Reminder: the deadline is midnight tonight for your entries!

In a month’s time, 2nd-4th June, E3 Expo takes place at the L.A. Convention Center.  This year looks like being a return to the glamourous and glitzy E3s of the past, with the Big Three (Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft) expected to make many announcements and unveil a host of major games.  Well over 150 other exhibitors have also booked to attend, including all the major game publishers.

So What’s This?

Speculation is already rife as to what announcements will be made and what games will be unveiled.  Lots of gaming news and blog sites are getting caught up in the hype and some are claiming that they have got a secret source who has fed them some juicy titbits that they are just dying to tell you, but they do not want to spoil the surprise.  At least not yet.  But if you check back with them daily, they might just post a hint.

Here at TSA, we do not like to indulge ourselves too much in all that rumour-mongering and hit-baiting.  We think that you, our readers, are intelligent enough to spot such things and prefer the (hopefully) more factual, considered, intelligent, thought-provoking and sometimes humourous news and articles we try to provide you with.  But that does not mean that we, and you, cannot have some fun with all the hype and speculation that is building around this year’s E3.  Not only can you have some fun with it all, you could earn yourself some TSA Points and some cool prizes along the way.

The Game:

Below you’ll find a list of 56 things that may, or may not, be announced or shown during E3.  The idea is to play TSA’s own version of bingo with them.  To join in, simply pick 12 items from the list that you think will be announced or shown during E3.  Then email me (greg@thesixthaxis.com) the numbers of your chosen 12 items.  Make the subject of your email “TSA E3 Bingo” and be sure to include your TSA ID.

The Rules:

If you cannot send the email from the address you used when you registered with TSA, include your TSA email address in your entry.  You must be a TSA member with a TSA Points balance of at least 1 (i.e., greater than zero) to enter and only your first entry will count.  Any entries with more than 12 items listed will be excluded.  Your email entry must reach me before midnight (24:00 BST) UK time on Wednesday 6th May 2009.  No entries will be accepted after that time.

The Prizes:

So what can you win?  If you get a ‘full house’ with all 12 of your chosen items actually being announced or shown during E3, you will get 500 TSA points and a very limited edition Valkyria Chronicles Artbook (assuming you’re a UK TSA reader). We have 4 of these points and Artbook prizes.  If more than four people get a full house, each will get entered into a draw and four winners will be picked at random.  If no-one gets a full house, the 500 points and Artbook will be awarded to four random people that got 11 correct, and so on.  We’ll also try and throw some other goodies in there too.

Everyone that enters will get 25 TSA Points just for playing along, too. The winners will be announced after E3, obviously, and anyone who gets a full house will get an honourable mention.  The TSA staff are playing too, though Alex will not let us win any prizes.  In a week’s time, we will post each of our selections from the list and come E3 you’ll be able to see whether we were able to do any better than you, our readers.  To be honest, I hope we do, but I fear we will not.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the list for you to pick from:

Sony’s E3 Keynote – This first 20 have to specifically be mentioned/appear in Sony’s E3 keynote presentation.

• 1. New UMD-less PSP announced.
• 2. New PSP will launch in a LittleBigPlanet bundle.
• 3. New PSP and Gran Turismo Portable demonstrated on-stage.
• 4. Kazunori Yamauchi appears on-stage to talk about Gran Turismo 5.
• 5. David Cage appears on-stage to talk about Heavy Rain.
• 6. Dylan Cuthbert appears on-stage to talk about PixelJunk 1-4.
• 7. Jack Tretton and Kazuo Hirai duet on stage with the new SingStar wireless mics.
• 8. Zipper Interactive play MAG on-stage.
• 9. Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells plays Uncharted 2’s multi-player on-stage.
• 10. David Jaffe plays God of War III on-stage.  Does not swear.  Not even once.
• 11. PS3 price to be cut by $100.
• 12. PS3 price to be cut by $50.
• 13. PS Cloud announced.  MAG will be it’s first server-hosted, pay-as-you-play game.
• 14. New PS3 firmware announced.  Finally the clock/battery meter conflict will be resolved.
• 15. New PS3 firmware announced.  Includes slimmed-down, in-game XMB.
• 16. New PS3 firmware coming later in the year that will deliver backwards-compatibility with PS2 via software.
• 17. PS2 games coming to the PSN Store later in the year.
• 18. Deal announced with MTV to bring original programming onto the PSN Video Store.
• 19. Deal announced with Disney to bring original programming onto the PSN Video Store.
• 20. SCEA gloat about the success of the PSN Video Store.  Reassure Europe it’s on the way for them.

