 If last year's E3 was the year of the next-gen console, this is the year of the next-gen game. Last year, Sony and Microsoft showed off launch titles and very early previews for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. And Nintendo, well, it doesn't matter. But this year, developers have had much more time to work with these new systems, and there's going to be a lot more to play. Let's start with Microsoft. Last year, the company put more focus on the Xbox One's entertainment features, and left many of its upcoming games in the back seat. This year, we can really expect the company to put a focus on its games. That and the $399 Connect Free Xbox One are how Microsoft plans to compete with the PS4. We've already gotten a brief teaser of the next entry in the Halo series, but next week we can expect to see a full look at Halo 5 Guardians, the first main game in the series since 2012. That's due to hit the Xbox One in the fall of 2015. There's also a good chance Microsoft will tease the next Gears of War games, since the company now owns the rights to the series. Sony's also going to talk a lot about big-name games, leading with a couple of key exclusives. Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed Uncharted series continues with Uncharted 4. We saw a teaser last year, but aside from the title, haven't seen much. That's likely to change. We also make it a better look at the Victorian steampunk action game The Order 1866, and The Witness, a new adventure game for the makers of Braid. Remember those island puzzles? But maybe the biggest question this year is what Nintendo will do to save Wii U sales. To start, Nintendo just released Mario Kart 8 last month, and it is the bomb. And next week, the company will show off the latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series, a longtime staple for Nintendo. It's also dedicating a 90-minute presentation to a single 3DS title, so we can expect it to be pretty big. Maybe a new 2D Metroid? Who knows. Now let's put exclusives aside. This year, we're going to learn a lot more about Destiny, the massively multiplayer first-person shooter designed by the guys who first made Halo. The studio's confirmed we'll see a playable, competitive multiplayer demo, and more details about a summer beta program. Meanwhile, Ubisoft is expected to show off more on Assassin's Creed Unity, set during the French Revolution, and Far Cry 4, which moves the series from a tropical island to the Himalayas. Activision will be showing off the next Call of Duty game, titled Advanced Warfare, while EA is going to give fans more details on the unexpectedly police-themed Battlefield Hard Line, which will officially be unveiled on Monday. Also, despite being delayed until next year, the final part of the mostly critically acclaimed series of Batman action games, Arkham Knight, is still highly anticipated at E3. And finally, we've got a lot of franchise installments on the table. There's a new Mortal Kombat and a new Alien game, but probably the most exciting is the new Star Wars Battlefront. The game had an awesome teaser at E3 last year, and the last main Battlefront game came out in 2005, so there's a lot riding on this new entry. Now putting games aside for a moment, this might be the first time in a while we see some major updates in the virtual reality field. Oculus has been pretty hush-hush since being acquired by Facebook earlier this year. It's possible, though hardly certain, that we'll hear details about a final consumer version of the Oculus Rift, which is expected in 2015. Oculus has also branched out from hardware to publishing, and it's supposedly working with a number of major developers on dedicated VR games, so seeing some new games isn't out of the question either. And then there's Project Morpheus, Sony's virtual reality headset. While things still seem to be in the very early stages, any details about pricing, release date, or final design would be welcome additions. E3 is always full of surprises, and even without the prospect of a new console, we'll be hoping for big reveals of games we've never heard of and virtual reality that's more than just hype. We're starting Monday with a big day of Sony, Microsoft, and more. And until then, we'll keep our fingers crossed.
 If last year's E3 was the year of the next-gen console, this is the year of the next-gen
 game.
 Last year, Sony and Microsoft showed off launch titles and very early previews for the PlayStation
 4 and Xbox One.
 And Nintendo, well, it doesn't matter.
 But this year, developers have had much more time to work with these new systems, and there's
 going to be a lot more to play.
 Let's start with Microsoft.
 Last year, the company put more focus on the Xbox One's entertainment features, and left
 many of its upcoming games in the back seat.
 This year, we can really expect the company to put a focus on its games.
 That and the $399 Connect Free Xbox One are how Microsoft plans to compete with the PS4.
 We've already gotten a brief teaser of the next entry in the Halo series, but next week
 we can expect to see a full look at Halo 5 Guardians, the first main game in the series
 since 2012.
 That's due to hit the Xbox One in the fall of 2015.
 There's also a good chance Microsoft will tease the next Gears of War games, since the
 company now owns the rights to the series.
 Sony's also going to talk a lot about big-name games, leading with a couple of key exclusives.
 Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed Uncharted series continues with Uncharted 4.
 We saw a teaser last year, but aside from the title, haven't seen much.
 That's likely to change.
 We also make it a better look at the Victorian steampunk action game The Order 1866, and
 The Witness, a new adventure game for the makers of Braid.
 Remember those island puzzles?
 But maybe the biggest question this year is what Nintendo will do to save Wii U sales.
 To start, Nintendo just released Mario Kart 8 last month, and it is the bomb.
 And next week, the company will show off the latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series,
 a longtime staple for Nintendo.
 It's also dedicating a 90-minute presentation to a single 3DS title, so we can expect it
 to be pretty big.
 Maybe a new 2D Metroid?
 Who knows.
 Now let's put exclusives aside.
 This year, we're going to learn a lot more about Destiny, the massively multiplayer first-person
 shooter designed by the guys who first made Halo.
 The studio's confirmed we'll see a playable, competitive multiplayer demo, and more details
 about a summer beta program.
 Meanwhile, Ubisoft is expected to show off more on Assassin's Creed Unity, set during
 the French Revolution, and Far Cry 4, which moves the series from a tropical island to
 the Himalayas.
 Activision will be showing off the next Call of Duty game, titled Advanced Warfare, while
 EA is going to give fans more details on the unexpectedly police-themed Battlefield Hard
 Line, which will officially be unveiled on Monday.
 Also, despite being delayed until next year, the final part of the mostly critically acclaimed
 series of Batman action games, Arkham Knight, is still highly anticipated at E3.
 And finally, we've got a lot of franchise installments on the table.
 There's a new Mortal Kombat and a new Alien game, but probably the most exciting is the
 new Star Wars Battlefront.
 The game had an awesome teaser at E3 last year, and the last main Battlefront game came
 out in 2005, so there's a lot riding on this new entry.
 Now putting games aside for a moment, this might be the first time in a while we see
 some major updates in the virtual reality field.
 Oculus has been pretty hush-hush since being acquired by Facebook earlier this year.
 It's possible, though hardly certain, that we'll hear details about a final consumer
 version of the Oculus Rift, which is expected in 2015.
 Oculus has also branched out from hardware to publishing, and it's supposedly working
 with a number of major developers on dedicated VR games, so seeing some new games isn't
 out of the question either.
 And then there's Project Morpheus, Sony's virtual reality headset.
 While things still seem to be in the very early stages, any details about pricing, release
 date, or final design would be welcome additions.
 E3 is always full of surprises, and even without the prospect of a new console, we'll be hoping
 for big reveals of games we've never heard of and virtual reality that's more than just
 hype.
 We're starting Monday with a big day of Sony, Microsoft, and more.
 And until then, we'll keep our fingers crossed.