It’s almost that time again: E3 2011 is just around the corner, and excitement is in the air. The who’s who of electronic entertainment will be there, including Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft to name a few. Every year, E3 manages to surprise us with something big, but just what is expected this year? Let’s take a look.

Nintendo

Nintendo is almost sure to be the star of this year’s event, being the only attendee to introduce a new home gaming console, currently known as “Project Café.” When the Wii first came out, competing with the Xbox 360 and PS3, it was horrendously underpowered in comparison, but neither Microsoft nor Sony has any intention of releasing a new platform until 2015. Project Café is expected to be out around the second half of 2012, with modern hardware that is significantly more powerful than both the 360 and PS3. It’s also expected to have a revolutionary controller with embedded touch screen. Even better, Nintendo plans to have functional demo units available at E3 this year.

Sony

Sony has had a rough start this year, with its PlayStation Network being hacked and taken offline for more than two weeks. Hopefully, this won’t affect Sony’s expo this year. PlayStation Move will be a big part of Sony’s events, with quite a few new titles expected to feature the technology. Sony is also expected to feature the NGP (Next Generation Portable) very heavily, as it is due to replace the PSP around the end of the year.

The Games

E3 has always been about the games, and this year seems to be the year of the threequel. More than a handful of the titles to be shown at E3 this year are the third installment of a series. The most popular of these titles will probably be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Bioshock Infinite (of the Bioshock series), Mass Effect 3, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and Gears of War 3. Battlefield 3 and Dungeon Siege III will also likely get a lot of attention. There are a few notable sequels as well, such as Prototype 2, Prey 2, and TrackMania 2.

For the retro gamers, there are several classics making a return at E3, too. Deus Ex: Human Revolution will have a considerable interest following it; Twisted Metal is returning on the PS3; Sega is coming out with Sonic Generations; and Spyro the Dragon returns in Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure.

Other popular franchise titles will be there as well. Zelda will be there with a Nintendo 3DS remake of the Ocarina of Time, and the new Wii title, Skyward Sword. Other 3DS remakes include Starfox 64, Paper Mario, and Super Mario. We’ll also be seeing the new Batman: Arkham City; Red Faction: Armageddon; and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which will be very popular.

Out of all the games though, none can quite match the E3 track record of Duke Nukem Forever. DNF has been in and out of development for the past 12 years, so long that fans began to think the title, “Forever,” was a joke meaning it would never be released. Duke Nukem Forever has actually been featured at E3 twice before, in 1998 and 2001; and expected at E3 2005 and 2008, but never showed.

But all of this is just the tip of the ice berg. In total, there are over 70 game titles that will be present for E3 2011. It’s going to be quite the expo!