One week. Just one week left until every developer, studio and important figure in the gaming industry gather again to wow the masses, debut new franchises with flashy new trailers, segments of actual gameplay - and potentially above all - confirm sequels for some of the most beloved properties of all time. Business-wise it makes far more sense to tap into an established fanbase hungry for more, and without the need to convince people of a new game engine, protagonist or quirky hook, you can get down to business; comfortably innovating on established formulas with a focussed set of eyes watching every development. It can work wonders (just look at Rockstar's revival of Max Payne 3), or quite the opposite, where trying to launch a new IP in the midst of consumers wanting something they put familiar stock in can lead to failure. Remember Sunset Overdrive? Exactly. So, with both potentialities always accounted for across the many different companies representing themselves, there should (fingers crossed) be something for everyone - providing nothing too 'revolutionary' gets into the minds of any radicalised executives, the end result another disastrous Kinect-focussed Microsoft conference or having Sony change tact altogether and force a digital-only future on their thousands of followers. No, let's ignore how spectacularly off-the-mark some PR messaging has been in recent years, and focus on the best games people have been mentioning in comment threads for far longer - after all, if enough people shout about something loud enough, chances are the gaming industry will listen.
