wielding system allowing players to fire two weapons and also grab, slash and throw with two other demon arms.

Maybe role-playing games are more your style. “Star Wars: The Old Republic” is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that should be coming out very soon. The battle of the Sith and the Galactic Republic is likely to get one more push at E3 before its project release in the 2^nd half of 2011.

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” is also diving into E3 with more RPG gameplay demos in their new open world adventure. The game, set 120 years after “Oblivion,” will allow players to fight an ancient evil and save the world from chaos and destruction (like we haven’t done that before).

Classic characters are also going to be featured heavily at this year’s E3. Mario makes his return in a new game for the Nintendo 3DS, “Super Mario 3DS.” A logo for the game shows a tail, and Nintendo has said its purpose will be revealed at E3.

Plenty of other popular titles, like “Duke Nukem Forever, “Deus Ex: Human Revolution”, “Gears of War 3,” and “Resistance 3,” will be getting the E3 treatment as well. Some are expected to hit the shelves later this year while others won’t be seen until 2012.