With the buzz around PlayStation 4 building, 2013 is set to be one of the most exciting years ever for gamers. A host of next generation titles were unveiled at our PlayStation Meeting 2013 back in February 2013, as well as the first details of the PlayStation 4 system. At the E3 event in June 2013, the focus will once again be on PS4 and its games line-up.

While you’ll be able to stay up to date with all the news as it breaks right here on PlayStation Blog, just imagine actually being at the Los Angeles Convention Centre to take in the sights and sounds of the next PlayStation generation. (more…)

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As difficult it is for me to get my head around (especially as my new passport is still in the post) E3 2011 is only seven sleeps away. As you’ve come to expect, I’ll be there and PlayStation.Blog will be the place to get the breaking news and interviews from the show floor.

Last year, I wrote a series of posts going through the years and looking at the big announcement, and you can check them out again by clicking through the links below.

1995: The inaugural Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) took place a few months before the original PlayStation launched in Europe and America. It gave Western gamers their first glimpse at the console that set us on the road to where we are today.

1996: Two characters that epitomise the original PlayStation were both first seen in ’96. Crash Bandicoot and Lara Croft don’t have a lot in common, but they ushered in a bold new era in gaming.

1997: Not for the last time, Snake was the word hissing around everyone’s lips in 1997. The Metal Gear Solid trailer set a precedent for announcing your game with lavish, cinematic trailers.

1998: The Real Driving Simulator debuted in 1998, redefining how a driving game can look and feel. ’98 was a vintage year that also brought us the brilliant Silent Hill.

1999: Despite appearances from David Bowie and Aerosmith, PlayStation 2 was the star of E3 ’99. At the time, it was a breathtaking display of power from a console demonstrated with a real-time demo of Final Fantasy VIII.

2000: Once again, Solid Snake stole the show with the first reveal of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Such was the impact of that nine minute trailer, each screening drew huge queues as attendees returned for repeat viewings.

2001: For sheer breadth of quality games, 2001 is hard to top. Any show boasting Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, Silent Hill 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and Grand Theft Auto III is bound to be remembered.

2002: The Getaway was debuted at E3 2002 and here’s a little known fact: there’s a pub on the corner of Great Marlborough Street, not far from the SCEE offices, called the Coach & Horses; one of The Getaway’s interiors is based on that very hostelry.

2003: You’d think that the unveiling of Gran Turismo 4 would have been enough to send everyone home excited, when Ken Kutaragi stepped on-stage holding the first PSP, all headlines were rewritten in a flash.

2004-05: E3 2004 was all about pocket-sized fun on PSP and grand brutality as God of War was revealed. In 2005, we were back with new hardware as PlayStation 3 was revealed and footage from Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots and Killzone 2 set mouths to drool mode.

2006-07: Naughty Dog has been creating PlayStation stars since 1996 and in 2007 they revealed their latest: Nathan Drake.

2008-09: A plethora of games announced for PS3, including LittleBigPlanet and God of War III, before PlayStation Move starred in 2010.

Which are your favourite E3 moments and what would you like to see announced a week from now?

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E3 2008 was another low key affair but there was a moment of adorable genius as Sackboy joined Jack Tretton on stage for what must be the cutest financial presentation ever seen.

There were also on-stage presentations of Resistance 2, Killzone 2, MotorStorm Pacific Rift and inFamous, and teaser trailers for God of War III and MAG. By this stage more and more people were interested in downloading their games from PlayStation Store and titles like Fat Princess and Flower made this even more attractive.

With the PlayStation 3 firmly established more third parties were releasing games, resulting in the strongest line-up to date. Standout examples include Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space, Street Fighter IV and Fallout 3.

And then we get to 2009: the last in this series, my first visit and a return to the old format as Los Angeles Convention Centre welcomed tens of thousands of eager gamers.

The SCEA press conference had a bit of everything including new hardware in the unveiling of PSPgo; epic gameplay demonstrations, featuring God of War III and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves; and the shock revelation that Final Fantasy XIV was coming exclusively to PS3.

We also saw ModNation Racers, The Last Guardian, Assassin’s Creed 2 and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the first time.

And that brings us rather neatly to E3 2010 which is about to unfold before your eyes and ears right here on the PlayStation Blog. Thanks to everyone that has commented on this nostalgic odyssey; keep smashing the refresh button into oblivion over the next few days as we bring you latest news from the City of Angels.

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At E3 2006 the full details of PlayStation 3 were revealed and attendees got their hands on the newly-unveiled SIXAXIS Wireless Controller.

Playable games included Heavenly Sword, MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man and Hideo Kojima provided yet another show-stopping moment by showing a trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in which Solid Snake appeared to kill himself.

Another sneaky operative, Altair, impressed at E3 2006 as Ubisoft unveiled Assassin’s Creed and we caught a glimpse of the future as The Casting, a technical demo, showed off the uncanny facial animations that would later be used in Heavy Rain.

Meanwhile, there was an impressive line-up of titles for PSP, which had been out for less than a year. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, LocoRoco and more ensured the handheld was a popular attraction on the show floor.

At the time, E3 2006 felt like the end of an era and 2007’s event was dramatically downsized, restricted to 10,000 select games industry professions and moved to Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar.

Still, E3 2007 was a strong event for PlayStation as SCEA presented a stellar range of games and services. PlayStation Home was one of the biggest talking points but the darling of the show was an adorable glimpse at LittleBigPlanet. We also saw Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune from local development teams Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog.

The show closed with a teaser trailer for inFAMOUS.

E3 2010 is only a few days away, can you taste it yet? Tomorrow we conclude the PlayStation at E3 series before writing the future of gaming on 15 June.

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E3 2010 is tantalisingly close so it’s time to ramp up the tempo. Call it upping the ante or proof that I can’t be trusted with numbers.
 
Everyone went into E3 2004 looking forward to seeing the PSP in person after it had been announced the year before. Its sleek design and large, bright screen impressed everyone who attended the SCEA press conference and the games announced included WipEout Pure, MediEvil Resurrection and Metal Gear Acid.
 
Meanwhile, God of War introduced PlayStation 2 to Kratos and, with Killzone only a few months away from release, visitors had proof that there was still plenty of power in that black casing.

 
E3 2005 belonged to PlayStation 3, albeit with a different controller to the one we all hold today. The High Definition graphics of MotorStorm, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots and Killzone 2 left everyone at the show dribbling and generated the kind of buzz that only an E3 with new hardware can.
 
However, as is the case when a new console is announced, it can be easy to forget that E3 2005 presented some of the best PS2 games to date. These included Killer7, Okami, Black and Shadow of the Colossus.
 
Also, tucked away in a corner of the show floor was a sensation in waiting: Guitar Hero.

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