Three questions: E3 2013 dreams with Joystiq

Bingo cards, predictions and generally just wishing really hard for things is how we typically guess what we'll see during the industry's biggest show in North America. With E3 2013 set to kick off with media briefings from some of the industry's biggest giants, we wanted to continue the tradition of Joystiq making bold proclamations.

A new generation, however, requires a new approach. Though some of the messages we've heard and reported during the introduction of a new gen have been complicated, what we're expecting and what we hope for should be more simplistic.

So we posed three questions to our staff:

• What are you most excited about seeing and/or playing at E3 2013?

• Is there something you're hoping will be announced at the show that you have absolutely no prior knowledge of?

• Considering everything from your personal preferences, high hopes things will work out and everything you've seen and heard up until this point: if you had the money for only one purchase would it be the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or a pile of new Wii U games?

• Text-driven adventure games don't really play very well in shortened demo sessions, but I'm still eager to try out Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies. And maybe I'll pester someone about that second Edgeworth game we never got.

• I'm hoping to see that rumored Mirror's Edge 2, even if I question the kind of feedback its creators would have gotten and incorporated after a polarizing, commercially underwhelming first game.

• The PlayStation 4 has my attention for now. Sony's first-party studios have a great pedigree and history, the PlayStation Store has a great indie boutique approach and their philosophy in unveiling the system is promising. It could all go south given more specifics, but for now I appreciate the attempt to leverage creators over services.

• Quantum Break. I'm interested in the television integration for that game. Remedy has never steered me wrong, so I'm revved up to see what's next.

• Dear Nintendo: A 2D narrative follow-up to Metroid Fusion, please.

• I like my Wii U, but I need more games. I hope Nintendo delivers. Between Microsoft and Sony? Microsoft's message has been dragged through so much mud, that it's hard to get excited for a console that places so many restrictions on users. I love my Halo games, but I don't want the next game to be Halo: Roadblocks to Entertainment. Sony on the other hand has my interest and – though I anticipate similar policies on game authentication from them – I think they are telling the right story right now. That story is games. Ultimately, the box doesn't matter. I want awesome games.

• I'm most excited for the clarifications on these always online console features. PlayStation has been dodging bullets like Neo, but there's something going on there too.

• I never get my hopes up for things I want to see, cause that will always inevitably lead me to wishing and hoping for Alpha Centauri 2.

• If I had to choose a console right now, based on current information, a PS4 with Xbox 360 controls and a Kinect that has an off button.

• I'm most excited about Dark Souls 2. And probably Xbone.

• As for an unannounced game? I want Alan Wake 2.

• If I had to choose one, it would probably be Xbox One. As troubling as the online authentication is, I actually dig those TV features, and I gotsta have my Halo. I love indies, but I've got my PC and Vita for that.

• I'm excited to learn all about the next game from Limbo developer Playdead.

• I'm hoping for details on what Microsoft plans to do with indies on Xbox One.

• If I had to pick one today? PS4. And that's a significant change for me, since I've previously been an Xbox buyer.

• It's hard to peg any one specific thing down. I'm excited for new consoles mostly, I guess. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified looks neat and i'm anxious to see what Bethesda's next thing is.

• For something that hasn't been announced: Mirror's Edge 2.

• Right now the PS4 is more exciting, but I'm all about PC at the moment.

• Most excited for Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN!

• I'm waiting for some Xbox One/PS4 arcade sticks. Those would be pretty sweet!

• Right now I'd pre-order a PS4 since I want to be able to play indie games, but I won't really know for sure which I'd rather nab until after E3, I don't think we know enough about either yet. (Which isn't in the spirit of this question.)

• I'm most excited to see what EA does with the UFC license. Combat games have a special place in my heart, as do sweaty men that throw their bodies around an octagon.

• Despite recycling my same hopes every year, I would love if an online mulitplayer Metroid game were announced. A man can dream.

• I'm risk-averse, so I would sooner invest in the Wii U games that have already been announced.

• I'm probably most excited for Nintendo's announcements, to see how they plan to turn things around with the Wii U.

• As for something I'm hoping for, I really want to see a new 3D Mario game and Persona 5.

• Assuming Microsoft and Sony's consoles are priced the same, I'm leaning toward the PS4. The Wii U might win out, depending on what Nintendo does at E3 2013.

• I'm most excited to see The Evil Within and Batman: Arkham Origins for myself.

• I'm looking forward to seeing Microsoft's Xbox One lineup, especially what XBLA will look like in the next generation.

• Right now, if I had to pick one of the consoles based on what we know, I'd go with PS4.

• Apart from learning more about the new consoles, it's definitely what Nintendo announces for the Wii U. I'm a fan of the console itself, especially off-TV play, but with so few games it's not hard to see why it's struggling. How Nintendo rectifies that, and how much it rectifies it at E3, will be key.

• Definitely Mirror's Edge 2. The first game was one of the most interesting of this generation, even with all its flaws. When it was good, it had a rush like no other. The follow-up has been such a long time coming.

• I have a Wii U, but if I didn't it wouldn't be the one I'd get. So far, I'd have to say the PS4 – but that could change at E3, depending on what Sony spills.

• Even though I'm not scheduled to see it, I'm hoping Dark Souls 2 retains the series' legacy, especially in the absence of its papa, Hidetaka Miyazaki. To be honest, the inevitable increase in game development costs scares me, entirely because bigger investments tend to yield safe and pedestrian results. If Dark Souls 2 continually finds new ways to punish me, I'll be happy – yes, this is how Souls fans are wired.

• It's already been out for a while in Japan, but I'm hoping Nintendo announces an upcoming American release of Dragon Quest X at this year's E3. Even though it's technically a Wii game – and doesn't necessarily take advantage of the GamePad – it'd be nice to have a big, meaty RPG for the console I can turn to once all the joy has been milked from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate; and if it hits just around Christmas, that'll be plenty of time to wrap up the hundreds of hours MH3U still demands from me.

• On the topic of new consoles, I already have a Wii U, but I'm leaning towards a PS4 – though keep in mind this is a very slight, almost imperceptible lean. I haven't exactly worked myself into a frenzy over anything Sony or Microsoft has shown so far, and if this E3 exclusively features a display of slightly better looking experiences identical to the ones I've grown tired of this generation, my apathy will continue unabated. But it's still going to fun watching Microsoft try to get out of that hole they just can't stop digging deeper.

• Call of Duty: Ghosts and Respawn's first game should be hot.

• Half-Life 3. I just want the G-Man to suddenly appear and tell everyone that it's coming.

• Is none of the above an option? I don't like what the Xbone has presented thus far, I haven't actually seen a PS4 yet, and I have zero interest in a Wii U. I'd much rather upgrade my PC.

• I'm pretty interested to see how Sony handles its PS4 stuff, especially in light of the current public perception of the Xbox One.

• Game-wise, I just like the all-out surprises, but I would love to see a Mirror's Edge sequel. Also interested to see of any Japanese pubs have anything cool to show. It's been all western stuff for me for a while.

• I'd go with the PS4 right now, if I had to choose. I just like the narrative Sony has going. The way they are treating indie stuff is super encouraging. I was almost exclusively an Xbox 360 this gen too.