Switched

E3, once known as the biggest gaming conference in the world, has kicked off in LA, and we're there. As we sit down to watch Microsoft unveil its plans for the Xbox 360 and PC gaming for the next year, we have a few questions about the state of gaming. What should you look out for? What do we expect to hit and miss? Can Sony dig itself out of a seemingly shallow grave?

Return of the Music Games
Ever since the breakaway success of Guitar Hero, publishers have been setting their sights on getting a chunk of the suddenly huge music gaming pie. Some of the biggest hitters at this year's E3 are of the musical variety: there's 'Guitar Hero 3' (which is being published by Activision and developed by 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater' creator Neversoft), as well as 'Rock Band' -- EA's "full band karaoke" (which includes guitar, bass, vocals, and drums, and is being developed by the folks behind the first two Guitar Hero games). EA also has its rhythm-action game for Wii, entitled 'Boogie', and Konami returns with a brand new 'Dance Dance Revolution' game (without arrows!). We're betting our Fender Stratocasters that there will be plenty of other acts making their debut appearances at this year's show as well.

The Hitmakers
What's the story behind Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated (but still largely secretive) games for EA, LMNO? What's up with Peter Jackson's upcoming game for Microsoft, set in the 'Halo' universe? And how about 'Live Free or Die Hard' coming to Xbox 360? Expect big publishers, big movie directors, and big franchises to be making their public debut at E3...at least in sneak-peek form. Word on the street is that LucasArts will be revealing 'LEGO Indiana Jones' as well, which could be nothing short of awesome.

The Big Hitters
In no particular order: 'Assassin's Creed', 'LittleBigPlanet' (seen in the picture above), 'Killzone 2', 'Metal Gear Solid 4', 'Mass Effect', 'Grand Theft Auto IV', and a near-finished 'BioShock' – these are the games we're most excited to see at this year's show. Rumors are flying about 'Metal Gear 4' coming to Xbox 360, and the gaming world waits to see whether or not 'Killzone 2' will live up to the hype (which began so resoundingly at E3 2005).

EA Steps Its Game Up
John Riccitello, EA's CEO, recently told the Wall Street Journal that his company needed to "push beyond traditional audiences to attract non- and casual gamers; "we're boring people to death and making games that are harder and harder to play," Mr. Riccitiello said in an interview. While it's not the first time a CEO has been public about his company's need to change with the times, it's nice to hear EA's most expensive suit essentially say what we're all thinking. Is this largely due to Nintendo's push to open up the market, to expand what we think of as a videogame? We're not saying no.

Indie Game Publishing
You've got to hand it to the guys at GameCock – they definitely know how to start a commotion. After their infamous party at this year's Game Developers Conference (think: nudity, midgets), the publisher which has positioned itself as Defender of All That is Good and Independent will finally be showing off its wares for the first time. The evolution of video games into a creative medium or simply the next batch of low-budget shovelware? We eagerly await the results (and hope it's the former).

Nintendo
One company that's been missing from the news headlines leading up to E3 is Nintendo; after creating the most excitement the video game world has seen in nearly a decade with the introduction of Wii, the Big N has been all but absent this year. The big game releases have been few and far between, and many think that the Wii novelty is wearing off. While we of course expect to see the long-awaited titles – 'Metroid', 'Mario', and 'Super Smash Brothers' all making their Wii debuts – we'd be disappointed if Nintendo didn't have something else up its sleeve as well.

Sony
Off course, there's the biggest question mark of all: Sony. Was the recently-announced price drop an act of desperation, or it this when the shiny black curvy box really starts to sell? The answer to that question most likely exists somewhere between now and Friday: if Sony doesn't have a couple of killer apps to show (we're looking at you, 'Killzone 2', 'Sony Home', and 'Metal Gear Solid 4'), Sony's third PlayStation may signal the console maker's first botched generation.

For more coverage of E3, see our friends at Joystiq and GameDaily.