PS3 – Announcements/demos any time during E3.

• 21. Team ICO revealed to be the developers behind Xi on PlayStation Home.  Compare their teaser picture with the Home manhole.
• 22. Heavy Rain demo goes up on the PSN Store during E3 (2nd-4th June).
• 23. EyePet launch dated.
• 24. God of War III demo goes up on the PSN Store during E3 (2nd-4th June).
• 25. Blu-ray 3D movies coming to PS3 this calendar year. Time to buy a new TV.
• 26. The first 3D game (in the same sense as 3D movies) will be released this calendar year.
• 27. Gran Turismo 5 launching worldwide in time for Christmas.
• 28. Team ICO’s new game named and a trailer shown.
• 29. Team ICO’s new game playable at E3.
• 30. Q Games announce the first of their second series of PixelJunk games (i.e., PixelJunk 2-1).
• 31. New PS3 peripheral announced.  A motion-sensing, “wand” controller.
• 32. Starhawk demonstrated on the show floor.
• 33. Starhawk revealed to support up to 64 players; different modes allow combat at all altitudes from the planet’s surface to orbit; persistent warfare across solar systems, similar to Tom Clancy’s EndWar’s online Global View.
• 34. With Gran Turismo 5 running on your PS3 and Gran Turismo Portable on your PSP, you can use your PSP as a wing mirror.
• 35. A 250GB PS3 will be launched before Christmas.

PSP – Announcements/demos any time during E3.

• 36. No new PSP announced.  So this is more of a non-announcement.
• 37. Jade Raymond promotes the PSP version of Assassin’s Creed.
• 38. Hannah Montana appears promoting the Lilac PSP bundle.
• 39. New Killzone PSP title announced.
• 40. New WipEout PSP title announced.
• 41. LittleBigPlanet PSP demo goes up on the PSN Store during E3 (2nd-4th June).
• 42. Rock Band Unplugged demo goes up on the PSN Store during E3 (2nd-4th June).
• 43. LittleBigPlanet PSP will allow you to create objects for uploading to your PS3 LBP level.
• 44. Team ICO’s new game is a PSP sequel to Shadow of the Colossus.  Features wireless multi-player so you can team up against the Colossi.
• 45. A PSP version of Home is announced.  Not 3D, but “space” and “avatar” based.

PS2 – Announcements/demos any time during E3.

• 46. “Decade of Games” range announced, featuring the best game from each year of the PS2’s release.
• 47. “Decade of Games” bundle announced.  $179 buys you a PS2 and the whole Decade of Games range of titles.
• 48. “PS2 Essentials” God of War I & II double game pack announced.
• 49. “PS2 Essentials” ICO and Shadow of the Colossus double game pack announced.
• 50. New range of casual games released accompanying a new controller.  It looks remarkably like a black Wiimote.

Microsoft and Nintendo – Announcements any time during E3.

• 51. Microsoft apologise for making recent 360’s report an E74 error instead of the RRoD, when it’s the same fault causing both.
• 52. Microsoft announce their Xbox handheld console incorporating Zune functionality.  Plays original Xbox games.
• 53. Microsoft announce the Xbox 360’s successor will launch before Christmas.
• 54. Nintendo launch the Wii in a range of colours to get people buying it again.
• 55. Nintendo restate that third-party titles do well on the Wii.  Madworld gets mentioned.  Nintendo change the subject.

The Gamble – Picking this one will mean that you cannot get a full house.  But it may mean you score 1 while lots of other people score 0…

• 56. E3 cancelled due to the Swine Flu pandemic.

That’s your lot.  Happy picking.